The Imo state Commissioner for Homeland Security, Dr Ugorji Okechukwu Ugorji, has successfully published and presented to the public seven of his books for educational research, relaxation and enrichment of knowledge.
The books are: “The Adventures of Torti and the Crow Bride”, ” From the Belly of the Gods”, ” Sunrise Daughters”, ” I Saw the Sky Fall”, ” She is Eternal and Other Poems”, ” Securing the Homeland” and ” Ilu: African Proverbs In Igbo, with English Translations”.
According to those who took turns in reviewing the 7 works of Ugorji the author, “The Adventures of Torti and the Crow Bride” centres on Tortoise(Mbe), regarded in Igbo folktales as an animal with great sense(No 6), has intelligence (ako na uche) which it uses in dealing with other animals or creatures both positively and negatively; In “From the Belly of the Gods” we see a character, Mazi Uzoma, who turns into a master story teller, telling a lot of stories that the reader would never have imagined, like how ‘Father Christmas’ originated from Africa” etc.
In the ” Sunrise Daughters”, Ugorji dedicates it to the likes of Igbo women who distinguished themselves in different fields of endeavour, like Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Olympic Gold medalist/police officer, Chioma Ajunwa, Dr Mrs Kema Chikwe, Chinyere Asika among others, and maintains that with quality education and adequate attention, the sky would be the limit of the girl child. Also, in the “I Saw the Sky Fall”, the protagonist, Nnamdi, went to America at the early age of 8, where he experienced a life different from what he had seen in Africa where he came from. For example, the snow falling from the sky and the beauty of the new world. Such experience is only available to the privileged few at that age.
