What's in a name...and an affidavit?

1997

 I have never changed my name as an adult nor was I told that my name changed as a child. My name Ijeoma Monica Njoku has served me since infancy. It has become a nut too hard to crack, hasn't it? Names are considered an important aspect of human existence. Humans name one another and even their environment. It has been this way for many centuries. All human societies have a naming system. In fact, it's safe to say that one of the first things that man was able to do was to peg a name to things and people before he learnt to count. Today, naming ceremonies have become popular in many African societies especially among the Yoruba of Nigeria. Unfortunately, not all societies have deemed it sane to have any attachment to their names. The practice has become entrenched that even the Law has been employed to foster name racketeering. Affidavits, which are written statements confirmed by oath or affirmation, for use as evidence in court, have become the new stratagem for fostering name fraud in Nigeria especially among the Igbo. Why do name change come with an affidavit? Have you had to change your name at any time in your life especially in adulthood? Why?

Fall,2007

Fall,2007

Spring,2011

1997

2007

Utah,2006

YoungShallGrow

Many years, it was uncommon to find two Ijeoma Njoku in any locality. But this hasn't been the case in recent time. I have had to do a little internet search on my name on Google. And voila! My name has grown many phrases and clauses. It's possible that Ijeoma Njoku has become a very popular name with many middle names attached to it. In my sense of importance, I began to wonder what brought out such outpouring of naming for a single name. Chei! It must be this unemployment thing flying around like the rested COVID-19. Anyway, it must be that people have lost their own names and have decided to give themselves a new name. And it had to be mine. Lordamercy.

To be continued....