21/09/2025
. The history of Nkwerre Opiaegbe culture and tradition cannot be complete without the historical review of the rise of Daniel Uju Okwaraocha of blessed memory, who rose to the peak of a rising class in trading among his clans, contemporaries and Africa in general. He was regarded as the “Bill Gates” of African 18th century .According the findings of this oral research, Daniel Uju Okwaraocha was a wealthy and powerful man in Nkwerre. To many who knew he then could attest that his name was very synonymous with money. Others regarded him as a business genius, a star that shines brighter than the sun. Uju gave romanticism to money. Uju wouldn’t go into anything halfway according to people but believed in a cause and dedicated towards achieving his objectives. His friends especially Louis Ojukwu and others respected him due to his intelligence and bold virtuoso of trades.Daniel Uju Okwaraocha was born in 1880 at Ukwuinyi, Umuoforlo Nkwerre .The particular month and year he was born was very well known just as history of his early life. He never walked in the rain with a leaking umbrella like the proverbial monk .His wisdom, clear justice; cultural expositions, wealth and bravery led him to the pinnacle of success as a hero. Brief lectures from the wise men contributed to Uju’s legendary. He helped his fellow men and received so much respect and adoration. As a rare breed, he brought honour to Nkwerre people and made them feel proud anywhere outside their community. He was brought up along the line of traditional African Religion before the 20th century of Christianity. The death of his father Okwaraocha Obioha in the first decade of the 2oth century dashed his early dreams .He remained a hardworking man, because a man’s position in the society is estimated by the brevity in war or wealth, wives children or slaves .The sort of money made by the uju’s , the Odimegwu Ojukwu’s, Stephen Akwuiwu’s, the Adeola O’Dutolas, Henry Fajemirokuns, engages the imagination of even the most rabid Marxist who after debating the inordinateness of acquisition of wealth by certain people , still chuckles secretly about the ingenuity of those who have made great wealth.
The noble slaves owners of old Europe and African like Fords, Carnegies, the Hughes and the Getly’s and even the honourable mention of American John Rockefeller, the progenitor of the great Rockefeller Dynasty were all equivalent in comparison with Uju Okwaraocha of Nkwerre. According to history, Rockefeller at 16 was not a man of substantial education but already a bookkeeper, learning the secret ways of money. By the time he was 20 in 1859, he had joined some friends in owning an oil refinery with over 100 million dollars equivalent now. Rockefeller was ruthless in his acquisition of wealth like Daniel Uju Okwaraocha, who rose to the peak of an African stock fish mercantile, potassium and to***co magnate, and most importantly oil merchant,In those days, his suits were made and delivered by British tailors Messrs Wright and Co. London. He used one of the best cars imported into Nigeria then; ”Terraplane” ,Morris and always in suit with gold ornaments .Uju never dealt with slaves as so many people believed but being a legend must have exaggerated attributes like slave trading and getting money from the spirits. All these are the razzmatazz of a spirited Nkwerre man.
In this oral research, it is observed that Uju’s son Samuel Okwaraocha of blessed memory who was in king’s college Lagos in 1945, died soon after conscription as a result of the maltreatment by the authorities’ .Two years later after 1947, Daniel Uju Okwaraocha died. He died of heart attack, which observers attributed to his son’s tragic death .So many well –meaning Nigerians condemned the kings college conscription bitterly and many well placed Nigerians has their children withdrawn from kings college at that time .Nkwerre tradition, culture and history seems relevant with the Uju legendary as the researcher investigated into this to reignite other perceptions of great “Ndi Nkwerre”. Let’s, history will always give connotations and let its elucidations investigated find missing links of every evolving historical fact✌️✌️
