Long before scholarships, digital forms, or international student loans existed, Afikpo produced a young man whose story still stands tall. Around 1955, James Nwachi left Nigeria to study at Central College, Kansas City, making him the first Afikpo man to graduate from a university in the United States. But James did not fly on the wings of privilege. He flew on the wings of his people.
Back then, Igbo communities functioned as one extended family. A child’s dream was never just his own. It belonged to the kindred, to the village. So when young James showed exceptional promise, his people gathered, deliberated, and contributed — in cowries, in pennies, in wrappers, in prayers — to send him overseas. Back then, the village was the ladder by which bright souls climbed upon.
“He did not fly on the wings of privilege. He flew on the wings of his people.”
His send-off was more than a farewell. It was a cultural rite. “Oji ngaji eri, ejikwala aka rie” — he who eats with a spoon must not forget those who eat with their hands. Elders poured libations with reverence. Drums thundered into the night. Wrappers were spread on the ground for him to walk on. Palm wine foamed in horn cups. His journey wasn’t for him alone; he was the hope of a whole.
Those were the days when success was communal. The philosophy of igwebuike — that there is strength in unity — was not something quoted, it was lived. A palm tree could not harvest its own fruits. A child could not be raised by just one person. Communities invested in their brightest minds, the same way James’ people invested in him. It was the spirit that supported Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. It was the same force that lifted Pius Okigbo. One person’s triumph brought dignity to the entire clan.
But today, the landscape has changed. We live in flats, not compounds. We use locks, not open doors. We fund strangers while our own cry silently. Churches raise millions for distant cathedral projects while local branches lack chairs. Social media has made people celebrate those they have never met, while forgetting those who share their bloodline or village path. The once-powerful onye aghala nwanne ya is slowly fading as survival becomes a lonely competition.
Yet James’ story calls us back to something precious. Development begins at home. Community still matters. Supporting one child, mentoring one teenager, funding one school initiative, or reviving the old otu associations that promoted education can revive what is slipping away. We do not need grand gestures to return to the path our fathers walked — small acts of unity can rebuild the communal ladder.
When James Nwachi stepped into Central College in 1955, he wasn’t just an Afikpo boy. He was the embodiment of a people who believed that “if one climbs, we all climb.” That spirit built generations. And that spirit is worth returning to.
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