Pinehas Nakaziko
Windhoek-During the almost 20 years he served in the National Youth Council (NYC) as a programme support officer, Samuel ‘Agies’ Aochamub became one of the biggest contributors to many Namibian youths, especially through organising events for the youth through the NYC.
Losing his father at a tender age while starting primary school, Agies says he overcame this early setback, although it was not easy growing up with a single mother, who became the sole provider for him and his siblings and who provided them with everything they needed.
This means Agies also had to double up as a father to help his mother fend for the siblings. With his mother finding it hard to make ends meet as single parent, Agies and siblings had to go to school barefoot, as there was no money to buy shoes for them.
“As a family, we were living with my grandmother and grandfather, who were full of responsibilities by taking care of young people in Arandis, despite their financially challenges. Sometimes the house will be over float with young people coming from other towns to stay at our house,” Agies born in Windhoek but grew up in Arandis with his siblings and mother in their grandparents’ home reflects on his unenviable upbringing.
He attended his primary education at the Arandis Primary School in the 1980s, where he was elected a member of the Prefect Learners Council (PLC) for a year between 1983 and 1984. In the 1990s relocated to Windhoek, where attended the Immanuel Shifidi Senior Secondary School.
At Immanuel he was elected a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC) as a Secretary for Sport and Culture in 1992, organising sport and cultural events for the school. He also became the Chief Editor of the school’s newsletter. While at Immanuel Agies also mostly became actively involved in politics besides sports engaging in different sports codes such as karate and athletics.
“After school I will always attend political events, such as Swapo meetings and the Namibia National Students’ Organisation (Nanso) meetings at church. “The difficuly is when we were always beaten by Koevoets searching where Nanso’s meetings were being held,” explains Agies.
After completing his high education in 2004, he enrolled at the Windhoek College of Education (WCE). After completing at WCE he got involved in different youth events nationally. “I can say I have achieved during this events. I became a role model for Namibian youths. I have also contributed a lot to Namibian’s youth when we established the NYC, and by organising event for young people and always being present at the events,” he says.
Agies is currently working for the NYC in the programme division where he has been for a long time. “Unleash your God-given potential and go out there and make it happen. Don’t despair, and most importantly, stay away from unreasonable people and unreasonable situations as they produce unreasonable result,” Agies advises fellow young people.