Nigeria Content Online

The burial ceremony
of publisher, Appolos Oguwike, publisher of Onitsha Market Literature
fame, held on Friday, September 17 in his hometown of Alaenyi Ogwa in
Imo State. Oguwike, proprietor of Apollos Brothers Press (Nig) Ltd and
a major player in publishing pulp fiction genre referred to as Onitsha
Market Literature, died on July 26.

He published Ogali
A. Ogali’s popular ‘Veronica My Daughter’ and ‘Alice in the Romance of
Love’ amongst many other titles. Until his death, Oguwike was the Odu
(prime minister) of Alaenyi Ogwa.

Born in October
1935, Oguwike had his primary school education in his hometown but
could not go further because of financial constraints. He, thereafter,
resorted to trading in books and stationery, after understudying his
uncle. Oguwike later established the popular and still surviving
Appolos Brothers Press, which produced numerous titles, including
Ogali’s ‘Veronica My Daughter’ – a classic of the genre.

Apart from
publishing and trading in books, Oguwike was also an active community
leader. He was made the Nze I of his kindred, Umuezelaeze, in 1996 and
the Odu (prime minister) when Alaenyi Ogwa became autonomous in 2000.

President General of the town union, Kenneth Nwanguma, disclosed
that the 2010 Irriji (New Yam Festival) of the community has been
postponed in honour of the late publisher.