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By Victor C. Amadi
Chief Andrew Kitts Chiaka Nosike is dead. He was aged 93 years.
In the First Republic, Nosike was a Supervisory Councillor in the Ngor Okpala County Council Umuneke, and later a member of Eastern Region House of Chiefs. A number of roads and institutions in present day Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, and beyond, are reputed to have been built and established by him. Till today, these monumental legacies are still being enjoyed by the public. Among them are the Umunehi-Umuekwune road, Umuuwa-Umuowa road – which links the Imo Airport-Road.
There are other known roads within Obiangwu, which are also attributed and associated with his stewardship. The Ngor Okpala Secondary School Umuneke, which was established few years prior to the Nigeria Civil War, was spearheaded by two worthy sons of the Local Government, Hon Andrew Chiaka Nosike, and Dr Basil Nnanna Ukegbu; the foremost educationist and academia, who was then an honourable member of Federal House of Representatives Lagos. In the Second Republic, same Ukegbu contested the old Imo State governorship election with Chief Sam Mbakwe, and years later, contested the Presidential election. Likewise, the story of Obube Secondary School will not be complete without mentioning the name of Chief (Hon) Andrew Kitts Chiaka Nosike. In 1962, at Enugu, it was Nosike who proceeded and picked up the ‘Approval Letters’ for the establishment of both Ngor Okpala Secondary School and Obube Secondary School, and when he returned to Owerri, handed that of Obube over to the Colonial Warrant Chief, Eze Onukogu, the Eze of Ngwoma.
People were surprised at this gesture, and humility in service, because the onerous responsibility fell on the people of Obube alone to process and to sort out their quest towards building a secondary school. Till date, there’s probably not a family in Ngor Okpala, Ulakwo, Obube, Naze, Agbala, Emekuku,Emii and Mbaise, who does not have a member or close relation that attended any of these two historical schools- to the glory of God.
At a time in his active years, Nosike was an educationist, and a long-term serving headmaster of St Mary’s Primary School in Obiangwu Community and some other places. He was an astute leader with impeccable desire to develop humanity, on realisation that learned and informed men and women were few in those days. His pursuit of education to develop Obiangwu and Ngor Okpala propelled him to embark on pragmatic services that were useful in practice, and in theory, which eventually earned him the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), through which he was able to develop several schools in the process. Today, Ngor Okpala is proudly referred to as an educated community.
His struggles, zeal, and pulsating energy with which he presented, tabled, and pursued teachers’ demands and general welfare, often placed him at a confrontation with the government. At one time or another, his colossal image and influence came to bear in rallying together Obiangwu men and women who resided overseas, to embark on various projects beneficial to community. Among these projects were the Obiangwu Secondary and Technical College. Even when in his 70s and early 80s, Nosike was still obsessed with schools and infrastructure for his community and Ngor Okpala as a whole.
He travelled with a certain Mr Arima on a long and arduous road and rail journeys across the country to fire up and sensitise indigenes on development programmes and participation that would jell. One of the dividends of such sacrifices of Andrew Nosike was that by the 1977 academic year, Obiangwu Commercial Secondary School was already in session following a massive turnout of admissions of students within Ngor Okpala, Mbaise and beyond.
It is widely believed Pa Nosike learnt to serve community from his own father, whom he related very closely with. Chief Andrew Nosike’s father was the late Frederick Nosike Obilor, the Eze and ruler of the then Obiangwu / Logara Community in Ngor Okpala. Andrew was fondly called ‘Mr Achiever’ and many agreed it was a name that truly suited him. Andrew Nosike’s journey to politics started in 1958 when he was a headmaster of a school in Ehime Mbano, Imo State, and was deep preparing for his A – Levels Cambridge Examination. Chief AKC Nosike got his chieftaincy from the community who conferred it on him, and not from any Eze, as is always the practice with most chieftaincies. Oke – Amadi Onyeaghala Nwanneya of Obiangwu/Logara and Umuohiagu quickly and sooner became the towering figure that represented the entire vast and sprawling communities whose lands lie on both sides of Sam Mbakwe’s Airport, Imo State. A new constitutional structure was fashioned out with Nigeria’s independence on sight.
And thus, the Eastern Region House of Chiefs was an important and integral arm of that political dispensation. In those days, the parliamentary system of government ensured that many chiefs in the House of Chiefs were also Ezes of their various communities.
In 1961, he was among the five chiefs that represented the Owerri Division. Not surprised by anyone, AKC Nosike became the Secretary of the House. People said that with the assemblage Eastern Nigeria had, the likes of Dr Akanu Ibiam, the Premier, Dr M.I. Okpala, Clerk Eastern Region House of Assembly, Right Honourable Chief A.E. Eronini, that they were on course developing the fastest growing economy in the world, before the 15th January 1966 coup d’état truncated the dreams and aspirations, and ended Nigeria’s First Republic and started the 30-month Civil War.
All through the war, he continued his role as a community leader, adviser and made sure the people were organised, informed, and counselled them to brace up for the challenges. The Biafra government entrusted him with the responsibility and care to make sure that relief material, food aids, and medical supplies reached the people who needed them the most.
Simply put, AKC Nosike was part of the civilian leadership during the war that worked hand in hand with the military and Biafra government to facilitate the war effort. During the war, the Biafra High Command needed to station a Battalion at Obiangwu, and approached AKC Nosike. They were not disappointed, as he rallied his people, to allow the Army, the use of St. Teresa’s Primary School Obiangwu, entire premises and buildings therein. With the utter devastation of war on Igbos, Nosike took up teaching again in 1970 as the headmaster of St Mary’s Primary School until 1973.
I don’t know of any Igbo chief and a former member of parliament who became a primary school teacher at the end of hostilities. And somehow, St Mary benefitted immensely from the man’s wide contacts and vast connections. He traversed as a headmaster, with postings to various communities like Ulakwo, Obike, Uburu in Ohaozara LGA Ebonyi State, and Ulakwo the second time. By mid 70’s, he was a staunch leader in the Nigeria Union of Teachers. As expected, he eventually became the first Chairman of old Owerri LGA chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers. That today is comprised of Owerri Municipal, Owerri North LGA, Owerri West LGA, and Ngor Okpala LGA. For the records, Chief AKC Nosike was the first headmaster Obiangwu community would ever produce. That feat placed Obiangwu as an early bird and a pacesetter in the field of education, among other neighbouring communities. His viva voci (live appearance) address to the old Imo State House of Assembly in the Second Republic to press home some teachers’ demands shocked all the Assembly men, who were told Nosike was a traditional chief, a prince, and a parliamentarian, before the outbreak of Civil War. Tears dripped down the cheeks of Imo Governor Sam Mbakwe in an encounter with Nosike in the Governor’s Office when he was introduced to Nosike. The government could not comprehend that such a man with an enviable pedigree could decide to go to primary school to teach. Nosike’s amiable character and astute mind is the hallmark of a simple and humble man.
In the Second Republic, he was wooed with the governorship ticket of National Advanced Party (NAP), which he contested. At one time, he served as a jurist in the customary court system between 1987 and 1990.
The SDP won the chairmanship election in Ngor Okpala around 1990 – 91, Nosike served as Secretary in the Umuneke headquarters. Even in his old age at over 90, he was the treasurer of both Oha Obiangwu and his village Umunehi. His services and love to provide for public benefits endeared him to men, women, school children, and alike, Andrew Nosike was the first son and second child of seven children of Eze Frederick Nosike Obilor. Nosike’s mother was Mrs Bridget Nwanyiojii Obilor. He started his primary school at St Mary’s Primary School Obiangwu.
He started his secondary education at Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt, but later changed to a school in Umuahia, on the advice of his powerful father. A true and royal prince indeed, he will be missed by Ngor Okpala people and the society as a whole. Many believed Nosike truly fulfilled God’s purpose for him, because he came to develop mankind. Andrew and his wife Nneoma Anastasia Ego Nosike were blessed with six children, who are married, doing well, and contributing to nation-building anywhere they are found. Andrew Kitts Nosike was a devoted Catholic. As a native African, he accepted the doctrine of the resurrection, and the African belief of re-incarnation. But while the latter is of man, the former is of God. In doing so therefore, I strongly believe his next coming, he would also come an Igbo man, and would continue to profess Christ Jesus.
