By Ifeyinwa Ogwo
The Anambra State Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr. Don Onyenji, has congratulated Ndi-Omenala Agulu Ohumba Community for their persistence in ensuring that their ancestral deity’s Artifact ‘Haba,’ taken in 1905 by the British Government and later returned in 1946 to the custody of the National Commission of Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in Lagos, was finally returned to them. He said that the release of the artifact was processed in accordance with federal government law and international laws governing the ownership of artifacts.
The commissioner made this statement during the visit of members of Ndi-Omenala Agulu Ohumba Community to his office at Jerome Udorji Secretariat, Awka.
He thanked Governor Chukwuma Soludo, under whose administration the artifact was returned to the people of Agulu after a long period. “Governor Soludo’s government is for everybody as far as traditional religion is concerned, which, he is not against. What this government is against is where people use religion of any sort, whether Christian or traditional religion, to commit crimes, create disunity, and disharmony in the state.
“The journey of ‘Haba’ from Agulu community in Anambra State, Nigeria, in 1905, to England, and back to Nigeria in 1946, to the NCMM where it was kept before returning to Agulu, is historical and a story that needs to be told, preserved, and documented for research purposes,” he said.
Mr. Onyenji advised the custodians of the deity to ensure that they follow tradition by not allowing it to be abused and to worship it properly, taking into account other religions around the community. “What we seek more importantly is peace, truth, and unity in our state.”
During the visit, the President General of Agulu Community, Chief Oliver Afamefuna, on behalf of Ndi-Omenala Agulu Ohumba Community, thanked Governor Soludo and the Commissioner immensely for their assistance through the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment and Tourism in bringing back the artifact of ‘Haba’ to them. “The move to bring back our Deity’s artifact began long time ago, but it was in this government that serious attention was given to it through the Ministry, culminating in a positive outcome on October 31, 2025, when it was handed over to us.
“Even though we have not officially notified the entire Agulu about the return of our deity, they are already aware that she is back to where she belongs. We have mapped out and surveyed the place the deity will stay, and we are appealing for you and your staff to grace the official presentation to the people of Agulu, as well as lay the foundation stone for work at the site where she will be kept. The ceremony will be held on the 23rd and 24th of December, 2025, at Agulu.”
Furthermore, the Secretary of Ndi-Omenala Agulu Ohumba Community, Prince Chigbogu Nwokoyeobata, congratulated Governor Soludo on his landslide victory at the recent election and prayed for the success of his second tenure. He appealed for government and public support to construct a permanent and fitting home for the deity as directed by the Federal Government, as the deity has been listed in the national and international inventories, making it a matter beyond family or community responsibility, now a state obligation.
He noted that officials from the Federal Government could visit at any time to survey the site designated for the deity. “We appeal for government backing to establish a cultural centre at the site, just as the people of Osun and Edo did when their deity artifacts were returned. We will protect and preserve the deity carefully because to preserve it is to preserve the future of our children and unborn generations,” he promised.
The highlight of the visit was the presentation of a document, including survey plans, the handover letter from NCMM, among others, to the Commissioner.
Ifeyinwa is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
