Ifeanyi Uche writes:
More hereIn Abiriba the age –grade plays a significant role in development. All males in Abiriba are selected into various groups according to the time of their birth for the purpose of rendering compulsory services to the community as recognized groups. These people grouped according to their ages are called Uke meaning “age grade”. These age grades are formed and nurtured by the Amogudu community of Abiriba, through the Uke Ogba Ngwuru and Uke Ekpe institutions, however, after receiving a name from the traditional ruler of Amogudu, the named age-grade becomes an entire Abiriba community organization and each named age-grade is required to pass through three significant milestones from its naming to its disbanding and the relinquishing of the name.
image courtesy of MyHeritageMyPride
These stages are as follows: Izara efa, meaning “name taking” Igwa Mang, meaning “signifying coming into full maturity” and Ime Uche, meaning “retirement from age-grade activities and responsibilities” The last four years of the twelve years between name-receiving (Izara efa) and coming –into –maturity, the members are called “Uke Igwa Mang” and these four years are the most active of all the years of age-grade activities. During the four year service period, physical defence of the community from any external attack was the responsibility of the “Uke Igwa Mang” in the ancient days of inter-community wars, as they formed the bulk of the military and also led the military formations against enemies of the Kingdom, however,r In more modern times the “Uke Igwa Mang” members perform leadership roles in all types of community labour mobilization and utilization for projects such as road building and maintenance, soil erosion control, fighting of fires in the community and many more community services, in fact all three secondary schools in Abiriba, the magistrate court, the library, post office and even the police station were all built by age grades.
At the end of the four years of active service, a major celebration is performed by every member of the age grade to mark the successful end of the service period and this ceremony is called the Igwa Mang and it takes place in December on designated years and December 2014 happens to be a designated year. The celebrations usually commence on Nkwo day of the Igbo four day week when people go to market to purchase food items such as yams, melon seeds, fish, goats and rams for the preparation of good soup for the celebration. On the following Eke Day, members of the age grade return from the “war front” bear bodied but clad in red georgi cloth waist down and wearing the red, white and black war caps on their head and mares of rams as arm bands and bearing guns or long hard wood sticks and shields parade the community in triumph. This parade depicts successful tenure tutelage and service to the kingdom. The victory parade ends at the royal palace where members of the age grade pay homage to the Enachioken (King) who in turn congratulates them for their successful service to the community and presents them with a ram. Members of the age grade in turn leave their long wooden sticks at the Enachioken’s compound as a sign of their safe arrival, they then depart to their separate villages to pay similar homage to their elders.
