LONG JOHN SILVER NWARU & I

  LONG JOHN SILVER  NWARU  & I

It was 1966/67 the pogrom was on, and like many places in the southeast, Nenwe had her own share of returnees. The schools especially St Peters  were filled with new faces like the Mbahs, Mbanwarus,Nwaruezes,Chukwukadibes ,Kanus, Onwes etc. Most of them spoke igbo sparingly. 

However , there were also some people at Peters who weren't returnees but 'migrated' from St. Paul's, St David's and St Theresa's that hadn't elementary 5 classes, so we had to decipher the "Nenwe refugees" from the locals through their level of grip of olu Nenwe. 

Jon was a college fellow anyway but when the real  war began,schools closed the militias came to  quarter in County from  then we started to see such people around.

My first contact   with John was at the Altar under Rev Fr  Silvester Eze  who became the chaplain for the Biafran Militia in Nenwe etc.. He doubled with serving also Rev Fr Orji  of Nenwe who also returned home . He was ordained just about a year or less.

John was always elegant and thought us the junior ones mass serving diligently. It was the period that followed the transition of the old ways of mass( the Rev and alter backing the congregation) which we knew already. John was a patient and nice teacher. We travelled in Fadas'  small Fiat 600 all around Nenwe. We served him, the reverend and the mass but I think  serving him(Jon) was what we cared more for because as kids he would recommend any efforts to the Rev  and his approval of our abilities was paramount …..Nenwe fell into the handsome the Federal troops (a.k.a Vandals) and we parted………. Truncated 

To be continued.

Charlie.mbc@gmail.com