On the 5th of December, 2009, the Koniju Town in Okrika Local Government of Rivers State in Nigeria organised the Iria [puberty] ceremony. It is a yearly event that honours virgins and encourages virginity among female youths in the entire Okrika ethnic nationality.

The supposed virgins were painted with native Ichichu and Buruma dyes from the ankles to the crown of their heads. It was beautifully crafted with delicate designs on their bodies. They were expected to have entered Waribie –[the room] in their respective compounds on select days of the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth months of the year. Then a final entry will span for at least thirty days with select women and female friends allowed to visit them to fill their idle time.

Eligible young men who were already out of town away at Borikiri –fishing ports or other places of business would be demanded to return home. The message would be bored to them by the town crier or other forms of emissaries, to return home. The young men would return to witness the Iria-apu; of different sizes,shape and beauty. Then they would admire them for recommendation or make quiet selection of a virgin of their choice for a wife. Some of the Iria- apu may have been betrothed and would be unavailable to any desirious man.

The ten Iria-apu sat in designated rows, bare-footed and bare-breasted with Ikpo wrappers tied round their waists which were not longer than their knees. They waited for the chiefs to constitute the head table set at the market square. hat was the venue of the ceremony. Then the Iria-apu, at the invitation of the chiefs would walk to the table to announce their presence, get their names correctly documented and walked back to their seats with galant strides in corcord with the drum beat that sets the tone for each one of them. Then a certificate -ticket would be given to each one of them on return to the table. That becomes the social approval and evidential proof that she had fulfilled the ites for full passage from girl to womanhood, a respected status.

Each Iriabo was judged by her physical appearance, comportment, movement and body features. One of the Iria-apu, Miss Christiana James trilled the chiefs, Ateke Tom; a repentant militant and the spectators with her features and movement. She got instant monetary appreciation from Ateke Tom.

But that was after the four Egbele Ereme had examined them. The Egbele Ereme are elderly women who are knowledgeable to know when a girl was not a virgin or was pregnant. They sat opposite the ten Iria-apu. On their distinct clothes were Okuru cloth tied round their waists to depict that they were fully married according to the custom and rites of the Okrika people. They inspected the Iria-apu, taking time to examine them. But none of the Iria-pu was disqualified. The grumbling and loud side talks raised from the crowd suggested some compromise of standard.

But an Egbele Ereme, Mrs. Eyeneomie Josiah said the ten Iria-apu were qualified by the terms of the mandate given to them. She however, noted that some of the Iria-apu were not virgins. She said the crisis in Okrika defied the land and its people especially the youths. For her, the errors would take some time to correct. She said it was with difficulties that willing Iria-pu were found to kick -start the cultural ceremony that was in comatose for years.

Another elderly woman in the community Mrs. Eunice Awoala condemned the manner Iria outing ceremony was conduced. She said it was to celebrate puberty and not to score a needless point that Iria outing has been organised. The supposed virgins, she said, were rushed through the process that would have lasted at least four to five months.Making the girls to spend less than a month for the preparation was an abuse of he culture.

She recalled that were it in her days, the gods of the land would have struck any defaulting girl and make her pay one shilling fine each for the number of men that would have crossed her laps and for the pregnancy, in the case of any. That done, she would live healthy life and save the lives of her future children and the men that had seen her laps.She wondered why traditional things could not be done correctly to safe progenies, to encourage virginity and uphold the pride of womanhood in the land as well as present tradition in its nature to the growing generation.

The chairman, Koniju Council of Chiefs, Chief Chris Biriowu Opu-Anyaraya said though the period of fattening was short, the necessary rites and conditions were respected. He insisted that subsequent years of the events will correct any anomaly noticed with the present event that was coming five years after the last one was organised.

He said each Iriabo’s head was shaved. She was put into the room and dressed up to chirimu – coming to the public [market square] in requisite attire and manner. Then they will go to the Igwe chiri after the results were made public, gone to soak in the river and shared moments of learning and singing together. He said they will not go to the Oju chiri because they had severed the bond of doing things commonly with the other part of Kirike.

Christiana James was one of the Iria-apu and said the rite was coveted and she was happy to have gone through it. She affirmed that she was a virgin and did not circumvent the tradition. She wants others to learn to keep their chaste and become respectable women of the town.

Stella Ibalafake is hoping to undergo the process some time in the future expressing her love for the Iria ceremony. She would not say if she was a virgin or not but walked away laughing.