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Igbere lies about 37 kilometers north of Umuahia along the Umuahia-Uzuakoli-Ohafia-Arochukwu road.

 

It has five neighbours -

• Item to the North

• Abiriba and Umuhu to the East

• Ozuitem to the South

• Alayi to the West

 

It is made up of thirteen communities -

• Amankalu

• Ibinaukwu

• Ibinanta 

• Umuisi

• Amaofufo

• Amakpo

• Amaukwu

• Eziama

• Agbo

• Okafia

• Ohumola

• Amoji and

• Amiyi 

 

 

 

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With about 25 square kilometres of built-up area, surrounded by large expanses of farmland, Igbere is a fairly big agricultural clan. It is a clan whose many sons and daughters also make their living outside their ancestral home as traders and accomplished professionals in various fields.

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It is a typical traditional Igbo clan with a long, storied history of communal life. Central to that communal life is an Age Grade system which functions as a layered system of traditional cooperatives for the purposes of community development and social safety net.

 

At any point in time, there are thirteen active Age Grades, each bringing together men and women whose birthdays span a period of roughly three years. This is regardless of wherever in the world such individuals may live. 

 

To maintain thirteen as the number of active age grades, a new age grade comes into being as the oldest one drops out. Therefore, every three years, Igbere people come together in a big public ceremony to admit a new, young Age Grade and retire the oldest serving Age Grade.

The youngest age grade formally comes into service in the age bracket of 23 to 25, while the oldest age grade retires in the bracket of 63 to 65, resulting in an active service period of about 45 years.

 

The year 2020 was one of those big years in which the Age Grade system must be refreshed. It was an Ezumezu year - a coming together year. However, because of the global pandemic (COVID), the ceremonies were postponed and will now hold in December of 2021.

 

The oldest serving Age Grade in 2020 was the Omezi Ebiri Age Group which was admitted into community service in 1981. It remains the oldest serving age grade until the rescheduled retirement holds. Nd belongs to the Omezi Ebiri Age Group and has served the Igbere community on that platform and many other platforms. Therefore, along with all surviving members of the Omezi Ebiri Age Grade, Nd is formally retiring from community service in December, 2021.

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That traditional retirement is officially called “Igboto mma” which literally means “dropping the machete” , the machete being the symbol of work and service in this traditionally agrarian community.

Igboto mma is also a major personal landmark for anyone fortunate enough to be alive to perform it. 

It is one of the few celebrations of life an Igbere person can steer for himself and see/enjoy.

 

Individual Igboto mma ceremonies to mark the event usually follow a public event where the actual retirement happens. Since an Age Grade usually has many members, and in order for the entire Igbere clan to attend each ceremony, the individual ceremonies are spread over many days, between December 28 and the New Year Eve. Nd Uche's individual ceremony will hold on December 28, 2021.

 

So, come and celebrate the life and times of a successful but very simple man, Nd Uche, as he retires from active, compulsory community service.