How My Father Rode 100Km on Bicycle for My Education- Osuji
Professor Fabian Osuji, an accomplished scholar and university administrator has paid glowing tribute to his late father, Chief John Osuji and his late uncle, Chief Albert Osuji for the roles they played in his educational conquest.
Osuji, who celebrated his 80th birthday last week in Abuja, in an exclusive interview with True Vision recalled how his late father and uncle played a key role in laying a strong educational foundation during his formative years.
He recalled that his uncle, late Albert Osuji, “who was a Headmaster at St Joseph’s, Mgbidi, insisted that I will live with him to direct me how and what entrance examinations to sit for”.
“I lived with him and took two entrance examinations, one for Holy Ghost College Owerri and the other for Government College Umuahia. I passed both but the Parish priest refused to endorse my result for Government College, Umuahia”, he further recalled.
He recalled how his late father rode his bicycle from Mbaise to Mgbidi in present day Oru-West local council of Imo State, a distance of nearly 100 kilometers to bring him scholarship examination Forms.
“In December of 1955, my father rode his bicycle from Mbaise to Mgbidi to bring me the form for the competitive scholarship examination by Mbaise County Council.
“I filled the forms and later went for the exams on the appointed day. The interesting thing about the exam is that we all had to sit there and wait for the results to be announced.
“Rev Fr Curteley who was the principal of Mbaise Secondary school then was in charge of the examinations with the headmasters and other school teachers. There were five scholarships for each of the clans that made up Mbaise. There is Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ezinihite Mbaise and Okouvuru Mbaise.
The results were tabulated according to the clans. Agbaja which was my clan was the first to be announced. I took the first position, and it went like wildfire.
“The result went before me that everyone was saying that Fabian, the son of John Osuji, came first. So, the news got to my family even before I arrived home. That was a high point of my primary school”, Osuji further recalled.
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