Our Fathers’ Days: The Blessings of Our Day (A Brief History of the Ezeokolo Clan in Igbo Land in West Africa)

By Rev. (Fr.) Uchenna Benjamin ?z?egbunam

Every single person occupies a point in the planet earth. Everyone belongs to a community of persons which starts with one’s family and roots. This book is set prove the fact as it is an enquiry into the life of a clan of which most of members have no clear knowledge of how they are related to one another; regular internal strife is the consequence. The book is made in three parts. The first and second parts trace the origin of the clan; through people’s names and events show how the people are connected to one another. Part three uses the discovery on the people’s experiences to educate the rest of us on the way forward in many issues of human life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Nov 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781665537018

Rev. (Fr.) Uchenna Benjamin ?z?egbunam

The Reverend (Fr.) Uchenna Nwabeze B. zegbunam is a Roman Catholic priest of the diocese of Nnewi Nigeria. He is currently resident in the United States of America. He had his first Degree in Philosophy & Theology from the Bigard Memorial Seminary Enugu in Nigeria, an affiliate of the Pontifical Urbaniana University Rome. He has Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Care; Doctorate Degree in Pastoral Studies and Ministry. He did four units of pastoral clinical education; he is a national Board Certified Chaplain (BCC). He has functioned as a hospital chaplain since 2009. He likes reading. When not reading or writing, he spends the time on History, Geography and Sports channels.

Book preview

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

PART ONE

Chapter1 ~ FROM THE CRADLE ~

Chapter2 ~ FOOTPRINTS ~

Chapter3 ~ NWAJIMỤNA ~

Chapter4 ~ EZEOZULUMBA AND HIS BELIEFS ~

Chapter5 ~ PROGENIES ~

Chapter6 ~ NWAOGWUGWU’S CHILDREN ~

PART TWO

Chapter7 ~ THE EZEJIDEAKỤ CLAN ~

Chapter8 ~ THE ỌNỤKWUILI CLAN ~

Chapter9 ~ THE EZEANAEDU CLAN ~

Chapter10 ~ THE CHUKWUJEKWU KINDRED ~

PART THREE

Chapter11 ~ ACROSS GENERATIONS ~

Chapter12 ~ MOVING FROM THE PAST ~

Chapter13 ~ A HOLE IN THE WIND ~

Chapter14 ~ SELF EMPOWERMENT ~

Chapter15 ~ THE HEROES OF THE PAST ~

Chapter16 ~ YOU ARE WORTH MUCH MORE ~

Chapter17 ~ JUST BEGIN ~

Chapter18 ~ UNITY IN DIVERSITY ~

Chapter19 ~ STITCHING THINGS IN TIME ~

Chapter20 ~ THEIR STORY OUR STORY ~

FURTHER READING

APPRAISAL

EPILOGUE ~

INDEX OF NAMES

Dedication

To all who have lost their ancestral roots!

Acknowledgements

My deepest gratitude is primarily to the Almighty God for His steadfast providence. I wish to express my appreciation to Pa Ọnwụdụche (Clement) Ụzụegbunam for his forthrightness in telling the stories about the family, which incredibly motivated me to developing this historical recourse. I extend similar appreciation to Iwudigbō (Anthony) Akụnnaya Ụzụegbunam, the Obi Ezeokolo 4th for clarifying me on a wide range of issues about the Ezeokolo clan. My gratitude goes as well to Ebubechukwu Azụwụgwu David Ụzụegbunam who made the first move in the clan towards having a written history of this kind. You initiated the idea, but fortuitously demised before the book of your dream is realized. My deep gratitude equally goes to Ụzọolie Veronica Ọfọdụm (aka nne-Ụzọolie). Being the last of the thirteen children of the great ancestor, you lived the longest among the rest of you; and witnessed many generations come and go. Your altruism and honesty in verifying for a number of facts of this book is deeply acknowledged. The depth of my gratitude is equally extended to numerous anonymous individuals. I thank each of you in a special way; for answering my repeated calls; for the interview, for data collections; for verifications of facts; for the names and photos used in this book; for reading through the manuscript and for your kind suggestions. Indeed, your collective efforts contributed immensely toward making this book a reality.

Foreword

Some titles of books are more captivating than their contents. But, there are books that have both captivating titles and contents. The current publication is the result of a fine research made by Father Benjamin Ụzụegbunam on his family ancestry and it fits the latter qualification. This work Our Fathers’ Days, The Blessings of our Days, investigates the ancestral lineage, cultural practices and the family life of the Ezeokolo Clan in Igboland of West Africa. The author nostalgically describes the amazing solidarity that existed in the early days of the clan but seems to be non-existent in the contemporary period. This work does not only look at the past and present states of affairs in the family but proposes means to sustain the family legacies and praises the robust nature of the clan as a blessing, a blessing that is also a responsibility. One notable achievement of this book is its promise to provide the young generation of Ezeokolo clan with the knowledge of their family roots in such a way that they can relate with one another as a people from one family despite their spread and states of life.

No doubts, the book treats issues that pertain to the Ezeokolo clan but its relevance is not exclusive to this family; other families and cultures have some shared life that is reflective of the one that the book discusses. It challenges everyone to know their lineage and the story of the journey of their family. The beauty of this work does not exhaust with the historical extraction of facts but the proposal for a reconstruction of the weakened ties that have bedeviled modern families. The idea of reconstruction suggested by the author requires that the bond of family life which existed previously among family members both nuclear and extended should be rekindled for it is this bond that truly gives strength and inspiration for anyone to live through difficult times. The dynamics of family life today are so different from past ages due to both sociological and economical factors. In the past, a family could be identified with a particular location but it is hardly possible to do that today as members of the same family for reasons of education, business and career, choose to live almost permanently away from their ancestral homes. This modern trend has been identified by the author of this book as a challenge to the traditional family bond. The author would suggest that to bridge the gap between the past and present states of affairs in family life, there is an urgent need for occasional and regular family reunions.

There is a temptation which a hasty reader of this book may get, the impression that the work is simply the story of a particular family. In reality, it is much more. The author dedicates some sections of the work, from chapter Twelve to Twenty, to treating general principles that promote optimistic approach to life. In these sections the author develops ideas around issues which suggest that nature presents realities in opposites and should be accepted and lived with as facts of life. The experiences of some heroes and heroines are presented as evidence of the possibility of impacting positively the generation of one’s existence. This work is prepared in such a way that the readership will find it less complicated and more fascinating to read. It is strongly recommended for anyone interested in keeping their family story alive and cares about maintaining the traditional family bond.

Rev. Dr. Patrick Abem

Formator and Head of Department of Theology,

St. Joseph Major Seminary,

Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria.

Introduction

Charles Siefert once said, "A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."¹ Unarguably, human beings are creatures of history. Every individual right from birth is endowed with the potentials to make history. As the Thai proverb says, When a road is less travelled it is filled with weeds and thorns and the end is unknown.² Certainly this quote applies well in this project, because no one has ever travelled this route by way of a written history on the person of Ezeokolo or his family. Surely, Ezeokolo is profoundly regarded within his clan as a great ancestor. This belief has continued to be a source of pride for his descendants. History is a source of enlightenment. No wonder Richard Coleman describes family history in a striking way. As he says, Family history builds resilience. In learning about our ancestor’s lives we can see patterns of overcoming failures and surviving hard times.³ This is predominantly the reason I want to delve into the history of the clan, believing that it may help the reader with a better knowledge of the man, his offspring and his culture. This book therefore is non fictional but historical. It is based mainly on oral interviews and discussions with people from within the clan and from the surrounding towns and villages. Besides, I have chosen to probe into this clan particularly, because I am aware that a story well shared about a people will give others some insights regarding them. When we illuminate the road back to our ancestors, they have a way of reaching out and of manifesting themselves.⁴ There is no doubt that when people fail to devote a breath for their history or to set examples for the generations to come, their history may remain unknown.

In going about this project I have bent forward and backward in search of facts. In most part I have reconstructed some dialogue according to what I personally remember and what others have told me. My intention was to recreate the essence of conversations rather than provide verbatim quotes.⁵ This is mainly because the life we humans live is a history. Indeed, life may not be the way people want it, but people constantly brave themselves to make the best out of it. The more I look at life the more I am convinced that there is nothing like a perfect life. People only fill their lives with striving that brings them near perfection. The idea that life is priceless is prevalent among different peoples of the world. This perception is strong among Africans. It is such that the birth of a new life is a huge honor for people. For instance, in Igboland, the conception and birth of a child is regarded as a mystery that is always revered. Conceiving a child is something that calls for great