Emeka Esogbue

 Correcting the Misrecording of Major Albert Okonkwo’s Name as “Nwazu” By Emeka Esogbue Many secondary and online sources, including Wikipedia and several foreign war reports from 1967–1970, have incorrectly recorded Major Albert Okonkwo’s middle name as “Nwazu.” However, verified family accounts, local Ibusa oral sources, and post-war references confirm that his correct name is Albert Onweazu Okonkwo. His middle name, Onweazu, is a popular masculine Ibusa name rooted in Anioma cultural lexicon. Etymologically, it denotes “one who eventually had siblings after his birth.” The variant “Nwazu,” which does not exist in the Anioma naming system, likely originated from early Western newspaper misprints and subsequent transcription errors that were later replicated in retellings of the Nigerian Civil War. During the Midwest campaign of 1967, Okonkwo’s name appeared in international wire dispatches filed by correspondents unfamiliar with Anioma names. It is believed that they phonetically...

 A Military Award for Paratrooper, Ibusa's Col Emmanuel 'Animal' Nzekwue (retd) By Emeka Esogbue For his services and contributions to the Nigerian Military, the Nigerian Army recently honoured Obi Col Emmanuel 'Animal' Nzekwue with an award.  Obi Col Emmanuel Nzekwue, a retired Nigerian Army Officer from Ibusa was later awarded a plaque.  The officer, Obi (Col) Nzekwu (retd) is noted for his gallantry in military expeditions. Historian, Dr. Anthony Nwaezeigwe, Nzekwue's community kinsman claimed that Col Nzekwue, the man fondly called "Animal Power," is the best and highest paratroop jumper in Africa but it is likely judging from the efforts recorded by the retired Nigerian brave soldier.  Writing in Anioma Watch, a forum of Anioma people, at home and in the Diaspora, a copy he later sent to PEN MASTER after the award conferred on him, Izu Anioma Activist, Philip Elueme stated that Nzekwue made 4,760 successful daredevil plunges or drops from the sky,...