The ancient kingdom of Arochukwu in Abia State recently came alive as the native of Aros and their kindreds in the diaspora returned to their ancestral home to mark December 26, 2022, set aside since 2021, to showcase the cultural heritage and the unique traditional chord that binds them together in love, peace and unity for the overall development of the society.
It was at the Arochukwu Cultural/ Civic Centre, Oror Village, where prominent chiefs, mostly addressed in their native Igbo title as ‘Mazi’, gathered to extol the legacies of the late educationist, the late Alvan Ikoku, who passed on about 52 years ago.
Although this year’s edition was devoid of the usual spectacle of the different socio-cultural spectra that exemplify the Aros, as a tribe of pride with gait and honour, the national patrons of Nzuko Aro were quick to explain in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend that the event was a serious one touching on the foundation – education of the young ones, especially the indigents – in order to effectively fill the expected leadership vacuum, given the greying population of prominent Aros in retirement.
Therefore, the think-tank (Nzuko Aro), comprising the ancient kingdom’s eggheads in the likes of the Emeritus Professor Okoro ljoma, chairman, national patron of Nzuko Aro; Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, former PDP presidential aspirant and ex-president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PCN); Sir Dozie Udensi, president-general; Sir Anicho Okoro, first vice president; Dr Kanu Ohuche, the secretary-general; Mazi Okoronkwo Kanu Oji and Dr Ochi Achinivu.
Others include Sir Chijioke Kingsley, Mazi Emma Kanu Ivi, Arc Chima Chijioke, Elder Isaac Onoh, Dr O.J. Nnanna, Dr Njaka Chi Eustace and Dr Edward Onyema of the publicity sub-committee.
Underscoring the importance of education that gave rise to the Alvan Ikoku Trust Fund, the president-general (Nsuko Arochukwu), Mazi Udensi, noted that a major project like education should not be left in the hands of governments alone, hence the need for the congregation of key patriotic Aros to drive the process of revamping the basic school system for easy turnaround of indigents and the less-priviledged young ones of Aro extraction.
Speaking at the unveiling of the late Dr Alvan Ikoku educational colloquium, with the theme: ‘Education Development in Aro; Time for Action’, Udensi stressed the need for a holistic approach to repositioning the basic school system and charged wealthy Aros to be in the vanguard.
“We cannot afford the luxury of waiting for government to arrest this ugly trend; we must take our fate in our own hands and bring about the change we all desire. These children must be educated to restore the pride of the Aro man,” he said.
In the same vein, special guest of honour at the event and governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Dr Alex Otti, who unveiled the education colloquium, enjoined the leaders, elders and stakeholders of the Aro nation, both in Nigeria and in the diaspora, to join in funding the project as it touches on the future of tomorrow’s leaders, who would fill the void of leadership to sustain the ideals of development, peace and unity of the kingdom.
Otti vowed to personally work to ensure proper management and disbursement of the funds for effective implementation of the school project. He lamented the falling standards of education in the area, blaming it on neglect and low-funding, even as he hoped that the intervention would improve in updating the teaching/learning infrastructure in the system.
“The fundraising is a good initiative in the kingdom to ensure that education takes its pride of place in the community,” he stated.
Mazi Ohuabunwa maintained that Aro day had evolved over the years until 2021 when it was time for them to converge and set aside a day in December to look inward in order to provide some development frameworks that could propel the area to new heights of growth in human and infrastructural redefinition.
Chairman of the National Patrons’ Forum, Emeritus Professor Okoro ljoma, said the day was deliberately designed for the celebration of the land, and particularly for community projects, disclosing that other social events including marriages, burials and other programmes, have penalty attachments, if allowed to clash on Aro day.
He said: “Aro persons have made strides in this country. The forebears were also travellers; they were travellers, who helped in the development of the kingdom, particularly in the economic sphere in Southeast Nigeria and beyond.
“And the descendants have also taken a cue from that. So, you’d find out that Aro people are in the civil service, commerce and other areas of economic enterprise. And you have the late Dr Alvan Ikoku, the first Nigerian to earn external degree from the University of London; the first person to establish the first co-educational school in West Africa, and Mazi Sam Otti, the first African permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance.
“Therefore, the colloquium is essentially looking at our educational challenges and the way forward; what we can do as a people is to ensure that those ordinary people with no access to education get educated. It is just not enough to have people with PhDs, masters and other qualifications, a lot more people are still not having access to real education.
“And not long ago, we heard that 20 million people are out of school. It may not evidence here, but there are still people here who don’t have access to education, so this project is meant to ensure that the community have access to education.”
Looking at the uniqueness of the day, Mazi Okoronkwo Kanu Oji identified education and exposures to other climes and cultures as some of the major fulcrums engendering the purpose-driven affinity for societal developments in Aro kingdom.
In search of wisdom, knowledge and wealth, he explained that the Aros would “travel all over the world to fetch wealth and bring back to develop Aro community and the people.”
He assured that the N100 million education endowment fund, expected to be delivered within the next three years, would be concluded in a matter of time as key stakeholders would gather together after the event to perfect the fundraising in aid of the project.
“What happened at the field during the fundraising ceremony was just symbolic. When the time comes, we will sit down, appoint people and share the money amongst ourselves,” he added.
The Nzuko Aro publicity secretary, Dr N.C.E. Njaka, said the event was “to celebrate the ‘Aroness’ in us by looking at our education system in order to address some of the challenges to improve the system for our children.”
He explained that the Aro man is hardworking and very enterprising by building alliances with fellow Aros, with a view to improving the socio-economic wellbeing of Arochukwu community and its people.
His assistant, Dr Onyema Edward, noted that the event has always attracted notable Aro sons and daughters to congregate for the purpose of forging a unity of purpose for the development of the society.
He commended organisers for sustaining the legacies of unity, togetherness and peace through the yearly ritual which he said has become a major driving force behind huge progress recorded so far in human and infrastructural development in the kingdom.
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