Vanguard, MONDAY, JULY 21, 2014 — 53
FOOTPRINTS OF A STATESMAN: The Life And Times Of CHIEF DANIEL OKUMAGBA A biography by Bernard Oboatarhieyeren Okumagba
Teacher and Gamesmaster Okumagba’s attitude was a lesson in sportsmanship. Honesty and integrity were his hallmarks in sports and everything else he did. I am sure it was the same when he became a national figure in Nigerian politics — David Okpako, retired Professor of Pharmacology, University of Ibadan (UCE Class of 1954) Continues from page 52 space for the kind of adventure that were common in his childhood days: trapping birds and hunting small game. His leisurely escapades seemed not to have interfered with his sense of duty at home, where he was treasured as a natural leader, a quick and bold mind. As a youngster he enjoyed the trust and confidence of the community elders, including taking early roles in leadership. My grandfather may have seen a future beyond tilling the land. His relationship with the British and his witness to the growth of the colonial empire told him that the men who would rule the new world would be those who studied to get a foothold in the colonial administration; he was determined that his children would play key roles in the affairs of the new world. So, early enough, my father was dispatched to school, as were the other children. My grandfather may perhaps have been content with his son pursuing enterprise, the way he did, to build a formidable presence as a man of means. And that mindset may have conspired with other forces to determine why my father ’s formal education terminated after obtaining his Teacher ’s Certificate from St. Thomas College, Ibusa, though he passed his matriculation examinations. The community elders also played a critical role in determining the trajectory of my father ’s career path and his lifework. The world in 1950 when he began to take an active role in community administration was a whole lot different from the earlier years; the colonial administration had profoundly affected the community and political administration, throwing up new power equations that never existed and foisting, in the process, for its own convenience, new suzerainties. The elders met and chose my father to lead the Kindred Families. In 1950, my father became Secretary to the Kindred Families of Olodi, Oki and Ighogbadu of Okere-Urhobo, taking over from Pa Gbamijolo Eburu, who was until then the acting Secretary. At this time, my father was already established as a teacher. He taught in schools in Adagbrassa and Warri and was part of the pioneer staff of Urhobo College Effurun when it was founded in 1949.
Urhobo College was just taking off as a secondary school established by the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). The school became the furnace that forged some of the remarkable friendships my father sustained throughout his life. About the time my father began teaching at Urhobo College as a pioneer staff, some of the people who later became some of his closest friends and acquaintances also joined the staff of the school. Some of them were Dr Mudiaga Odje, Chief Demas Akpore, Chief Daniel Obiomah and later Professor Tekena Tamuno. Dr Odje, who later became a lawyer and
My father was an imposing figure, his students recall, not for size but for his diligence. He was the ultimate taskmaster – brooking no failures and constantly raising the bar Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was one of the close friends of my father and they enjoyed such a loyal relationship, especially in later years when Dr Odje returned from England as a lawyer and set up practice in Warri.
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Y father was a teacher between 1947 and 1976. Teachers were highly regarded in the community, especially in colonial times when there were few who could communicate in the English Language and teachers were in short supply. Many of those who later became leaders of the anti-colonial movement started out as teachers - Nnamdi Azikiwe and Kwame Nkrumah among them. After early education, it was the dream of most young men to teach and my father followed this dream. After obtaining his Standard Six Certificate from the RCM Primary School, Warri, my father proceeded to St Thomas College Ibusa, where he graduated with a Teacher ’s Certificate. St. Thomas College Ibusa was the crucible on which the teaching skills of many of the notable teachers of the colonial era were established. A colonial school founded by the Roman Catholic Mission, St. Thomas College was reckoned as one of the best schools of the time, producing in the process a distinguished alumni. His first port of call as a teacher was the Roman Catholic Mission Schools in Warri and Adagbrassa (in Okpe Local Government Area of present-day Delta State), where he taught at the Primary School level. The founding of Urhobo College Effurun (UCE), first as a community college, was a source of pride to the
Urhobo nation. Like most schools that were the products of community effort Kalabari National College and Ibadan Grammar School, for instance - Urhobo College was seen as a turning point in the educational advancement of the Urhobo nation and a major milestone for the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU). My father joined the staff of Urhobo College at its foundation in 1949. The school was conveniently sited; it was in the Warri neighbourhood and actually took off around the Igbudu area of Warri, before its present location in contiguous Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area was developed. While my father may have made an impression in the schools where he taught before now, it was at Urhobo College that he established his reputation as a dedicated and diligent motivational leader. My father joined the staff of Urhobo College as a pioneer teacher. The foundation principal of the school was Chief M. G. Ejaife, popularly called Sheriff by his students. Ejaife’s was indeed an inspiring story. He had trained on a UPU scholarship and his graduation and return from England was celebrated. And, he stepped in quite nicely into midwifing the new school. My father was one of the key staff. It was the force of his personality that created the mystique that his old students still revel in. He taught at Urhobo College from 1949 to 1976 when he retired. He had a special relationship with Urhobo College. My father may not have designed it, but by the virtues he displayed. Several years after he left the school he is still remembered by many of his stu-
dents. My father was an imposing figure, his students recall, not for size but for his diligence. He was the ultimate taskmaster – brooking no failures and constantly raising the bar. To many students who passed through the school while he was a tutor, the name Daniel Okumagba is unforgettable. His presence, his students recall, was felt on the Assembly Grounds where he handled discipline and was almost always the last to sign off the morning assembly after the principal’s remarks. But his fame from the classroom was also legendary. Professor Union Edebiri, a past president of Urhobo College Old Students Association, observed in an interview published in The Guardian newspaper of July 31, 2000 that my father was a committed teacher who ‘left no one in doubt that he wanted the best for his students.’ As a teacher, he paid great attention to detail and he was not biased in the way he related to his students.
To be continued.
About the Author
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ERNARD Oboatarhieyeren Okumagba was born in Warri, Delta State on April 7, 1967 to Chief Daniel Okumagba and Mrs. Dorcas Okumagba of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State. He attended Government College, Ughelli from 1977 to 1982 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka from 1983 and 1987 where he bagged a B.sc degree in Accountancy (2nd Class Honours, Upper Division). Subsequently, he undertook the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) professional examinations and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1991. Bernard started his working career at the international financial services firm Arthur Andersen & Co (now KPMG), in 1988. He later worked in several banks from 1991 to 2007. Bernard held various positions at these banks, including Senior Manager, Corporate Banking Division; Head of Internal Control/Audit Division, Bank Chief Inspector and Principal Manager, Consumer and Commercial Banking Division, amongst others. He left United Bank for Africa Plc in August 2007 following his appointment as Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning. He served as Delta State Commissioner for Economic Planning from August 2007 to November 2010 and was subsequently appointed Commissioner for Finance and served from November 2010 to May 2011. Bernard was reappointed Delta State Commissioner for Finance in July 2011 and held this position until July 2013. He is presently Chairman of Regents Consults Limited and Noly Insurance Brokers Limited. He is also currently a Director of Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc. Bernard holds the traditional chieftaincy title of Eruvwu R’Ovie of Agbarha Kingdom, Warri, Delta State.