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The people of Achina community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State have called on the Anambra State government to urgently come to their rescue over scarcity of potable water.
The only source of water available to the residents is the Ezeokoro Stream, which has 245 steps going deep down the valley.
For the people of Achina, it is literally easier for the camel to go through the biblical eye of the needle than to access the stream.
At first, the curvy steps are very strenuous and dangerous to climb for the natives who queue up in order to take turns to fetch water from the stream.
Also, ancient cultural ordinances pose great barrier and danger to the women.
The rules, according to the residents, who spoke to Oriental News, must be observed by the women fetching the water otherwise they stand the high risk of going insane or losing their fertility.
They said that several women in the past had gone mad and some of them barren for disobeying the tradition, which could be atoned.
They said that this was because the stream is under the powerful influence of a male deity called Ezeokoro.
Therefore, the people are appealing to the Anambra State government to rehabilitate the stream, as well as sink boreholes in their community .
The untold story
According to Mrs Celestina Ibekwe, a woman leader in the community, “many women in the past have been struck with madness and barrenness for violating the rules of Ezeokoro stream.”
The stream, which is the only source of clean water in Achina is located deep down a valley in the heart of the town. It is divided into male and female sections with the male being the purest, and both flow out through a mechanism called ‘ula.’
People from all walks of life, according to the residents, “throng to the stream on daily basis to fetch water as it has been proven to be pure by some laboratory scientists from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in Enugu State.”
But due to the bumpy, sharp slope that posed difficulty in going to the stream, a group from the United States of America called Operation Crossroads Africa (OCA), in 1958, constructed 245 staircases to enable residents get to the stream.
Operation Crossroads Africa is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, working to build links between North America and Africa and was founded in 1958 by a Presbyterian clergyman, James Herman Robinson.
OCA annually sends groups of young volunteers from North America to work on projects in Africa.
A chieftain of the community who facilitated the construction of the steps in the colonial era, Ezeoba Dom Chuks Nwosu told Oriental News that the god of the water had in 1938 dried up the spring in protest of series of violations, adding that after its atonement by women of the town, individuals squarely faced the consequences of their actions.
“There was a story I told you about Ezeokoro which I’m very sure about. I told you about what happened in 1938 when the water dried up because of certain violations and the spirit of the stream went to his concubine, Ogwashi Deity at Uga community. Many people, including I was a witness to that because all the women in Achina, including my mother left this town for Uga community and spent two days pleading with it to come back. After the sacrifices they performed they came back; the following day the spring water started to flow again,” he recalled.
Genesis of madness, barrenness
Mrs Ibekwe told Oriental News the stories which are quite revealing.
Hear her: “Fetching water from this stream is not easy, but the white people tried a little for us by constructing the steps. But as you can see, they are rapidly wearing away. Old people like me are finding it difficult to climb the steps.
“The stream has two divisions – male and female. This is because there are rules based on the customs guiding it. Male section has strict, special traditions guiding it. In the olden days and till date, men of Achina take Ozo chieftaincy title, and they have special regard for it. It is a taboo for a woman in menstruation to go near him. Because of that, such a woman is forbidden to go to the male arm of the stream to fetch water. In fact, women generally are barred from going there. Any woman who violates the custom is expected to carry out some traditional rituals for cleansing otherwise she will go barren all her life. Then those who have reached menopause stand high risk of losing their sanity as that is the alternative punishment. Such violations, if they do without atonement, prevent her from fulfilling her destiny as a woman. She would consult the spiritual attendant to the deity in charge of the water who tells her what she would bring for cleansing. She’d be washed.”
Mrs Ibekwe who gave an eyewitness account of a victim (name withheld) revealed that when such people refused to go for atonement on religious grounds, their woes were doubled.
“If she disagrees to act in line with the tradition, perhaps on religious grounds, the thing (water spirits) will be disturbing her. In fact, she may eventually go mad. It has happened so many times. Once you break the rules, you must bear the severe consequences,” she said.
When Oriental News visited the stream at about 1:00p.m Miss Chinyere Ezeonuogu was waiting for a man to come to assist her fetch from the male section.
She told Oriental News that she had spent over 2 hours and was ready to return without water if no man came to her rescue..
She subsequently pleaded with this reporter to assist her.
Her words: “I have been sitting on this step for more than 2 hours waiting for a man to help me get water from the male section. This female section is not really clean and safe for drinking.”
Chinyere agreed that “women do not go to the male section of the stream. This is because they are forbidden to fetch water from there. It was said that any woman who violates that rule will go barren. But men can fetch from the female section. But as a woman, you can come with your brother who can fetch for you while you wait at the base of the step, or you wait as long as your patience can carry you until a man or boy comes around to help you.
“We find it very difficult to fetch water here. Sometimes you’ll have to fight your way through. In fact, here is more or less a wrestling ground. Some people settle their scores here. Sometimes after such fiasco, there would be pieces of broken gallons. You know, while struggling to gain access to the water, heavy fight could ensue. If after waiting for so long without any man to fetch it for me, I’ll simply go home and come the next day.
“Again, it is very strenuous fetching water from this stream. It is a day’s job on its own. One feels weak and sleepy after climbing these long steps. You’ll feel very weak because all your bones and muscles must have worn out climbing the long steps.”
A community leader, Ezeoba Dom Chuks Nwosu also spoke to us.
Hear him: “Ezeokoro stream is the only water the people of Achina can boast of. It is very clean and delightful to drink. That was why a group from America called Operation Crossroads Africa, during the late colonial era visited the stream and subsequently constructed a long staircase numbering 245 to aid easy movement down the valley. People from other backgrounds also come here to fetch the water. I remember a certain professor from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka who used to come here all the way from Enugu State to fetch the water. He comes with many gallons. For instance, my son-in-law, a commander in the Nigerian Navy came here last Christmas with his family to spend the festive period with me. He visited the stream and the first scene he met was some students of St. Peter’s Special Science School fighting. He went there with a 40-litre container and took the water to Port Harcourt where he analysed the water. He was shocked that it as as pure as the water was, the government has not seen the need to put it to the best use for the benefit of Achina people and the environ. He said it was the best spring water he had ever seen.”
Ezeoba who explained that “the division of the water into two sections was based on culture of the people of Achina designed to accommodate women who are weaker sex as they would not be able to fight over the limited supply of the water,” however, agreed that several victims have fallen for violating the custom.
“From time immemorial, this town has been respected for its protection of the women folk. They recognized that women are just weaker sex. So to protect the women, they ensured that one section of the stream was preserved for the exclusive use of the women and the other for the exclusive use of the men. But to ensure compliance to that, they attributed that order to Ezeokoro deity because if they had allowed men and women to fight over the limited supply of that water, women might not be able to fetch it at all,” he explained.
When asked about the repercussions if a woman goes to the male section he said: “Well, there would be sanctions. Her fellow women will go to her to collect some stipulated fines and ask her to make some sacrifice. O yes! If the woman is under menstruation, she is restricted to go there to avoid spoiling the spring water; you don’t wash clothes there.
“If a woman violates the order and runs mad, that’s her own cup of tea. The spiritual aspects of that stream affects her and the people will see it and say that she is mad because she violated the order of the stream. It is spiritual, so you can’t explain it. It has happened several times; you can’t number that. Many things can happen to any woman who violates that rule. That is where the spirituality comes in. Ezeokoro is a deity.”
Therefore, a cross section of the Achina community people who spoke to Oriental News pleaded with the government to come to their aid as the scarcity of water in the area has brought untold hardship to them.
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