By David-Chyddy Eleke
Earlier today, I and my colleagues in the Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Anambra visited Okija to renew our vow.
The Correspondents’ Chapel is a close nit group within the NUJ comprising mostly of reporters from national platforms. In Anambra we pride ourselves as operating as one, and to ensure that commitment to the group remained intact, we take time to renew our vow once in a while.
We had chosen Okija this time, especially on the suggestion of our colleague, Sir Vin Ujumadu of Vanguard Newspapers, who is a close pal and an indigene of Okija. Who doesn’t know Okija Shrine and the potency of vows taken there?
Let me digress a little. To go to Okija, I and my colleagues plied the T Junction at Ideani. We also passed Mmili John in Ojoto, plied Oba to arrive Okija in Ihiala LGA.
As we journeyed, we discussed the state of these roads in 2021, 22 and 23. Ideani was where the trunk of slain House of Assembly member, Hon Okey Di Okey was dumped during that period. His head was hoisted on a spike in Amichi in far away Nnewi South LGA, away from the location of his body. He had been kidnapped about one week before, and ransom paid, before his body and head were discovered separately. His aide who was kidnapped alongside with him was also killed.
Mmili John in Ojoto was a dreaded area too, which had the river that harboured shrines where “unknown gunmen” worshiped. That was where the body of a lady Bank Manager in Onitsha was dumped at the period too after she was kidnapped and ransom paid. We reflected on how bad things used to be security-wise, and whether we would have made the Okija journey if it was back then.
Okija is in Ihiala LGA, and the entire Ihiala was the hotbed of insecurity during the days when hoodlums who posed as separatist agitators held everyone hostage. Several camps of those known as I ‘known gunmen’ existed in several communities in the local government area. Ihiala and Nnewi South LGAs were the two hottest council areas in terms of activities of separatists then.
It was a comforting surprise how normal things have become recently, and arriving Okija to the warmth of bustling economic activities was surely comforting. Thank you Prof Chukwuma Soludo.
Finding Okija Shrine was not easy, but we were assured that the chief priest was aware of our coming, and would surely wait. After a few back and fourth missing our way, we finally arrived St Paul’s Catholic Church, Umuatuegwu, Okija, Ihiala LGA.
A church is a shrine too, so I can say that St Paul’s Catholic Shrine was the venue for the burial mass of late Madam Angela Ihudia Ujumadu, mother of Sir Vincent Ujumadu the Anambra State correspondent of Vanguard Newspapers.
A senior visiting Chief Priest, Bishop Jonas-Benson Okoye, the Catholic Bishop of Nnewi Diocese was just commencing sermon when we entered the shrine. He had come to be with the Ujumadus who are stauch Catholics.
The renewal of Vow among members of Correspondents’ Chapel did not happen at the shrine however. It took place at Sir Vin’s Country home, where he purposefully provided us an airy space in his palatial mansion where all manner of food and drinks was served to renew our vow to remain committed to Correspondents’ Chapel’s cause.
Vows have been renewed and we are stronger as one. My condolences to the Ujumadus for their loss. Mama Angela was 90 so it was not misplaced that the Ujumadus stopped at nothing to celebrate her.
