By Ignatius soroibe
A diaspora-based son of Obiangwu, Mr Johnny K.C Nosike, has described Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu 2024 as “A homecoming project of the Obiangwu people when Obiangwu became the centre of our universe again”.
He stated this on Tuesday, 5th January 2024, when he paid yours sincerely a courtesy visit to our country home in Umunehi Obiangwu, Ngor Okpala local government area of Imo State.
According to Mr Johnny Nosike during Afo Agarachaa, the Obiangwu people abroad are expected to come home for “a reconnect, a reunion, a coming back to the basics, where all roads lead to Obiangwu and Obiangwu becomes the centre of our universe again”. That is what Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu 2024 was, a homecoming project”
In reaction to a question whether there was a time that the Obiangwu people were disconnected as to need reconnection, he said, “The main disconnection was a situation where “we grew up in Obiangwu and had to go elsewhere for opportunities because those opportunities were nonexistent or in short supply at home.
Obiangwu people are generally intelligent people. We left home not because we did not want to stay back, we left because the schools we wanted to be in were not here, business opportunities, job opportunities that we needed were not here.
It became necessary for us to travel out to different parts of the world for such opportunities. We landed in Owerri, Onitsha, Aba, Enugu, Ghana, different parts of Africa, parts of Europe and the Americas, Australia and all kinds of places. You will even find Obiangwu people in China, and this is because they were looking for opportunities not because they did not enjoy where they come from.”
“We all agree that we enjoy coming home, you connect and reconnect with people you grew up with, that is what we treasured and something that we wanted to do.”
Continuing, Mr Johnny Nosike said, “Many of our people have disconnected. Because they spent so much time outside of Obiangwu, their generations are no longer connected. An increasing number don’t come home at all. We decided to change that with Afo Agarachaa.”
“Afo Agarachaa reconnects us with the hopes and aspirations of our forebears. Look at the schools and other projects they started. It is up to our generation to keep these projects going. We must keep the infrastructure fresh and up to date.
These are the things that we started to address with Afo Agarachaa 2024. It was not all merriment, we also came together and discussed serious matters especially how we can make Obiangwu better.”
In response to why kola nut and other sundry items were not sold to raise money as was the case with gatherings of this nature, Mr Nosike emphasized that they wanted to make it “less stressful on the people. Make no mistake, Afo Agarachaa 2024 was not cheap at all.
The concept was new. You’re hearing Afo Agarachaa for the first time because I came up with the name. Many of our people didn’t know what it was. So it was difficult getting enough people to donate money. But we, the organizers were determined to make it happen. We had to carry a bulk of the financial burden.
We also raised money from a few patriotic Obiangwu men and women who believed. Now that our people have tasted it and loved it, I expect future events will be a lot easier”. “Afo Agarachaa was expensive not just in the financial commitment but also in the time and energy. A lot of planning and work went into this.”
“I cannot complete this interview without mentioning names like Innocent Amuchie, Ernest Nwachukwu, John Kenneth Njoku, Chijioke Kaduru, Ethelbert Amah, Callistus Akuchie, Isidore Nosike, Damian Oparaocha, Emma Suleiman Abara, Prof. Max Opara, Tochukwu Okere, Chibueze Opara, Nkechi Nwachukwu, Ngozi Abara, Oby Opara, Nick Amakor, Peter Okere, Charles Anyanwu, Cosmas Onwuliri, Uzunma Nosike, and others. It was teamwork at its best”.
“The men, women and youth village leaders were essential in the manifestation of Afo Agarachaa. As a matter of fact, we first met with them to make sure they were in support of the project before even organizing ourselves into committees.”
Mr Nosike enumerated the event to spotlight things like the soccer tournament, medical outreach, NIN registration, Education and Seminars, and Obiangwu Summit. These events and the advanced stages of the soccer tournament commenced on the 18th of December, 2024.
According to Mr Nosike, the organizers discovered that “most of our people had no National Identification Number (NIN) so we brought in officers from the state and they set up shops in Obiangwu and registered a lot of our people.
It was a three-day project initially, then we added 27th which was designed to accommodate people that returned from abroad because they likely would not be in by 18th of December. On the 20th, the medical mission started.
We provided free medical care for our people, so many surgeries were done for free. There were testimonies all over the place of people who had to endure pain and suffering for years because there was no money for surgery. Here they got it free. Medications, including reading glasses were given out in those three days of medicals.”
Continuing he said “Then on the 26th we went into education and seminars. We brought in experts. In fact, a vice- chancellor of a University taught Umu Obiangwu business and finance. We had a teaching on farming, how to plant yams in bags and other farming methods.
There was a training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which can help save a life during cardiac arrest. What do you do when someone’s heart stops beating and vital organs are not receiving blood? It’s not the time to cry or speak in tongues. You start with CPR”.
“In response to the drug epidemic,we brought in a team from the NDLEA. They taught our people about drug abuse and rehabilitation. That day we fortified our people with information that will further advance their lives because information is key and knowledge is power.”
The 28th of December was dedicated to Obiangwu Development Union home and abroad women’s wing. Their event was quite entertaining and useful for fundraising.
The 29th of December was cultural day and it was powerful. Every village had been practicing the cultural dances that they were going to present on that day. One after another, they performed and it was beautiful. Oriental brothers band took the stage.
Dan Satch, Akwila and the guys put on an amazing show. Obiangwu danced! There was so much dancing, joy and laughter, sweet memories for our people, it was spectacular. Various kinds of dances like Nwokorobo, which you have not seen since the seventies, were there.
Abigolo was there, all the colourful things that our people were known for were there, it was a blast. Our people were glad and happy. Our people had fun and that was our plan. Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu cultural day delivered a stress free space for our people.”
In conclusion, the initiator of Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu said that the aim was achieved. People reconnected with friends and relatives.
He noted that even people who live at home get disconnected or don’t even connect at all because they now attend different churches and schools, with everyone on his side of town.
He recalled that when we he was a kid everyone met at Central School, Obiangwu, observing that “right now it is no longer the case, Umunehi children and Eziala children don’t interact much because they are in different schools, they don’t know each other like my generation knew each other”.
In reaction to a question of why he’s different, he said “I can’t say that I am different. I just happen to have a positive mindset. I believe in the power of ideas. You see, besides the provisions of nature, nearly everything else you see was an idea which started in somebody’s mind then came to life through human effort and thought.
This includes everything you’re wearing, your house, phone, schools, food, government, commerce, etc. They were all ideas at a time. The difference between the economic powers of the world and the poor nations is in their attitude towards ideas. Most problems have solutions. If you believe in yourself and the people around you enough you can solve a whole lot of problems.
This Afo Agarachaa project gave me the opportunity to discover and rediscover a community of patriots and like minds within Obiangwu. I believe that the problems facing Obiangwu are not insurmountable. We can actually make a difference. ”
“Now to your point, I am probably different in the sense that I have been a known quantity in Obiangwu since the time I was born. Everyone in Obiangwu old and young knew who I was. It’s a benefit and a strength leading this kind of project when people already know who you are. But you need a lot more than that. Everyone in this project brought strengths of their own. We joined forces to make this outcome possible.”
Yes indeed, days after Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu 2024, there is still visible excitement across the Obiangwu community from young and old, men and women. Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu provided fun, excitement, joy and laughter for everybody.
No age was left out, no gender was left out, no village was left out, it was fun for all, the beat goes on and on. “See you in Afo Agarachaa Obiangwu 2026” is now the newest and the latest form of greetings in and around Obiangwu community.