Chukwuemeka Jerry Esogbue (Born 6 June 1970), usually referred to as Emeka Esogbue, is an Anioma (Nigerian) historian, journalist, writer and Anioma crusader. He is the author of 'A Study of the Origins and Migrations of Anioma Settlements' (2015) and 'A Short History of Omu' (2016), published by Carophem Communications Limited, Ibadan. Esogbue is currently Research Fellow with Anioma Essence Magazine and also Associate Editor of Homage Magazine. As a historian, Emeka Esogbue favours the use of historical continuity in rendering past accounts and digging into the past of the Anioma people. He emphasises on the origin and intertribal relationship of the Anioma people of Delta, Anambra, Imo, Edo and Rivers States of Nigeria. Emeka Esogbue has in his writings passionately criticised the near assimilation of the Anioma people by related ethnic groups in the country and many of his works are centred on this. He was born to the family of Esogbue in Umuafene, Isieke, Umuekea in Ibusa (Igbuzo) in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria. His parents were Patrick Chukwudumebi and Theresa Nwasiwe Esogbue. Dumebi was said to be a member of defunct Biafran Commando unit during the Nigerian Civil War. His grandfather was Joseph Ozoemezie Esogbue, the first engine driver produced by Ibusa. Chief (Prof) Augustine Onwuyalim Moses Esogbue is also a member of the family.
EDUCATION AND CAREER
Emeka attended State Primary school, Lagos (1976–1982), later Agboju Secondary School (1983–1988) and Lagos State University (2000–2006). He was nominated the Peer Group Coordinator and Public Relations Officer of Pan African Agency for AIDS and Drug Abuse (PANCADA) (2001–2003) and held the position of the General Secretary of Femi Odumala Campaign Organization (FECO) it was an election within the Amuwo Odofin (Lagos) grassroots level from 2007–2008. He started his journalistic practice (though informally untrained) with the defunct Festac News, a local newspaper in the 1990s reporting for the media outfit. He was also a contributor to Ibusa Pathfinder an Ibusa newsletter. Emeka would join Trade Africa, publishers of Africa Global Business magazine, Lagos-based media outfit in 2009 as a member of the Editorial Executive. In 2010, he was a contributor with Gold Fad, an Ekiti-based magazine.
WRITER OF ANIOMA HISTORY
Esogbue has conducted considerable researches on Anioma aimed at digging into the origin of the people. The employment of oral sources is considered his major style in weighing and achieving flow of historical link. He has also sought to know the original ancestral home of Umejei the founder of Ibusa. Esogbue embarked on a historical research on the listing of the past Senior Diokpas of Ibusa. Severally, he has moved for the development of the Ibusa community especially, craving support for investments in the town and transformation of Okpuzu Waterfall as an international tourist centre. He condemned the demolition of St. Augustine's Catholic Church, Ibusa built with red-baked bricks by the European missionaries in 1898, stating that the foundation of the church should rather have been strengthened to give the coming generation the opportunity to see the first church in the community and made a tourist centre. He would also condemn the limitation of street lighting facilities to Asaba stressing that Okpanam, Ogwashi-Uku and Ibusa should have benefited as other major towns near the capital city. He criticised the conversion of the famous St. Thomas' College, Ibusa, built in 1928, to a same-sex female secondary school and described the policy as a "shameful fall in standard and marginalization of the people".
OTHER WORKS
Esogbue has written on many subjects, particularly on the political front of his country, and has in several of his writings condemned the policies of the government of Nigeria, which in his own opinion have visited the citizens with unbearable hardships. The relocation of the nation's capital from Lagos to Abuja as propagated by the military regime of Murtala Mohammed leading to the duplication of national facilities, establishments of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex and the sudden emergence of Abuja have received criticisms from him as factors that have depleted the nation's economy. He is known to have condemned high bride-price in Nigeria, particularly in Iboland at various times. It is his belief that elders must never sit down in the village and demand high bride-price over a girl-child when they did not contribute to her up-bringing and know nothing about. "In his view, except the trend is reversed, it would continue to lead to a higher population of unmarried Ibo women, single parenting, out of wedlock pregnancies and high mortality rate".
Originally taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Comments
Post a Comment