Former Chief Medical Director of the Central Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Dr Ekhaguosa Aisien, 87, has a strong passion for Benin heritage. The retired Army Major, who headed the Uromi Garrison of the Nigerian Army during the Civil War, has written about 10 books on various aspects of Benin culture. In this interview with Assistant Editor (Arts) OZOLUA UHAKHEME, the King’s College, University of London -trained surgeon, who also headed the Uromi General Hospital, speaks on why he abandoned a government’s scholarship at the University College, Ibadan, how his hospital served Federal and Biafran soldiers, what inspired his writings on Benin culture and how the war delayed his travelling to the United Kingdom (UK) to specialise as a surgeon, among other issues.
How was the experience managing Federal and Biafran soldiersat the Uromi Hospital, during the civil war?
I was the medical doctor in charge of Ishan Division in the old Mid-western Region in the 60s. I left Uromi for England to specialise as a surgeon four months before the end of the civil war. I got to Uromi in 1965 and left late 1969. Between 1967 and 1969 when the war was on, my hospital was the only government hospital treating wounded Biafran soldiers as they were been pushed out of the region by the Federal troops via Auchi route.
The wounded Biafran soldiers were sent to my hospital by their commanders for treatment. Those that required surgery, I carried out the operations. Remember that when the Biafran soldiers took over the Mid-west, they took charge of the administration too. One Dr. Okonkwo was appointed as administrator to run the government then.
When the Federal troops succeeded in pushing them from Auchi, Sabon-Gida Ora, Iruekpen, Ekpoma, Irrua and then to Uromi, the Biafrans moved their wounded soldiers to Agbor hospital. For a whole day, there were no wounded soldiers in my hospital. But, interestingly, immediately the Federal troops took over Midwest, my hospital again started to receive wounded Nigerian soldiers for treatment.
After a time, I was given a field rank of Major in the Nigerian Army in order for me to have effective control of the wounded soldiers. In August 1969, I left Uromi for England to specialise as a surgeon. Four months later, the war ended.
The civil war delayed my going to England to specialise as a surgeon for at least two years. The government could not afford to allow me go to England at that period of the war. Also, there were few medical doctors far between in the region by then. In the whole of the Midwest, we had about 30 medical doctors, and when the war started the Igbo doctors, including those from Asaba, Agbor axis left for Biafra. Of the 30 doctors, the Igbos were about 18. So, we had about 12 left running the Midwest hospitals. But as the war got closer to an end, I was released to go to England.
Apart from treating the wounded soldiers, were you involved in military operations?
Primarily, I was in charge of the hospital, which was very strategic to Biafra and Nigerian Army. I created the popular ‘Uromi Garrison’ then. The unit was mainly Infantry. There was a time when Biafran soldiers were trying to infiltrate the Midwest Region through Ilushin waterside, the Brigade of Guards of General Yakubu Gowon in Lagos dispatched a company commanded by a Captain to me at Uromi to forestall the rampage. I sent the company to Ilushin to guard the area. Every morning, the Captain would drive from Ilushin to Uromi to give me situation report. Soon after I left, the late Sanni Abacha (former Head of State) was sent to Uromi as a young officer then. He lived in the late Chief Anthony Enahoro’s house opposite the doctors’ house in Uromi.
Any close shave with death while at Uromi during the war?
The only instance I had something like that was the day Federal troops drove Biafran soldiers out of Uromi. I didn’t know that was going to happen. But the night before, all the wounded Biafrans soldiers were taken away to Agbor and that was when Irrua had fallen to Federal troops.
On that fateful day, I was in the theatre carrying out operation on a young man when shootings started around the hospital environment. It was in the morning. I hurried up and took the patient to recovery room. But three weeks before, I went to pick Chief Anthony Enahoro’s mother to my hospital for safety because Biafran soldiers were harassing the old woman. This was because the Biafrans were angry about the role Chief Enahoro, who was Commissioner of Information in Lagos, was playing. In fact, the Biafran soldiers knew Enahoro was sent by federal government to Russia to procure ammunition for Nigerian Army to fight Biafra. And here was the helpless mother at the mercy of the Biafrans. At that time, Chief Enahoro lost his father, who was my patient. He died of asthma. The house was named Mary’s Home.
I kept Mama in a VIP maternity ward in my hospital while the war was on. That was how I rescued her from the harassment of Biafran soldiers.
On that day of shooting, I ran to the maternity wards only to find nobody. I went to Mama’s room, but couldn’t find her. I had to shout Mama, where are you? before she answered from under the bed. I then assured her to remain calm and that she was safe. The only patients left in the hospital were TB patients on the veranda.
I drove out of the hospital, heading for my house, only to meet two Biafran soldiers running out of the bush with their guns towards my house. Till date, I am still wondering how I escaped their attack or why they did not collect the car from me and escape to Agbor. I got to my house only to meet the door locked. My wife, mother and children ran out of the house. Only my younger brother was left inside. He later opened the door for me. My brother and I did exactly what Enahoro’s mother did at the hospital: hide under the bed. That was the most harrowing experience I had during the war.
As someone, who experienced the civil war, what is your take on the increasing agitations for Biafra by IPOB and MASSOB?
The agitations for Biafra by those groups look so silly to me. I don’t know exactly what the Igbo want? They talk of marginalisation, in what way? Now, if Yar’ Adua had not died and he did his eight years as president, the next president of Nigeria would have come from the East. The circumstances surrounding the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as president prevented an Igbo person from becoming president after the tenure of Yar’ Adua. After that, we can begin to think of the minorities for presidency. But, the death of Yar’ Adua opened the way for the minorities to become president at the expense of the Igbo. If they are complaining of marginalisation, they can only point at the presidency otherwise I can’t understand their calls.
At what point did your interest in documenting Edo history start?
First, my father was a great native historian. He virtually grew up in a Benin City without an Oba and palace. After the conquest of Benin by the British soldiers in 1897, Oba Ovonmramwen was banished to Calabar, where he lived and died 17 years after. The British soldiers destroyed and looted the palace.
Meanwhile, my father was a young man given by his father to the crown prince, who later became Oba Eweka II. He was a little boy in the household of the crown prince in 1907, and a year later, the crown prince put him in school to chaperon Akenzua II (Erediauwa’s father) to school and back. He was older than Akenzua II.
That went on from 1908 to 1913, and by that time, my father had acquired a modicum of literacy, and could read and write in English. By 1914, Oba Ovonmramwen died in Calabar and the Obaship was restored that year, with crown prince (his master) becoming the Oba of Benin. My father then became an Omada to the new Oba from 1914 to 1921. He was later made the Oba’s private clerk. In fact, he was the first private secretary to the Oba of Benin.
All these experiences made me know a great deal about old Benin. When we were growing up, we had stories to tell. That I was educated I could document the facts and stories about Benin. I was advantageously placed to put down these facts. I am the only one who knows some of these facts and happily I am literate. If I do not put down these facts, they will be lost to Benin nation and Africa as well as humanity.
I arrived in Britain in 1957 as a medical student. I attended Kings College, University of London. I visited the museum in London where I saw a large collection of Benin artefacts on display. I was shocked by the size of the collection and the level of protection given to the objects. From these, I realised that the objects must be of great value and importance to humanity for them to be given such treatment by the British, who conquered Benin Empire in 1897. I told myself that there must be something intrinsically important about where I came from.
Which of the aspects of Benin history did you give the first shot?
It began in 1986 some years after the coronation of Omo N’ Oba Erediauwa in 1978. He undertook a nationwide tour to say thank you to traditional rulers who were at his coronation. One evening, I visited him in his palace and he recalled that during his nationwide tour one question kept reoccurring among the Edo people that visited him. The question was “why have the Edo people not gotten any dress that sets them apart?” He said I throw the challenge to all of you including those in academy to bring out a design that will serve the purpose.
I went into research to find out what differentiates the Edo man from other people, and how an Edo man looked like centuries ago. I came up with the body marking called IWU.
‘I like it,’ was the response from Omo N’Oba when I brought a sample of what I designed as a dress for Edo man. He told me to come back to show the chiefs on another date. On the next meeting with him and the chiefs, the dress was unanimously approved. It was unanimously tagged: IWU dress, and I had to do a brochure to explain what the IWU is all about during the presentation of IWU: The body Markings of the Edo people at the palace. That was my first publication on Benin culture in 1986. I then published Benin City: Edo State Capital, Edo Man of the 20th Century and A History of Benin: Elegbe Prince of Benin and the Orhionmwon Territories. Others are Erediauwa: Prince of Benin, Christianity and Edo State, The Benin City Pilgrimage Stations and Ewuare The Oba of Benin. In fact, I have published about 10 books. I don’t bother about patronage of the books. If I don’t publish these books as a repository of Benin and I die, I will be like an Odion Were (Village head) who dies with all his knowledge because he cannot read or write. Even though the books do not bring me money, I know that as time goes on the books will be a great value.
You abandoned your scholarship midway at Ibadan. What happened?
I left CMS Grammar School, Lagos in 1951. In 1952, I got into the University College of Ibadan (UCI) and it was at the Eleyele Army Barracks then. I spent two years there studying Agricultural Science and I bagged Inter BSc. Some of my mates in other disciplines then were Prof Wole Soyinka, Abel Guobadia, Gamaliel Onosode and Frank Aig-Imoukhuede. But, when I got there the students of Agriculture were exhibiting some kind of complex towards students studying medicine. I got into Ibadan with a central (Federal) government scholarship and we were only 10 in the whole of the country. Because of the attitude of Agriculture students, which showed that medicine was superior to Agriculture, I wrote a letter to the university, registrar, Sabiru Biobaku, demanding for a change to study medicine. My request was turned down. I wanted to walk out of the campus when Biobaku broke the news to me. But I resolved to complete my Inter Bsc degree since there is no other varsity in the country to run to. On resumption for the following academic session, I barely spent two weeks when I took the final decision to walk away. I threw the scholarship at the university and went to Lagos.
After I arrived in Lagos, my Principal, Rev B. A. Adelaja of CMS Grammar School, Lagos came to my room rebuking me for walking away from the university. But he assured me that I could come to CMS Grammar School to teach science subjects. I was there for two years.
During my stay at CMS Grammar School, I was writing short stories for Nigerian Broadcasting Service and The Daily Times newspaper.
In January 1956, I got into CMS Grammar School as a tutor.
How did you get another scholarship to UK?
When Chief Obafemi Awolowo took over government of Western region, he asked for candidates to apply for scholarship to higher education. I applied for it. After the interview at Ibadan, I was shortlisted among those granted scholarship to study medicine at the University College of Ibadan. Unfortunately, the university turned down my admission saying I had walked out of an earlier government scholarship to study Agriculture at the same university.
The Western region government sent me a cablegram notifying me of UCI refusal to give me admission, and also whether I would like to go to England instead. I replied the mail by saying yes. The government searched all through the UK that session for a space in any of their universities. But I was not lucky to get admission because it was late in the session. The government later informed me if I could wait till next academic session, Kings College, University of London has agreed to give me admission in October 1957.
So, I waited for one year. But I had to leave CMS Grammar School for Ministry of Health and was attached to a chemistry laboratory where samples of illicit gin were being carried out by the police. The illicit gin was said to contain a poison called furfura chemical, which made it unsuitable for consumption. Also, Iju Water Works on a daily basis would send us samples of water for analysis before pumping to consumers in Lagos.
First day in UK
I went to the UK on British Caledonian flight and it took us 17 hours to England after a stop at Tripoli, Libya. Mark you it was propeller aircraft.
When we arrived in London airport, I got down with my little luggage. As I was walking down to arrival hall, I was hit by a gust of cold wind that almost got me frozen. Immediately I told myself I cannot survive the country’s weather. In fact, I was to walk back to the plane and refused to come out until I get back to my country. But, my other friends walked past me. This challenged me to continue with my study in the UK.
If Western Region did not grant me that scholarship to study medicine, I would have been a writer.
My encounter with British Museum and the Oba Palace directed the focus of my writing on heritage because I was writing before going to study medicine in the university.
Your take on health care service
I was the most senior surgeon in the defunct Bendel State when I retired from the Central Hospital on Sapele Road, Benin City. I retired voluntarily because some of my consultants talked me into setting up a group private hospital in Benin. We started Azuwa Hospital on Second West Circular Road, Benin. I was there for about 30 years before I retired. However, some young doctors took it over for their practice. I am just their landlord. The National Health scheme is a great idea but should include everybody.
