For
those who grew up in Oguta, in Imo State a few years before the Civil
War, the name “Aguduma” would bring back memories. It was the
qualification of a young boy, whose friends considered too handsome and
therefore, nicknamed him “Aguduma,” meaning “Handsome Goodluck.”
That
boy, today, has become a man. He’s not an ordinary man, but one, who
has risen from, perhaps, a nobody to the pinnacle of Nigeria’s
leadership. That boy is today the president of Nigeria. That boy is
President Goodluck Jonathan.
Yes, President Jonathan once lived
in Oguta. While there, before the war, he attended St. Paul’s Anglican
Church Primary School. He was nicknamed ‘Aguduma” by his peers in
primary school.
Madam Emilia Ajie, from Ogbaru area of Anambra
State, who happened to be his land lady at that time at the Kalabari
Beach, in Oguta 11, has now revealed quite a lot about him to Sun
Newspaper.
Back
then, Goodluck who lived with his uncle, popularly called Chief was
always ill-treated. According to her, his uncle never bought him school
books, sandals or other things he needed for school.
She further said
that Jonathan was always the last, among the pupils who lived in the
compound, to go to school daily because of house chores he must complete
every morning.
Read her revealing Narration below:
“Goodluck
is a very quite and respectful person, even in the face of hardship
inflicted on him by his uncle, who was popularly called Chief and we
always felt sorry for him because of the way his uncle was treating him.
They were then living in our boys’ quarters. His uncle’s son usually
did nothing. It was Goodluck, who did everything in the house, including
cooking.
At the end of the civil war, in 1970, Goodluck’s uncle,
left with his wife, who was from Izombe, for their hometown, he had left
behind his son and Goodluck because they were still in school and had
promised to come back for them. But after his son finished his primary
school, Chief sent for him and left Goodluck behind,”
She revealed how Jonathan once had an accident that frightened everybody.
According to her, “one day, while Goodluck was still living in our
compound, he had gone to pluck mango with other young boys, but fell
from the tree and as I was returning from the market I heard children
shouting that ‘Aguduma’ had fallen off the mango tree and I quickly
rushed to scene and used my head-tie to bind his fractured right hand.My
husband’s brother, popularly known as Ajasco, who was returning from
the farm, had carried him (Jonathan), with the assistance of other
children and took him to a popular traditional bonesetter in the
neigbourhood, called Nwanyiogu from Mgidi but married to Kalabari
man.And while he was receiving treatment for his injured hand, we were
always bringing him food because both his uncle and the son had gone
back to their hometown. He left Oguta in 1972 and I have not set eyes on
him again nor heard anything about him. I only got to know that
Jonathan had become the president of Nigeria when I saw, in 2011 an
Almanac bearing his photograph “Look at Goodluck!”
She stated
that as she shouted, the man who was selling the almanac asked what
happened. On telling him that she knew Jonathan, she said, the man told
her that Goodluck was the president of Nigeria. Waxing philosophical,
she said: “Whatever God has destined for anybody must come to past
because nobody will ever have thought that Goodluck will, one day become
the president of Nigeria. I thank God for his life because he really
suffered under his uncle and most times I had asked him then if his
parents were alive and he always said yes, but through out his stay in
our compound, his parents never visited him.” Also, talking about his
experiences with Jonathan, Patrick Ajie, Madam Emilia’s son, who is now a
staff of the Imo State Fire Service, recalled how the president and his
uncle and son lived in their boys’ quarters at Kalabari Beach in Oguta
11.He said that when President Jonathan arrived Oguta with
his uncle, he started at Primary Four, at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Primary School, which was established by the Kalabari people in Oguta
11. He revealed that Jonathan finished his Primary Six in the school.
Ajie corroborated his mother’s story that even after Jonathan’s uncle
invited his son home, to join him and wife, President Jonathan continued
to live with them.
On how Jonathan left Oguta, he stated that
they did not see him for about two days, at that time, and therefore
made inquiry from some Ijaw, who told them that he had gone to Egbema in
search of one of his relatives. According to him, that was the last
they heard of him until they heard about his emergence as president.
“President Goodluck Jonathan had lived with his uncle and his son, who
was younger, in my father’s compound at Kalabari Beach in Oguta. We
occupied the main building, while they lived in the ‘Boys Quarters’. It
was from there that he completed his primary school at St. Paul’s
Anglican Church Primary School
and he had started at From Four. Of
course, he was my senior in the same school. Even his uncle returned to
their hometown, with his new wife from Izombe and left behind Goodluck
and his son. He had promised to come for them when they were through
with their primary school education. But later his uncle sent somebody
to bring his son back to their home town and left Goodluck behind with
us.” Ajie said Jonathan later left between 1972 and 1973, first to
Egbema, in search of one of relatives and finally to his village.On
whether he had ever met Jonathan, since he became president, Ajie said
no, as nobody has allowed him into the presidential villa of the
president’s Otuoke home. Said he: “I have tried severally to see him. I
had even gone to Bayelsa and Abuja, but my all efforts have proved
abortive. I wanted to see him at least to rekindled old times because we
had a very good relationship with him while he and his uncle were
living in our compound.”
Asked if he though Jonathan would
recognize him in a crowd, as they parted ways as young people, he stated
that he was not sure, but added that the president would never forget
that he ever lived in the compound of the Ajies in Kalahari Beach, in
Oguta.
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