Okunano Voices (Culture Documentaries)

Andrew I.E. Ewoh is a Professor of Political Science and Public Administration in the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School Of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University. Prior to his employment at TSU, Ewoh was the Director of the Master of Public Administration Program, Co-Director of the MBA/MPA Dual Degree Program, and Professor of Public Administration at Kennesaw State University. He has long-term research and teaching interests in public administration, public policy, governance, human resource management, public-private partnerships, and political economy. His articles have appeared in Review of Policy Research, Review of Public Personnel Administration, International Review of Public Administration, Politics & Policy, Public Works Management & Policy, and numerous scholarly journals. He has authored several book chapters and some of his scholarly contributions are part of required readings in various American as well as foreign universities and colleges. Most of ...

Chukwuemeka Ujam born on March 6, 1974, in London, UK to the family of Chief & Engr Mrs Nwafor Ujam, is a member of the Federal House of Representatives, representing the Nkanu East/Nkanu West Federal Constituency of Enugu State, under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  He attended Federal Government College Enugu, and obtained West African School Certificate in the year 1991. He got admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he studied Engineering and graduated in the year 1997.  He then proceeded to the kings College London for Masters in Enterprise Information System, which he obtained in the year 2001. From there, he proceeded to the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he obtained a Doctorate Degree in bio-metrics and security in the year 2008.  Chukwuemeka Ujam have worked for almost 20 years as a bio-metrics and security expert, a lead consultant as an information technology expert and a consummate administrator and a trail blaze...

SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES : I am not sure but this may be applicable to all Okunano Osagwede communities. The settlement of dispute amongst family members within a given community in Okunano is the responsibility of every member of the family. It is usually an all male affair. The first one I witnessed in my immediate family was the case of a certain Onye ishzi and Nwanneta who could not resolve the sharing of their inheritance between them. The closest family circle waded in to the matter. Such cases are usually deliberated on in the evenings and in the early hours of the mornings. Firstly, the complaining party (who may have attracted the gathering) will state his case followed by the defending party. This process may change assuming the family elders summoned the quarreling parties. In such case, the eldest of the parties will state his case before the younger Will do the same. So in this case, it was the Nwanneta who called the gathering that stated his own side first. His comp...

The issue of Seniority position in Okunanoland has become a good subject for debate. Facts and figures that were indoctrinated into us by our parents is now exposed to a great challenge for the want of reason or rationale. How do we teach our children that Akegbe Ogwugwueze bore four sons in this order: Obuoffia - The first born-son Akegbe ugwu - The second born-son Amodu - The third born-son Umah - The fourth and last born-son The above are the four sons of Akegbe Ogwugwueze(a.k.a. Okunano Osagwede) the progenitor of Okunano. That though Obuoffia is the first son, the position of Seniority has been given to Akegbe ugwu for whatever reason. How do we justify this act? It's not my position to question or concern myself with changing the status quo as it were, but if you are blessed with highly intellectual children who would want to know more about this fact like most of us are, what do you tell them? In the course of our research, we are yet to unearth what transpired exac...

TO HELP ? ©Awkunanaw Voices Publications(From desk of the Editorial Admin) To help one and another is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to have and to use in making way for ourselves. The good you do is the only protection that you can ever have, the returning effects of which you have to experience when the need is greatest. There should be no conditions to rendering help, it must never be on your terms or any given terms. Helping must always be a selfless act, an individual and conscientious effort to support and encourage. Everyone deserves a chance, do not put up any selfish reasons as a condition before you can render help where there's a need. It's always better to stay away or refuse to help than attach a selfish condition to the act. For whatever and wherever you fail to help, you indeed create an automatic opportunity for a million other people to use. Remember, Always that a man's gift of help makes way for him. You are the managing director of your li...

In Okunano, it is said that it is not the custom and traditions of the people to marry their own cousins and members of their extended family. But in certain exceptional cases, we have heard or even witnessed such marriages contracted with the simple explanation for this as;. " N' emeru ha 'óma îté' hence my question for today: what is "Oma îte"?

UMUEZE OKUNANO: The true story! For those of us who may have heard the true story of Umueze Okunano, Please speak now for posterity's sake. There's been different versions of the people's history. One school of thought have told us that Umueze can be traced to Amodu as Nwa Ada Amodu married to ihunakwagu-Akpugo , who eventually was forcefully displaced in a misconception after the death of her husband. She and her offsprings returned to Amodu and we're settled Where we all know today as"Umueze" The other version of the story, one can always hear from the Umueze people is that their own father, Umueze was the first born-son of Akegbe Ogwugwueze, hence they now bear his presumed surname "Eze" Presumed because the name  Ogwugwueze is one name and the Umueze people should have gone by the name " UmuOgwugwueze" and not "Umueze"  There are obviously some gaps as we can all see from the two illustrations. Therefore, Let's do just...