Edo Community, Ivbiokhulotor Installs Chief Umoru Osikhekhai Village Head

By Hameed Braimah

Chief Isah Umoru Osikhekhai has been installed the Ovbiotse (Village Head), of Ivbiokhulotor Village, Ubuneke, in Ivbiaro Clan, Owan East Local Area of Edo State.

The elders and people of the various quarters that make up Ivbiokhulotor converges to install the 92-year-old as Ovbiotse (Village Head), after he atteined the noble status of the oldest man in the community.

The installation is in line with the custom and tradition of the people, and as contained in the Chieftaincy Declaration regulating succession to the village headship of Ivbiokhulotor and the entire Ivbiaro Clan.

The second in command in the community, Chief Mohammed Oyagha who performed the installation was supported by Chief Y. A. Ekhagba, third in command of the village.

Oyagha noted that the occasion was significant to the custom and tradition of Ivbiokhulotor Village and Ivbiaro Clan at large.

Speaking shortly after his installation as Ovbiotse (Village Head), Chief Isah Umoru Osikhekhai, thanked the people for the honour done him. He promised to lead the community on the path of peace, and prosperity for the benefit of all.

He reaffirmed that his formal installation as the Village Head of Ivbiokhulotor is in compliance with the dictates of the Ivbiaro Chieftaincy Declaration which confirms the customary laws and practices that confer rulership on the oldest men in the respective villages in Ivbiaro Clan, including Ebese, Ivbiokhulotor, Usun and Ivbiosogbe.

The Ovbiotse appealed to every member of the Village to join hands with him to advance the collective aspirations and dreams of the village to be one of the shining examples of progressive communities in Edo State and the nation at large.

He described the event as particularly unique in the sense that it is the first to be so performed since the enactment of the governing law regulating the Ivbiaro Chieftaincy.

“It is important to state here that the Chieftaincy Declaration has created a veritable opportunity for the four branches of the Ivbiaro’s sole ruling houses consisting of Ebese, Ivbiokhulotor, Usun and Ivbiosogbe to take their respective turns in the succession process to the Ivbiaro Clan-headship on a rotatory basis.

“It is my expectation that elders and people of Ivbiokhulotor village support and embrace the new world order with regard to the processes leading to the appointment of a village head,” the Ovbiotse said.

He also used the opportunity to pledge his unalloyed loyalty to the authority of the Clan Head of Ivbiaro HRH Alimu Abu Oshame and wished him a successful reign.

In his brief remarks, Barrister Abdulkarim Ozoya Yusuf, urged the Ovbiotse to carry every one along in the administration of the community, just as he changed the chiefs and elders of the village to support and cooperate with the Ovbiotse in that regard.

Yusuf explained that to qualify for this noble appointment, the person must be the oldest man in any of the four villages in Ivbiaro Clan, including Ivbiokhulotor village.

According to him, “The Ovbiotse’s appointment is first and foremost made by God Almighty by reason of longevity. It has been confirmed by the Chieftaincy Declaration and what we are doing here today is the formalization of the appointment in unanimity of purpose defined by our commitment to respect the laws and keep the peace of our community,” he emphasized.

High point of the ceremony was the decoration of the Ovbiotse, symbolizing the installation.