 |
| Documented history of Mbaise (1941 to 1990) |
Role of the Catholic Church
One singular institution that played an outstanding role in the overall development of Mbaise community is the Catholic Church. Little wonder till date, the Church has somewhat become synonymous with Mbaise community.
Even though the Church Missionary Society(CMS) came to Mbaise before the Catholic Church, the speed and level of commitment shown by the Catholic Church in embracing and deepening their evangelism in Mbaise cannot be extricated from the history of Mbaise community.
The arrival of the Catholic Church started in 1913, at Umuopara Nguru when one Njoku Akpaka invited the missionaries at Emekuku but he did not go the extra mile in establishing their presence until Chief Anyamele provided space in his home. Before then, the missionaries were operating under the prefecture of the Lower Niger with its Headquarters at Onitsha between 1889 and 1920.
In response to the invitation by Njoku Akpaka, Rev. Fr. Daniel Walsh made his first official visit to Umuopara in 1914.He was the first Reverend Father to visit Mbaise and in the same year, the Rev. Fr. celebrated the first Holy Mass ever had in Mbaise in the compound of Chief Anyamele of Ogbor Nguru, it was from there that a regular monthly visitation from Emekuku to Nguru started. Two out stations were opened at Ogbor and Oboama Nguru the same year. By 1915 two more stations were opened at Umezie and Ezuhu Nguru.
In 1916, the out stations at Nnarambia Ahiara and Umuokirika Ekwerazu were opened. In an appreciation of the generosity of Chief Onyekwere of Ahiara who donated a vast piece of land to the missionaries, Nnarambia station was made a nerve center for the missionary activities within the territory of Mbaise and environs.
In December 1933, the St. Brigid’s Catholic Station at Nnarambia,Ahiara was raised to the status of a parish to become the first Catholic parish in Mbaise, with a resident priest covering the whole of Mbaise except Enyiogugu and Oke Uvuru which remained under Emekuku and Mbutu Okahia respectively.
The first parish priest for Mbaise at St. Brigids Ahiara was Rev. Fr. Foreman. Within the period (1920 –1933) the missionaries in the area were working under the vicariate of Southern Nigeria which embraced among other places the whole of the ecclesiastical province of Onitsha.
The second Catholic parish in Mbaise was opened in 1947,Our Lady of Victory Parish of Ezinihitte Centre (Amumara) and for your information, that was where I had my first Holy Communion in 1981. Its first priest was Rev. Fr. James O’Toole (my grandmother told me a lot of stories about this man). This was followed in 1948 with the opening of two more parishes: St. Patrick’s Ekwereazu and the Sacred Heart, Nguru. Rev. Frs. J. Dulgan and A. Stiegler were their parish priests respectively. It was in this same year that the vicariate of Owerri was formed and Bishop Joseph Whelan consecrated it and in 1950 Owerri Vicariate was raised to the status of a diocese.
Four years later, St. Charles Enyiogugu was inaugurated in 1954, and Fr. M. J. Gilmore was the first Parish Priest. And in 1957, St. Dominic’s Ezinihitte East parish was erected at Umuelegwa-Onicha. The first resident priest was Fr. F. T. Flanagan ( remember the Rev. Father that performs magic with his fingers, who founded Mbaise Girls High School). While I was a student at Obizi High School, Fr. Flanagan visited circa 1983 for the Silver Jubilee celebration of Mbaise Girls High School, Onicha.
With the inauguration of the Holy Ghost Uvuru in 1959, the initial quest for each of the five clans in Mbaise District to have a parish was satisfied. This points to the relationship between the Catholic Church and Mbaise, because the Church became the first agent of development in Mbaise, and also the political development of Mbaise followed the line of development mapped out by the Catholic Church in Mbaise.
It is important to note that one of the first Convent in Nigeria was built in Ogbor Nguru in 1934. Unarguably, this should take the place as the first post primary institution in Mbaise. It was established by the Holy Rosary Sisters who contributed in no small way in the educational development of women in Mbaise.
Two of the Reverend Sisiters stood out, they were Mother Mary Agnes and Sister Mary Colman (a girls school is named after Mary Coleman at Ogbor Nguru today). Sister Colman came down in Ogbor Nguru in early 1934 and built the convent, from Ogbor she operated in all parts of Mbaise, Ikeduru, Okigwe and Obowo, establishing female schools and organizing centers for moral, catechetical and health instruction for women. Till today, hers remains a household name in Mbaise.
Bishop J. Whelan of Owerri Diocese also took special interest in Mbaise community, encouraging Mbaise sons and daughters to join the religious community. He was interested in education, and helped in the establishment of the following schools; St. Joseph’s Technical College, Ahiara Regina Caeli Ogbor Nguru, Pater Noster Ekwereazu, U.T.T.C. Ekwereazu, St. Patrick’s College Ogbe, Enyiogugu Secondary, Amuzi Secondary School, Mbaise Girls Secondary School, and Women’s Trade Center Amumara. He provided health clinics and helped the Mbaise County Council in the establishment of Mbaise Joint Hospital, now known as Mbaise General Hospital, Aboh.
Due to the role the Catholic Church played during the Biafra War, the Nigerian government asked all the expatriate priests to leave the country, when they left, Bishop Whelan left the responsibility of running Owerri Catholic Diocese was left in the hands of two Mbaise sons, Msgr. Ignatius Okoroanyanwu and Fr. Theo Nwalo who was the secretary of the Monsignor. Within the one year interim administration, these two sons of Mbaise were able to resuscitate the dangerously dampened faith of the people and the church’s physical structures destroyed during the war.
Mbaise political 1941 to 1990
The Local County Council In 1952
In 1952, there was another judiciary reform which was called “native appellant jurisdiction”. This initiation by the District Officer recommended the attendance at the court of at least one clan head from each of the five clan court in Mbaise to deliberate on ways and means of improving the native court jurisdiction.
As a result of this development, the native court jurisdiction administration was replaced with Local County Council System. The Local County Councils were thus established at Ahiara, Ekwerazu, Enyiogugu, Okwuato, Nguru, Ezinihitte East, Ezinihitte West, Ezinihitte Centre and Oke Uvuru.
The Mbaise county councils were inaugurated in 1955 with the election of N.D Uka of Umuokirika by the councilors as the first council Chairman. In effect N.D Ukah was the first Mbaise man elected by Mbaise people to pilot the affairs of Mbaise community. He was succeeded in 1958 by Chief Dennis Nwachukwu Abii from Eziudo Ezinihitte who served for two tenures. His second term of office spanned beyond 1960 when colonial rule ended in Nigeria. He was succeeded by Donatus Onu from Umuokirika who served between 1964 to 1969. Mbaise remained as one county council until the end of the Nigeria civil war in 1970 when Local Government Council Administration was adopted throughout Nigeria.
The need for development inspired creative leaders in Mbaise to think out the way forward. Between 1955 and 1958, Mbaise County Council under the Chairmanship of Honorable N. D. Ukah (Senator Chris Anyanwu’s father) initiated two landmark development projects namely Mbaise Secondary School (1956) and Mbaise Joint Hospital (now General Hospital) 1958, both in Aboh. This are unarguably among the first community funded development projects in Nigeria as our people built their own secondary school and their own hospital. Mbaise Secondary School is one of the first community built secondary schools in Nigeria.
First Mbaise Medical Doctor
In 1954, Dr. Aaron Ogbonna from Obizi studied in the United Kingdom and became the first qualified medical doctor from Mbaise. He returned home and established the first private hospital (Ogbonna Rebecca Memorial Hospital, Obizi) in Mbaise in 1956, and also single-handedly built Obizi High School in 1965. He was also a Minister in the NCNC government of Eastern Nigeria under Zik.
Education
Mbaise produced the first Reverend Sister from Africa, Mother Gertrude Nwaturuocha, she was ordained in .
As at 1951, Ahiara Technical College was established, making it the 3rd oldest Technical College in Nigeria following Yaba Technical College, Lagos and Government Technical College, Enugu. It is the oldest Technical College in old Imo State and Abia States.
In Mbaise, premium is placed on girl-child education and by early 60s, there were already four girl’s secondary school in Mbaise (Regina Caeli College, Ogbor Nguru, where both my mother and my wife went to school), Mbaise Girls High School, Onicha (1962), Amumara Girls Secondary School and Ekwerazu Girls Secondary School. By that time also, there were five boys secondary schools (Mbaise Secondary School (1956) Obizi High School (1965), Pater Noster College Ekwerazu, Ife Grammar School, Enyiogugu Boys Secondary School) and mixed secondary school ( St. Patricks, Ogbe)
Post War Local Government Council Administration
Following the post war military rule of 1970 to 1976, Mbaise was split into two local government areas of Aboh Mbaise and Ahiazu-Mbaise. In 1976, Chief Donatus Onu became the first Chairman of Ahaizu Local Government Area (LGA) from 1976 to 1979.
The first Mbaise Lawyer
Barr. B.S.C Nzenwa ( Opara Mbaise) who hails from Amudi Obizi is the first Mbaise to be a lawyer and be called to the bar, he equally was the first Chairman of Aboh Mbaise LGA from 1976 to 1979.
In 1989, Ezinihitte LGA was carved out of Aboh Mbaise LGA with headquarters at Itu, with Dr. Timothy Eze , appointed the first Chairman and later replaced by Mr. Ugboaja. These three Local Government Areas of Aboh, Ahaizu and Ezinihitte have remained the only Local Government Areas in Mbaise since 1989.
. . .to be continued
-Kelechi Deca
No comments:
Post a Comment