“I Went to Cameroun for Business and Got a Wife in Addition”
A love story between an Igbo, Sir Joseph Nwokoro, and a Cameroonian, Esther Maloba
By Justus Nwakanma, Daily Champion (Lagos), July 24, 2004
THERE is a popular Igbo saying that those who stay rooted to a spot, cannot fully appreciate the beauties and complexities of a masquerade. Move around, it advises, because in moving, opportunities could be opened and fortune sets in.
That was exactly what Sir Joseph Nwokoro did. After the Nigerian-Biafran civil war, opportunities were limited for young but bright Igbo men who had fallen victim to the tramp-tramp effects of the war. "Move," that was what his instinct told him. "Things could be better." He obeyed. And indeed, things became better for him. His world of fortunes was opened. But it did not only come with a dint of hardwork.
Many would tell you that where they are today is solely because of their doggedness and hardwork. Not many would admit that it is as a result of the relationship with their wives.
But Sir Nwokoro is one man that admits that where he is today, is as a result of the woman he married and he couldn't have reached that level, if he did not obey the dictates of the dictum in moving around.
"After the civil war, we young men were looking for what to do. I decided to go to Cameroun for a business. I left Nigeria to Cameroun on December 7, 1970. There, one man from my village took me in and I became an apprentice to him," Sir Nwokoro said.
Continuing his story, he said after he had served the master for some years, the man bought a bicycle for him and settled him with N280.
With the bicycle, he was able to traverse the streets of Kumba, Western Province. Gradually, he started making some money. And as the Igbos would say, when a bachelor is cooking and continuously hisses, then know that it is time for him to marry.
For Nwokoro, it was always a hissing time and the urge to have a girl he would look in the face and say,
"I love you," was there. And one day, he saw a lady he had been noticing for quite some time. She was beautiful. She had all the qualities that he desired in a wife. He summoned courage and approached the lady.
Compassionately, the lady told him she could not be his girlfriend or even his wife. She rather suggested introducing him to another lady. That was the way he met his wife, Esther Maloba.
"When I first approached her, she accepted immediately. She did not hesitate. And I was happy."
Sir Nwokoro who hails from Amajiubachima, Awo-omamma, Imo State and who was born on July 13, 1951 to Nze-Ona-nana Nwokoro and Lolo Neke, says the door of opportunities opened for him immediately he got married to Esther.
"She brought luck to the family of Nwokoro. The moment we got married, things started changing for me. In fact, I can boldly say that she brought luck to me."
On the qualities that got him attracted to her in the first instance, Sir Nwokoro says it was her humility. "She was very humble and also unassuming. When I saw her and told her that I wanted to marry her, she accepted immediately, not evenv considering my poor state."
He says that ordinarily, today's ladies would have gone about dribbling him or asking about how financially stable he is before accepting his hand in marriage. But not for Esther. "She took me as I was. A poor struggling boy jumping everyday on bicycle hawking my goods."
It was amazing to see a lady who could behave like that. I was also taking in by her beauty. She was very beautiful. And the first day she came to my place, she did not complain of the place. And immediately, my mind told me she was my future partner."
Today, that marriage which was later consummated in Nigeria, is blessed with seven children - four boys and three girls in this order: Onyinye, Chimezie, Ugonma, Charity, Chike, Chidi and Chima.
Normally, there use to be some dislocations arising from cross-cultural marriages such as this. But Nwokoro says there was no problem except that she had some difficulty understanding and speaking Igbo language, a deficiency she has long overcome.
"We did not experience any problem. There was understanding because there was genuine love between us. She is very humble and very respectful and the only way to reward her was to shower her with some measure of love," Sir Nwokoro said.
He also revealed that there were no interferences in the marriage either from the in-laws or relations. "She easily and quickly mixed with my family and everybody love her. This also helped her in settling down quickly."
Although he proudly tells anyone that cares to listen that his wife was the major turning point in his life, Sir Nwokoro who was knighted in 1995 by the Archbishop of Orlu Diocese, says the journey of life from the time they married till now , had not been all that easy.
"We got married in 1977 and came back to Nigeria in 1978. Thereafter, I left her in the village and came to Lagos to eke out a living. She was very patient and for 10 years, she was there until I came back and took her with me." In Lagos, he started trading on textile materials, a vocation in which he still engages in till today.
One regret that Sir Nwokoro has in life is his limited education. After his primary school at Santana Primary School in his home town, he entered a commercial school and that was the end of his educational pursuits. This is attributable to their poor family background.
He says: "my father was almost the poorest in my place. He could not afford to provide for my education. This is one of the things I regret in life."
His inability to further his education has however, not limited him as he has resolved to give all his children the best of education, to whatever extent they can go. Today, this has manifested in four of his children being undergraduates. One is already a graduate and also married. The grandfather is proud to tell you that one day, he hopes to see the four walls of the university and get some higher education.
"It is a dream I have been nursing and when I feel most of my children have finished their own education, I will now attempt to realise that dream."
Though limited in academic pursuits, his manner of speech makes him look like an educated man and he says this is because of the various associations and interactions he has had both at home and abroad.
For instance, he is today the President of Omamma Social Club which comprises intellectuals, industrialists, businessmen and other professionals drawn from all walks of life.
Popularly called Double 2 (2222) because that was the plate number of his first car, Sir Nwokoro who is the Chief Executive of J.N.N. Nig. Ltd, recalls that one of the happy childhood days of his was knowing that Dr. George Obiozor, Nigeria's Ambassador to U.S. was his primary school teacher.
"When I was in the primary school, George Obiozor was my teacher. And he identified that I was interested in mathematics and I even told my dad that time that I would like to be an Economist," he says.
Sir Nwokoro who celebrated 53 years this July, says for any marriage to be successful, the couples should genuinely love each other. They should also communicate a lot because through constant communication and talking, they will be able to identify problem areas in their marriage and then solve them.
He however appealed to President Olusegun Obasanjo to relax the import restriction he placed on the importation of textile materials, saying since no local alternative of sourcing for the materials has been found, it will be improper to place a blanket ban on them.
"This is affecting us seriously and our foreign partners are also considering disengaging from us. This is not a healthy development for this country," Sir Nwokoro reasons.
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