"Onuigbo"by Stephen Osadebe; The story Behind The Song. (SEE PHOTOS)
Here is what the store teller shared. Read up.
You remember Chief Stephen Osita Ọsadebe's Song— Ọnụigbo? Now, let's discuss what led to that song. It's the kîlling of the coal miners by the British colonial government in Enugwu. The Iva Valley history.
It was on the 18th of November, 1949, about 21 coal miners were shot dead during the protest against the British colonial regime and the poor welfare and slavery of the coal miners.
Iva Valley mines were built to replace the Udi Coal Mines.
The workers experienced racism and physical abuse by the British managers. On September 2, 1945, a British national by name T. Yates slapped a worker, Mr. Okwudịlị Ojiyi who challenged the man and seek for redress. His actions got the British man penalized.
This never changed the fact that workers were treated as slaves. The poor working condition was serious to an extent, the workers demanded for payment of rostering, payment of housing and traveling allowances which were trashed by the management.Because their welfare was disregarded, the workers began to go on strike. As a result, the colonial guys sacked about 50 miners.
The British management removed the explosives because they feared that the strike and protest could lead to Independence.
But the ones removed were Obwetti mines. The real Iva Valley explosives were difficult to remove because workers had refused to assist them. Yes, workers did all the jobs. They did all the mining works, the colonists only instruct and command as bosses.
The colonists, however, introduced trade unions to stop workers uprising and ban the strikes.
Everything changed when Okwudịlị Ojiyi— the man who was slapped by Mister T. Yates and he got the white man punished for that, campaigned for better working conditions. He was the General Secretary of the Colliery Worker's Union .
A British Superintendent of Police by name Captain F.S. Philip and other British officers plus 75 armed local policemen were instructed to remove the explosives as the chaos was getting momentum and this led to workers protesting and singing.
Miners protested with red pieces of cloths. They used them on to their miners’ helmets, wrists, or knees, as a sign of solidarity.
About 1:30 pm, the police became angry, upon seeing the numbers and songs of solidarity. The captain ordered his men to shoot.
The first person to be kílled was Sunday Anyasodo. He newly got married and came to Enugwu to live. He hailed from Mbieri, Owere. Captain Philip kílled him. Livinus Okechukwuma who was a machine operator from Ohi, Owere was kílled. An Udi man known as Okafọ heard what happened, came out to ask questions, he was shot on the spot.
At the end of their sporadic shooting on the protesters, 21 men were fired dead while 51 men where badly injured.
The names of men who were killed include:
Sunday Anyasodo, the hewer from Mbieri
Livinus Okechukwuma, the machine operator from Owerri
Okafor Ageni, an Udi man
Moses, the machine operator from Ụmụohoho
Simeon, the machine operator from Mbutu
Nnaji, the hewer from Ndibara Amaimo
Nwahu, the engine driver from Amuzi Bende and 15 others.
They were killed because they asked for their working conditions to be improved.
The Zikist Movement however, were influenced by this, to press further for independence.
Go back to listen to Ọsadebe's song again: Ọnụigbo. Ndị a mere anyị arụ!
I paused!
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