I was misled by controversial, contestable authors on the account of the history of Igarra— Peter Egure
By Joseph Ogbodo
A Royal Elder in Igarra, Peter S. Egure, OON, mni, has debunked misleading narratives and claims by some Eziobes who referenced his autobiography to validate their slant historical explanation of Igarra history.
In a statement titled: ” Rebuttal and Clarification Regarding the History of Igarra in My Autobiography”, to counter merchants of fake and adulterated history of Igarra, which archival and archaeological facts had it that Ariwo Ovejijo, the first and only King led the movement to the present place where All Igarra’s presently inhabited, Egure said it will be sad that people could hide under his autobiography to spew unintelligent untruth.
He however noted that he is committed to doing an update of the referenced accounts given to him by two authors whom he relied on to explain the history of Igarra saying he was later to be guided that the said authors of the claims also have controversial, contestable and disputed account of what they wrote on their books.
He added that he will not shy away from the fact that he was misled by this authors asserting that he has embark on deep-dive research so as to properly placed the issues where they belong.
According to him: ” I am writing to address an important matter concerning the history of Igarra as recounted in my autobiography titled “Reflections and Recollections”, published in 2017.
” In that year, in celebration of my 70th birthday, I aimed to share my life story and experiences. Despite my limited knowledge of the history of Igarra, having spent much of my life outside the town, I felt compelled to include something about its origins.
” In my quest for information, I came across a book titled “Igarra” written by Pita Onaivi and Femi Okuo, which I used as a reference for the history of Igarra in my autobiography. At that time, I never knew that Igarra was that fragmented and that there was no unanimous account of its founding.
” Unfortunately, I have since discovered that the referenced accounts of the history of Igarra, as presented by the two authors, remain largely controversial, contestable and not unanimously accepted as the true and incontrovertible version of the historical facts.
” Approximately seven years after my book’s publication, an individual was said to have cited my autobiography in a written article, falsely claiming that my recounting of Igarra’s history validates their version as credible. This claim is not only incorrect but also mischievous given that I cited the source of that account which he conveniently ignored.
” At any rate, I am neither a historian nor an authority in the history and traditions of Igarra that anyone could now cling to a referenced account in my book as an endorsement of a particular narrative. In all my association with the beloved people of Igarra, I have conducted myself respectably and never engage in the shenanigans of the primitive divide which the writer of the said article apparently panders to.
“I want to make it clear that the historical account of the origin of Igarra in my autobiography was included without due diligence and proper verification. I apologize sincerely for this oversight.
” To rectify this mistake, I am committed to presenting an update on the previous contentious accounts in reference, based on further deep-dive research, in the nearest future, God willing”, he stated.
He maintained that he deeply regret any inconvenience or misunderstanding his initial account may have caused.
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