“UMU ABA” IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION...ITS AN ATTITUDE.

By Dr. Chike Amobi, MCIArb (UK)
Most people have probably seen one or two of these “Umu Aba videos challenge currently trending on social media. I have published one myself. Please pardon me for being a little silly. ��‍♂️It is basically a short video clip of people reciting their own Aba experiences and usually concluding by suggesting that if you didn’t have these experiences Or didn’t grow up in Aba, you missed out on the good life! That’s Basically the idea.

However, a combined evaluation of the contents of these different videos makes it clear that different people had different experiences from this same town. Obviously Based on their generation and the side of town they happened to grow up in. But one underlying common denominator in all these experiences is the fact that the “Umu Aba” attitude is present in all of them. It is That audacious “Nwa Aba” attitude that makes you believe that if you didn’t grow up in Aba, you ain’t seen nothing! The attitude that causes you to go to Ahia Ohuru or Ekeoha market and buy a second hand designer jacket, take it to the drycleaners and wear it like you just walked out of the designer shop in Beverly Hills. Or better yet, take it to your tailor and have him make you an exact replica.

It is the attitude that empowers you to sit as a broke passenger in a tricycle or KEKE, but still have the effrontery to tell a person in his Land Cruiser Jeep to “buru nkpokoro motor gi puorom n’uzo. The attitude that causes you to rebel against the “Ajebutter” lifestyle that your parents probably exposed you to and seek instead to go the “Kpako” way. The attitude that made you wear a Designer Impostor Cologne as a young broke man (If you like OBSESSION, you will love bla bla bla) and still rock it like it’s the real deal. That makes you spend your last kobo to buy a TREND, MISTER, MAURI or other designer shoes and feel good looking good, Not minding that you may not have a single dime left in your pocket.

That causes you to go to a joint and order rounds of drinks for everyone, making them believe you have a pocket full of money where in fact you don’t even have your taxi fare home. The audacity to go into 3 to 5 Star hotel as a teenager with your friends act loke grown ups, pay for a room and order room service. And still give a nice tip. To see “Big Boys” spending their money lavishly but rather than “hate” on them, believe in your heart that you can do it better if you had their funds and resources. The mental resilience to go out of town and see your mates from other cities whose “warheads” are probably higher than yours but believe deep in your heart that “onwee ihe ndia chi”. That they are “Jew men”. Basically, The impetus to “fake it till you make it” with an unwavering belief that you WILL make it...eventually.

That is the “Umu Aba” attitude, and it is present in ALL Aba people, regardless of whichever side of the railway you grew up in. And regardless of your state of origin and your income bracket. Whether you went to primary school wearing CORTINA shoes from BATA SHOES and white socks, or whether you went barefooted, Aba did not care. Regardless of whether as an infant, you crawled on persian rugs or on concrete floors, it doesn’t matter. Whether you learned how to swim in the pool of Aba Sports Club ( our Ikoyi Club of those days, or the flowing streams of The waterside river.

Whether you snacked on chicken and chips or “Agidi Jellof and okpukpu. It doesn’t matter, the attitude is still the same. And this is regardless of your state of Origin. I, for instance am from Anambra state but for Umu Aba, it doesn’t matter. Because once you grow up in Aba, your State of Origin is immaterial. And your parents” income bracket is also immaterial. So what if you are a Dangote or Otedola, that Nwa Aba in you will still empower you to say “Taa! Gbafuo. Iwu mugu! �How audacious! That’s the “Umu Aba” attitude, and this is what you now see in Umu Aba everywhere. London, Paris, New York and California. And still have the nerve to say that Aba, even in its present decrepit and run down state, is still the best place in the world to grow up!

That chameleonic ability to adapt to any circumstances and merge into any environment we find ourselves. You go high, we go high, you go low, we go low. We drive our V8 Engines and still enter KEKE when we need to. We drink Good champagne with rich people and still drink “pure water” with you if that’s all you have. The ability to spend the night on the 10th Floor of Transcorp Hilton and still go out to find a nice “Mama Put” joint to have breakfast in the morning. So long as the food tastes good. That’s the attitude we carry to all parts of the globe. In Rome, we become Romans with an Aba twist. In Los Angele, same thing.

We have a unique language that enables us communicate to each other without non-Aba people understanding what we are saying. And which allows us detect an authentic “Nwa Aba” with just one sentence. So if you happen to go by a dingy Mama Put joint in any city, and see a Mercedes G-Wagon, a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Bentley parked out front, surrounded by “okadas” and Keke Napeps”, chances are, an Aba Boy is in the house. And chances are, everyone present will get a FREE meal on him. You can take this to the bank! That’s the Aba attitude. The acknowledgment that God created all men equal and the unwavering belief that I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me!

That’s really the sum total of the Nwa Aba attitude. Its not arrogance, but to those who think it is, the Nwa Aba response will probably be, Taa!! Iwu Mugu! �So, please excuse us people. “Umu Aba” is more than just a location, it’s an attitude!
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Aba ma di Aba.