Victoria C. Ukachukwu, chemistry professor and associate dean of the University College Community, became the first woman in her native Nigerian village to receive a distinguished honor for her work helping villagers get clean drinking water.
Ukachukwu was crowned with the honor of Ada bu Ugo, which translates into “endowed with divine grace.” On December 31, 2007, more than 400 people from neighboring villages traveled to celebrate Ukachukwu’s mark of distinction.
“I was really surprised by it all. I was simply trying to help in some small way,” said Ukachukwu, the first woman in the history of Ukpor to receive the honor. Ukpor, in the Nnewi South Local Government Area, is located in Nigeria’s Anambra state.
Ukachukwu received the title for planning and financing infrastructure to provide clean, pipe-borne drinking water to the residents of her community. She launched the project in 2006 during one of her yearly visits to her mother, who passed away before the project was completed.
Access to clean water is a rare commodity for many Nigerians. Ukpor has rocky landscaping and many hills, making access to clean water difficult. Residents’ health is compromised by poor water quality, and many villagers are forced to use water from standing pools or from heavily polluted lakes and rivers without adequate purification.
Ukachukwu, a determined philanthropist with a passion for educating and helping others, is an organic chemist and first-generation college-educated female. She received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Nigeria’s University of Ibadan. She left Nigeria to study at the University of Maryland and earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology. A resident of Somerset, New Jersey, she is the mother of two daughters, Nkiruka and Chiamaka.
Ukachukwu initially felt it wasn’t necessary to return to Ukpor for the ceremony. But her younger sister and other family members persisted.
“When my family took great lengths to explain the importance of my contribution to the town and how the community felt, I finally accepted,” Ukachukwu said. “I am still overwhelmed by the significance of the title Ada bu Ugo that was conferred upon me.” Her daughters enjoyed their life as royalty, she said, “even if it was just for a day.”
Indeed, Ukachukwu was feted like royalty. She was crowned with a special diadem adorned with more than 400 jewels. She also was presented with a plaque, a staff representing authority made from the mane of a cow; ivory beads symbolic of traditional status; and a one-of-a-kind, hand-carved ivory bust of a female queen.
Ukachukwu is dedicated to continuing her work to help others help themselves, especially the people of her Nigerian hometown.
“It does not take much to make a huge difference, but the desire and the commitment must be there. I think that too often we blame our inaction on others. Change happens if we, as individuals, become more proactive,” Ukachukwu said. “Receiving a seven gun salute and witnessing the excitement of the women chanting in joy doesn’t change how I feel about the spirit in which I give, but it is an historic honor that I will cherish forever.”