Isunjaba Colonial Rest House: An Abandoned Heritage

By Chuks OLUIGBO

More than a century after the British colonial masters first set their feet on Igbo soil, and over fifty years after the official end of colonial rule in Nigeria, many would have thought that all traces of colonial rule and legacies would have been wiped out. In many places, this has been so; but in Imo State, South-East Nigeria, particularly the serene town of Isunjaba, the story is different. Here, not just elements of colonial rule have been preserved, but a mini-Europe, with all the attendant structures, including the temperate climate. This is the Isunjaba Colonial Rest House, the place where the first European in the whole of the then Orlu Division settled, the future hub of tourism in Imo State, comparable only to the El-Mina Castle in Ghana reputed to be the oldest European building in West Africa.

 

Dating back to between 1910 and 1912, the time when the first white man came to Isunjaba following the pacification of Igboland, the Government Rest House, as it was known in those days, is located at the peak of the elevation which forms the beginning of the Njaba Valley; that is, it sits at the edge of the Njaba River, which has its source in Isunjaba.

As recalled in the people's collective memory, when the colonial masters came to Igboland in the early years of the twentieth century, they went round all the communities within the area in search of a place that could be suitable for them to settle. Two key factors informed their choice of place: the first was administrative convenience while the second was climate. When they came to the Orlu Division, they chose for their settlement Isunjaba, which had something close to the temperate climate they enjoyed in their natural European habitat. Subsequently, they built their residential house at the place now referred to as Isunjaba Colonial Rest House (then Government Rest House), a very beautiful place located in a serene environment, far removed from the noise of the rustic village life, where they could enjoy the natural sea breeze coming from the Njaba River just few kilometres below the elevation. The structure, constructed largely with local materials, contains a sitting room, bedrooms, rest rooms, and a car port.

Successive District Officers in the Old Orlu Division were known to have lived at the Rest House, but the most prominent among them was G. I. Jones who wrote very extensively on the history of the Orlu people, and whose works survive in major archives across Nigeria.

Unfortunately, this all important colonial legacy is today in a bad state. Because the structures were built mainly with local materials, the buildings have become very weak and many of the structures have dilapidated. The present writer visited the site and confirmed the dilapidated nature of the structures which have become a dwelling place for all manner of reptiles.

The paramount ruler of Isunjaba, His Royal Highness, Eze B. C. Osuala, Okwaraezeobi Isunjaba, also added that the buildings were dilapidating due to neglect by successive governments in Imo State. According to him, only a few of the past governors of the state had shown as much as a passing interest. For instance, during the Second Republic, the Sam Mbakwe administration in the state acquired the land and declared the site a tourist centre, but there was no follow-up before the Muhammadu Buhari coup of 1983 sacked that civilian administration. "Ever since then," continued Eze Osuala, "I have been receiving visitors from the Tourism Board who have been coming to talk about the way forward for the site, but nothing has so far come out of the visits."

However, since 2007, the Imo State government under Chief Ikedi Ohakim has emphasised its commitment toward making Imo the tourism destination of the world. "The state government has indicated interest in the Colonial Rest House again," says Eze Osuala. "In 2009, the then state Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Chief Chuma Nnaji, invited me to his office. I went with my town union officials and we had a fruitful discussion with him. We heard then that the state government had approved the sum of N200 million (two hundred million naira) for the development of two tourist sites in the state. One was the Abadaba Lake in Obowo Local Government Area of the state, and the other was the Rest House. We had hoped that something good was on the way, but then the fire went out again. We have heard nothing about it again up till now".

 
But aside from the Colonial Rest House, another place of tourist interest in Isunjaba is the Njaba River, which is purported to be the best drinking water in Igboland. The Njaba River also produces a miraculous type of sand called Aja Arushi which possesses proven healing powers. Like the Black Stone from the Holy Land, Aja Arushi has the potency to neutralise poison and all sorts of evil. It is also said to have the power to make a barren woman conceive.

There is also the mighty wooden talking drum at the palace of Eze B. C. Osuala which is a sight to behold indeed. Aged over 150 years, the drum, called Mkpukpushi, is made from a very special wood which is rarely found in Igbo forests, Ngwu (oak tree). Mkpukpushi is only beaten during very important events at the palace like the New Yam Festival, to herald the arrival of a very important dignitary at the palace, or to announce the death of a king.

These are all viable heritage sites, and it is the opinion of this writer that if they are properly harnessed and developed, they would be of great value not just to Isunjaba community, but also to Imo State and Nigeria.