Etteh is town in Igbo-North local government of Enugu state, South Eastern Nigeria, sharing boundaries with Kogi and Benue States. It's culturally and ethnic diverse community accomodating Igbo people, who are the majority and some elements of Idoma and Igala tribes.
Etteh as a town have many smaller villages, including Ogado, where Onyirima Shrine is located. Ogado Community is one of the oldest and most revered traditional shrines in Ette. For generations, it has occupied a significant place in the history, culture, and traditional heritage of the Ogado people. More than a sacred site, the shrine represents an important part of the community's ancestral identity and cultural legacy.
Before the introduction of Christianity and other foreign religions into many parts of Africa, communities maintained sacred shrines where they worshipped their deities, offered sacrifices, expressed thanksgiving, and sought divine protection, peace, prosperity, and guidance. The Ogado community was no exception. According to community tradition, the Onyirima Shrine was established by the ancestors as a sacred place where the people gathered to honour their spiritual beliefs and seek blessings for the land. For well over a century, the Onyirima Shrine has been regarded as a symbol of unity, protection, and communal prosperity. Every year, the people of Ogado in Etteh town, traditionally celebrated Onyirima Day, a special occasion dedicated to prayers, thanksgiving, and traditional rites performed in appreciation for the blessings believed to have been received, while also seeking continued peace, unity, and progress for the community.
Customs Associated with Onyirima Shrine
Among the most widely known customs associated with the shrine is the traditional belief concerning mothers carrying infants on their backs. According to long-standing oral tradition, a mother carrying a baby who had not yet begun to walk was not expected to pass along the road beside the shrine during the child's first journey through that area. If this custom was unintentionally violated, it was believed that a traditional cleansing ceremony should be performed to restore harmony and prevent misfortune. For generations, this belief formed an important part of the customs observed by the people of Ogado.
The road passing beside the Onyirima Shrine served as an important route linking Ogado Community with the famous Ede-Ette Market and neighbouring communities. Because of its strategic location, the customs associated with the shrine became widely known among travellers throughout the area. Community tradition also recounts that traders transporting clay pots to Ede-Ette Market sometimes experienced repeated breakages while passing the shrine. Elders believed this was connected with the shrine's customs. To address the situation, a practice developed whereby one clay pot was traditionally offered before continuing the journey. According to oral history, this custom ended the repeated breakages. Even today, broken clay pots can still be found around the shrine, serving as reminders of these traditional accounts. It is also said that some visitors who were unfamiliar with the shrine's customs unknowingly violated its traditional rules. To reduce such occurrences, the community eventually diverted the road away from the immediate surroundings of the shrine.
According to accounts preserved by community elders, if a mother unknowingly carried a baby on her back through the shrine during the child's first passage, she was expected to present two newly hatched chicks to the chief priest or another recognised male elder of Ogado. During the cleansing ceremony, one chick was used as part of the traditional rite, while the second was left alive within the shrine after prayers seeking forgiveness, peace, and restoration. After this cleansing ceremony, the mother was traditionally permitted to pass through the shrine with the child on her back without any further restriction.
The traditional greeting associated with the shrine is: "Onyirima" and people will respond "Gwo! Gwo! Gwo"!
Annual Celebration
Another cherished custom was the annual gathering of married women from Ogado Community. They prepared different traditional meals and presented them at the shrine as part of the celebration. Following prayers and thanksgiving, everyone shared the food together, while any remaining portions were traditionally offered at the shrine. According to tradition, the items required for the annual Onyirima celebration include goats, fowls, yams, palm wine, schnapps, and native kola nuts. The celebration is customarily held on Afor Market Day, while the surrounding bush is cleared one day before the festival.
Traditional accounts further state that during the annual Onyirima celebration there was always an abundance of goats and fowls for the festival, and animals associated with the shrine were believed to flourish under its protection. Older members of the community remember that the shrine was once surrounded by a dense forest that provided shelter for numerous birds, domestic fowls, goats, and other wildlife. Community tradition holds that many of these animals were offerings presented by worshippers, with some left alive after traditional sacrifices. Over time, these animals multiplied freely within the protected forest surrounding the shrine.
For many decades, these traditions were faithfully observed by our parents and grandparents. However, with the spread of Christianity, modernization, and changing cultural values, interest in many traditional practices gradually declined. As a result, several customs connected with the Onyirima Shrine, including its annual celebrations, were neglected for many years. According to respected elders and traditional custodians, this period of neglect was believed to have affected the fortunes, peace, and progress of many children and families within the community. Although these beliefs belong to the community's traditional oral history and may not be shared by everyone, they remain an important part of Ogado's cultural heritage and identity.
Last year, the elders, youths, and chief priests of Ogado Community gathered once again at the Onyirima Shrine to offer prayers for peace, unity, and development. Their renewed commitment to preserving this important aspect of Ogado's cultural heritage has inspired many people within and outside the community. Following these efforts, the community resolved to continue the annual Onyirima celebration as a means of preserving its history, honouring the traditions of the ancestors, strengthening community unity, and praying for continued peace, progress, and prosperity.
As preparations begin for future celebrations, we remain hopeful that greater unity, peace, progress, and development will continue to flourish throughout the community.
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