Onyekwute: The Power of Grit

By Chukwuemeka Obi

Tribute to Obed Chukwuemeka Obi, Former President-General, of Awgbu Progress Union

There is power in a name. Different cultures have for centuries held on to this, thus men have become picky in the choices of a name they bear as they tend to believe that a name predestines one’s actions. Biblically, Abram had to switch to Abraham to become the father of many nations. In the Igbo culture, a name foretells one destiny or the ideology that drives one’s ambition or life views, hence, many go to lengths to pick a title name that encapsulates their worldview or captures their life journey or travails.

When Obed chose his titled name as Onyekwute odiri ya- loosely translating that one becomes a product of his words, it was no accident but carefully chosen to capture his spirit of determination to succeed at all odds and that of grit which he radiated till he breathed his last.

Born as the last male in a family of five in the household of Enoch Obi in Nkpeshi Village, Ugwu Community in Awgbu town in Orumba North LGA of Anambra state five years to the Nigerian Civil war amidst sprawling poverty. His father was a tailor at Agbor, however, his expanding family and dwindling economic fortune led him back to Awgbu his hometown. On the persuasion of his sister Patience Ogor who lived in Isiagu with her husband Isaiah Ogor, he relocated to Isiagu, an agrarian community with his family. This meant that the young Obed had to spend most of his time at the farm. This agrarian lifestyle would later influence his love for hunting in his adult life and also an ill-fated investment in Agriculture.

Obed grew up in poverty, he often narrated how they prayed for the rain never to come as it tore through their thatched house into the living room where they slept and they all had to sleep with the rain sputtering ferociously in their living room. Foods were rationed and clothing was a luxury. Yet, he spoke in faith to his destiny and knew he had to confront poverty head-on if he was to succeed. From birth he began his struggle, fighting to live- he had a series of debilitating illnesses from birth and his parents thought that he would go the way of two of their kids who died as infants but being a fighter he triumphed.

Academically he was gifted and his brilliance shone like the morning star at Central School, Awgbu where he had his primary school certificate, coming out tops in his common entrance examination and his First School Leaving Certificate. He proceeded to Adazi-Enu Boys for his Secondary School education and after a year returned to Community Secondary School Awgbu where he spent two years. On a holiday visit to his elder brother who lived in Enugu at that time, Obed, instantaneously and bravely made a life-changing decision to give up on education which the family wanted him to take up and opted to become an apprentice for the Late Christopher Uba of Isuofia.

He had met the late Christoper boys who lived in the same compound with his elder brother at Enugu and perhaps had his eureka moment, he arranged with the boys to meet Uba at Onitsha without the knowledge of anyone and made a pitch to him which he accepted. Seeing his determination to take his fate into his own hands at that early age his elder brother had to acquiesce to him learning a trade and made him write a written document stating that he switched to trading of his own volition.

He would go on to trade in spare parts, general supplies and then textiles before settling for baby toys and accessories at Oroyinyin Street where his brand of product, Graceland baby products became renowned for quality and unique designs. His success in this line of business motivated many Awgbu sons to take a similar route and today, Oroyinyin Street is dominated by Awgbu indigenes.

Onyekwute has always been known to go after anything he wanted without looking back and understood early enough that the power to change his situation rested in his hands. He had always had grit and saw the future before anyone.

Anyone who has come in contact with him will always marvel at his brilliance despite having only nine years of education- he spoke and wrote eloquently and embraced the use of computers in the late 90s when it was in its infancy in Nigeria and most parts of the world. He was an avid lover of education and to make up for giving up on education he insisted that every member of the Obi family and his extended family must be graduates.

He had a lot of flair for technical skills and loved and encouraged everyone to acquire one. You could mistake him for an electrician or mechanic with his in-depth practical knowledge on the subject- I have fond memories of him repairing things in the car and around the house. He often joked that my Engineering degree was paper while he had real practical knowledge. He also loved technology and embraced it just as teenagers do. To underscore his love for technology, he got me my first computer over a decade ago and long before the privatisation of Nitel, our Nitel line 4925238 was the official line of the Obadare street where we lived at that time.

As a stickler for delayed gratification, his famous advice for young men centred around the theme. He always reminisced how his acquaintances during his apprenticeship made it a habit of attending the Fela shrine which was the rave at that time and how he held himself from doing so because he knew what he was up against and had to discipline himself. It paid off and now he can attend any show of interest. He reminisced that self-discipline and grit made a difference for him and within five years after the end of his apprenticeship when he was still under 30 years of age he struck gold and began to court the attention of everyone in Awgbu.

It was in community service that Onyekwute left an indelible mark in the sands of time- that even those who assume to be his enemies cannot disagree with. Onyekwute was brutally honest. His loyalty was to his conscience and nothing else. He was a brave man who had no fear of death or any form of harm. When Awgbu Community got engulfed in a crisis that threatened to consume it, Onyekwute stood up to be counted and with others confronted the crisis head-on, bravely till the community was restored to the path of development.

In 2010, he became the President-General of the Awgbu community and within that period restored peace to the Awgbu community by restoring the traditional institution of the Awgbu town that has been in contest for over two decades. He also set up the Youth Wing of the Awgbu Progress Union and ensured that the community vigilante functioned optimally. Previously he was the Chairman of the Ugwu Community and also the Lagos Branch of the Awgbu Progress Union. Onyekwute had never been shy to go to war for the progress of Awgbu. In retrospect, if the community had listened to his counsel in 2020, the community would have averted the second round of crisis that has eviscerated progress in the town and left it stunted.

As an activist, he believed in the words of Achebe that one should always take sides with the oppressed. This, he did all through his life. He hated classism and treated everyone equally. Despite having a tough demeanour, he was effortlessly kind. He gave with the biblical injunction of not letting the left hand know what the right is doing. He was humble and had an ease of association which is rare to find in a world where social status has become the criteria for friendship. Onyekwute loved the Igbo culture yet remained steadfast to his Christian faith.

One thing one cannot take away from him is his constant happiness. He lived life to the full and made himself happy for every single day of it. This might explain why he finally had to ditch Arsenal, his boyhood club for Manchester City so he could finally have a trophy to celebrate. He loved Tennis and played till his last day. Through him, I fell in love with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Martina Hingis.
As remarked by the English Novelist Neil Gaiman “Everybody is going to be dead one day, just give them time.”For Chukwuemeka Obed Obi, his time has come and as the psalmist Horatius Bonar wrote, only through our work shall we be remembered and that of Onyekwute is too numerous to be forgotten. We will now remember him as the man who spoke prosperity unto himself and through grit and determination made it come through.