^^^
Still means nothing. Nobody was taught that an Igbo forebearer fell from the sky, unlike Yoruba

I Pity Students Who Don’t Read – Onuora
Thursday, 23 December 2010 06:08 Stella Eze, Abuja
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Fifteen-year old Kennedy Ifeanyichukwu Onuora has authored two books. The youngster says he draws inspiration from God and other Nigerian literary icons. His books are already in use in some secondary schools in FCT. In this chat with STELLA EZE, the writer advises his peers to discover hidden treasures by reading good books. Excerpts.


Tell us about yourself.

My name is Kennedy Onuorah. I hail from Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. I am a student of GSS, Wuse Zone 3. I am the only child of my parents. I am in SS 2.

Have you been writing all your life?

I have not. I have been writing essays, and I know I am good at that. But I never knew that I would be good at writing a book. I believe it was God's inspiration. I thank God for it. I wrote the book to voice out what is on my mind.

Tell us about your books?

The first one is 'The Survival of An African Orphan'. It is a story about a young teenager called Dike who lost his parents at a very tender age. After the death of his parents, Dike passed through a lot of challenges. He was neglected by the society. Dike lost hope in the society but later he prevailed. In this book, I am talking to all the children in Africa who have lost their parents. I am telling them not to lose hope for once there is life, their surely is hope. Great things can be achieved when you do what is right and when you embrace God and believe that he will see you through. Also by avoiding anything that will lead you into societal vices, you will succeed. The message also goes not just to the orphans, but to all the people in our society.

What of your second novel, what is it all about?

The second novel is called the 'Missing Star of the Sky'. The story emphasizes the need for good political formation in the society. I believe that if we have good leaders we will have good followers, which can be attained if all of us come together to work as one. The book is also talking about cultural rebirth. Most children have forgotten their culture. There is need for them to come back home and know their traditions. It is not every child that knows about their tradition. They go to cyber cafes, they watch television and home videos, and learn other people cultures, yet, they do not even know their own culture. Many of them these days do not know how to speak their own language. The setting of the novel is the Igbo setting.

Were you born into a family of writers?

No.

How old were you when you started writing?

I started writing when I was 13. I am 15 now.

In Nigeria these days, there is a problem of poor reading culture. Even adults find it hard to read unless they have an exam to write. What is your advice for the Nigerian public who do not read?

My advice to them is that they should know that if they don't read, they cannot acquire knowledge. A book is a treasure chest. You read to understand, you read to acquire knowledge. I pity students who don't read until towards the exam period, it doesn't help. You are sent to the school to read and to learn. You have to put your heart to it. The spirit of reading has left Nigerians and I don't know why. It is important that we bring the culture of reading back. In my school, I hardly see people reading African series. It is either romance novel, adventures. They don't read what is important for their intellectual development.

Have you made effort in your own little way to draw your friends into reading something sensible that will enrich their life?

As I said earlier, most of my friends read romance novels. I do tell them that the romance novel they read has a negative side effect. It is highly erotic than the one we watch on television. It gives you thoughts that you don't want to talk about. Books teach you what to do. It can lead us to things we don't want to do. I do advise them to read good books so that they will make in their life and also positively impact the society.

Who is your role model?

I will say Chinua Achebe. I love his pattern of writing.

What course are you offering?

I am a science student

Who edits your books?

I take it to some authors like Seyin Adegun, Obi Anoliefo, Afam Edozie. They help me with the editing.

Does your school have any form of encouragement or input in what you are doing?

They have been supporting me. Presently, my book, 'The Survival of An African Orphan' has been approved by the Education Resource Center (ERC), to be used in the FCT secondary school curriculum. They have also assisted me with the distribution of the books. They have used the book to encourage other students. My school has really contributed to the popularity of the novel.

What is your advice for your peers?

My advice for them is that they should always avoid anything that will destroy their image. They should embrace the rebranding process going on in Nigeria. They should also embrace their book and everything that is good. They should contribute their quota to nation building. Apart from writing, they should develop their various talents because I believe that if we develop our talent, anywhere we go, we will excel. We have living witnesses in the persons of great literary icons like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, Cyprain Ekwensi and a host of others who have done the nation proud in the literary world. They have made great impact through their skilful ways of writing. According to J F Kennedy, we should think of what we will do for our country, and not what our country will do for us. They should also stay out of trouble and avoid any social vices.

strangerf:

Suffice it to say that the Igbos have found themselves in Nigeria and indeed they are Nigerians like every other tribe. This tend to support the claim of an elderly Mbaise man from Imo State of Nigeria, whose name remain anonymous, in a book by Dr. Elizabeth Isichei titled “History of the Igbo People”. The elderly Mbaise man maintained that the Igbos did not come from anywhere. But the fact remains that the Igbos must come from somewhere beyond the limited knowledge of the Mbaise elder. Another claim seek to establish that the ancestors of the Igbos originated from the area they inhabit, presently known as Awka-Okigwe. Hence, the communities known as Umu-Nri regard themselves as the descendants of a hero called Eri, who along with his wife, Nnamaku, was sent down from the sky by Chukwu, the Igbo supreme God. I must confess that this claim sounds just like a fairy tale. Even a ten-year-old child would never believe this story.

That one na fabu, later-day claim by some disgruntled Yoruba-wannnabe Igbo (if at all you are not faking it). I did not study that in my history class. But I was taught that Oduduwa fell from the sky. See the difference?

strangerf:

Igbobuigbo,

Glad we had this discussion
You basically agreed with everything I posited

Showing you the futility of your claims.

strangerf:

Mu he eh he

Omo Egba from Ibogun, Isnt OBJ from the same Egba division as yourself?


First, you want to claim Lagos, a city founded by the Aworis
Second, you all wish OBJ was from the SE
Third, due to your morbid shame of your ethnic group, you chose a Yoruba sounding name as your NL moniker, isnt there a good name you could have used?
Fourth, you all wish you had a Nobel winner like the Yorubas; hence, the all too constant attempt at equating Achebe to Soyinka; you even went as far as intentionally propagating falsehood that a $1000 prize in computing is as prestigious as the Nobel prize.

I can go on and on. What would Ibos not do to be like the Yorubas?

If I tell you why I now will go by Yoruba names, you will beg me to stop. I am planning on something BIG that will shock yall. That will be al for now

Was it not you guys who are rejecting Obasanjo? Shuoh!!!!!!!

Emeawgali claims wharever just like you claim that Yabatech is the oldest institution of higher learning in Africa and 3rd in the world. Nobel or no Nobel, Achebe is more important in this world than Soyinka. He is still wining awards while Soyinka is rested, finally.

Andre Uweh:

It has been 2-3 years now that he fell asleep.

I think more than that, up to 5 years now. Will look that up.

strangerf:

She is doing just fine

There is nothing worth reading about the article

And, there is nothing worth discussing about a group of nonentity with no relevance whatsoever in contemporary Nigeria

Hhahahaha! I go die oh! Obj is Igbo, wither the Yoruba?

How did Oduduwa fall from the sky?
With his head, hands, legs or mouth?
Was he pushed (by devil, God) or did he fall of his own volition?
What language did he speak when he first landed on earth?
Did he land with a wife or alone? If alone, how did he give birth to his offspring?
Did he not meet people (for e.g., Binis, Igbos) already occupying the land when he landed?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

jaygetta:

Ileke-Idi: Elunu Razor-Blade. . . .lol

This no be Yoruba, Yoruba forum oh!

strangerf:

Ok ooo
Omo Egba from Ibogun

Whatever floats your boat

Isnt OBJ from the same Egba as yourself?

Akin Egba is buried. I do not consult the dead.

Ileke-IdI:

So this agbaya is married

Wetin we go believe sef. which one of you out of your 29 IDs is really married?

Same should be asked of you. Which one of your Ids was Late Mr B's bed mate?

jaygetta:

Una no go take laugh kill me o! I luff Ileke-Idi. She has a sense of humor. Make una no take am serious. Na play she dey play na.

And who is not playing? You see ma face say I de fex?

strangerf:

Well, Yorubas are still ruling the country; after all OBJ is still in charge, according to Wikileaks

Keep dreaming!!! Obj is an Igbo man. So we have ruled, still ruling (GEJ is also Igbo) and will still rule again b4 you per PDP zoning.

Obiagu1:

Copied

When you people moved down south, away from your cousins, the Kanuri?

Did not their father Oduduwa fell from the sky to meet already existing Igbos on earth?

Ileke-IdI:

Have you also decided? If Enugu Int'l airport doesnt crumble by . . . .only Your God can decide.
All we need is the SE area boys to start kidnapping again. Hope say dem no kidnap Ojukwu's body

Area boys kidnap in Igboland (but also in Yorubaland), pastors kidnap in Yorubaland (and only in Yorubaland). I wonder which is worse

Yoruba ke! Who cares about them except themselves? Even GEJ rejected them.

strangerf:

That is some BIG lie
Even if it was true, I am glad we no longer speak the same language

Can you imagine fstranger and omongbati speaking the same language, let alone belonging to the same ethnic group
I reject it

Bolaji Aremo is one of those modern day revisionists
Nothing good and factual ever come out from them!

jason123:


that's stupi.d!. those are groups of an already united ethnic group and you want to compare them with a collection of different ethnic groups with igbo as majorities . I thought you guys were serious with this thread and wanted to address the issue?

So who are the minority in Igboland? How denser in the head can you get?

Ileke-IdI:

Mu he he

I prefer the one were Ndi-Igbo's greatest leader admired the Yorubas. This ones sounds more like reh reh  

You mean like Obj kneeling down for Kalu?

alj harem1:

so if yorubas and northerners are not united, it means we igbos should not unite

you 2, i do not know why you guyz make yorubas as your yard stick which u use to measure our igbo nation

you are a disgrace to the igbos of this world

did you know how we were before that useless war,,,,, we were great people just like most yorubas feel now

you 2 make yorubas and northerners feel they are more superior than us everytime u comment silly

Did you hear yourself?

Obiagu1:

The same question will be asked about you. Which airport will bring you back alive or in a casket from the US? Lagos or Abuja?

She is already half dead, with Mr B gone.

jason123:

This Omo whatever is very annoying and he makes this thread worthless .

The lesson of the day that you guys must learn:
Don't select Ohaneze for thrashing on account of a perceived non-unity because Yoruba and Hausa groups are also not united
It is like a thief calling another thief a thief= hypocrisy.

jason123:


How does that translate to unity  

How does having Egbe Omo Oduduwa, OPC, Afenirefe YCE, Yoruba unity forum, etc, etc,  translate to unity?

alj harem1:

as i said earlier do not bring yorubas or northerners to this issue

But you did bring Yoruba and hausa into this issue, as Jason.

alj harem1:

i do not care about jason

all i care about right now is us igbos

is jason igbo

You are Jason and you are Yoruba

Fogman:

Poster, pls rephrase the topic. It is misleading.

What did you expect? He wrote like an Ogun person would. Half-baked.

alj harem1:

you see that is why i do not like you at all you give us igbos bad names

what does yoruba have to do with this thread

just be serious for once

jason123:

The so called north is a combination of empires that are united by religion! The yorubas by culture. You guys none, yet,  maybe unity against Nigeria

What has Yoruba and north got to do with this one you posted as Jason?

alj harem1:

i do not think because he is from the south-south means there is unity

was biafra name not coined by an ijaw man

also does this man speak for his people(south-south igbo)

Does Tinubu speak for Yorubas?
Does Afenifere speak for Yorubas?
Does Obj speak for Yorubas?

Is there any one person/small group of persons who can speak for everyone?
Is the North united in fighting Jonathan?

Here we go again!!!!
How many Yoruba groups are there? At least 6, and did I not show the great division among the these Yoruba leadership groups only just recently? How can this people suffer from short memory like this? Oma se o!

The fact that the Ohaneze leader is from the SS speaks volume about Igbo unity
Also the late Senator Ellah of Ellah lakes fame was Ohaneze leader amd he was from Ahoada in Rivers state.

jason123:

The so called north is a combination of empires that are united by religion! The yorubas by culture. You guys none, yet,  maybe unity against Nigeria

Which North is united by religion? So Tivs (Christians) are united with Hausas by religion? My friend you are a nincompoop

jason123:

Andre aka abadaba aka ortuogo
I think it is best for ohanaeze to remain a socio-cultural group. The reason is that the term igbo is used to identify a group of similar clans not a distinct ethnic group. Ohanaeze should be used to unify ndigbo not to pursue political interest. Its only when you and ohanaeze embrace the diversity of ndigbo, can you move forward. You cannot compare the north or west to the east because they were already ONE ethnic group before the advent of Nigeria. Instead of wasting your time trying to FORCE a fake unity and look good on NL, why don't you try to embrace your diversity and THEN try to form a collective ambition in Ohanaeze before you start thinking political. This is my opinion to you and the article. I am saying this because you have a good heart and I can see what you are doing but you approach is not only seen as expansionisim, its also seen as lack of respect for the other groups such as ikwerri etc. You do not see the yorubas calling the bini people yoruba. Although, they bear almost the same names and their language is similar not to talk of the history they have together. Same with my people. Yorubas cannot FORCE an identity on my people, dome of them chose to be yoruba and some don't! We generally prefer to keep our identity no matter what. As for me, since I have stayed with them, I have adopted their culture. It's a personal thing and it does not mean itsekiris are yorubas! That's my 2 kobo

Jason aka alj harem, what? So the North is an ethnic group? You logic is something else. Complete oponu.

strangerf:

Actually, Igbos own the world!

They own NJ and NJ tooo

What about Israel and Finland?

Yeah! We got Finnish Igbos too. Wanna see the video? Igbo language is taught in Finnish schools.
Plus, and very important, we own 95 % of Lagos, I mean Eko SW Nigeria.