Igbo wonders shall never end
I was once a truck pusher – Osuji
It is really baffling. It is intriguing, and it is indeed somehow above human comprehension. A former director of Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery, MAMSER, East, Dr. Chuks Osuji, OON has written 22 books 12 of them he published as a blind man. By all standards, this is an act of determination, hard work, discipline and self confidence. Osuji is also a renowned analyst, consultant and a commentator on current affairs. He is equally a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
Osuji who hails from Ihitteafoukwu of Ekwerazu in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, through rare determination to succeed obtained his G.C.E. O/L and A/L certificates through correspondence courses, without passing through any secondary form of education.
A man endowed with great vision and the burning zeal as well as a desire to achieve success and excellence, assiduously worked hard and by 1976, sought for greener pastures to the United States of America where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/History. In addition, he also got his Masters Degree from the same University of Texas, Arlington and Ph.D still in Political Science/History from North Texas University, Denton in 1979. He achieved the above through self effort and self development.
This great scion of the Mbaise nation through act of self discipline, well articulated vision as well as the burning desire for greater success, developed an irresistible interest in writing – both for newspapers and magazines as well as publishing books. So far he has presented 22 books to the public and 12 of them were written in his 14 years of blindness. According James Okere of INSPIRES FOR GREATNESS, “One of the books he wrote, as a blind person was instrumental to his being honoured with the Officer of the Order of Niger (OON) award during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s period as president of Nigeria. By stroke of fate and destiny or providence, a friend of Osuji took the book to the then (now late) president’s wife- Dr. Stella Obasanjo who showed interest in the book informing the husband that the author- Dr. Chuks Osuji – was a blind person”.
One fact that has helped Osuji so much is his knack for creativity. As Eze puts it, “early in his life he learnt how to use manual typewriter effectively which has aided his writing skills especially now he is blind. This former senior lecture at Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, through courage, industry and persistence achieved greatness worthy of emulation by a heart desirous of achieving success, not minding his gross limitations”.
Some of the books authored by Dr. Chuks Osuji, OON are: Trans-National Organisations as Actors in the Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970 (1979), Research Methodology (1981), Approach to Practical Politics (1983), His Royal Highness: A Historical Data and Reference Book on Traditional Rulers in Eastern States (1984), Community Leadership and Rural Development (1986), the Ugly Citizen (a novel), (1987 & 1994), Principles of Public Relations (1990), Foundation of Igbo Tradition and Culture (1998), Dynamics of Public Relations-Theoretical and Functional Framework (1999), Political Public Relations (2001), HIV/AIDS-The unwanted inheritance (2004), Governor Ikedi Ohakim And The New Face of Imo State Imo (Eastern Nigeria) (2008), Barrack Obama: The Making of First African-American President (2009) and Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu: The Peoples General.
According to Osuji, “Yes it is not disputable that I did not attend secondary school. I came from a humble family in Ihitte Afor Ukwu Mbaise. It was a polygamous family. My mother died when I was only 12 years of age and because of the polygamous nature of my family, my step mother did not handle things very well. In a polygamous family the basis of the survival of any child rested on the mother. Our father was a mere distributor of family wealth in which every woman has to take her proportion for the children. When my mother died in 1947, 31st December, the unbearable nature of polygamous family became obvious. I was not feeding well so I took off and ran to my aunt from where I ran to Aba and from there to Port Harcourt where I became a street urchin. From there I began to fend for myself. I was a houseboy to so many people, I sold groundnut, I sold Akamu for an Hausa woman, and because of my interest in newspaper I became a vendor selling several newspapers like Daily Times, West African Pilot, etc”.
He added, “As I was sleeping in the market one night when police pursued a man that had intruded into the market stores so they woke me up and after satisfying themselves that I was not the person that they were pursuing they left me. But incidentally one of the security people was a man from my area, one Michael Aliagha, when I mentioned that I am from Ihiteafoukwu he grabbed me and said that this is my own brother and he gave me to one James Uchegbu and from there I took interest in going to school. That is how I started my life. I was making reasonable money as a load carrier in Port Harcourt market and there was a night school there owned by one Maduneme from Nnobi and I decided to go back to school.
I had a problem doing this because when I ran from my village I never left with my transfer certificate but one of my friends, Michael Uzuegbu took me to St. Paul School, Diobu. My teacher then was Melford Okilo who later became governor of Rivers State. When I could not produce the transfer certificate here a friend of mine took me to AME Zion Church at Habour road and they gave me examination to access what class I would fit in. I was put in standard 4, I could read the Reader very well”. See full interview below.
In what appeared like an autobiography, granted as an interview,
Dr. Chuks Osuji, gives graphic details of his compelling life story.
He spoke with Afam Echi
What is your humble beginning like and is it true that you never attended a secondary school?
Yes it is not disputable that I did not attend secondary school. I came from a humble family in Ihitte Afor Ukwu Mbaise. It was a polygamous family. My mother died when I was only 12 years of age and because of the polygamous nature of my family my step mother did not handle things very well. In a polygamous family the basis of the survival of any child rested on the mother. Our father was a mere distributor of family wealth in which every woman has to take her proportion for the children. When my mother died in 1947, 31st December, the unbearable nature of polygamous family became obvious. I was not feeding well so I took off and ran to my aunt from where I ran to Aba and from there to Port Harcourt where I became a street urchin.
From there I began to fend for myself. I was a houseboy to so many people, I sold groundnut, I sold Akamu for an Hausa woman, and because of my interest in newspaper I became a vendor selling several newspapers like Daily Times, West African Pilot, etc. As I was sleeping in the market one night when police pursued a man that had intruded into the market stores so they woke me up and after satisfying themselves that I was not the person that they were pursuing they left me. But incidentally one of the security people was a man from my area, one Michael Aliagha, when I mentioned that I am from Ihiteafoukwu he grabbed me and said that this is my own brother and he gave me to one James Uchegbu and from there I took interest in going to school. That is how I started my life.
I was making reasonable money as a load carrier in Port Harcourt market and there was a night school there owned by one Maduneme from Nnobi and I decided to go back to school. I had a problem doing this because when I ran from my village I never left with my transfer certificate but one of my friends, Michael Uzuegbu took me to St. Paul School, Diobu. My teacher then was Melford Okilo who later became governor of Rivers State. When I could not produce the transfer certificate here a friend of mine took me to AME Zion Church at Habour road and they gave me examination to access what class I would fit in. I was put in standard 4, I could read the Reader very well.
What happened after primary education?
I got enrolled into Wolsey Hall Correspondent College London where I had 3 year tuition to qualify to write the General Certificate of Education (GCE) so it can qualify me to go into University. Before this, after my Primary education I went to learn Stenography (typing and shorthand). After I had learnt it I opened my own school at 69, Owerri road Port Harcourt. Within 3 years I had become an affluent person. I bought a motorcycle. When Nigerian Independence came in 1960 I had become a matured person who owns his own school which blossomed. I made money which made me get started reading for the O’level GCE which I passed in 1963 and later the advanced level which I passed in 1965 in History and Constitution.
This qualified me to get admission into the University of London. I went to the University of London in August 1965 and came back because of sickness in December 1965. After treating myself I returned to London on Jan 2, 1966 and thereafter heard about the military coup in 1966. When the sickness continued I gave up and came back. I sold my school to make money to go to London. Then I was a star because I donated Cups to Primary Schools in Diobu and Apara Districts. When I came back I opened my school again in Port Harcourt.
I lost the school in 1967 when PH fell because of the civil war. We trekked from PH to my village in one and half days. I waited till the war finished. During the war I was appointed officer in charge of National Rehabilitation Commission and posted to my town to take charge of refugees. I had 1777 refugees in my camp at St.Charles, Ogbor Ihiteafoukwu. I got married in 1969. After the civil war I moved to Aba and started seeking admission, focusing on America this time. I got admission at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in the United States to read journalism.
I left my home town Jan 2 1970. I moved to the University of Texas where I did my first and second degrees and my Ph.D in all Texas University in 1979. After my Ph.d I came back home.
What was your work life like after school?
One of the reasons that I came back is that Mbakwe pressurized me to come and take position in Alvan Ikoku College of Education as it was then called. I was very friendly with Mbakwe. When his wife came to US for medical attention he was staying in our house. So when I came back he said that he would give me a job where I will be acclimatized first. So he asked me to go and teach at Alvan. When I got there I discovered that it was a dead alley. They don’t have the instrumentality of intellectual activities. So for unexplained reasons I resigned and opened up this my office.
How long have you practiced Public Relations?
Since 1982 and I am 84 years now.
How did your sight challenge arise because you were not originally blind from birth?
You know it was progressive. My sight problem started many years ago without my knowing because it was diagnosed as glaucoma. Gradually I was losing my sight until all along the line, I had four surgeries all in the US but they couldn’t succeed. I lost my sight finally in 1998.
By then I had worked for the federal government as the state MAMSER director from 1987-1989 before I was transferred to Enugu and from Enugu transferred back to Imo. By 1993 during Abacha regime I served out my term and returned to my office. As of now I have done twelve books written as a blind man and I have presented 22 books to the public. I am left with two more, including ,my autobiography.
