Media professionals in Abia State must be counting their loss with the demise of one of their charismatic practitioners – Mazi Ugbaja Ezekiel Okoroafor. Popularly known as Aktion or Ogbiti Aro, he was buried on November 12th, 2021 at his ancestral home, Obinkita village, Arochukwu. Close associates of Aktion would readily admit that he was a personification of humility, simplicity, and open-mindedness. There were no age limitations as far as those attributes were concerned. He was utterly humble and openminded about his convictions, an impeccable character who believed more in good name, quality friendship and goodwill than earthly riches. In fact, a yawning gap has occurred amongst his professional colleagues, and this vacuum shall be hard to fill. With his journey to eternity, ‘a scarce personality’ is no more and it cannot be the same again. It will be impossible to recount events that stood Aktion out as a quintessential gentleman and a true friend because they are too numerous. Suffice it to note, however, that true friendship meant everything to him. I can recall exactly that our relationship started in the mid ’90’s and blossomed from 1998 when the first edition of Aro News Newspaper, which I founded a year earlier, was published. Mazi Okoroafor deserves a special credit for the role he played during the formative years of the newspaper. Aside from the usual encouragement, which was a strong sustaining factor for me, given the trend of rapid mortality rate of earlier publications, he was a regular contributor of photographic materials. Indeed, some of the best pictures that won the medium public accolades came via his lens and we saw him as a reservoir of such materials. Most of my trips, either enroute Aro from Abuja or on my way back, his office and residence at Umuahia was a must-stop-over place as I must collect fresh pictures for subsequent editions.
Over time, due to his love for the kingdom, he combined the sale and supply of pictures with occasional marketing of the newspaper. Thus, though never a full-time columnist, through his contributions he was more regular than some columnists. Aro News celebrated 20th anniversary over three years ago, and is now a brand and an institution comprising of Aro News Newspaper, Aro Newsonline and Aro News Book Series with three titles: Perspectives on Aro History and Civilization: The Splendor of a Great Past, Vols. 1, 2 & 3. His published photographs in various volumes of the newspaper which are avilable in libraries shall forever imortalize him and shall remain a credit and a memorial to attest to his professionalism, commitment to duty and love for Arochukwu kingdom.
Born Ugbaja Ezekiel Nduka Okoroafor in 1962 to the family of Late Mazi Okoroafor Edward Ugbaja of nde Mpi, nde Okoro compound, Obinkita village, Aktion after primary education proceeded to Aggrey Memorial School and graduated in 1981 with excellent grades. He began a memorable career in photography at Unicolor Photographic Laboratory Ltd, Umuahia and later joined Abia Newspaper and Publishing Corporation Umuahia until 1997 when he established “Aktion Fotos” at 27 Eket Street Umuahia. His studio did not only serve as a studio but also as a meeting and waiting point for many Aro within Umuahia and environ, thus it earned the nickname, Ogbiti Aro. With a practice spanning close to four decades, Aktion easily won most photo-media awards and his love for Arochukwu enabled him to serve diligently ensuring that the kingdom was very well spot-lighted in the media. His excellence in service was rewarded when he won the best photographer of the decade award in 2006 when Aro News marked a decade in community journalism. I can recall exactly that very day at Nenetel Hotels, as his face beamed with smiles. Indeed, photography was his passion till death. A caring husband, a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and confidant to many, he will surely be missed forever.
Globally, communities are endowed by nature with special specie of humans that confer identities on them. Such personalities come once in a long while, and they are always scarce, and go ahead of their peers in rare endeavors. Aro has the fortune to host quite a few of such rare breeds and Aktion, by his numerous contributions to Arochukwu, no doubt merited membership of this club. And nothing else would validate this assertion better than the respect and honor bestowed on him at death. I was very pleased to see the highest holders of traditional authority, the triumvirates themselves physically at the residence of Aktion to commiserate with the family and pay their last respect during his burial. The presence of the Arianzu Arochukwu, the Eze Ibom Isii and the Eze Eze Agwu at his burial, to me, signified that the kingdom appreciated the man’s outstanding contributions to the kingdom and that his love for Arochukwu was not in vain. It’s not how long, but how well one lived and by what we shall be remembered. Aktion etched his name in gold because he invested in quality friendship and touched many souls while alive, marketed Arochukwu civilization and culture far and wide via photography, so he shall be missed by many, especially his wife, Angela, children, grandchildren, umu Aro, and a host of other relations.
As Christians, however, we shall not tarry in sorrow. Now that it has dawned on us that another season of existence has arrived, we shall take solace in the unfailing love of the God that does not change. We thank the Almighty for His love and blessings in his life and for the times he shared with humanity. We love him and shall miss him dearly.
Adieu, our man, Aktion.
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