..As He Marks 86 Birthday
Chief Peter Chukwuemeka Mgbenwelu ( Egbendu Orlu; Uduakommiri n’Ubulu) Dum-Dum was born on June 28, 1938 to the legendry family of His Honour Chief Felix Mgbenwelu and Lolo Bridget Mgbenwelu of Eziama, Ubulu in the Oru West Local Government Area of Imo State.
His father Chief Felix Mgbenwelu was a humble teacher and later the then Customary Court President, Educated and enlightened, happily married to Lolo Bridget Mgbenwelu, a wonderful woman. Both of parents were wonderful Christians of the Roman Catholic faith. They were also great disciplinarians, thereby registered his birth. He was Baptized four days after his birth. This is not a guess work. His father was also a popular teacher. He gave the Him name, Peter, because June 28th and 29th of every year was set aside by the Church as the Feast Days of SS Peter and Paul, for Christians of the Catholic denomination. This also led to His 86th Birthday Celebration, which He did last year with friends and family.
Apart from His friends, politicians, lawyers and judges among others joined him to wine and dine with his family Masses were simultaneously celebrated for him in his home parish, St. Martin of Tours, Ubulu, Holy Cross Catholic Parish, Aladimma Owerri and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Orlu; All these activities made the event spectacular.
He grew up without a single childhood friend. This was because He was moving with his father from one station to another. It was a lowly childhood upbringing.
Owing to the migratory nature of his father’s work as a village teacher, He attended several primary schools. However, He ended up attending the Prestigious Trinity High School, Oguta (as then rated). After a short while, He left Trinity High School, Oguta. He gained admission at the University College London where graduated with LL,B (Hons) further was called to both English Bar and Nigeria Bar.
He did Advanced Level studies in the UK and got admission into the University College, London, where He obtained a degree in Law. He was subsequently admitted into the Inner Temple. He later came back to Nigeria in 1964 and attended the Nigerian Law School and was admitted into the Nigerian Bar as a barrister and solicitor of the Nigerian Supreme Court on January 15, 1965. At that time, lawyers were few in the country. They were highly valued and respected.
Since He returned from the United Kingdom and called to the Nigeria bar, I had been on his own as a private legal practitioner. He would have been called to the Inner Bar as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria but for the mischief and distractions his entry into politics did to his legal practice, There was nothing ennobling during early days at the bar as much as advocacy. Egbendu was known as a sound advocate. His Very Sound Advocacy endeared Him the first Class Monarch of Orlu Ancient Kingdom, Late His Royal Majesty Eze Patrick Acholonu (OON) and earned him the great title “EGBENDU” –meaning the cannon shot the makes significant and loudest sound.
He is currently the cock of the Bar. He still enjoys occasional presence in the courts and also mentored many lawyers, some of them are Senior Advocates of Nigeria today. In fact, He fundly remembers one lawyer, a Cameroonian, who did attachment in his Chambers in 1971 and later became a Chief judge in Cameroon. Many other legal luminaries passed through his Chambers. Be that as it may, He still active. He dares anybody who may thought of retiring him.
He met his wife while he was in the UK. He got married in London in 1962. Since then lived peacefully together, except during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war when she was away for a short while. Many people thought she would not have stayed with him having came from Jamaica.
To the greatest surprise of many, today she is still with him peacefully and He loves her so much. they are blessed with six children – two boys and four girls. As a matter of fact, they have 18 grandchildren and one great grandson. He was pleased to divulge that all his children were well placed in life. I have a lot to thank God for. He is Blessed with good health and good friends.
As a young boy, Egbendu was taught to read, write, and crack jokes. He developed a life-long love for reading and music. When Egbendu was a teenager, his father exposed him to different culture, both village and city lives.
He enjoys many favourite songs. He enjoys listening to classical music particularly Beethoven and Johanstrauss.
He likes pounded yam with egusi soup
He sincerely and immensely thank God for what He has done for him. If He does anything more, He will give Him more thanks and praises.
Life is full of challenges. However, I had had many happy moments, but He was very sad the day His mother died. His saddest day was the day His father was buried. It was his saddest day because He looked at his father’s corpse lowered into the grave and halfway, some boys who could not stand before His father when he was alive, fortified the grave by matching the sand on him with feet, without His father talking or rebuking them. It was from that day He came to know that there was nothing in life.
They should learn how to forgive one another. They should not bear grudges for more than 24 hours. They should be generous as much as they can and discover themselves earlier. They should be upright in all their dealings in life.
Apart from legal practice, what other offices had He held in life
Prior to the creation of the Oru West and Oru East council areas, He was the Chairman of the old Oru Local Government Area. He was a Director in Anambra-Imo River Basin Authority, Owerri; former Chairman, Cooperative and Commerce Bank Limited; Chairman, Nigeria Coal Cooperative and Chairman, Imo State Library Board.
He is also on the Board of Aluminum Extrusion Industries Plc. He contested governorship of Imo State before the creation of Abia and Ebonyi States under the then National Republican Convention (NRC).He was also the founding State legal adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He was also bestowed with Egbendu 1 of Orlu and secondly, Uduakommiri of Ubulu. They were well-deserved honours and He valued much.
Egbendu relaxes with my friends, crack jokes and listen to music
Is there any reason why Egbendu like hanging his eyeglasses on his nose?
The frame He wore is called half moon. Whenever He bends to read, He use the lens, but when He want to see, He use his eyes. He don’t need to be pushing glasses up and down in order not to lose concentration. However, top lawyers are known to wear glasses like that. It is unfortunate that He lost all the half moon frames He had. He is at present making order from overseas eye hospitals for that type of frame He was known with.
NUGGETS OF WISDOM
AS ENCAPSULATED FROM VARIOUS SPEECHES DELIVERED BY DUM-DUM, THE COCK OF THE BAR AT SPECIAL COURT SESSIONS
Ø all of our experience of death is indirect and on that account, is more puzzling and tantalizing- November, 2021
Ø Nothing surpasses the holiness of those who have learnt acceptance of everything that is in the game of cards called life. One plays the hand one is dealt to the best of one’s ability. We are not asked if we will play. That is not an option. Play we must. The option is how we play it- December, 2021.
Ø The dual nature of death is its most characteristic feature. One can experience emphatically the death of another but, paradoxically cannot experience the death of oneself- November, 2021
Ø Death peremptorily decrees an abrupt, unwelcome and final adjournment of the congress of the mind-November, 2021
Ø Before you offend people, prepare your mind for their choice of retaliation. You are not the only mad person on earth-December,2023
Ø Sometimes you just have to stay silent, Because no words can explain how you feel- February, 2024.
Ø A man who does not read, is no better than a man who cannot read-April, 2024.
Ø Two people can damage a society; The one who knows and does not talk and The one who does not know and talks-May, 2024
