My Lord

Every family has at least one palm tree, no matter how poor; it is akin to an Arab man not having a donkey, camel or some with goats. It was must have then in 50’s. It serves battalion of purposes: Red oil, broom, thatches, lotion, soap, goat, sheeps food, wine and religious rituals etc. all comes from it.

Mrs Okwe was of average height that equals her weight. She usually had a disarming smile on her that arrest any person she comes across. Not educated but wise. She knew from observation that most people were poor in her village due to impatience and ignorance. She knew that most families has numbers of lands that her husband has, but planting the palm trees, tending it for five years is what most of them were not willing to do. Most prefer to see the dividend of their labour the same year it was expended not five. So, they opted for yam cultivation.

Mrs Okwe was into soap making then, she maximized 70 percent of her arable land for palm tree planting. She initial wanted to focus on palm oil mainly; but she calculated that she would get stuck with hundreds of gallons of unsold oils. So, she veered into soap making. She converted one plot of her land into warehouse and factory if the make shift batchers would pass as warehouse and factory.

Most of her workers in that factory were the same yam planters see five as fifty years and could not wait for five year. Most of the know how the work needs were already in born in the workers for that had been the only method of producing soap in Biafran land since people started living communal life.

The materials for producing the soap all comes from the palm tree only water and some fire wood. Palm tree peak season is always between November to April. But the tree itself is like African orange that produces fruits twelve calendar months non-stop. Just cut down the palm head, instead of removing the kernel one by one, you just cut them off. That part that seeds grows in is what you need and the oil from the nut. Burn the parts and take its ashes, put it in water and decant to remove unwanted materials then boil. When it turns to a kind of starch, mix with oil preferably from the palm nut that is about to go bad and stir. Once it is well blended, you have a medicinal soap believed to cure some diseases. 

That was Mrs Okwe’s profession in 50s and 60s. she had hired workers that work in all stages of the production. Those that tends to the palm trees, those that do the cutting, those that do the burning, boiling and mixing. She virtually dominated the soap industry in 50s and 60s for most people don’t even see modern soap to buy then during colonial era and most prefer madam Okwe’s soap as it was known.

In 70s, it was still a force to reckon with, even though the modern bar soap has virtually reduced madam Okwe’s soap to only 30 percent of market share. Her son that returned from Britain after education was reluctant to go into the business, he turned the soap into modern one by producing bar and toilet soaps in the same name of madam Okwe’s soap. Hired people to manage the company and was selling most of the items that comes from the palm trees to other companies while working in newspaper form

Mr Miko Okwe was of normal height and weight just like his parents, unlike his parents, he don’t have that jovial nature. He like to hit the nail on the head and get on with other things. Not that he lack patience, but he believe that white-collar work is where his calling is not blue. So, in late seventies when he came back to Nigeria and his aged parent was lining up work for him in the family business of local soap production, he rejected it out rightly for he don’t see bright future in the business, above all, he don’t see himself as a farmer.

“I know you see the business as local, you can modernize it and buy machines from Malaysia” the mother said.

“That is not the problem, the soap has lost it appeal to peoples. modern day soap factory are spring up everywhere nowadays and people are switching over” he said.

“People are still buying, three months ago, one man from Ghana bought half lorry of the soap”

“Yea, he will buy another half lorry next year”

“What are you suggesting we do now, your younger brother is still in school” the mother enquired.

“I will buy machines to cut off most of the manual labour involved, search and see if I can see buyers of by-products of the palm kernel.”

Two years later, the demand for the local soap were still poor despite the price being reduced significantly after importing machines from Malaysia. So, Mr Miko decided to build modern bar and toilet soap factory in five plots of land they have near Onitsha. When the factory was ready, he started producing bar and toilet soaps under the same name of madam Okwe’s soap. Initially, there was positive response from customers that knew the name for three decades, and after two years of progress, stagnancy set in. It stayed like that for a year plus, the manager who happened to be their cousin was quarreling with the suppliers. They were accusing themselves of being behind the poor performance of the factory. The suppliers was claiming that the management was owing them 12 million being remaining payment on oil, caustic soda and perfume. The manager was threatening to sue them for supplying him with fake materials that drove away his customers that took him years to build.

“I told you that what you are buying came from china not Germany, didn’t i?” supplier asked.

“But you did not tell me it is this bad, only that it came from china”

“Yea, but I told you time without number that the materials were Chinese made. Are you telling me you don’t know what that phrase means?”

“I don’t know”

“Well, you do now, all I need is my money. Next time, you will pay attention to quality not quantity”

“I am not paying; I am changing to competent supplier”

“Then, I am sorry to say that we will have to see each other in court”

Idemili high court was a long light-white, single-story building on the inside of other long buildings of the same type that serve as office of the Idemili South Local Government Area secretariat. On one side of the building is mini football pitch that serves many purposes to the Amanda of primary and secondary school children under the local Government. In front just across two-lane road was a street that serves as a buffer between the illiterate masses and semi illiterate Government worker of the local Government.  

This was where the supplier summoned the manager of madam Okwe’s soap to settle their dispute. When the proceedings began and introduction done by the plaintiff and defendant lawyer, when it was time to cross question the manager, he blatantly refused to address the presiding judge as “My Lord” claiming that he has only one Lord as Christian and that his Lord is in heaven not in Idemili High Court. At the end of the proceedings, he was found guilty and told to reimburse the supplier the money own him and another ten million for settlement of his court expenses.

After paying twenty-two plus something million, Mr Miko Okwe called family meeting and announced to them after briefing them of all that happened that they won’t be continuing the long-standing family soap making business due to combination of many factors.