Too Young to Die: The Life and Legacy of Romanus Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor

"TOO YOUNG TO DIE". THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE LATE ROMANUS UGWU EZEANYI NNAMOKWOR. HE DIED BUT HIS DREAMS LIVES ON.

A COMMENTARY

PART 1

According to an English Novelist and Poet, George Eliot, death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest is what dies inside us while we live. Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more.

Yes Romanus Ugwu is dead but his dreams lives on. So he is yet to die.

THE MAN ROMANUS UGWU

Romanus Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor was the second son of Mr & Mrs 0Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor Eyelechi Ada of Umuagbaede Ukwuna of Umu Agana kindred, Uwani Otobo Umuezike Aku.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE LATE ROMANUS UGWU

Uwani Otobo is one of the five hamlets of Umuezike Aku. Other hamlets in Umuezike are:

Amadiefioha

Umuobara

Uwenu Ezikeorogwo and

Amankpo.

Uwani Otobo has the following kindreds

Umu Agana

Umu Odugwu

Umu Eyikori Erim

Umu Ito and

Umu Odeme

Umu Agana begot Umu Ezenechi Ada who begot Nnamokwor. Nnamokwor begot Amukwolu Agbaede who later begot Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor.

Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor married Ogbuanya Ugwuomade Didigwu from Umu Otita Nwuzoke Nwonyeishi of Ejalija Lelegu Aku.

The couple gave birth to the following children.

Nicholas Ezike ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor

Romanus Nwodo Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor (late)

Mrs Theresa Ashuaku Ivom (nee) Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor

Lawrence Nnadikwu Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor (aka Commodore) and

Maryrose Ulodek Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor

THE BIRTH AND GROWING UP OF ROMANUS UGWU EZEANYI NNAMOKWOR

Romanus Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor was born in the year 1954 at the Aku Diewa Health Centre Onuegu Obie to Mr & Mrs Ugwu Ezeanyi Nnamokwor Agbaede of Umuagana kindred, Uwani Otobo Umuezike Aku. As a growing child, he was so inquisitive asking questions about their relationships with other people.

His father Ugwuezyeanyi Nnamokwor was a notable farmer during his time. He had his farming activities at Adamgwo near by farming area and Ugwu Nimbo in Uzouwani, growing mainly yams, cocoyam both intercropped with legumes and cereals.

Ugwuezyeanyi equally grew rice though on a small scale. He as well had kept livestock having in his pen over a hundred cows which he majorly inherited from his father Amukwolu Agbaede. As a notable farmer of the bread of Uwani Otobo, the custodians and chief priest of Shujoku, Ugwuezyeanyi never allowed the growing of cassava in his farm and household.

While Ugwuezyeanyi farmed, his wife Ogbuanya Ugwuomade Didigwu was a notable intinerant trader on foot crisscrossing all the markets of Igbo Odo, Ojebeogene, Igbo Orda and Aghamelum where she bought and sold dry fish, dry meat, mats, cottons. She equally traded on salts and kolanuts and visited places like Nkwor Ibangwa, Itchi, Akpanya and other markets found in Igalla and Akpotto clans of present day Kogi and Benue States.

She later diverted into honey business which she would purchase at Ukpata and Nkwo Uvuru and got it disposed at Enugu. These trading exploits of Ogbuanya Ugwuomade, Romanus' lovely mother happened before the Nigeria civil war.

When the war ended in 1970, Mama Nich as she was fondly called continued with dry fish which she mostly sourced from Ogwurugwu and sold at Eke Aku and Nkwo Ogbede, Nkwo Ibagwa and then would buy kolanuts in return to be sold at Eke Aku and Ogbede as well.

At a later stage of her life, she diverted her trading to cow pea (okpa) which she sold in bags. She eventually retired from active businness in the early 90s and handed over the business to Lawrence Nnadikwu Ugwuezyeanyi, her third son.

In fact, she was among the first generation of Aku women that treked to Enugu Ngwo while trading.

So Romanus Ugwu Ezeanyi grew up as an agrarian boy complementing his life activities then with accompanying his mother to nearby markets such as Nkwo Ogbede and Eke Aku and his father to the farm lands and had participated in the activities as his little muscle could allow him.

ROMANUS UGWU GOES TO SCHOOL

to be continued.

....from the ink of Comrade Emma Ugbor Nwani

For:Comrade Concepts and Consultancy