Typically, when I describe my village as consisting of over 4000 people, folks are a little surprised. I have a friend whose parents have retired to a small town in Nebraska whose population is a little over 400. So for most people – the number 4000 and village seem somehow incongruous – but village it is. Iga Okpaya to be exact. It is a part of Idoma, an ethnic group in Nigeria that includes a number of villages and communities from the southernmost tip of the northern region of Nigeria and to the south and east of the river Benue (map below). Idoma is a part of Benue State in Nigeria, which derives its name from the Benue River that runs through it.
There is a saying that is used all over Idomaland to describe the people of Iga, which loosely translated, is the following – ‘Mischief is gathered in Iga’. It is used to describe the people’s fiercely independent spirit (which can also be read as a propensity for getting into arguments) and also their sense of humour which is wicked, and never more so than when directed at each other.
My father, Chief Peter Sule Adoba, Agaba Idu (IV) is the chief of Iga Okpaya. He is a traditional ruler, and is the administrator of the village.
He works hand in hand with the local government authorities, who defer to him on matters requiring resolution of farmland boundary disputes for example, inheritance etc. He works with a council of elders, in whom reside a rich, rich history of the village and its origins. Most of the people of Iga can trace their lineage directly back to five brothers and two sisters who had formidable reputations – amazonian almost. The sisters are the ancestors of some neighbouring villages – the brothers are the ones that matter in terms of Iga ancestry although the story of their father and how they came to where they are today is a fascinating one. The ruling families of Iga, of which the Adoba family is one, are the ones whose lineage is the closest to these brothers. (I must make a point of recording the telling of that lineage – it is actually fascinating).
Until December of 2007, my father combined his traditional duties with running the family business, as in today’s modern day and age traditional rulers are not paid a great deal. For as long as I can remember, my father would make the one and a half to two hour trip from the family home in Makurdi to Iga every Friday and return on the following Monday – using his time there to dispense rulings on various village matters. Every important family occasion was celebrated in the village, weddings primarily and most recently my parents 50th wedding anniversary.
In that time, he has been instrumental in bringing to the village a number of projects, including ones run by the World Health Organization (his life in the public service was almost entirely within the Ministry of Health), a number of Rotary International initiatives, being a member and former president, and in establishing the St. Peters Anglican church in Iga as a fervent and active member of the Anglican Church in Nigeria.
In December of 2007 my parents ‘retired’ and moved permanently into our family house in the village. Since my parents don’t actually know the meaning of the word ‘retired’ – they have since been instrumental in bringing cell phone service to the village and are now embarking on this project – building a library for the Anglican secondary school. My mother, a former schoolteacher, educator and retired from life long public service in the Ministry of Education (and currently holds board positions with various institutions of Higher Learning), holds education sacrosanct.
This library will help to sate a hunger that exists in these children for learning, that poverty puts out of their reach. Please don’t misunderstand – these children do not want pity – they simply want opportunity. As villages go, Iga is blessed in a number of ways. As a mainly agrarian community, they very rarely see the kind of hunger and famine that is often reported for places like Ethiopia, Chad and Sudan; where human cruelty plays as much a role as does mother nature. As you will see in the faces of the children in these pictures, happiness does exist for them in the simplest of things. Luxuries – small and big – are out of their reach – but basic needs are met – food and shelter. If you can for a moment imagine what this world could be like, if we equipped people from the cradle with the ability to lift themselves, to imagine a world where it is possible to dream of reaching the stars and actually stand some hope of getting to the stairs. This library we hope and pray will be one important step in that journey.
![jesus_holding_hands_with_child_5ts3[1]](http://www.alibraryiniga.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/jesus_holding_hands_with_child_5ts31-150x150.jpg "jesus_holding_hands_with_child_5ts3[1]")
![pictureatpastorsams[3]](http://www.alibraryiniga.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/pictureatpastorsams3-300x252.jpg "pictureatpastorsams[3]")
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