Sometime in 2006, after I secured my admission into the University of Nigeria Nsukka and was done with the necessary registration, I stopped at an uncle’s house when I travelled home, and as an impressionable youth is wont to do, I was hoping he would grease my itchy palms with some naira notes. One thing led to another and we began to discuss, he enquired of me about Zik’s Flat, and before long, he was talking about how Zik used their money in the long defunct African Continental Bank to build his Onuiyi villa which includes the famous Zik’s Flat.
For the benefit of those who do not know and those who know but must have forgotten, Zik was the ceremonial president of Nigeria from 1963-1966. Before this position, the Great Zik, as he was fondly called, was the former premier of the Old Eastern Region, the publisher of the famous West African pilot and the party leader of NCNC. Suffice it to say that, Zik was a very wealthy man by the virtue of these positions. Whether this sagacious and reverend frontline nationalist used his attractive positions to enrich himself remains a case study for historians. However, it is no news that the beautiful bride of Nigerian politics built for his noble self exotic mansions at Onitsha his hometown and at the sleepy town of Nsukka his adopted village, during his hey days.
These palatial palaces can be likened to the present day Orji Uzor Kalu’s staggering and magnificent Camp whatever at Igberre. The Zik’s flat at his Onuiyi villa, was a twenty blocks of two storey building flat, lined up five-five in four overlapping stretch. Folk lore has it that natives came from hinterlands to come and view, what was to be in those days, an American wonder. I cannot categorically tell you what was in the late sage’s mind when he built this block of flats, whether he intended to use it as a guest house or to rent it out to peasant Nsukka farmers. Well, none of the above, as far as I can reckon, happened; the Zik’s flat in later years was given to UNN, I believe, to ameliorate the challenge of students’ accommodation buffeting the underfunded university he founded.
The newsflash is that, presently the Zik’s Flat is a complete eyesore; some of the blocks of flat are now magnificent home for roaches and rodents, while his Onuiyi mansion and the Onitsha country home villa are infrastructural relics and an architectural epitome of how not to build a house. In fact, Zik’s palatial homes in the eye of the present day are a complete ridicule and a perfect but shocking definition of Solomon’s vanity upon vanity.
Now, my worry since my uncle told me how the Zik’s flat was built has been: what was in Owelle of Onitsha’s mind when he was laying up those treasures on earth at the risk of his future integrity? Zik of Africa is dead and buried, so my chance of getting that question graciously answered has been taken over by call of nature. Be that as it may, the knowledge of this observation perturbs me more as I see our present day politicians, captains of industries, businessmen and surprisingly civil servants struggling to best Zik in putting up humongous edifices.
For the avoidance of doubt, I am not against one building a house for himself. But I strongly believe that when a place of abode transcends beyond a modest building, especially for a public office holder, when the country is afflicted with concomitant problems, then something is psychologically wrong, which calls for a clinical psycho-analysis. For instance, the money Orji Uzor expended in building that infrastructural headache should perhaps have been better invested assuming he built an institute of research and technology in Aba, for the development of his people’s human resources, especially those industrious locals who are into Aba-made sandals and Aba clothes and bags. In America, wealthy men like Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford etc invested their money in opening up centers of learning. The idea of intimidating people with heaven-on-earth houses is purely predicated on complex and poor self esteem.
I know of one current South Eastern governor that is in a competition with his son, in the governor’s state capital, on who can build the highest number of houses. The duo bought up large expanses of land, building massive estates, hotels and private buildings. Honestly, this sad development is worrisome, why? Because we are not good students of history, neither are we good bible scholars.
The most celebrated man in the history of the world did not build any tent or house. Yet, every Saturday and Sunday, people all over the world rush to their respective places of worship to honour Him. I believe that one of the best legacies any living soul can leave behind is to invest in the betterment of his fellow mankind. By so doing, the living keeps talking about the fellow’s positive deeds. Zik is not remembered today by his buildings whenever we eventually remember to remember him, but by his nationalistic struggles.
I enjoin my generation not to join in this our parents’ crazed race for material acquisition at all cost. If we will ever lay any treasure, let it be in heaven where no moth can ever eat it up. For those youths who just rolled their eyes and mtcheeeew-ed, I leave you with timely warning from Apostle James: “And you rich people listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your gold and silver are covered with rust and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like FIRE…!” (James 5: 1-3)
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Written by
Tobe Osigwe
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