Okoye Pericoma “. He was most well-known in Igboland for his musical taste and his fervent devotion to Obeah, the traditional religion of the Igbo people. Under the alias “Arusi Makaja,” he is said to have accomplished a number of exploits that disregarded the laws of physics. A sizable portion of his community, Arondizuogu, regarded him as a small god. According to certain reports, he hails from the Anambra State community of Ifite Mgbago Umuoji. North Idemili. After winning competitions back-to-back and showcasing his “supernatural powers,” or “sorcery,” as it was commonly called, he was given the moniker “Lion of Africa.”
He costarred with Nollywood icon Pete Edochie in the film Lion of Africa. His early life was the subject of the two-part biographical film. Speed Darlington, a singer and internet celebrity, is descended from him. If everyone looks at the very bottom left of the image below, one of his children, young Darlington, is visible. On a devoted day, he was delayed by tax collectors at the then-famous Upper Iweka on his approach to Onitsha. He disregarded the tax collectors’ demands for his tax receipts when they asked to see them, not knowing who he was.
He was picked up by one of the goons, who put him on his shoulders and took him to their office. He didn’t say anything or voice any complaints. He unexpectedly gained so much weight on the journey that the men carrying him tried to set him down, but he was unable to do so. They pleaded with him to come down for several hours, but he refused, saying that the gods had to be appeased before he would come down. He asked for a number of things, one of which was money. After a few hours, he gracefully descended from the man’s shoulder after all of his desires had been met. This gave rise to the well-known proverb “Pericoma na anyị ajọ alo.”
The threat posed by unauthorized tax collectors at Upper Iweka was allegedly eliminated as a result of that occurrence. Up to his passing in 2017, he served as the Arondizogu community’s prime minister in Imo State.
