Jonathan was nicknamed, ‘Aguduma,’ as primary school
boy in Oguta before the war
FROM GEORGE ONYEJIUWA, OWERRI
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.
Telling Daily Sun the story of Jonathan, as a boy growing up
in Oguta, Madam Emilia Ajie, from Ogbaru area of Anambra
State, revealed that the president lived with his uncle,
popularly called Chief and his son in their (Madam Emilia)
compound at the Kalabari Beach, in Oguta 11. According to
the septuagenarian, Jonathan was always ill-treated by his
uncle, who never bought him school books, sandals or other
things he needed for school. She revealed 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. Madam Emilia further revealed that
President Jonathan has always been a quite and respectful
person, who, even in the face of hardship inflicted on him by
his uncle, refused to accept unsolicited gifts from people. She
revealed that even when his uncle left him behind for home,
the young Jonathan engaged himself in menial jobs to survive.
According to her, “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.” Madam Emilia recalled that at
the end of the civil war, in 1970, President Jonathan’s uncle,
who she said had married an Izombe woman, left him and his
son, who were yet to finish their primary school education at
St. Paul’s Anglican Church Primary School, Kalabari Beach,
Oguta 11, behind and promised to come back for them. She
stated that the uncle later sent for his son, while the young
Jonathan was left behind in Oguta to fend for himself. “When
Chief, 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 said.
She revealed how Jonathan once had an accident that
frightened everybody. According to her, “one days, 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.”
Madam Emilia pointed out that since Jonathan left Oguta in
1972 she has not set eyes on him again nor heard anything
about him. She revealed that she only got to know that
Jonathan had become the president of Nigeria when she saw,
in 2011 an Almanac bearing his photograph and had
exclaimed: “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.

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=102258

Touching story

This is why I will vote 4 GOODLUCK. If u want people to narrate this type of GOODLUCK story in the nearest future on top ur head, hit the like button. Don't sweep away ur GOODLUCK with broom.

fattybombom:
This is why I will vote 4 GOODLUCK. If u want people to narrate this type of GOODLUCK story in the nearest future on top ur head, hit the like button. Don't sweep away ur GOODLUCK with broom.

This is why you should NOT vote Good luck. Every Nigerian has this story. What good Nigerians dont do is forget where they came from and start stealing from the poor which Good luck has done. God will do his own by actualizing destinies but he does not interfere with what a person will do with his good luck like this one who knows how many private jets rich Nigerians have and how many billionaires his government has made but does not know that there are millions of children in families living on less that N50 a day.

Is Izombe same as Ijaw?

Hmmmmm...such a touching and inspiring story. May God bless the President. People will tell my story too for good in Jesus name, Amen!

Yes,its a touching story. There are millions of kids that went through the same ordeal as a child. He is not the first person to have such a childhood.
This is why he must be voted out! We don't wanna hear stories of children who had bad childhood any longer due to bad leadership.

I've always respected Jonathan; his humility and he's a nice person. But he's not a competent leader. When we bid him bye from Aso Rock, we should do it with compassion. We should respect the fact that he did well for himself; bootstrapping himself from obscurity to primacy.