In the area of tradition and custom, the ancient town of Arochukwu has some well-developed, well-established, overly-strong institutions and practices that have been passed from generation to generation. Think of the Ekpe Society, Ibu Mmayi Nwanyi, Itu Aju Mmayi, the age-grade system, Iga Mmiri Chukwu, Iru Mgbede, the ‘uzi’ institutional practice, and Egwu Onwa celebrations, et cetera.
Some of the above traditional institutions have become moribund, and are rarely carried out in Arochukwu today that many no longer know that such institutions existed, and that they were, and are still, actually a part of the cultural heritage of Arochukwu our fore-fathers had passed onto this new generation of ours as they departed. However, some of the pieces of the cultural heritage of Ndi Aro are still practised today and will continue to be practised as they are often necessitated by everyday occurrences.
One of these aspects of Arochukwu trado-cultural heritage bothers on the institution of ‘arianzu,’ a practice one can rightly refer to as a ‘doctrine of necessity’ that had served the community very well in the past, and still does so today. According a reliable source, ‘arianzu’ is an institution whereby a person is called upon to stand in and perform the duties of a village head (Ezeogo) or the Eze Aro of Arochukwu, for a period of one year – twelve calendar months – when a reigning Ezeogo or the Eze Aro is dead; or when the Ezeogo and/or Eze Aro of Arochukwu is indisposed to continue to occupy his stool and carry out the functions as a result of ill-health, or other forms of incapacitations.
The interim arrangement may also apply when some other traditional institutions are affected, such as when Eze Otusi, Eze Ezi, Eze Amaja, Eze Bianco, et cetera, dies. There must be a mourning period before such a person is replaced through a process of selection from the right family/lineage, as Aro custom dictates.
It is also customary that in the case of the village head, no dead Ezeogo or Eze Aro of Arochukwu could be replaced before the burial, and this is what other communities in Igboland practice too; it is only after a period of twelve months following the death and burial of a traditional ruler that he could be replaced in all parts of Igbo land and beyond. Trite cultural practice forces this on the people. It is a customary norm of the Igbo in particular.
So, when such a situation like this arises, one person is usually appointed to superintend over the affairs of the village or Arochukwu as a town until another Ezeogo or Eze Aro of Arochuwkwu is selected and coroneted in replacement of the deceased, as the situation is in Arochukwu today. Nearly every society has a similar practice to what is done in Arochukwu in one way or the other – surely, the institution of ‘arianzu’ could rightly be referred to the regency institution of the White man in Great Britain or elsewhere.
So, the ‘arianzu’ is an institution that allows that a person (usually the first son of a dead Eze Aro or Ezeogo) carry out the duties of his late father for a period of twelve months before a new Eze Aro or Ezeogo is replaced, while the person so appointed into such a temporary position is traditionally called ‘onye arianzu’ in Igbo Aro dialect, which means ‘he who holds the stool for now.’
As I had indicated earlier before now, the period of the regency in ‘ezeship’ stool in this fine arrangement should last for only twelve calendar months and not more. So, all persons nominated to the throne on the death of the substantive Eze Aro or Ezeogo have to spend twelve months on such throne only considering the cultural dictates of the people, and during which time another Eze or Ezeogo would have been selected and coroneted since the Eze Aro’s and Ezeogo’s are not contested for in Arochukwu but emerge through a selection process – usually from the aboriginal and/or first settlers in the town, village or kindred.
But what is the situation today in Arochukwu? Do the appointed regents to the Ezeogo and Eze Aro stool, ‘onye arianzu’ leave office after the prescribed period of twelve months the tradition of Arochukwu dictates?
Well, the answer is not far-fetched – they do not! Ninety percent of such regents do not leave office after holding forth for twelve months – they stay on, and once such a situation arises, the consequences follow and, in the end, Arochukwu suffers as a whole, or in part in the case of an ‘Ezeogo.’ This is exactly what is happening today in Arochukwu where some villages are boiling and have not known peace because those who have been appointed into the ‘arianzu’ stool in such villages have refused to vacate office after twelve months. As a result, such actions have been attracting court actions in various litigations, and will continue to do so in this cultural aberration!
Yes, the regents usually give reasons why they still hold sway – either because there has been no replacement of the deceased or that the people have not deemed it necessary to let them go. This is unacceptable, even as it is untrue. Many of them subtly create the ‘necessary rooms’ and planks that they think can lead them to stay more and continue to ‘reap the dividends’ of the office they occupy in many of their shenanigans! So, they do not want to leave.
But this should not be. If there has been no replacement of the dead ‘Ezeogo’ the ‘onye arianzu’ has been holding forth for after twelve months’ period he should hold office in that regard, the ‘onye arianzu’ should resign and leave the office vacant because he knows the office he is occupying is for twelve months only, and not more. Staying beyond one day is a trado-cultural aberration that is not welcome in Arochukwu so that it doesn’t become a part of the people’s cultural practice and heritage in the town now future generations will refer to, as aruru ali gbaa afo, ya aghoo omenali, as we say in Igbo Aro dialect.
I suggest that in future all persons who want to occupy the ‘arianzu’ stool should be admitted to a traditional oath-taking at Ukwu Ofo Aro and swear that they will not stay beyond the traditional twelve-month period Aro cultural practice demands in such a situation. We must preserve Aro cultural heritage as in this regard and disregard personal idiosyncrasies of the occupiers of the ‘arianzu’ stool towards elongating their stay in office. People should not strive and agitate to occupy Aro traditional institutions because of monetary and/or material reasons and gains as they are not business centres.
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