THE MISSING REAL ABIRIBA MAN'S SPIRIT
AND WHAT'S THE PRESENT ABIRIBA MILLIONAIRES NEEDS TO LEARN FROM THIS TRUE LIFE STORY.
I came across a man at around Jubilee Road some years back when I was still serving my master as an apprentice, and what the man was telling his fellow age mates and old men of Abiriba and outsiders who gathered to discuss issues caught my attention.
This man,who I later found out was of Ekpankuma age grade is from Ameke,Abiriba but was bold enough to tell his friends why Abiriba is moving backwards instead of progressing forward together as seen during the times of Ete Igwo, J.N.Kalu, George E. Anagha,Nnanna Kalu, Ibe A. Otah, E .D. Ukuku and many others' time.
Now hear him:
" In the year 1984,I traveled to Lagos to apply for a bank over-draft of Two Thousand Pounds Sterling (£2,000.00) but the bank started doing me COME TODAY,COME TOMORROW. I went to the bank pleading with them to help me out but their demands were too much for me to meet even though I have been the bank's customer for many years, but their manager was not willing to listen to my pleas.
I had this financial problem due to the seizure of my goods by the customs.
To worsen matters,I was left with only 3 days to travel out or my visa will die in my hands. The bank was not willing to grant me the £2,000 over-draft neither was the white man ready to release the goods to me on credit. I was sweating even though they were air conditions in the bank.
All of a sudden,I saw a man coming down from the bank's upstairs and I looked at him very well,and behold,it was Late Chief Nnanna Kalu (OFR. Agbawo Dike Izu of Abiriba) and I greeted him "Chief Kaa Sir", he turned as if shocked since that KAA SIR must have come from a fellow Abiriba man in a foreign land. He asked me how am i and if there is any problem and whether the bank was attending to my request for which I BOLDLY ANSWERED NEGATIVELY by telling him "NO SIR". He asked me what the matter was, and I told him my problems from A to Z. He did not waste time nor ask me further questions.
He turned back and told me to follow him upstairs which I did,and since another customer had taken over and gone to the manager's office when he left the manager,Chief Nnanna Kalu walked straight into the manager's office with me following him from behind without knocking,barking and harassing the manager, asking him WHY THEY WANT TO CLOSE HIS JUNIOUR BROTHER'S DOOR OR DAMAGE HIS BUSINESS THROUGH REFUSAL TO GRANT THE £2,000 OVER-DRAFT.
The manager became surprised at what Chief was telling him,asking me if I had told him about the matter which I said yes. The manager was begging Chief to calm down that he did not know that I am Chief's brother,turning to blame me for not letting him know that Chief is my relation.
Immediately,Chief Nnanna Kalu ordered the bank manager to release the sum of Five Thousand Pounds Sterling (£5,000.00) to me FROM HIS OWN ACCOUNT to enable me proceed to my destination.
To me,I murmured in Abiriba language "akasakwala nnoo" ( meaning: could this be real?). Chief left me and the manager and went his way while the manager excused his sitting guest. He gave me a written note which he signed and told me to meet the operations manager downstairs which I did. On approaching the operations manager,he looked at the instructions on the written note,looked at the account name "N.Kalu & Sons" and asked me why I did not tell him that Chief was my brother.
He begged me and gave me the £5,000, remember,this is an extra £3,000 above my demand from the bank.
I left the bank and got my ticket and left Nigeria the same night. I met the goods in London and bought it. A very lucrative business which I shipped to Togo where I sold them and made a lot of money. I crossed over to Scotland to get a good Whisky as gift for Chief once I get back to Nigeria.
When I got back,I took along two of my best friends to go and meet Chief at his Ekenna,Aba residence,and to my greatest surprise,Chief did not even know me in person. He brought out stockfish and brandy to welcome us. After eating,he asked why we were so early in his house. Asking us if he was safe?. I told him no problem that he was safe.
I told him that I was the person he lent £5,000 at Lagos,and that I came to thank him for what he did for me while also asking him to give me some time to receive the goods and pay him back once sales is done. He laughed at me and called me in Abiriba and said "NWAM, AMARILAM IFE BU IGBAZINYITA OKPOGHO,YA E INITU OKPOGHO" (Meaning: My son,I know what it means to lend money and to dash money).
Telling me that he did not lent the money to me,otherwise,that he would have asked me my name,my address,how and when to pay him back,etc,but I got finally shocked when he said " THAT ABIRIBA LANGUAGE, KAA SIR!, THAT I HEARD IN A FOREIGN LAND MADE ME TO HELP YOU OUT OF PROBLEM,I MAY NOT KNOW YOU IN PERSON,BUT I KNOW YOU ARE FROM ABIRIBA". He told me that he did not even remember that such a thing happened since he has no record of that.
He told me to work harder and make sure that I help others the same way he did to me. Telling me "Nganga Onye olu adighu ad'akpa". That the name "Onye Abiriba" should move me to help,going further to advise me that there will be inability to help when I ask the person in need "ARE YOU FROM AMEKE, AGBORJI OR AMOGUDU?". I left his house with my friends dumbfounded".
But today,can we see such a spirit from any living Abiriba millionaire these days? How do we return back to our old way of helping one another, a foundation laid by our early fathers?
I think we can still do it if we remove divisions and hatred. It does not pay that you will allow your brothers and sisters to die while your contribution will be to pay for his/her mortuary bill,hire ambulance and canopies,call DJ,MC,kill goats,cows and pay the best caterers to cook at the burial.
MY BROTHERS,WE CAN STILL DO IT.
Help the little you can and eschew hatred for one another in our community.
Abiriba bu nge!
source Abiriba Kingdom-Know The History
Prince N. Kalu.
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