Sir Innocent Ojike, aka OJICAM, is an indigene of Odumodu Umunya in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State. He was born by Late Mr Bennett Ojike (Big Ben), who was from Irudekwo (now Iruoma) clan.
In the early seventies, people liked making memory through taking photographs and probably enlarging some special ones occasionally.
Odumodu is a little bit off the center of Umunya. It is an outskirt village in Umunya. It has border with Nteje and Awkuzu.
There were few photographers who could meet the needs of the people then. One notable photographer that almost anybody who had come of age by 1972 patronized was called Ajasco. He was a native of Abba and had his studio somewhere around Oye Agu Abagana. He came around occasionally to snap people and arrange for instalment payment.
Things changed when one man from Odumodu in the person of Late Bennett Ojike came back from South-south. One of his kinsman game him a portion of land where he built his studio which was the first in the village. He later combined it with provision.
The Ojike Family is moderately large. They used to have George who stayed in Lagos with his family. There was Eze Nkpologwugwu, a notable traditional doctor. There was also Nweke Uduaga, the wine tapper.
The above is a mild chronicle of the Ojike descendants.
The Ojikes are prominent in their various professions and vocations. There are Ojike Lagos; Ojike the traditionalist and some others.
One would now know why Sir Innocent Ojike the son of the first person to set up a photo studio in the whole of Odumodu decided to distinguish his own Ojike with the camera that brought fame to the family in the seventies up to early eighties. OJICAM is short for Ojike, the camera specialist.
His father, Late Bennett Ojike scored first in his vocation cum profession. Presently, the young Innocent Ojike is a Knight of the Anglican Church, another first. Then, the big first; the first elected person from Odumodu to represent Oyi in Anambra State Assembly.
As his father went to the land of the Ijaws and came back with noble profession then, so has the young Innocent come home to impact the lives of the people like his father did way back.
The word for him this time is that he should endeavour to set a standard for people to talk about when he is around and when he might have left the stage.