The amazon that changed the destiny of our land..

BARR.GEOGINA EKEOMA EHUARIAH -ARISA

Uzuakoli ancient kingdom could be said to be dated as old as the existence of mankind ,hence many historians have tried given their particular account of how the community and the people of uzuakoli came in to existence ,some have argued that my people emanated from Ezra in the present day isukwuato LGA while several other school of thought seems to have their own differing views about the former, including Mr. A J Fox a British missionary and its own alienated view point about my people, well, to me history can only said to be accepted when it is said to have originated from the real actors of such events and situations, in a nutshell I will optionally align with the opinions of my great grand fathers whom have told us our relationship with the people of umu-imenyi clan and our historic journey from Ezra clan of umuimenyi kingdom in the present day isuakwuato Local government area of abia state, others may choose to write their own history or better still embark on a fact finding mission if my brief presentation above is found faulty or totally alienated .

Uzuakoli, according to the 2006 national population census inhabits over 60,000 people, a community with beautiful sights and sounds, admirable reach cultural heritage, abundant agricultural resources an amazing ecosystem ,Ozu as formally known have played host to several painful deliberate social activities that has left most developed societies ,deformed, destroyed or extinct such are ;unlawful incursion of British colonial masters, slave trade, and the most cruel Biafran civil war i.e. the worst black on black genocide and the event that forcefully changed the destiny of Africa and entire black race which Nigeria seems not to have recovered from, this activities left the community in a state of despair and socially anemic making it one of the most vulnerable war torn communities in the present day eastern Nigeria, having fully not recovered from the aftermath effect of the civil war uzuakoli have been systematically kept out of scheme of development by several government regimes that seems to have been in the helm of affairs both in the state and the nation at large citing that a community that host several important government establishment and properties like Nitel ,rail way stations and a British colony a vast land mass hosting the wildly known leprosy and tuberculosis Centre alongside the prestigious Methodist collage uzuakoli lacks the environment and number to attract a meaningful government investment and appointments from the state or federal government describing my community as a group of literate and highly-principled smaller number of people with marks of bravery and height of wisdom nothing that such people can never be trusted with positions of authority as that will pose great danger to the rest of the neighboring villages within the flanks as holding my people down will surly determine their successful existence and prowess as once posited by an ill-conceived political analyst a social-political stigma that has left my community totally raped and enslaved by several political actors of the past and present dispensation, yet my people remained consistent in prayers with high hopes that one day a messiah will truly emerge from Nazareth but when that time will be is what one could not really picture out.

Then a girl child was born, it was about 58 years ago in the family of late chief Anosike alaukwu (Osuofia) of Obiohia Amamba Uzuakoli in Bende local government area of Abia state, she is Barr. Georgina ehuriah-Arisa (MON)DIP in French(University de Benin), LL.B, BA Public Admin, MPA(UNN), she is one of the Nigerians most decorated civil servants, a recipient of national awards like member order of the Niger (MON) ,the national productivity order of award(MPON) and the presidential civil service merit award, as well as a traditional chieftaincy tittle conferred on her by the paramount ruler of the uzuakoli ancient kingdom ,HRM eze kanu ikonte the ozuo II as ODU AGU OZU 1 of Uzuakoli , little did we know that the messiah of our people has been ushered in into the world, her birth was celebrated as an average child of her parents though my people are well known for celebrating a child birth which signifies fruitfulness and Gods blessings in the lives of the newly married couples

Irrespective of several premonition’s that surrounds their union at inception a culture that has lasted for generations, she was born in Amamba Uzuakoli the most resilient and prominent clan in uzuakoli ancient kingdom going by their social influence, land mass and affluence the clan are very hospitable and accommodating while on the other hand very brave and persistent with lion as their symbol , the people do not take no for an answer or patronizes cowardice in any way the histories are there for confirmation, Georgina ehuriah embraced western education with the typical commitment of her people knowing she is on a recue mission, a journey that intimidates the poor and jettison the mighty ‘’it is education; it requires a lot of sacrifice, Hight of commitment and constant stream of resources and that has pose a threat to the actualization of modern society and workable social system, she wasn’t born within layers of wealth or affluence she is a product of a system that values hard work and honors dignity of labor, ehuriah is from a very typical African nuclear family with a minimal streams of income yet she never gave up in her dreams , although her father being a civil servant yet the family confronted her social problems head-on, ‘’ according to Malala Yousufzai, I raise up my voice -not so I can shout but so that those without a voice can be heard…….we can not succeed when half us are held back.’’, this amazon have not just represented well but she was able to provide a platform where the poor and the down trodden will undoubtable lend their voices and it could be heard by the rest of the world, and her existence has continued to attract lots of fortunes and wild range of constant development to her people and humanity at large, which remains the prayers of every family in the traditional Igbo society where hard work and success are wildly celebrated and failure discouraged and debunked as development remains the focal attraction of Igbo ethnic nationality , meanwhile history will be fair to her in all ramifications for bringing government to her people as much as bringing her people to government and my generation will forever remain grateful to that effect she did not just served meritoriously but she contributed enormously to the growth and efficiency of public service in Nigeria and beyond the world can attest to that effect that there was an amazon that genuinely served with all fairness towards revitalizing our dwindling civil and public service and that actually came from one amongst the neglected community in modern day Nigeria and that’s why her footprint are stamped at various government establishment she served under numerous government establishments and capacity such as federal permanent secretary cabinet office, permanent secretary federal ministry of mines and steel, permanent secretary federal ministry of interior as well as several other public positions of trust, it was her expertise and commitment that attracted the on going outstanding reforms in her former places of service as well as the establishment of fire service training school Umuahia a project that when completed will no doubt improve the capacity building and a reformed fighting personals and all this wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless commitment and efforts of this great personality of repute ,the odu agu ozu 1 of uzuakoli ancient kingdom, I was astonished by the caliber of personalities and their various speeches during her recent book lunch with the publication , titled ‘’on merit” at the executive hall of federal ministry of foreign affairs Abuja where Nigerian’s from all walks of life gathered and poure out encomiums to one of the most outstanding public servant of the modern day Nigeria, In the words of comrade Rauf aregbesola, the Nigeria interior minister ‘’we are undoing ourselves by not recognizing women. Every society is a direct reflection of the way the society treats the women’’, while boss Mustapha the secretary to the government of the federation representing the Vice president Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) described her as one of the best…a shinning light and one of our best in public service An on the same vain the head of service of the federation Mrs. flasade Yemi-Esan praised Ehuriah for her insistence on self-development, her insistence on merit and merit alone ;her had work and tenacity.

Georgina Ehuriah 35 years of selfless public service with an extension of one year was indeed a light at the tunnel for the less privileged members of the society as she touched many life true her none profit organization known as ODU AGU FUNDATION where so many lives has been transformed already and she honorably bow out of civil service on 17th September 2020 while the ovation was very high, according to Eleanor Roosevelt’’ A woman is like tea bag; you never know how strong it is until its in a hot water, Georgina Ekeoma Ehuriah-Arisa is part of my peoples heritage which the next generation must seek to explore as much as a history that needs to be broken.

Truly uzuakoli is the lineage of strong women …….

Bond Udeagha

Bondudeagha@gmail.com