By Vincent Ujumadu
The first one storey building constructed in the ancient town of Igbo Ukwu in Aguata local government area of Anambra State, will soon become an annex of the nationally acclaimed Igbo Ukwu Museum. The building was constructed in 1939 and, according to a historical account, was the first upstair in the whole of the old Aguata Division.
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Built by the late Chief John Ubabukoh, who served as the President of the Customary Court in Aguata, the eight-bedroom with two massive sitting rooms and adjoining balconies, usually attracts the attention of passers-by because of its unique architecture.
The staircase, the windows the decking are all made of wood. Even the side and center tables, as well as other pieces of furniture, were made of wood. The roof was made of asbestos and since its construction nearly 90 years ago, it has never leaked. The wall is made of a specially designed bricks that did not require painting and it still looks spectacular.
Chief Okey Ubabuko, the first surviving son of John Ubabukoh, who was a former General Manager of the Petroleum Equalization Find and a Director of the defunct Nigerdock Ltd, the ship builders, recalled that building the house was very difficult for their father because at that time, the colonial masters barred people from cutting trees in the Eastern Region, adding that the colonial masters’ interest was to export all the wood cut in Igbo land forests to their country.
“What our father did was to sneak into the thick forests and hiding in the process to be able to get the kind of wood he needed for the construction of the house. Eventually he was able to see the house through” Okey Ubabukoh who is 73 years old said.
Apostle Emeka Ubabukor, 86 years and the oldest member of the greater Ubabukoh dynasty, also spoke on the man John Ubabukoh and the history behind his building.
He said: “I was born in 1940 and Chief John Ubabukoh who built the first upstair in Igbo Ukwu was my uncle. He was in charge of the Customary Court in the olden days at Agudo in Aguata. It was the first storey building in the entire Aguata. The building is in a large compound and that was where we used to play football because my father’s house is close to that building.
“John was a famous and a popular man and had so much influence in Igbo Ukwu. He was intelligent bold and polite. He played important roles in the Church and community development. He married two wives and his first wife gave birth to Ifeanyichukwu who is the father of Ozioma Ubabukoh. In Igbo Ukwu tradition , Ozioma has become the owner of the building since his father who inherited it from his grandfather, have both joined their ancestors.
“It was the same Chief John Ubabukoh that provided the information that led to the establishment of Igbo Ukwu Museum. There were archeologists from the United Kingdom who came to him and he provided them with all the information needed concerning Igbo culture, which eventually led to the establishment of the museum.
Ozioma Ubabukoh, the first grandchild of the late Chief John Ubabukoh, whose late father, Ifeanyi Ubabukoh, was a renowned journalist, is the brain behind the process of making his grandfather’s house an annex of the famous Igbo Ukwu Museum. Ozioma, a media consultant, who has been bequeathed the house, said his grandfather died in February 1996 at the age of 92 years.
Inheritance
Ozioma Ubabukoh said: “Naturally, my father being the first son, inherited his father’s compound, which includes the building. My own father owned the building till he died also in the month of February in 2024. My grandfather was buried in the month of April and my father was also buried in April.
According to him, exactly after five days of the swearing in of Governor Chukwuma Soludo in 2022, he went to see his father in Awka and he reminded him that that his late father’s house remains his ( my father’s) untill he is buried and that after his burial, he (Ozioma ) would be at liberty to do whatever he wanted with the house. Ozioma said his father however made one particular request, which was that he would be laid in state in the house before his interment.
Ozioma continued: “My father said that as soon as he was buried, the house belongs to me and that I could do what I wanted with it. Although he said I could demolish it if I wanted, he however advised that I should keep it for the sake of the family name and Igbo Ukwu’s name as a monument.
“Two years after he was buried, I started thinking of what I should do with the building. One thought said demolish it and build someone modern, while another thought said renovate it without destroying its original design.
“But then I recollected the British history where monuments like this are preserved and it is a law that such monuments should not be destroyed. So, I decided that I should renovate the building to make it look more vintage to give it that ancestral prominence that can whip up the Igbo Ukwu name again. I felt that preserving the first storey building in Igbo Ukwu would add to the prominence the community has attained as one of the foremost tourist attractions in the country and creating a new messaging of Igbo culture.
Renovation
“So, my final decision is to renovate it to make it a place where tourists can visit as an annex of Igbo Ukwu museum. The encouraging thing is that I have friends who said, Ozioma if you can achieve this, it will be a huge revenue source for the state.
“Like what one of my friends,Tunde Hundein said, hundreds of Nigerians abroad can visit here during summer and enjoy what they are used to in the diaspora when it is fully renovated. What this means is that with such visits, hotels around here will get more revenue, airlines will make more money and all these will lead to improved revenue for the state.”
“What we intend to do is to paint the wooden furniture in the building to make them look more beautiful. Artifacts that represent Igbo Ukwu would also be acquired and brought into the building.
He said that several Nigerians movie makers have shown interest in making this place a location for shooting epic movies, especially as Igbo Ukwu represents the epitome of Igbo culture.
“The renovation will start in November this year after the rainy season. There will be pictures to show the building before, during and after renovation so as to tell the complete story.
We cannot talk about the renovation without factoring the road. We’re looking at two possible routes to the building and Engineers will decide on that. There will be an entrance that will lead to the building apart from the existing family gate which is for the Ubabukoh family members and their relations and friends.
We intend to write to as many international organizations as possible, including the UNESCO to factor this project into their programme. Our long term proposal is to use Igbo Ukwu Museum and the first upstair in this part of the country to create a cultural city in Anambra State, especially as we already have Awka as the capital, Onitsha as the commercial city and Nnewi as the industrial city.
For now, the facilitator of the project, Ozioma Ubabukoh, does not intend to involve the state government in the renovation, even though the government can build the access roads leading to the building.
“We just expect the state government to key into the project because ultimately the revenue that will accrue from here will go to the state. The fact remains that it is a private project that is aimed at encouraging cultural growth and promoting tourism and ultimately a revenue earner for the state”, Ozioma said.
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