It is no more a news that the above book has been launched, done and dusted.The book is a project of interest which took the author, on and off, a period of 43 years. The curiosity to write and publish this book stemmed on the fact that there were lots of misinformation on migrations and myth about Oboro, one of the of the four clans in Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State of Nigeria. The book looked into these areas using appropriate research methodology to come to agreements on some facts. Like in all such projects, there may be some areas that still need to be worked on in the next edition. It is therefore subject to positive criticism. The book is intended to rest the issue of losing our unwritten history through mere story telling. The author
Chikezie Okey lroegbu (Turner) obtained his Higher National Diploma in Information Science from The Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. After a successful one year mandatory National Youth Service at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, he worked briefly with DBN Television before venturing into freight forwarding as a management staff of Uzo and Sons Nigeria Limited. At the end of his transit in the maritime industry, he went back to his career by returning to the classroom to read a post-graduate Diploma on Print Journalism from the famous NIJ, Ogba Ikeja. He is the publisher of The Baggage, a Maritime Magazine with special attention on Marine Transportation, Nigeria Customs Services and Nigeria land borders. He is also a Post Graduate student in view of Lagos State University on International Relations. He holds a Diploma on Bible Ethics from Gateway Bible College, Benin City, Edo state. He is a passionate observer and critics of Nigerian politics and the political class. Okey is married and blessed with five children and grandchildren. In his welcoming address at the book presentation and launch at La Escape Hotel and Resorts Ltd., the author emphasized that "there is no doubt that the Federal Government of Nigeria tactically erased history from the academic curriculum of Nigeria Schools for an obvious reasons. We in our endeavour not violating any of the constitutional provisions considered it necessary to put together the history of our people which is generated from storytelling from one generation to the other. This is for the sake of posterity. "The next time I would be able to gather you like this, will be to unveil a book on the experience of a teenager in Biafran enclave where I became a bread winner, harvesting mushrooms, insects, rats and lizard at the age of eight for my family. Today, this book like the piece done by Mazi Friday Oguegbu in 1953 is a product of deep ambition to play a role at finding a lasting solution to the acquisition of a reference material for the people of Oboro. My first attempt at achieving this was in 1976 at Oboro Secondary School when a newly inaugurated Press Club delegated me as the PRO to source for such information for the maiden magazine of the club. This concept was also transferred to my village, Isiala Oboro within the same period as I sold the idea of producing a magazine for the Youth Association where I was the General Secretary. `"In all these experimental projects the only source of information was Oboro Isi-Ama Asoto, a book written by Mazi Friday Onwulirimba Oguegbu of Amaoba-Ime. I acknowledge the family and the entire community for producing such a great man. The assistance he prophesied in 1953 when he wrote “... and to assist where possible any Oboro citizen at any time” has come to past. I am indebted and grateful to him and his family as his research work remains the foundation to any research on Oboro history. "Oboro, the land of our forefathers evolved finally as a Thesis for the award of Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) on International Relations, Lagos State University but for some ambiguity I decided to put more efforts to make it a book. In the process I met many people who by accident or design are pillars to the making of this book. My numerous encounters with late Hon. Smart Onyirimba kick-started the project and his wide research on his book ‘Ikwuano Book of Records' made my further research easier. I am very grateful to him even at death. "The Royal Fathers in Oboro whom I consulted were very encouraging as they further directed me to important sources. HRH Eze Eyjirika who was by then the Chairman Ikwuano Council of Ndi Eze, HRH King Larry Agwu who was by then the Chairman Oboro council of Ndi Eze, HRH Eze (Prof) Ajiri, HRH Eze Jiaza and most importantly late HRH Eze Okeiyi who was an encyclopedia to this project. "On formal and informal consultation, I am grateful to Prince Kingsley Nkume, Chief Emeka Ebula, Hon. Udo Ndukwe, Elder Alfred Iroegbu, Mike Egwuibe the computer wizard of our time, the leadership of 2013 Federation of Ikwuano Students of
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Nwachukwu Udochukwu Chikezie who was my guide and my brother in-law Okechukwu Mbibi who did not live to see the final production. "Others are late Chief Sam Madubuike (Ugomba Akoli Imenyi, Bende) and Chief Kingsley Igbokwe (Nwachinemere and TPM of EgwuUkwu, Afougiri Umuahia) who invested seriously on this project as they have vested interest on Igbo tradition. My traditional ruler HRH Eze (Prof) Sunday Ezeribe kept kept reminding me of the need to finish the project. "I am grateful to the staff of Baggage Associates for their untiring efforts combining the herculean task of news hunting with this project. Special thanks to Lateef Ibrahim who procured the
ISBN and Solomon Semako Kuton who handled the typesetting and graphics. "On the domestic front, I am indebted to my siblings; Ucheoma, Ifeanyi and Ngozi, my children, despite their varying fields of study in their universities, they took interest in writing and finally my wife who understood the situations more especially when I would jumped out of bed in the midnight to jot down an inspiration on any available writing material in our bedroom. Most of all I am thankful to our Lord JESUS CHRIST for keeping hope alive in me to this day. "There may be one or two typographic errors in the book which we refer to in publications as "printer's devils." Many of them came up as a result of moving the manuscript from one computer to the other and the fonts were misbehaving. We look forward to doing a very serious amends from the feedback we would get after this presentation in our reviewed edition. "I thank everybody who made it possible to be here today. The book may not go round today to everybody as this occasion is not necessarily for sales but for the official presentation. The following outlets would serve now for distribution points; La Escape Hotels and Resorts Ltd., Chaise World Hotel, Umudike, opposite MOUAU and Emeka Okike Stores, Isiala Oboro. Outlets at other cities like Lagos, Kaduna, Aba and Onitsha would be revealed later as arrangements are at top gear," his address reads. Some autographed copies were made available to many of the guests at the launch while looking forward to good patronage supporting more prints by sponsorships and partnering.
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