Whoever Emulates Uche Nworah Should Not Forget His Appetency For “Omenana” -By Isaac Asabor

One may not be completely wrong by guesstimating that when Chief Uche Nworah, MD/CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service, admirably hailed as “Ezeudo” on August 19, 2021, made a presentation ostensibly aimed at inspiring the youths who were majorly his audience at the ‘Town & Gown’ event organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where he shared the odyssey of his media experience with the next generation of media practitioners, that not few of them would want to emulate him by praying to God to give them the grace to follow the trajectory of his career in Communication Arts in its entirety as he is highly experienced in the fields of print and broadcast journalism, book publishing as well as that of Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC).

It is not an exaggeration to say that his career path is unarguably desirable for today’s youths to emulate as the slide he presented on that glorious day explanatorily demonstrated how he carved his career path and studiously followed it, and pragmatically brought it to bear as a graduate of Communication Arts in reputable organizations.

At the event that was incontrovertibly inspiring, he spoke of how he swallowed his pride, and washed dishes at a hotel in Dusseldorf whilst working as an office complex cleaner in Ratingen, and Dusseldorf, Germany, and loading trucks as a warehouse worker in Langenfeld, Germany. So inspiring! Isn’t it?

Ostensibly attesting to the depth of inspiration he exuded during his presentation, not few people commended him for stimulating the upcoming media practitioners.

For instance, Prof. Chinyere Stella Okunna, the first female professor in Mass communication in Nigeria who has served in various capacities as an administrator and educationist in the academia and in the public/political arena, and has research interest in the area of communication for development, commented, “Very interesting and impressive career. Thanks again and God bless you for your innovative and vibrant ‘Chairmaning’ of our Town & Gown event. Your unique style and generosity made a lot of difference”.

In the same vein, Mr. Paul Nwulu, an alumni of Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo and a graduate of Organizational communication commended Ezeudo on his presentation thus: “Ezeudo the man of many careers. You don struggle my brother. Anyone wey see you today won’t know what it took to get to this stage. The wearhaus card reminded me of when I visited you in Düsseldorf and selling wears out of your boot.

Jisike my brother. People like us should be sun setting our careers by now but the struggle continues”.

Be that as it may, to my view, emulating Ezeudo may not be enough without emulating him in all ramifications. Without resorting to hyperbole in this piece, he is a man of all seasons; a man of culture, a man of tradition, a politician, an administrator, a communication czar; all rolled into one to bring his personality into expression for emulation.

On his somewhat obsession for “Omenana”, the question of “What do I stand to gain in that aspect of his life?” cannot be ruled out in this context.

But the truth is that anyone that has such question in mind has a lot to gain. However, such person must possess great energy and passion. For the sake of clarity, “Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as is possible.”

For instance, just within a short space of time, Ezeudo has this month, August, graced occasions that included celebrating Olili Onwa Asato. In his explanation of the celebration, he said, “This is when we celebrate our new yam festival. Every titled man is expected to be in his Obu, break kolanut, pour libation and pray to Chukwu Okike.

“It is also an opportunity to show love and share conviviality with friends, family and associates. People also pay homage (Ife nru) to titled men.

Our brother Nze Christian Ezenweaka (Akaekpuchionwa) sent over the cock and tubers of yam to me. We prayed that God will continue to bless him and his family”. In a similar vein, he was also at Ozomkpu title taking ceremony of Chief Sir Mac Ozigbo (Ozomkpu Ebubemba Enugwu-Ukwu na Umunri).

On a lighter mood, he was hours ago captured with a candid camera while dancing to the popular “Igbaeze” music as well exchanging the traditional pleasantry (Ina-Ito) with some of the traditional chiefs of Enugwu-Ukwu town including the traditional prime minister of Enugwu-Ukwu, Chief Denis Anekwe, member of the fifth senate and Senator IG Abana (Ocikota Enugwu-Ukwu na Umunri).

As gathered, it is expedient to say that “Omenala” is people’s ways of life. When you hear the word “Omenala”, do not think it is paganism or act of carrying out rituals amidst spilling the blood of animals for sacrifice. Never! It involves the food you eat, dressing and grooming, occupation etc. What you could use to identify an individual or group is Omenala. It is “njirimara ndị”. The man that adorns “Buba” attire and a velvet cap to fit can best be said to be of Yoruba descent. In the same vein, the man that adorns “Agbada whose trousers is a little bit above his ankles with a cap unfittingly worn on his head will be recognized to be affiliated to the Hausa tribe. Still in the same vein, the man putting on the popular isi ọdụm/isi agụ branded top wear with red cap, beads and staff to match would be recognized as an Igbo man. The same thing goes with type of food: Ewedu/Amala, tuwo shinkafa, ofe ọha na ụtara ji to identify those affiliated to the foregoing tribes in the same order. These are all “Omenala”; simply the way by which people are identified. Festivities are also part it. Aptly put, festivities that cut across, “Ịlụ nwanyị” (marriage ceremony), iri ji ọhụrụ (New yam festivals) àre all “Omenala ndị Igbo. Thus, Omenala can be universal.

As most people don’t know the meaning of “Omenala” not to talk of what they stand to gain by emulating Ezeudo in his obsession for it, it is expedient to let them know that they stand to gain a lot when they follow his footsteps in that direction.

First and foremost, such people should understand that traditions represent a critical piece of our culture. They help form the structure and foundation of our families and our society. They remind us that we are part of a history that defines our past, shapes who we are today and who we are likely to become. Once we ignore the meaning of our traditions, we are in danger of damaging the underpinning of our identity. I have seen highly educated people been held in contempt by their own people on account of not participating in “Omenana” or hypocritically participating in it.

In fact, tradition contributes a sense of comfort and belonging. It brings families together and enables people to reconnect with friends. Tradition reinforces values such as freedom, faith, integrity, a good education, personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and the value of being selfless, even as it provides a forum to showcase role models and celebrate the things that really matter in life.

More so, tradition offers a chance to say “thank you” for the contribution that someone has made just as it enables us to reenact and showcase the principles of our Founding Fathers, celebrate diversity, and unite as a country.

Tradition serves as an avenue for creating lasting memories for our families and friends. offers an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection.

As leaders, role models, and parents, we must strive to utilize every opportunity available to us to reinforce the values and beliefs that we hold dear and imbued them to our children irrespective of their educational attainments or the western culture they were exposed to.

Against the foregoing, it suffices to say that whoever emulates Uche Nworah should not forget his appetency for “Omenana”