BY PATRICK MGBODO/CHIKA KWAMBA/RITA OYIBOKA
The midday sky dimmed, heavy clouds sagging with the weight of rain. In an instant, the city erupted into a frenzy—commuters darting for shelter, drivers quickening their pace. The scene evoked echoes of a world on the brink of a flood. Soon, raindrops began to gather on windscreens, side mirrors, and the tarpaulin covers of rickshaws. Passengers pressed inward for cover, while the lucky ones in cars rolled up their windows, bracing for the inevitable downpour.
In the distance, guests at the funeral grew uneasy. It seemed as though the gods themselves had chosen to mourn the dead with their own tears. The band of musicians hurriedly pushed their towering speakers beneath the canopies, while cameramen raised umbrellas to shield their equipment. The Master of the Ceremony, with bold defiance, kept assuring everyone that the rain would not fall. And indeed, it did not. Instead, a strange wind swept gently across the field—too soft to stir dust, yet strong enough to scatter the gathered drops. The heavy black clouds slowly dissolved, unveiling an ashen-blue sky that rekindled hope for the ceremony.
Nearby, an elderly woman in her late 60s let out a sigh of satisfaction. She believed the heavens had heeded her supplications; that her sacrifice had been accepted, and the rains would hold off until the ceremony was done, before finally quenching the parched earth.
Mrs Nancy Chukwuma is one of the famed twins of Asaba, legendary rainmakers said to possess the mystical power to summon or deny the rains. For the first time, she spoke to The Pointer on the reality of rainmaking, demystifying age-long assumptions and myths associated with her divine craft.
Mrs. Chukwuma explained that clients often approached her and her twin to hold back the rains for a specific duration and purpose. “People usually come to us when they don’t want rainfall to disrupt their activities,” she said. “What we do is push the rains, sometimes toward a neighbouring community, so that it won’t fall here until the event is over. If the activity is within the stadium area, for instance, we can divert the rain away from that part of the city to another place where nothing is happening. We are also contacted by distant communities, and in such cases, we may decide to push the rains toward Asaba, ensuring it doesn’t fall in the area where the activity is taking place.”
But what happens if rainmakers in neighbouring communities are at work at the same time—pushing the rains toward Asaba even as she diverts them in the opposite direction? Would the skies erupt in a clash of storms midway, or perhaps in a sudden clap of thunder? Mrs. Chukwuma dismissed such concerns with quiet confidence. “For us, once we have done the work, we know the rain will not fall until our clients have completed whatever activity they engaged us for,” she said, adding ‘’if, for instance, we are directing the rains to Okpanam, then those (rainmakers) in Okpanam can decide to push it elsewhere, realising that the rains was pushed to them’’
‘’Recently, there was a funeral ceremony in Asaba, around the SPC axis, and the patrons told us that they do not want it to rain. It rained in other parts of the city but not where the funeral was taking place’’ she said.
While it is understandable that they can hold off the rains for hours, days, or even weeks, The Pointer grew curious about the true extent of their powers. For how long, really, can the skies be restrained? Could the rains be held back for months? Mrs Chukwuma, a native of Isieke community but married into the Udumu-Ugbe community, said, ‘’It all depends. We can make it rain just three times in that one month. We will inform our clients how and when it will rain, and the rain will not disturb their activities. During the dry season, around January and February, when farmers are preparing their land but find it too dry to plant, they come to us. They ask us to bring the rains—and we do.”
Still, many find it hard to believe that rain can truly be summoned or restrained. To them, it seems impossible that humans could, through mystical means, command the elements. But Mrs. Chukwuma offered a different perspective: “It is God who holds the rains. But when we help ourselves, God helps us.”
She clarified that the gift of rainmaking is a family heritage, passed down through generations. According to her, “Our progenitor once visited a distant land, and when he was leaving, they gave him a parting gift—the power to summon or hold back the rains. He handed it down through the generations until it finally reached us.” However, she cannot bequeath that gift to her children since they are not of the Isieke lineage. ‘’Even if you are from Isieke, you cannot learn the craft because you are not from the Obi-Ukpele family in Isieke’’
In the art of rainmaking, are there taboos or forbidden acts that could disrupt the process, whether from the client or the rainmaker? Mrs. Chukwuma responded: ‘’On the part of the client, there is nothing he or she would do to disrupt the work. It is we, the rainmakers, who can go wrong if we use the wrong materials to do the job’’
So, who exactly are her clients? What category of people would want the rains suspended so their activities can go on uninterrupted? In that rare interview with The Pointer, Mrs. Chukwuma explained: “Those who patronise us come from both far and near. Some travel from as far as the East for us to work for them. Even churches have come to us to hold the rains during outdoor events like crusades. Pastors, too, have sought our help. I am not surprised they come, because they acknowledge the power of God—and they know that God has given different gifts to different people and families.”
There is, however, a popular narrative that rainmakers sometimes exploit their powers—deliberately summoning rain when a major event is underway, only to be invited to the negotiation table to make a quick profit from desperate clients. Mrs. Chukwuma dismissed the claim outright. “That is not true. We don’t use our powers to send down rain on people. We will never use our gift to frustrate anyone, because the God who gave us this gift does not command such,” she said firmly.
Mrs. Chukwuma admitted that there are impostors who parade themselves as rainmakers without any real knowledge or gift. “There are those who defraud people in our name, claiming they have consulted us when they never did. In doing so, they tarnish our good reputation,” she lamented.
She further emphasised that she and her twin have never failed in their rainmaking craft, a tradition they have practised for more than five decades. “For instance, it may rain briefly in the morning of a funeral, but never at the moment of committing the deceased to mother earth,” Mrs. Chukwuma said with quiet pride.
“After the war, we returned and continued living normally. Then we approached our mother to teach us the art of rainmaking, since our father had passed away. That was how she taught us. Our father, too, was a rainmaker. When we were younger, we often watched him practice the craft, though we had no interest in it at the time,’’ she said.
Mrs. Chukwuma told The Pointer: “When God is faced with choosing whose prayers to answer—whether ours as we try to hold the rains, or another person’s asking for rain to fall—He looks at how clean our hearts are, and answers the one whose heart is pure. We pray to God, too; it is not charm or magic. We pray with kola nuts and native chalk.”
‘’The white man once came to us, asking to be shown the secret of our craft. But we refused to teach them. They never taught us theirs, so we cannot teach them ours. They even offered us good money, but we declined,” Mrs Chukwuma told The Pointer.
“To those who doubt the power of holding the rains, tell them it is real. It is practised all over the world—even in Europe, America, Asia, everywhere. We have worked for contractors, holding the rains so they could complete their projects. But everything is in God’s hands. This gift was passed down through generations,” Mrs Chukwuma said.
However, The Pointer also sought other opinions on the subject, in an effort to explore divergent views about rainmaking. In an interview, the Head of the Evangelism Committee of Goodnews Baptist Church, Agbor, Mrs. Joy Emegha, shared her perspective on the practice.
“When my husband buried his mother, it was during the rainy season, and they called a man in Agbornta, Ekuku Agbor, to hold the rain. He was paid N15,000 and given drinks, but later, the rain still showered. It did not disturb much, but it still fell, and people said he did not hold it well.
“The man was at the funeral, in the backyard, with leaves, performing incantations to stop the rain from falling. Till today, people still do it, but I think it is superstitious and just a luck play. Others believe that if you do not patronise rainmakers, they will deliberately draw rain to your occasion. Even scientists who predict the weather sometimes get it wrong because, after all, the weather can suddenly change. Everything is in the hands of God.
“A family friend, now late, once called a rainmaker to hold the rain for an occasion, but it fell heavily that day. Even his apparatus for the ritual, the fire he was setting, kept being quenched by the downpour. The rain beat everyone, and it is said that rain is not supposed to touch the ritual items. Yet, despite the money he was paid, the rain still fell,” she said.
In another interview, Public Analyst and Secretary of the Ika Youths Development Initiative (IYDI), Mr Emanuel Orumgbe, expressed a different perspective. “Just as we have people who use herbs to cure illnesses, we also have those who can hold the rain and control issues of rainfall. It is divine. The Bible says God has given us power and dominion over the earth. Water is an element of nature, and the power over water is only the beginning.
“Ignorance has made some people fail to recognise how to harness this power. It is the same God who gave men the ability to heal, and it is not diabolical or witchcraft. God created water, and there is nothing diabolical about it. You simply need to be spiritually connected to capture the frequency,” he said.
Adding his own perspective, a traditional knowledge enthusiast, Mr. Osahon Igbinovia, argued that the West understands rainmaking and other aspects of our traditions more than they admit.
Commenting on the internet, he said, “Don’t be deceived. During the last British royal wedding in 2011, the UK Meteorological Office predicted a heavy rainstorm. Yet, the British, being smart, reportedly invited rainmakers from Edo State to assist and even housed them in the royal palace. Meanwhile, Nigerian government functionaries were snubbed.
“At the end of the day, we all saw it was one of the sunniest days in London. The problem with the black man is that we are easily deceived by the white man because we lack knowledge of how to manipulate the paranormal. They will tell you it is impossible, yet secretly, they use it to their advantage. That is the hypocrisy people must wake up to,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Lead Pastor of Charismatic Renewal Ministries (CRM) Revival Centre, Ologo, Enugu State, Samuel Solomon, shared a life experience that almost messed up his wedding.
‘’A few days ago, on my way from Owerri, I saw one (rainmaker) as I was travelling back. The area where he was doing that with his regalia was the only area experiencing sunshine. In fact, the priest took a certain kind of posture on the road and was pointing to the clouds, pushing the clouds. You could clearly see a different atmosphere between where he was and every other place.
‘’People argue ignorantly about satanic powers, which are as real as morning and night. The only thing Satan doesn’t have is authority, but for power, he does. In Psalms 115:16, it states that even the heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
‘’The earth has been given to men, both God’s children and the people of the dark world. Creations have been left to be manipulated by both Jesus’ power and demonic powers. That’s why believers must take their rightful position to stop the manipulative tendencies of Satan over God’s creation.
‘’Also, Romans 8:20-2 says, “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God”
So until the manifestation of the sons, rainmakers and their likes will succeed… So, in summary, do I believe in the existence of rainmakers? I don’t only believe, I was once their victim. I saw them doing that against me by revelation before the event, and I treated it casually, oh! It was a wonderful experience, though God showed me mercy.
‘’Do things like that happen! Yes! Should it happen? No. It happens in our errors or our inability to master our place of authority in Christ… Again, yes, I do believe there are rainmakers, because I have experienced it. I have also seen God frustrating their devices in a community called Nkerefi.
‘’They started and I simply left all those who travelled with us, got a position outside the arena… I countered them to the glory of God and came back. Also, they wanted to give me an umbrella, but I refused. As soon as I went on stage, everything about the rain stopped. Truly, that almost messed me up…
‘’It will shock you to know it was my wedding. Everything was very clear, then during our reception, as soon as we danced into the hall, they waited for the main part of the reception, but suddenly it started raining. But I already saw it before the wedding day, but I treated it casually because I was very busy with wedding arrangements… After the whole thing, the chief priest of the community brought wine as a gift to me.
Also, a pastor from the Living Faith Church, Okpanam, Douglas Okoh said, ‘’There’s no gainsaying that all power belongs to the Almighty. It is He who had laid the foundations of all creation, including the elements of weather and climate.
‘’I firmly acknowledge that the Supreme Creator of heaven and earth alone set the seasons, governs the climate, and determines the boundaries of nature. Littered all over the scriptures are verses which corroborate this fact.
‘’I am aware that in various cultures, there are individuals who are regarded as rainmakers; they attempt to provoke or influence rainfall through rituals, chants, or manipulation of natural elements. Despite their existence, I must also emphasise that their power is neither absolute nor sovereign. At best, they rely on knowledge of environmental patterns or natural forces which God Himself created and controls.
‘’Rain, sunshine, and harvest are ultimately subject to divine will. As the Bible declares in Jeremiah 14:22: “Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not He, O Lord our God? Therefore, we will wait upon You: for You have made all these things.”
‘’Therefore, while rainmakers may exist and attempt to influence the weather for various reasons, including to showcase powers, make money, avenge offences, just to mention a few, no force can override the seasons and order established by God.
It is He who opens the heavens and pours down rain in its due season. The final authority over rain, climate, and all creation rests with God alone.
