Who are they?
The Oguta people are ndi Igbo who live in the local government area of Oguta in the southeast of Imo state, Nigeria.
Oguta town is close to Oguta Lake, the biggest natural lake in Imo state, and that lake is a very big part of who they are.
They called themselves “Oguta-Ameshi” or the “Ameshi,” and about 20,096 people lived in the town of Oguta (when they counted in 2012). They had 27 villages, and despite being part of modern life, they still held on to their old ways.
How do they start?
Nobody can tell the story of how the Oguta people started because there were no books or much evidence, but according to the way people explained it, the story shows they came from Igbo land that traveled from places like Ado-Naidu, close to Benin kingdom, before the Oguta land. Most people said they entered from the Nri Anambara, but they all acknowledge that the lake in the Oguta town brought them together. They have water, fish and good land for farming.
Once upon a time, the water connected them to the river Niger, so they were marketing their goods well, even before they came across the white people. When they came in contact with the British in the Royal Niger Company and the United African Company, they were using the town of Oguta to transport palm oil to Europe. In the Nigeria Civil War (1967-1970), the Biafra people turned the Oguta Lake into a navy base, and the Ojukwa Bunker was still there.
The culture and way of the Oguta people.
The Oguta people love their lake more than anything else. They named the lake “Ogbuide,” and they see the lake as their god, both in women and men. The woman’s name is Uhamiri, while the man’s name is Urashi(from the Arashi River). The story they tell about Uhamiri and Urashi is about a husband and wife who fought, so their water is not mixed even if they flow together.
The green and brown water from the lake are clearly seen, and they have shrines from two sides, where people also drop their gifts
They gave the shrine the special names “Obodo mmiri bara Gburugburu” (a town surrounded by water) and “Ameshi ogidiga”(an oguta that shines).
They have a variety of festivals:
The omereife(ogene) festival: it’s usually happening around the month of August and September. New yam, party with the flow of music, dance, and food for the villages like mgbele, Nkwesi, and Egbuoma.
The Okorosha festival: The New Year vibes are from August to September, with the dance of masquerade and play from nearby villages like Awo-Omamma.
Owu festival: This festival is a dance connected to the lake goddess. Both women join the masquerade, which is not common in Igbo land.
They have a king they call Eze-Igwe, who controls all 27 villages. The men join the Igbuu society and earn the title of “Ogbuagu” (Leopard Slayer). In the past, they killed leopards, but in modern times, they paid for monkeys.
How do they strive
The Oguta people know how to work:
Fish work: the lake has over forty different types of fish, and over 2,400 fishermen catch the fish full-time, with the number of 150 part-time. Fish is 80% of meat in their town
Farm-like: The flood that comes every year makes their land so nutritious for cassava, yam, and palm. The women wash cassava in the lake; they already have Oguta Lake as their office.
Trade and Boat: Ferries and speedboats in Oguta move people and goods across the lake to places like Onitsha and Port-Harcourt, just like in the past.
Oil money: oguta has much oil, so big companies like Shell, chevron, and AGIP extract from them; they bring cash but sometimes spoil the land. Celebrities like Flora Nwapa(the first woman who wrote the first novel in Nigeria), Justice Oputa (big judge), and Francis Nzeribe(the money man) came from here, so you know they have higher rank
How do they live their lives:
The town of Oguta has two sides: the old part, which has 27 villages, and the new part, which is planned like a city. Egwe gateway is the only road on which they don’t have water to enter. Women wash clothes and soak cassava in the lake, the men fish and also make oil work, and everybody is mixing the old and new life. They speak Igbo in their own special and sweet style, and the music, dance, and stories they tell about the lake draw people to learn from them.
The trouble they face
Dirty water: Because pip-borne water does not run through people’s houses or toilet systems, dirty water normally enters the lake. Gradually, the lake begins to spoil.
Flood: During the year, floods occur and destroy people’s houses and farmlands, especially when there’s much rain.
Small development: even though they have a lake motel and resort, they don’t have modern amenities like the Owerri people do.
But they never give up:
Several times they try to protect the lake with project, and the government excavate to the Atlantic ocean since 2023 it’s will bring better days to the people of oguta if they make more effort to make it right.
The Oguta people are the strongest group of Igbo people, and they tie their lives to Oguta Lake. They’ve seen more through marketing, war, and farming, and their culture is interesting and pleasing. At this point, they are trying to hold onto the old ways while facing a problem today.
The story of the Oguta people is like a deep and strong lake, but it has no end.
References
•Afigbo, A. E. (1981). Ropes of Sand: Studies in Igbo History and Culture. Ibadan: University Press Ltd.
•Isichei, E. (1976). A History of the Igbo People. London: Macmillan Press.
•Nwapa, Flora. (1966). Efuru. London: Heinemann.
•Uchendu, V. C. (1965). The Igbo of Southeast Nigeria. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
•Falola, T., & Heaton, M. M. (2008). A History of Nigeria. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
•Njoku, O. N. (2005). Economic History of Nigeria: 19th and 20th Centuries. Enugu: Magnet Business Enterprises.
•Echeruo, M. J. C. (1979). A Matter of Identity: Igbo Cultural Festivals and Masquerades. Owerri: Government Press.
•Ohadike, D. C. (1994). Anioma: A Social History of the Western Igbo People. Athens: Ohio University Press.
•Ekpo, V. I., & Umoh, E. E. (2015). “The Socio-Economic Importance of Oguta Lake to the Oguta Community.” Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 6(2), 345–352.
•Nwafor, J. C. (2006). “Environmental Impact of Oil Exploration in the Niger Delta: A Case Study of Oguta.” African Journal of Environmental Studies, 4(1), 23–30.
•Onyemelukwe, J. O. C. (1974). “The Role of Inland Waterways in Nigerian Economic Development.” Nigerian Geographical Journal, 17(2), 89–102.
