Ubulu-Uku is Blessed and I Cherish our Inheritance from Ezemu

 

Ubulu-Uku is Blessed and I Cherish our Inheritance from Ezemu

-       Anthony Awunor, Journalist and Ubulu Ezemu Founder

 

Ubulu-Uku-born Anthony Awunor, a Journalist, Linguist and founder of Ubulu Ezemu speaks to PEN MASTER (EMEKA ESOGBUE) on a number of issues pertaining to his beginning, lifetime successes in journalism, sole foundation of Ubulu Ezemu, the platform with which Ubulu-Uku and other sons and daughters of Anioma are now honoured, loss of Omuship in the community and perceived identity crisis of the Anioma people. The brilliant and intellectual Deputy Business Editor of Leadership Newspaper speaks on these and more in this ‘hot’ interview. Excerpts:   

 

Pen Master: Anthony Awunor, after the long chase, you have found time for this scheduled interview. Before anything, our teeming readers will like to meet you.

 

Awunor: (Smiling) Thank you my brother. I am Anthony Awunor, the publisher of Ubulu Ezemu online community platform. The platform has stood the test of time and I have operated it for 9 years on Facebook, since March 2011. Now, that it has been launched and we have developed a website for the publication. We are on www.ubuluezemu.com. I did not read Mass Communication but naturally, I have passion for writing. In fact, I studied Linguistics\Igbo Language from the department of African and Asian Studies in the University of Lagos. My Igbo Language background has assisted me, in no little measure to clearly understand the beauty of Anioma culture. In fact, the course prepared me adequately to operate Ubulu Ezemu excellently. My mother is also a very huge factor; she tells a lot of stories most of the time and I took after her. As a freshman at UNILAG in 1996, I was already freelancing for one Ubulu Uku local publication known as Community Express Newspaper. I was one of their columnists at that time. So you can see that my quest for grassroot journalism did not start with Ubulu Ezemu but with Community Express over 25 years ago. Then, I used to type my articles and post it through UNILAG post office. I was also sending articles regularly to Guardian, Daily Independent and Vanguard and they published all my articles. Finishing in UNILAG is 2000, I went into mainstream journalism with Financial Standard newspaper. From there, I joined National Mirror, The Moment and later Union Newspaper. When Union Newspaper closed down I relocated to Abuja where I was appointed as the Editor of Zest Travelers International Magazine. I did that for one year before Leadership Newspaper poached me. Currently, I am the Deputy Business Editor of Leadership Newspaper by the special grace of God. The Ubulu Ezemu website is my own form of community development initiative to inform and entertain my Ubulu Uku folks and Anioma people home and abroad. I am from Idumubo and my mother is from Onicha Okpe. She is now the Isi Ada Onicha Okpe and the oldest living Ada in that quarter. My maternal grandmother is from Idumu Onishe and she too was a story teller. 

 

Pen Master: …And as a seasoned Nigerian journalist, you are blessed with multiple awards, all in your kitty. Share with us some of the achievements that outstandingly won you these awards.

 

Awunor: You are very correct and I have won several awards, both locally and internationally. What has helped me in journalism is that I was able to subdue that quest for money in line of my duty. I write for professionalism and not for money. Ironically, when you are a core professional, your conducts will begin to attract money through the right channels. I have many awards and the most recent was "The Best Aviation Writer of The Year 2019” at the 13th Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award (NMNA) held in Lagos in October, 2019. Till today, I have not met the organizers of that prestigious award. I was sleeping when they called and told me that they have gone through my works and that I have won. That was all. 

 

Pen Master: Congratulations on your meritorious awards. And you are also trained in the field of culture and tradition. How do you combine your versatility in these fields to get what you want?

 

Awunor: Yes, like I said. I studied Igbo Language and Culture. That prepares me to deeply understand issues that have to do with our food culture, language, tradition, and other collective idiosyncrasies. If you follow Ubulu Ezemu, you will observe that I always discuss deeply our food, dress sense, festivals, music, and other cultural aspects of our lives. So far I have written over 5,000 articles that borders on Anioma cultures. We have a large pool of articles that are so beneficial to students studying Igbo Language, English Literature, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies etc. Most research students do approach me and I offer these materials free of charge. My joy is that they always come back to thank me for making them score high grades in their research works. Presently, I am writing books centered on culture and traditions of our people. I will invite you any time I want to launch the books. 

 

Pen Master: (Nodding his head) Wow! I will gladly honour your invitation. Okay, let us say that with over 5,000 articles on culture alone, anyone should be greatly interested in this area. Now, let's get down to culture proper. Only a few months ago, Ubulu Ezemu platform conferred a number of awards on some individuals. Our readers will like to know what Ubulu Ezemu stands for and what the awards signify really. 

 

Awunor: My plan was to launch the platform after operating it on Facebook for 10 years. However, the launch came earlier than planned because of the reason I will let you know now. You know I was operating it anonymously. Because of that, some individuals started claiming that they owned the platform. Initially, that didn't bother me but you know as time went on, it clearly became an issue of identity theft cleverly manipulated That was why I launched it at the time I did. The truth is that I did not form Ubulu Ezemu with any single person. I started it all alone. It is not a group thing at all. I wouldn't have made the success I made if it was a group thing, simply because I knew where I was going and good enough I have met my target. Ubulu Ezemu is the only authoritative website that is feeding our people with undiluted information at all times. However, it is being published today by Erec Communications Limited (RC 1695474), a publication outfit I registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission last year. Again, another reason I launched Ubulu Ezemu was due to the pressure from my followers, to know the operator. I had to respect their opinion and confidence in the Ubulu Ezemu project. 

For the Ubulu Ezemu Awards, it was a way to single out individuals who have done well in various fields of human endeavors, not only in Ubulu-Uku but in Anioma. The award programme is expected to inspire both the young and the old with enthusiasm for greater accomplishments in an unparalleled manner. The Ubulu Ezemu Awards also has the capacity to change realities by offering directions and hope to young people. This is more so as the youths are fast veering off from good values that Ubulu Uku and Anioma are known for. In addition, Ubulu Ezemu Awards is equally tailored to change perceptions, recognize and appreciate Ubulu Uku and Anioma sons and daughters in the diaspora who have excelled in their chosen careers in various fields.

 

Pen Master: Good to know you originated Ubulu Ezemu all alone; the Ubulu Ezemu that we know as the leading source of the Ubulu people. Quite amazing too that you have singlehandedly driven this goal all the while! Let me ask you the usual question that I ask our people: Do you get support from your Ubulu Uku community? 

 

Awunor: (Smiling) No, I did not get any support prior to the launch. Only two individuals bought me Glo recharge card of N500 each for the nine years I operated on Facebook. But you don't blame anybody because I was not ready to collect any gift or money from anyone since I was operating anonymously. But these two gentlemen forcefully sent the recharge cards through the chat box. I will not tell you lies I used them and it was very useful for me. I will never forget that type of gift. However, Ubulu people supported me massively during the launch. They came out en-masse and the launch was very successful. It was a very great outing. 

 

Pen Master: Okay, share with us some of the beneficiaries of this award. What could have singled out them out meritoriously from others? I am just wondering. 

 

Awunor: (Laughing aloud) Well, Pen Master, this question is very interesting. I inaugurated a 20-man committee to work out the award processes. They did and they came out with the timeline and procedures. They started calling for nomination of Awardees from August and gave the deadline as 12 midnight of 30th September, 2020. It was closed on entry deadline of September 30 and all entries were carefully examined and scored using the criteria approved by the committee. Those who scored high points were selected to go forward to the shortlist for each category which was later screened again. It may interest you to know that I didn't know most of the awardees. They were nominated by the public while the committee scrutinized each awardee. There was this guy that was mentioned as a nominee that made me furious. I was furious because I didn't know the guy too well; whereas the guy is a great talent. I started doing research from local people and I was made to know what that guy was doing. I think his name is Patrick Ugbaja. He was one of my proud award recipients. We have many great minds like Hon (Mrs.) Joan Onyemaechi Mrakpor who won the "Most Innovative Public Servant of The Year". She has done so well if you judge her with the marvelous beautification project she is doing in Asaba. Chief Emma Ejiofor who won "Culture and Tradition Promoter of The Year" is another person I respect so much when it comes to Ubulu-Uku culture. He doesn't joke with any aspect of our culture and traditions. Nweke Momah who discovered the beauty of Ubulu Uku traditional music also won the "The Music Icon of the year". We also have this Ubulu-Uku born Nurse, Mrs. Esther Osemwegie who fought Covid-19 to a standstill in the United Kingdom. After her experience with Covid-19 patients in London, she put it into a book, titled “For Such a Time as This”, which can be described as a masterpiece. That particular lady won "The Health Personality of The Year". And then we have Kingsley Nwami, a voracious helper and giver of the people who won "Charity Personality of The Year”. We also had Joe Ikenwe as the "Local Government Administrator of The Year" and Ubulu-Uku pillar of sports, Dr. Stanley Okafor as the Sports Personality of The Year". The list is endless and all the recipients got their awards on merit. They are so many and any Anioma person following event knows that these recipients actually worked to deserve these awards. They were many because it was the first edition. In this year edition coming up in December 2021, we will prune it down to 10 recipients only. 

 

Pen Master: In the centuries before now and up to present times, Ubulu-Uku was notable in Omuship. As a prominent indigene of Ubulu-Uku and proponent of the people's culture, why is this traditional institution absent now? 

 

Awunor: Yes. Omu presence is no longer there but I see it coming back in another form in the future. Many people are very ignorant about what the Omu Institution stands for. To them, they see the Omu fraternity as a bunch of charmers and fetish people. But that is very wrong because the Omu institution was created for a purpose and that purpose is for the interest and well-being of the society. My first degree research work was focused on Omuship in Ubulu Uku and the work opened my eyes to their importance in the community. Though, their modus operandi differ from one community to another but they have one aim, and that is to make and keep peace both n the community and at the market place. On why it is no longer there; I think it is all about the misconceptions people have about the institution. Again the Omu leadership needs money and community support to exist. Whereby these factors are not there, it becomes unattractive. For instance, maintaining a palace and keeping all the chiefs are not so easy these days. In fact, one needs a lot of money to maintain the Omu leadership position. Not only money. They have a very stringent moral code that guides them. Codes such as not telling lies, not wearing cloths most of the time, not cheating and getting involved in any form of uncleanness. These guidelines are difficult to keep most of the time. However, many people are not ready to venture into that tradition these days. Like I said earlier, it will come back in another form. 

 

Pen Master: Some critics of Anioma say the people generally suffer identity crisis. Personally, what is your take on this?

 

Awunor: Within Anioma, I don't think we have any issue with identity crises. We all know our boundaries from Ika, Ukwuani, Aniocha and Oshimili. We are one. However, identity of Anioma people as it bothers on the Igbos has for some time now generated debate among their leaders, ethnic historians and other scholars of Anioma extraction. Such

debates seem to have produced a dominant perspective that the Aniomas are Igbos. I don't share that position completely. As an African Linguist, my advice to Anioma people is for us to develop Enuani Language and make it popular so that it will be taught in the universities and Colleges of Education. By so doing, it will enter into their schools’ curricula. Once this is achieved, our identity issue must have been half solved. 

 

Pen Master: Back to Ubulu Ezemu Awards. Do you already have recipients handy or you study them…? 

 

Awunor: …Not at all! We are doing another one in December this year and I don't have anyone in mind. The committee studies and does the research because they know better. Most of the committee members are very credible and highly respected individuals. They stay in Ubulu-Uku and they are in touch with all activities at home. I don't influence the process in any way, even though I follow up what they are doing. 

 

Pen Master: Let us divert a bit: Is the social media now a diversion from mainstream reportage of the media? As a professional journalist, answer this question.

 

Awunor: Yes, it is. Social media has really impacted the mainstream media negatively on one hand and positively on the other hand. Unfortunately, most social media influencers are not trained journalists and they get it wrong most of the time. In fact, they don't follow the principles of journalism and the ethical practice is zero. It has dampened the potency of the mainstream media but I don't think it will not be able to displace it completely. 

 

Pen Master: Ubulu-Uku is beautiful indeed. Tell us about your people.

 

Awunor: Ubulu Uku is a blessed community and I am very proud to come from there. We are good people and we welcome visitors warmly since time immemorial. We are also blessed with unique wisdom which was inherited from Ezemu, the founder of Ubulu-Uku. I cherish all our inheritance from Ezemu. Story had it that he was the wisest man that ever lived during his era. We are very hardworking people and enterprising. Our main occupation is farming with its major produce as cassava, maize, yam, palm produce and rubber. The men are expert hunters and palm wine tappers while the women are renowned for their cloth weaving. We also have natural resources and am sure they will soon be developed one after the other. Developments are trickling in but we still need government presence, so that water, electricity and other social amenities will be adequate for us.

 

Pen Master: (Smiling) You have engaged me brilliantly and I feel so impressed. Thank you very much for finding time to do this interview.

 

Awunor: You are always welcome Pen Master. Thank you very much.