In the last article of the “NIBULON’s Pride” series, we share the story of our colleague, communications specialist, Viacheslav Shpakov. Last year, Slava took an active part in the implementation of several projects in memory of the founder of NIBULON, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, including the renaming of Falieievska Street in Mykolaiv in honor of Oleksiy Opanasovych. Slava proved himself to be a creative communicator and a persistent manager, for which he was awarded the “Master of Communications and Implementation of Initiatives” award.
Read our colleague’s story about the renaming process:
“I think there is no person in Mykolaiv who doesn’t know about Oleksiy Opanasovych and his contribution to the development of the city and the southern region. His death was a huge shock and loss not only for NIBULON employees. We wanted to honor his memory and started by renaming the street. The choice of the street was not accidental. It was here that Oleksiy Opanasovych opened NIBULON’s first office and started writing the history of the company.
We must preserve and pass on the memory of our Ukrainian heroes to our descendants. And who else but Oleksiy Opanasovych played a key role in the development of Mykolaiv and the South of Ukraine? He loved Mykolaiv very much and gave his life, remaining a patriot of his city to the end.
Based on these statements, we sent a corresponding letter with an initiative from the NIBULON team to the toponymic commission and simultaneously worked to unite the efforts of caring Mykolaiv residents and, together with the community, honor the memory of the Hero of Ukraine and the honorary citizen of Mykolaiv.
The process of renaming streets has a specific algorithm and stages. There is a list of structures that make decisions one by one. In short, first, a toponymic commission is created; it recommends naming or renaming a particular street. Next, public hearings and voting by city residents take place, after which the decision is put to the vote of the city authorities. In the case of Falieievska Street, the mayor of Mykolaiv referred this issue to the head of Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, Vitalii Kim.
In May, the issue of renaming Falieievska Street in honor of Oleksiy Vadaturskyy was submitted to public hearings. All city residents registered in Mykolaiv could vote. At the time, it was crucial to maintain communication with Mykolaiv residents, remind them about voting, and, if necessary, help those who wanted to vote but faced, for example, technical difficulties, go through this process. I want to thank all the residents of Mykolaiv who spent their time and efforts to support the company and the NIBULON team. It is very valuable and important! Thank you for remembering Oleksiy Opanasovych and his contribution!
Together with local historian Oleksandr Sharafanov and political scientist Anna Soloviova, we also gave an open online lecture. These experts have devoted their lives to the research and development of Mykolaiv. During the lecture, they shared their thoughts on the updating the toponymy, drew attention to the connection between toponymy and community development, and the role of modern heroes in strengthening the morale of Ukrainians during the war. It was a very interesting and useful discussion that prompted the audience to reflect on the importance of the renaming issue.
Many people supported us during the voting, and I am very pleased with the result! I did my utmost to unite the efforts of the company’s team and the city community. It was important for me not to let down my colleagues and the Mykolaiv residents who voted for us. And of course, to pay tribute to the memory of Oleksiy Opanasovych. At the end of July, we received an official order from the head of Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration to rename Falieievska Street in honor of Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, a Hero of Ukraine and a true patriot of Mykolaiv! Oleksiy Opanasovych was not only the founder of NIBULON. He was a creative person, ideological leader who inspired and led people. And the least we can do is preserve and pass on the memory of his achievements to future generations of Ukrainians.
Renaming the street is one of many steps to commemorate Oleksiy Opanasovych. At the same time, the company has implemented other projects, such as:
- opening an exhibition at the Mykolaiv Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet
- unveiling a mural and a plaque
- presenting the first excursion in national historiography about the life’s work of millions of Ukrainians, the hard work of Ukrainian grain farmers and Oleksiy Vadaturskyy’s contribution to the modern grain history of Mykolaiv – “The Grain Paths of Mykolaiv.”
The next step in implementing our idea to immortalize the memory of the founder of NIBULON in the history of modern Ukraine will be a full-length film about his life and career, which we will present this year. But above all, we continue to work for the good of Ukraine, move forward, and develop the company that Ukraine is proud of, and our descendants will be proud of.
