UK CITIZEN TURNED IGBO: THE STORY OF A LIFE OF SACRIFICE OF MRS JEAN OBI – By AHAMEFULA NJOKU

Recently, I got a call from Mrs Nnenna kazie, a wife of one of my late Old Boys at Government College Umuahia. She told me that some blind students had published a book to commemorate the 85th birthday anniversary of Mrs Jean Obi and that because of COVID 19 restrictions the book was not officially presented to the public. She wanted me to draw the attention of the Old Boys in particular to the book.

 

Mrs Jean Obi is the British wife of my late Old Boy at Government College Umuahia Johnson Chukwuemeka 0bi. A mathematics teacher who graduated from Hull University in England in 1958, she decided she wanted to live  her life in West Africa and in 1960 she took appointment as an education officer and was posted to Queens College Enugu. Unlike many young women of her period who first got married in England and relocated to Nigeria with their husbands Jean first came to Nigeria on her own before marrying her husband.

 

I first met her in the 1990’s at a meeting of the Old Boys Association in Lagos. She aroused my curiosity for two main reasons. First, she was the only foreign wife of an Old Boy in that meeting. There is another one Mrs Katia Ekesi from Italy but she wasn’t there on that day.

Secondly, she was busy appealing to Old Boys to send her old calendars. What did she want to do with old calendars? I asked. An Old Boy sitting close by whispered into my ears that she uses it to make Braille for blind students. Some years later the Old Boys were informed about how Jean from Lagos translated some text books in Braille for a blind student in Government College Umuahia.

 

From her work in Nigeria, she comes across as one of those few vanishing human beings who have made monumental sacrifice for the well being of others without expecting any reward or making so much noise about it.

 

Unlike the trend where many Nigerians want to relocate abroad where life is considered rosy or more fulfilling instead of making Nigeria better by their own actions, this is what Jean said in an article she contributed to ”The Umuahian News” a News Letter of Government College Umuahia Old Boys Association in April 2001,   titled, ”Pondering of a foreign wife,”

 

”I believe l have found life more fulfilling here than l would have done in England and maybe that is why l came here in the first place. I do not think it is an accident because l do believe that  God is there in the background and that if we accept His proddings, we do get to put whatever skills he has given us to use.

I spent almost 20 years producing maths papers  This is not an activity that would be particularly  appealing to many but l found it challenging and worthwhile. It was whilst there that l introduced the Braille so that question papers could be produced for blind candidates in-house.  I borrowed a machine and a primer from the Sisters at Pacelli School for the blind and learnt Braille by myself. I was able to set up a Brailling Unit at West African Examination Council (WAEC) which till today still produces the brailled question papers for the Council’s blind candidates.”

 

She also talked about her  membership of an association of ”foreign  wives.” There is an organisation by the name of Nigerwives which was set up some 20 years ago by a group of foreign wives of Nigerians resident in Nigeria. The main aims of the organisation are:

(a) to assist members to integrate into the society and local culture into which they have married and to be a family for them at functions, as appropriate.

(b) to provide a common front and find solutions to specific problems that affect members;

(c) to contribute positively to communities in which they live.”

 

Finally she said, ”It is a very positive organisation which assists foreign wives to adjust to life here, as part of a Nigerian family and l am very much involved in that organisation.”

 

Having lived for more than 60 years in Nigeria, Jean who has a good sense of humour and refers to herself as ”Onyeocha” the Igbo word for an European has fully adapted to Igbo customs, traditions and culture that she has become a role model not only for ”foreign wives” but Igbo and Nigerian wives as well.

 

Her life also calls for introspection to enable us engage in a paradigm shift in the way we perceive valuable contribution to the society.  First it shows that women liberation does not mean carrying placards all over the place but equipping the girl child with quality education and useful skills to enable her contribute effectively in the society. Or put in a local parlance, it does not mean  women tieing their wrappers firmly across their breasts to engage in imaginary wars with their husbands.

 

For our politicians, they should be feeling uncomfortable that with all the budgets, public finances and ”security votes” available to them they have not been able to achieve much.

 

And for the ordinary citizen, we can learn that from all our little corners we can make great impact without perpetually complaining about everything. Little things like keeping our environment clean, planting trees, flowers, being economically productive and being honest with our dealings with one another can make life a lot easier for every one of us.

 

Let me conclude that in Government College Umuahia Old Boys Association, we value our wives so much because of their support to us so much so that we have a pet name for them, ”Young girls.” So even at 85, Jean is one of our young girls! It was not surprising that it was another young girl Mrs Kazie who is now 78 years old that initiated the process that led to the Federal government of Nigeria awarding Jean the honour of Member of the Federal Republic. She got support from the likes of Prof Laz Ekwueme, an Old Boy and Frank Aig-Imoukhuede

 

We can pay Jean no better tribute than to obtain a copy of this book in her honour  titled CHEERY GONGS FOR A PACE SETTER. Its available at  Nigerwives Braille Book Centre. It’s a Portacabin located at King’s College Victoria Island Annex, near Nigerian Law School, Lagos. They are open on mondays, wednesdays and thursdays. One could also run into Jean herself as she is there sometimes.

 

▪️Njoku, a lawyer and author was the National Secretary of Government College Umuahia Old Boys Association (2013-2017)