Nothing prepares people for greatness more than harsh conditions. And that is why Anthony Aliche dedicates the book, “Orphan”, to all who are not deterred by life’s misfortunes, such as his father, Aliche Ufomba.

Life is fraught with negative situations but ironically there is always light at the end of the tunnel. The pessimists always see gloom, but the optimists will always perceive boldness. Harsh socio-political, economic situations are not excuses to fail in life. This is the situation of Aliche Ufomba.

The foreword of the 141-page book aptly captures its direction. It is the story by Leonardo Ravenhall, the revivalist where it is narrated that a man visited a village and inquired from an old man if any great man has been born from the community. The answer to this inquiry was stunning. According to the old man, “no great man has been born in the community, except babies.” The argument here is that men are not born differently though it may contradict the quote by William Shakespeare that “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

Aliche, despite his poor background, achieved great heights. His life is an apt interpretation of the claim that life is a game of choice and not a game of chance. The morality here emphasises two lessons: One is that a man may begin life’s journey without advantages. Second, is that how a man starts does not necessarily define how he ends.

As the biography opens, we encounter a man who is humbled and exposed to abject poverty by the death of his parents. Aliche Ufomba is presented as an orphan, bereaved of nature’s grace. His is presented in a world which is almost stripped of its beauty.

Aliche Ufomba’s story concurs with Zig Ziegler’s position that 75 per cent of 300 world-class leaders were raised in poverty and abused as children. The “Orphan” is a moving tale of destiny where the author, Prof Anthony Ugochukwu Aliche, craftily but superbly narrates the story of his father who escaped poverty and death in his village by seeking a greener pasture in the neighboring African country, Cameroon. He had a robbery attack, but this did not pressure him to quit the stage and return as others would do. He continued his stay at Maha, Cameroon and established shops. There he broke the jinx of poverty: bought a car and had a happy family. When the environment became hostile, he returned home a great man to the admiration of his kinsmen. Aliche Ufomba, despite his humble beginning had the courage to extend his philanthropic gestures to his kinsmen. Like the saying goes that failure is an orphan but success has many parents, the “Orphan” provides an opposite picture.

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