BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD:
Chief Nwankwo Uka Oji (N.U. Oji) was born on 20th January, 1934, to the late Ete Uka Oji and the late Inyom Ucha Uka Oji (nee Ucha Ele) of Nde Eche Compound, Agbo-Oha Autonomous Community, Okwoko Nkporo in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State. He belongs to the Ibe-Omagha kindred.
Teacher Nwankwo Ocha, as he was popularly called, lost his father at a very tender age. As was the custom then and on the instruction of his late father, his late mother got remarried to late Chief Imo Ude Chukwu (Nnam Imo), his father’s younger brother of Nde Uko Compound, Okwoko Nkporo. Thus, he grew up under the tutelage of “Nnam Imo.”. In fact, Nnam Imo performed all the traditional rites in respect of Agbala initiation for him as his first son. He was thereafter handed over to Ete Paul Uka Ude for a trading apprenticeship at Ikot Ekpene, in today’s Akwa Ibom State. Young N.U., upon seeing schoolchildren in their white- on-white uniforms, going to and from school, fell in love with education and soon informed his master that he would no longer continue with trading but would prefer to acquire formal education. He immediately relocated back home to actualize his ambition.
EDUCATION AND WORKING EXPERIENCE
He began his formal education at Nkporo Central School in 1945 and completed it in the year 1951. He proceeded to Boy’s Vocational College (BVS) Ididep, Itu, in Akwa-Ibom State, where he successfully completed a one-year course of Preliminary training as a prospective Probationary teacher in 1952. This course exposed him to much practical experience in various forms of handicraft in addition to the normal classroom subjects and some elementary school methods.
On January 1, 1953, he was appointed as a Teacher at the Nkporo Central School by the Education Authority of the Church of Scotland (CSM), now the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria (PCN). In 1958, he was transferred to CSM School, Abiriba, where he taught briefly before being transferred to Igbere Central School, Igbere, in 1959. He then proceeded to Federal Government Teachers’ Training College, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, in 1961 and obtained a Teachers’ Certificate Grade III (TCIII) in 1962. On completing his TC III course, he was deployed to Local Authority (L.A.) School, Ndi Agbo Nkporo, in 1963. Not satisfied with his level of education, he enrolled in the famous Macgregor College, Afikpo, in today’s Ebonyi State in 1965 and obtained Teachers’ Certificate Grade II (TCII) in 1966. After the training, he was posted to Amaekpu L.A. School, Ohafia, in 1967, where he remained until the Nigerian Civil War. He was later transferred to Ndi Agbo Community School, where he taught between 1972 and 1974. He also taught in the following schools:
Ebem Primary School, Ohafia 1975–1980
Amurie Primary School, Nkporo 1981–1983
Ukwa Community School, Nkporo 1984–1986.
Later in October 1987, he was transferred back to Ndi Agbo Community School, Nkporo
where he retired from the service of the Primary Management Board, now Abia State Universal Basic Education Board (ASUBEB), in 1989 as a substantive headmaster.
N.U. Oji’s time in the teaching profession made him one of the first generations of Nkporo elites and influencers, who were mostly teachers.
FAITH:
N.U. Oji believed in the existence of the Almighty God. His faith and trust in God always motivated him to reverence his Maker. His life’s achievements were irrevocably anchored in the quality of his faith. Although not born into a Christian family, he became a baptized and confirmed member of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria; hence the name, John Nwankwo Uka Oji. He established his family in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. He generally loved hymns and Christian fellowship and was a member of the Men’s Christian Association (MCA).
MARITAL LIFE:
Chief N. U. Oji married the late Mrs. Hannah N. U. Oji in 1961. Following her untimely death, he remarried Elder Mrs. Glory N. U. Oji in February 1967. He had other wives, namely Mrs. Ada N. U. Oji, late Mrs. Lucy N. U. Oji, and Mrs. Ugo N. U. Oji. However, when he got converted, he settled for Elder Mrs. Glory N. U. Oji. To the glory of God, he was blessed with ten surviving children.
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE LIFE:
In the service of his community, he was actively involved. He represented Okwoko Nkporo Community in the Nkporo Development Union (NDU) and later served as the National Treasurer of the union under the chairmanship of the Late Chief E.E. Mba. It was during their tenure that significant projects like the Post Office and a workshop building at Nkporo Comprehensive Secondary School, Nkporo, were erected. He was an Adult Education Instructor in Ndi Agbo Nkporo Centre. This was a task he took upon himself not because of the remuneration but because of his passion for education. As a result of his commitment and diligence, the Centre produced many literate adults within Ndi Agbo Nkporo who never had an opportunity of having formal education during their childhood. He served as an Accounting and Administrative Officer for Ndi Agbo Ward in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He served in the Committee for the Determination of the Cleanest Ward in Ohafia L.G.A. during the tenure of Elder Eke Udonsi as Caretaker Chairman.
He was a notable Harvesting Contractor for Abia State Oil Palm Development Company Ltd for several years and a former Chairman of School Committee in Ndi Agbo Community School. Until his death, he was a member of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
He attended many workshops; notable among them is one by the United Nations Population Fund titled “Motivators Training in Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning.”
Teacher Nwankwo Ocha established a foundation for academic aspirations that have continued to inspire achievements not only by his successors but also by his pupils, who make up a large percentage of Nkporo’s elite groups today.
N.U. fell ill and passed away on the 29th day of December, 2007. Until then, he was the Traditional Prime Minister of Agbo-Oha Autonomous Community, Okwoko Nkporo.
In as much as this publication is not aimed at praising Caesar, people can attest that he was a kind, caring, loving, and dedicated teacher and instructor, an amiable husband, a worthy father, ‘Omeziri ikwu ya,” a rare gem, and a colossus whose love for the dignity of man was universal. In the words of Bill Gates in The Source Codes, N.U. “had a particular gift for helping those at the extremes—the ones who were struggling or excelling—find their way.”
May his soul rest in peace!