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    OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Living through the experience of war
    OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Living through the experience of war
    OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Living through the experience of war
    Ebook148 pages1 hour

    OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Living through the experience of war

    By Emmanuel C. Nwamah

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    About this ebook

    Overcoming Obstacle is about surviving without having your parents around to provide and guide you as a young boy trying to make it in life. It is about living through a civil war and having to make adult decisions at thirteen years old as a result of unfortunate circumstance. It is also having the courage to weather through tough situations and still have hope to succeed. This is to encourage the readers that no matter what obstacles they may face in life, they should not give up hope. It is very important to always have a positive attitude in every situation. This is about letting the situation inspire you to work hard rather than giving up. Therefore the choice is yours to overcome any obstacle that comes your way just like I did.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAuthorHouse
    Release dateOct 13, 2010
    ISBN9781452062914
    OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Living through the experience of war
    Author

    Emmanuel C. Nwamah

    Born in Eastern Nigeria, Emmanuel Nwamah lost his father when he was two years old and his mother the during the Nigerian civil war when he was thirteen years old. Mr. Nwamah lived in several refugee camps during the war. He survived the war and was determined to pursue his academic career. He completed his elementary and high school in Nigeria. He worked for NIgerian Railway Corporation as a cost accounting clerk. He came to America in August 1980 to further his education. He graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma University in Durant with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and two minors in Accounting and management. He is currently working for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families. He has held various positions and received many awards for his commitment and dedication.

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      Book preview

      OVERCOMING OBSTACLES - Emmanuel C. Nwamah

      AuthorHouse™

      1663 Liberty Drive

      Bloomington, IN 47403

      www.authorhouse.com

      Phone: 833-262-8899

      © 2010 Emmanuel C. Nwamah. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

      Published by AuthorHouse 06/29/2023

      ISBN: 978-1-4520-6290-7 (sc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4520-6292-1 (hc)

      ISBN: 978-1-4520-6291-4 (e)

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2010914365

      Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

      and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

      Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

      Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

      CONTENTS

      DEDICATION

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      CHAPTER 1

      Life Prior to the Civil War

      CHAPTER 2

      Left the Village for Port Harcourt

      CHAPTER 3

      Return to the Village Due to War

      CHAPTER 4

      Refugee Camp in Abacha

      CHAPTER 5

      Refugee Camp in Okigwe

      CHAPTER 6

      Return to Port Harcourt during the War

      CHAPTER 7

      Refugee Camp in Okigwe (Second Time)

      CHAPTER 8

      Refugee Camp in Orlu

      CHAPTER 9

      Refugee Camp in Achalla

      CHAPTER 10

      Refugee Camp in Igbariam

      CHAPTER 11

      Refugee Camp in Achalla (Second Time)

      CHAPTER 12

      Refugee Camp in Oba (Ofemiri)

      CHAPTER 13

      Refugee Camp in Umuchu

      CHAPTER 14

      Return Home after the War

      CHAPTER 15

      Left Home for Enugu

      CHAPTER 16

      Return Home to Continue High School

      CHAPTER 17

      Left Home for Lagos after High School

      CHAPTER 18

      Left Nigeria for USA for University Education

      CHAPTER 19

      Life in America

      CHAPTER 20

      CHAPTER 21

      EPILOGUE

      DEDICATION

      This book is dedicated to my lovely wife, Jenny Rosemarie Nwamah, and our son, Emmanuel Jeremy Chidi Nwamah, who have brought great joy and peace into my life. They are very eager to learn more about what my life was like as a young boy growing up in my country, Nigeria, especially during the civil war. Their curiosity and excitement, coupled with constant persuasion and encouragement, prompted me to write this book.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I express special acknowledgement and appreciation to my three surviving brothers, Reuben, Gabriel, and Michael, for their contribution to making my life journey much less hard than it would have been, had it not been for their support to me during the most critical and vulnerable time in my life. I constantly hope that the bond which united us as brothers during the most uncertain and challenging time in our lives without our parents will still remain strong as we grow older. Special tribute goes to Reuben, who has lived up to the task and the responsibility as our senior brother. He has done such a remarkable job. He constantly reminds us of how far we have come and the need to stay united, even though we all have our respective families to look after. He attributed our success to the unity that bonded us together as brothers and the love and the care to see that every one of us is successful. He constantly emphasizes the importance of instilling these qualities in our children.

      I would like to acknowledge my sister-in-law, Paula A. Castro, who has shown such love, admiration, and special interest in me after hearing a little about my life story from her sister and who has taken the step to approach me to learn more about my life. When she heard the detailed story about what I went through, she was moved with passion and decided to use the information to write a mini version of my life for her final thesis in her master’s degree program. The desire to write a book had never crossed my thoughts. She was the first person to advise and encourage me to write a book. I am indebted to her and her husband, Juan, and their two beautiful daughters, Micaela and Tilly-Rose, for showing such genuine interest in me and my family.

      My acknowledgement would not be complete without expressing my profound gratitude to Dr. Carl Branker and his wife, Victoria, for their constant persuasion and encouragement to finish writing my book. Dr. Branker is my brother-in-law, the founder and the pastor of True Bread Worship Center, where my family and I attend church.

      INTRODUCTION

      T his book focuses on my life as a child growing up in my native country of Nigeria during the civil war. I was born in Nawfia, a small town which is located between the Onitsha and Enugu main road. It is three miles away from Awka, the current capital of the Anambra State, which is in Njikoka Local Government, in the Eastern Region. Having been through an ugly and bloody civil war in my country as a young boy, this book gives me an immense opportunity to share my true life experience with the knowledge it will be a source of encouragement and inspiration to the reader.

      It is my sincere hope that as you read this book, it will inspire you to look beyond your current circumstances, challenges, and limitations and focus on your potential and abilities. You must always have the tenacity and the determination to face your obstacles and challenges with the understanding that they are nothing but roadblocks you need to get around in order to get to your intended destination. It is often said that hard time does not last forever.

      For those of you who may have gone through such a terrible experience, or who are going through one now or might someday have to face some challenges of various kinds, I encourage you not give up hope, but to believe in yourself and your ability to rise above your circumstances. With sheer determination and commitment, coupled with courage and persistence, victory will be yours when all is said and done.

      Thank you for your patronage. Let this book be a source of encouragement to you, as you face the ups and downs of a life journey.

      CHAPTER 1

      Life Prior to the Civil War

      I was born in Nawfia in Anambra State, Nigeria, to the late Mr. Benedict Okoli Nwamah and Mrs. Paulina Ngbeke Nwamah. I was barely two years old when my father passed away and thirteen when my mother died. I am the last son of five surviving children of my parents, as two of my siblings died in their infancy. I was told this occurred because of early infant mortality arising from fever, childhood sickness, and disease due largely to lack of proper medical care. I was born in a culture where extended family structure is very profound and embraced. The names of my siblings in order of seniority are Bennett, Reuben, Gabriel, and Michael. The only girl (name unknown), who came after Bennett, and a boy named Samuel, who was born after Gabriel, were the two who did not survive.

      As a young boy growing up, I often wondered who these two resembled among my brothers and also what their lives would have been like, especially the baby girl, who would have been the only sister among us. My father had two brothers, whose names were Johnson Okafor Nwamah and Simon Okeke Nwamah, and three sisters. First, there was Esther Ngbankwo Akwanya, who was married into Akwanya’s family in the Ifite village in our town, and she had five children named Augustin, Abel, Edwin, Bessie, and Adeline. Next was Ngbeke Orji, who was married into Orji’s family in Nibo town, which is a few miles away from our town. She had five children named Nwachukwu, Alex, Mike, Goddy, and Ifeatu. Finally, there was Ngboye Nwaogoduogolo, who married into the family from Enugu-Ukwu town, a neighboring town, and she had four children named Okonkwo, Issiac, P.C., and David.

      My mother had two brothers, Emmanuel Nwoye and Patrick Okoye Nwoye, and a sister Nwaejiaga Ndu who married into Ndu’s family from Ifite village. Emmanuel had eight children: Peter, Paul, Joseph, Emmanuel, Felomina, Beatrice, Ngozi, and Elizabeth. Patrick had five children: Tagbo, Joseph, Ekwetosi, Chiedu, and Amelie. Both uncles on my father’s side married two wives. Uncle Johnson’s first wife, known as Mama John or popularly referred to as Mama Enugu, had eight children: John, Ebenezer, Mercy, Ifeyinwa, Njide, Christian, Obiora, and Obiageli. The second wife, Grace, also known as Mama Christopher, had six children: Christopher, Zachius, Nonye, Ebele, Okechukwu, and Ngozi. Uncle Simon’s first wife, Dinah, or Mama Chukwuwike, had six children: Chukwuwike, Ozoemena, Chuwukeluo, Comfort, Edith, and Blessing. His second wife, Christiana, has no children. My mother and Grace were from the village called Umuriamu in our town, and both belonged to the same clan. Dinah, on the other hand, came from Uruoji village, while Mama John came from Amaobia town, and Christiana from Enugu-Ukwu, a neighboring town to the south.

      I was barely two years old when my father was killed in a car accident. I was told that he worked for the military as a driver. I did not know him and had not seen even a picture of him. Therefore, I grew up without his influence in my life, and as a child, I bombarded my mother with questions about my father. I wanted to know what

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