The late Professor Sam Ukala Memorial Foundation has organized “A Day of the Great Literary and Creative Works” of the world renowned thespian who passed away in 2021..
Speaking on the occasion, which took place at the Marian Babangida Leisure Park, Anwai, Asaba on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Foundation and first son of the late Emeritus Professor, Hon Olise Ukala, said the outing was to promote and preserve the iconic works of their father
Hon Ukala said the Foundation hoped to use the celebration to create awareness and reposition Theatre Arts and Drama in the front burner of Global Entertainment Concerns, pointing out that the Foundation had started fulfilling its core objective of immortalizing the late Literary giant.
He stated that the Foundation, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, in 2022, instituted and successfully organized the maiden edition of Professor Chinedum Samuel Ukala Literary Essay Competition, also known as the Sam Ukala Prize for Literature, for secondary schools in Delta State.
The competition, the Foundation Chairman said, was to complement government’s efforts to rejuvenate the old reading and writing culture aimed at improving standards in the education sector and contributing to human capital development; a core mandate of the Oborevwori administration.
He revealed that the star prize winner of the essay competition went home with One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira, the first runner up, One Hundred Thousand Naira and the second runner up, Fifty Thousand Naira.
Hon Ukala said the Foundation also successfully collaborated with the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM–UNESCO), Federal Ministry of Tourism, Delta State Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Oshimili South Local Government Council and major stakeholders in the film industry in 2023, to bid for Asaba to be accepted and designated a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in the field of film.
He stated that the approval of Asaba as one of UNESCO’s 55 new creative cities was based on the fact that it played host to the Legendary Literary Works and Folklore of late Professor Emeritus Sam Ukala, diverse music and comedy entertainments, numerous film practitioners, as well as Arts and Crafts.
“In furtherance of our bid to fulfill another core mandate, we have also effectively donated over three thousand (3,000) copies of reprinted books authored by the Late Professor to the Delta State Library Board, Delta State University, various secondary schools, as well as individuals. The titles of books donated included the Placenta of Death, two Plays, the African Drama and Theatre, the Last Heroes, Skeletons a Collection of Stories and others.
“We have also commenced a yearly drama competition among schools in Delta State in collaboration with the Delta State Directorate of Culture and Tourism, based on the published short stories of the great Literary icon where winners will enter into mentorship programme with the Foundation and be exposed to the global theatre of the entertainment industry, somewhat similar to Broadway Theatre found in Hollywood. We are also hopeful that his authored books will be inculcated to the scademic curriculum of secondary and tertiary institutions in Nigeria and beyond”, Hon Ukala stated.
He thanked Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State University Abraka, UNDEL Agbor, Dennis Osadebay University Anwai, Asaba and others for their immense support for and contributions to the Foundation, which would enable it to contribute more to promoting and preserving the Great Literary and Creative Works of the Late Icon of Ika land.
Professor Sam Ukala was born in 1948 at Mbiri, in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta state.
He attended Ika Grammar School, Agbor before proceeding to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he bagged his first degree in English in 1977.
He had his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Theatre Arts at the University of Ibadan, and was until his death in 2021, a Professor of Theatre Arts and Drama at the Delta State University Abraka.
The late Literary Icon is survived by five children, three of whom are Ph.D holders.