Author Chika Unigwe Gets Free Land Donation From Governor Obi To Build Writers Village

 

A writer’s village may make the difference in the dwindling reading culture that is at a point zero in Nigeria. Anambra state is not out of it. In fact the business , commercial and Industrial attractions in Anambra worsened the scenario a every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to be a millionaire overnight.

 

 And a writer’s villager behind a state library makes the unique difference. These days , students of Tertiary Institutions ordinarily suppose to be models for those in Secondary Schools but the reverse is the case as most have shown they are nothing but disasters waiting to happen.

 

They clutch their mobile phones of all colour and size especially those with facilities for the social media as if their lives depended on it. The costlier , the better for showmanship. It is the end thing. If you don’t have it, then you are not a happening girl, not minding what one does to have any of the smart phones. The boys are worst for it as pornography is their past time on phone.

These fantasies they practice with any available girl to their fun but the society is degenerating the more by the day. We have lost our values and identity even parents are not helping matters. We aid and abet our children’s behavior. Sex is a culture of switching on the smart phone and imitating the actions thereto even with minors.

 

But Miss Sandra Anazor is one out of the pack. She understands what it takes to be a scholar. She refused to be distracted. Today she is better for it. She was the cynosure of all eyes at the Amawbia Governor’s lodge recently. She was tops as the overall best in National Examination Council (NECO) and in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations, she repeated the feat. She is from Umuawulu, Awka South local government Area, Anambra state.

 

Before dovetailing more to Sandra let me say that this Afro Belgian writer of Nigerian origin, Chika Unigwe PhD was another cynosure of eyes. She writes in English and Dutch. She has won many awards including the 2012 Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas $100,000 sponsored literature prize for the prose category. She won the prize with her entry On Black Sister Street.

 

Unigwe was at a well attended ceremony last year hosted by the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she graduated from the Department of English and Lagos, where she had her works read to the audience.

 

She got a surprise package from the Anambra state Governor, Mr  Peter Obi. Obi gave Chika a land beside the Prof Kenneth Dike Library near the Anambra Broadcasting Service Awka for her proposed writer’s village center and a cheque of N2 Million naira to support its development. Work is at the drawing board even as many intending writers like Blessing Chinaza Ngwu in SS2 Emeka Aghasili Secondary School, Nise, Awka South local government area, Anambra state. She wants to be like Unigwe or Adichie Chimamanda who was earlier honoured along others by Obi. 

 

Governor Obi made the donation during a ceremony to mark the recognition and presentation of rewards to six Anambra achievers in the Exco Chambers of the Government House, Awka. 

 

He had vowed to honour those doing the state proud and he has kept to that as he has honoured almost all known writers and brilliant people as well as those in leadership positions elsewhere as a mark of motivating youths to struggle to be the best where ever they found themselves. He said the State would continue to honour and celebrate individuals who had distinguished themselves and brought pride to the State. There are bigger boys he honoured with vehicles and cash like Generals and Monarchs of substance.

 

 On how she copes with her writings as a family person, Unigwe said in an interview ‘’I have four boys and you know, kids have bedtime and once they go to bed it’s my time.
I write sometimes at night, sometimes early in the morning but I always try to make out time to write, it’s a job and not my hobby. It’s my career so I treat it like a nine-to-five. I have four boys and you know, kids have bedtime and once they go to bed it’s my time’’.

On her works on facebook on improving Igbo language she said,’’ We are updating the Igbo dictionary. It’s a labour of love. And there are five of us in the core group and over a total of a thousand of us. What we do is extract words from the dictionary. For every word we try to find an Igbo, where Igbo was not existing already, we try to find an appropriate word for it. I’m into it because I love languages which is why I did an extensive course on Dutch language when I moved to Belgium’’.

 

Other beneficiaries are Miss Rosaline Ejindu who was the overall best graduating student of University of Nigeria, Nsukka last year received a cheque of three million naira for scholarship to further her education; while Dr. Mrs. Uche Amazigo, Professor Francisca Okeke, Mr. Uzochukwu Alutu and Professor Akachi Ezeigbo received a cheque of one million each in appreciation of their various achievements in their fields of endeavour. Their resumes were read and it was so intimidating and rich that every young people would like to aspire to be like or greater than these people. They were happy and spoke glowingly about Obi’s administration, describing it as the best in the country and since creation of Anambra state.

 

Obi appealed to community leaders to compile names of  their subjects who made first class in various Higher Institutions to enbale his government honour them as hios adminsitartion would continue to celebrate excellence against impunity that was elevated in the past. He  explained that the aim of celebrating the best human resources of the State is  to provide positive role models for children and the youth.

 

He further said honour was part of measures to restore the State status as a pace-setter in the country noting that the State has remained in the forefront of rebuilding and advancing the country.

 

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Oseloka Obaze said Governor Obi’s policy of celebrating talents and achievements would motivate youths to aspire to greater heights. He stressed the need for collective efforts to tackle the challenges of male drop out in schools to save the future of the society.

 

Presenting the citation of the awardees, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Professor Chinyere Okunna said that Governor Obi administration had remained gender-friendly and had achieved visible and tangible results in all sectors through multi-sectoral vision and strategy geared towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

 

In their separate speeches, the achievers thanked the Governor  for recognizing and rewarding excellence and commitment in redirecting and encouraging youths to embrace acquisition of knowledge, noting that he has entrench enduring legacies.

 

But Sandra’s feat was given an Exco presentation at the Lodge where Obi announced scholarship for her and promptly redeemed it by handing over the cheque of N2, 220,000 to her, covering the 6 years she will be in school.

 

In her academic history, Sandra has won many academic competitions and awards. She had secured admission to read Medicine at the University of Ibadan .

She wasn’t those types in Bayelsa state who got extra ordinary results but when subjected to further examinations could not write their names yet they passed with Distinctions.

 

This explains the decay in school system for future medical doctors who kill at will and engineers who build collapsed structures fro the day one and teacher/parents connivance in mark buying for admission purposes.

Sandra was unique and made her parents and teachers proud. The government of Anambra state too especially Governor Peter Obi.

 

Sandra expressed surprise at the State Government gesture, saying that Peter Obi has proved beyond doubt that he loves education and the successes of his children

Sandra’s proud father, Barr Azubike Anazor accompanied by her mother, Chinwe said that the resurrected performance of Anambra people in examinations is attributable to Gov. Obi who has shown interest in all sectors. Opposition he said never said anything good about Obi’s investment in education. Obi provided boreholes, generators, Internet and Lab facilities as well as school buses to schools. Obi equally renovated and equipped school laboratories, supply of computer , improved Library facilities and provided water in schools.

 

He equally gave scholarship to children displaced in the Northern Nigerian by Boko Haram. He had given thousands of jobs too but silently.

Obi had in 2009 announced a scholarship for students who did the state proud at Nigeria/UNESCO special Quiz competition in 2007 and 2008. The awards were won between 30^th March and 5^th April, 2008 .The students won three trophies and a plague for the Anambra state at the competition and Governor Obi announced an award of scholarship to the contingent that won the laurels for the state.

According to Governor Obi, the scholarship will take the two students of the contingent who are already in the University to at least four years while others would enjoy theirs at the appropriate time.

The students were Anikwe Calista studying Pharmacy at University of Ibadan , Anozie Echezona studying Mathematics at the University of Nigeria , Bernard Nwogbo and Ndidiamaka Umeh won various laurels for the state .

Aniekwe of St Monica’s Ogbunike was overall best in Physics, Echezona of Dennis Memorial Grammar School (DMGS) Onitsha was over all best in Biology and Technology and won two trophies , Ndidiamaka Umeh of Queen of the Rosary College , Onitsha and Bernard Nwogbo of St Charles Onitsha were part of the contingent.

Two of the beneficiaries of the Governor Obi’s scholarship largess, Aniekwe Calista and Anozie Echezona said they were surprised by the Governor’s award of scholarship to them noting that they have realized that hard work pays.

The children of slaughtered Anambra people at Mubi by Boko Haram , 14 or more of them at the last count were all on scholarship of Obi. And the two surviving daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel Obiukwu of Umuduru village, Awka-Etiti whose four daughters were killed at St. Theresa's Catholic Church Mandala, Niger State are also on scholarship.

After tour of the Maranatha International School, Regina Pacis Model Secondary School, Onitsha and St. Anthony of Padua Secondary School, Nkpor, and donating 18-seater buses and computers to them, Obi awarded scholarships to the duo of Theresa Mbanefo and Ogochukwu Okafor, who are students of Regina Pacis secondary school, for what he termed ‘a display of exceptional brilliance’.

 

But Obi is not free yet as the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Onitsha Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Valeria Okeke, has urged him to monitor their progress reports of all those in his scholarship with aim of assisting them get good jobs when they graduate with sound results.

Obi as well had earlier promised to sponsor three students who performed very creditable in Igbo Language at WAEC every year and I am sure many must have benefited. What a gesture so laudable in igniting reading culture now at zero point.

Awards like these by Governor Obi were not self serving but motivational for the best of bests among young people since they tend to emulate good things if properly guided. May all Anambrarians assist in guiding our stars for a better tomorrow and leaders in the comity of states in Nigeria.     

 

 

Caption for the picture

 

Gov. Peter Obi (midlle), flanked by a cross section of Anambrarians that were honoured by the State for distinguishing themselves in various fields. On his left are:  Mr. Uzochukwu Alutu, Prof. Akachi Ezeigbo; Mrs. Uche Amazigo on his right are Ms. Chika Unigwe, Roseline Oluchi  Ejindu,  Prof. F.N. Okeke