HIS HIGHNESS J. E. N. NWAGURU: A TRIBUTE

From what Dee Nnata told me, after his Secondary School career at Okrika Grammar School in 1953, a window of opportunity was thrown open to exceptionally intelligent young Nigerians of his generation and class. Professor Kenneth Onwuka Dike, a historian of global dimension, who would later become the first Indigenous Vice Chancellor of University of Ibadan, had conceptualized the idea of establishing Nigerian Record Office for Nigeria, using the University of Ibadan as headquarters. Talented young Nigerians were expected to be recruited into the service and systematically trained in the job, for the sole purpose of preservation of public and strategic records. Dee Nnata, obviously being mentally equipped for the new role in record administration, availed himself of that rare opportunity. He sat for the competitive examination and, as would be expected, remarkably impressed Professor Dike who had no hesitation in recruiting him into the service. Dee Nnata was, therefore, one of the pioneer Staff of Nigeria’s Record Office at Ibadan on 1st April, 1954. Please note that 1st April, 1954 was not a fool’s day. What was established on that day has endured for more than 67 years!

As an officer with futuristic inclination, Dee Nnata did not wait to be told by any person that a record office, as contemplated and framed by an intellectual genius like Professor Kenneth Dike, would only have assiduous persons grow in it. Being conscious of that obvious fact, Dee Nnata took advantage of the conducive ambience provided by the Nigerian Record Office, which later became known as National Archives via an Act of Parliament, to prepare for his Advanced Level General Certificate Examination, London and cleared his three subjects in a sitting. On the heels of that uncommon success, Dee Nnata, who was employed as a clerical officer, was then set to confront challenges imminent in his search for the Golden Fleece.

Taking advantage of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe’s educational foresight which had given rise to the establishment of Nigeria’s first indigenous university, University of Nigeria, Nsukka which had its first batch of students’ intake in 1960, Dee Nnata successfully got admitted into the university as its second batch of students in 1961. He graduated with Second Class Upper (2.1) in Political Science in 1964.

On a lighter mood, Dee Nnata told me that because he was a federal government-sponsored scholar, he had the luxury of having a Mobilete on campus. For those of us who may not have seen a Mobilete before, it is a very small-sized motor-cycle, with a set of pedals that can enable its user to continue with his movement assuming the fuel in it gets exhausted. Dee Nnata had one and according to what he had told me, he was a source of envy and attraction on the Campus because he was considered a ‘rich student’ just for having a Mobilete or Moped as it also called.

With that intellectual achievement, the coast had become very clear for his astronomical rise in hierarchy of the National Archives.
Apart from his attainment at the UNN, Dee Nnata attended many courses and programmes overseas, including some African Countries, United Kingdom, France and the United States of America.

He was a seasoned and accomplished administrator. He used his position in the National Archives to stimulate and encourage researches in both local and national issues. As a very transparent archivist and administrator, he guaranteed administrative stability in all the places he had worked, especially at the National Archives, Enugu.
Dee Nnata was altruistic and patriotic. Unlike today when people hear that some officials of government allegedly collect thousands of Naira from applicants in search of employment, Dee Nnata had no room for such dirtiness and pettiness. All of us that were employed at National Archives, Enugu under his watch were employed free of any charge or extraneous consideration. There was hardly any employment that took place while he was at the National Archives, Enugu that did not have successful Ngwa applicants in their numbers. He was, indeed, a patriot. I wish the Ngwa nation will acknowledge, in every material particular, that Eze Sir, The Rt Honourable Johnson Elewemba Nnata Nwaguru was one of their best and heroes. He should not leave unsong, even after his burial.

HRH Nnata Nwaguru was naturally cut out to grow and glow in academics and intellectualism. As early as1948, the first sign of being a near genius had clearly manifested in him. It was at St Michael’s Anglican Primary School, Aba where he had sat for the First School Leaving Certificate. Despite spending only two years, 1947 and 1948, that is to say, Primaries five and six, having done Primaries 1-4 at St John’s Anglican Primary School, Asa Umunka, Dee Nnata seamlessly came first out of 58 candidates that sat for the examination. That was a thorough display of exceptional brilliance.
For a man and public servant at his age, about 31 years, to have worked so hard as to graduate with a Second Class Upper Division at UNN in 1964, it was a quantifiable testimony that Dee Nnata was, in every respect, an erudite scholar.

The climax of his erudition culminated in his book and Magnum Opus, Aba And British Rule. The book is a product of many years of relentless research and study by Dee Nnata on British Colonial invasion and coercion of the fundamental rights of the peoples of Old Aba Division and to some extent the people of Old Bende, particularly Arochukwu and Oloko in Ikwuano where the foundation for Aba Women Riot of 1929 was laid.

I have had the privilege of having a critical look at Aba And British Rule with a cross section of Asa Elders and Intelligentsia. On each occasion I was with them, there was a common denominator amongst us. We have always appreciated the author’s written admission that the Ngwa, on migration, met Asa people as original owners and occupants of Aba and its environs. We also commend the author for admitting that the Ngwa were compelled to resort to peaceful approach when they realized that applying violence in their relationship with their hosts, that is the Asa people and Ibeme clan, was bound to be counter-productive. These are obvious statements of facts.
Dee Nnata in 1992 contested election on the platform of National Republican Convention. The election, which was keenly contested, featured a political Amazon, Chief (Mrs) Grace Ada Agua from Umumgbede Asa in present Osisioma-Ngwa Local Government Area as her opponent on the banner of Social Democratic Party. The will of the People overwhelmingly weighed in favour of Dee Nnata. He won!
In the first Abia State House of Assembly, a Golden Fish having no hiding place, his colleagues, in appreciation of his inestimable qualities, elected him the Deputy Speaker of the House. The Rt Honourable Arua Arunsi was the Speaker of the House, while the current Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, was the Governor.

It should be noted that the present Ebonyi South Senatorial District was in Abia State as the time Abia State was created in 1991 and, so, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu’s people were an integral part of Abia State.
While in the Abia State House of Assembly, Dee Nnata had a long of vision and dreams for his constituency. Unfortunately, the ‘insincerity’ of the Babangida’s Military administration did not allow his wishes to materialize, as the transition programme abruptly came to a close on June 12, 1993, following inexplicable annulment of June 12 Presidential Election won by late Chief M K O Abiola. Dee Nnata was visibly and grossly disappointed with that truncation of our transition.

When, after the death of Military dictator, General Sani Abacha, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as Military Head State, allowed politicians to start all over again and we formed the Peoples Democratic Party, I approached him in order to rouse interest in him but he told me that he had lost interest in any political transition programme to be cordinated by the military.
Dee Nnata, therefore, withdrew from partisan politics. He indicated interest in the traditional rulership of a hitherto large Ihie/Iyi Autonomous Community but when he lost the contest to HRH Eze Reuben Nworgu, I consoled and assured him we could get another Autonomous Community. As God would have it, we succeeded in having Isi Ala Ihie created by the Government of Abia State and, to the glory of God, he was enthroned the Achi La Omanyi of Isiala Ihie Autonomous Community.

Don Ubani, was a former Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Abia State