It is true that many Abiriba greats have lived and left this world when records were not written down, but oral histories has remain a valid source of accurate information till date.
Therefore,I have taken it as a duty to unearth some of our past and present heroes for everyone to take note of, including the unborn generations of Abiriba children.
Born in the year 1901 into the family of late Nnam Okorie Ijekpa of Nde Erim, Ameke, Abiriba. Late Chief Agu Okorie Ijekpa is an Abiriba great man and one of the pioneers of Abiriba's early and rapid development.
His friends and age mates were Ete Igwo Eleanya Kalu , H.R.H Okoro Ijagha, Ezekiel Dike Ukuku, George Ezikpe Anagha, Jonah Ndukwo Kalu (Ndukwonta), Orji Boco and so many of the greats who championed and pioneered the Abiriba development course.
He, alongside the above-mentioned Abirba greats and pioneers belongs to Nchina age grade of Abiriba popularly known as "Uke Compini/Company). This age grade remains the most productive in terms of having members who worked with unity of purpose which brought Abiriba to limelight both within and outside Nigeria.
They championed a lot of projects in Abiriba and made sure that those projects were not left half done or uncompleted. Late Chief Agu Okorie was a full partaker in many areas and remains a toast to those who knew him. His closest friend being Late Chief Orji Boco of blessed memories who happens to be his neighbour along Omaghuzo Ameke, Abiriba axis..
In keeping some records straight with facts and not fictions, late Chief Agu Okorie is on recorded as " THE FIRST ABIRIBA MAN TO RELOCATE AND LIVE PERMANENTLY IN ABA" before any other Abiriba man.
It will be a bad history or record to say he is the first Abiriba man to come to or visit Aba, because, records shows that before his relocation from Calabar to live permanently in Aba that many Abiriba businessmen were already coming and going in Aba.
As at the time he came, many Abiriba businessmen were based mostly at Mbawsi which is not far from Aba, Enyimba city,and other places, but his relocation to live permanently in Aba provided succor to thousands of Abiriba businessmen and travelers who made his house in Aba a place to lay their heads and pass the nights until they were through with their various businesses they came for.
He did not care to know which part (Ameke, Amogudu or Agborji) his guests came from, he was only interested in the Abiriba man as he welcomed all with open arms. At a time, his house later turned to meeting venue for Abiriba people living in Aba since ACIU branch was not established yet by then.
Reveling under the old Abiriba spirit of "amuta ezi ibe", he invited many Nde Abiriba to come and explore the huge business opportunities in Aba and helped them establish
In business, he served a man known as Ete Nmah Agbagha whom he learnt the business rudiments from at Calabar before he became free. He traded on many items, but he was one of the early pioneers in agriculture in Nigeria in the 1940s.
He is the first Abiriba man to go into rubber/palm tree plantation when agriculture was the major source of income in Nigeria before the discovery of first crude oil at Oloibiri in present day Bayelsa State.
This was the time each region in Nigeria was known for a particular crop(s). For example, the Western part of Nigeria was known for cocoa production. The Midwest produced Timber and Rubber. The North produced cotton and groundnut. The East produced Rubber and palm oil.
Although all these foreign exchange earning crops have all been abandoned with everybody focusing solely on oil, the likes of Chief Agu Okorie made a good living out of these businesses in those days, employed many directly and indirectly before the business died due to oil discovery and lack of vision by Nigerian past and present rulers.
He owned about 84 acres of lands planted with rubber at Umuosi, and 30 acres of lands planted with palm trees at Umuejei, in present Obingwa LGA,Abia state.
He sold his rubber latex to firms like M.N.K in Calabar which was known for rubber export in those days, and his kernels to oil mills in Aba, Mbawsi, etc. He later joined other smaller rubber producers in Aba area and environs to form a union through which they collected together their rubbers and sold to firms in need. All these were the time Aba had few rich men. A time when the likes of late Anambra millionaire , D.D. Onyemelukwe held sway in Enyimba city.
He was helped mostly also because he could read and write very well,having passed up to standard 3 when education in Nigeria was qualitative.
Just as he was a strong pillar in his age grade, the great Nchina Age grade (Uke company), he was not lacking in the religious side of life too.
ON RELIGION:
He worshiped briefly with the Church of Scotland Mission (C.S.M),Abiriba before he left for Calabar where he joined The Apostolic Church in Calabar, present Cross River State.
Record is pointing at him as the man who, alongside Pastor Ogbonnaya Kalu Emeri, brought the church " The Apostolic Church" ( T.A.C) from Calabar to Aba, finding the first branch at Omuma Road in Aba.
After striving to raise members which included mostly indigenes (Ngwa people) who provided accommodation for the Church at Omuma Road,however, a disagreement ensued when the likes of Chief Agu Okorie and few others insisted that the Church's pattern of worshiping God which by then was mostly by clapping hands without using instruments must remain whereas the indigenes wanted bands to be introduced.
This disagreement later split the church and members into two with the indigenes taking over their land and premises , and today,the church is known as Apostolic Christian Church Mission (A.C.C.M) in which they (indigenes) later introduced bands.
Chief Agu Okorie and his few followers who believed in the old doctrines of the church were left with the difficult tasks of raising money to find new accommodation for a place of worshiping God and also raising other new member.
Being the most financially capable man amongst the few members who believed in the doctrines of the old Apostolic church, he was said to have volunteered and used his personal money to buy a plot of land at 161 Azikiwe Road, Aba so that they could continue worshiping God.
He later donated the land to the church and warned his children to hands-off the property and never to drag it as their father's land when he is gone as he has donated and dedicated the land to God.
He accomplished a lot of things both in individual, community, religious and business life.
He also championed the establishment of the Apostolic Church in Abiriba and was a full active member of ..T.A.C before his death on 20th April, 1986 at the age of 85 years.
He made Abiriba proud and lived a life that is worthy of emulation.
Gob bless Abiriba land.
By: PRINCE .N. KALU ( P.N.K).
It's really heart warming, to read this great piece of history. I was privileged to know Chief Agu Okorie, and to even attend his funeral with my father...and the rest of The Apostolic Church Family. May God continue to give us more men like this. Amen!
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