Africa
THE sight of the photograph showing the handing over of the instruments of authority of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide from Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu of Imo state as immediate past President General to Senator John Azuta Mbata of Rivers state is in the main, one of the greatest events in Alaigbo since after the civil war in 1970.
Never has Igbo people been this united by the instrumentality of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to transit the reins of authority of Igbo leadership to the seven core Igbo States of Abia, Anambra, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and Rivers state in the spirit of *Onye aghala Nwanneya* and *Egbe bere, Ugo bere* as core values of Igbo cosmology, ethos and rigorous integration strategy in unity and love for all Igbo species worldwide.
Irrespective of the shortcomings of the January 10th, 2025 Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide election, the emergence of Senator John Azuta Mbata from the majority Igbo stock of Rivers state shows great sensitivity, flexibility, sensibility and stability of the Igbo race in the comity of global nationalities of Nation-states.
The sublime dexterity, maturity, security and sagacity by which the seven Governors arrived at accord Concordia in unanimously endorsing on non partisan basis, the election of Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata as the current President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo is highly commendable, respectable and dignifying for the Igbo race worldwide. Great commendations also goes to our forebears that formed Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide way back in 1973 as that action has deliberately reversed the intended eternal bifurcation of Ndigbo Worldwide by the Federalists whose twelve states creation structure in 1967 was targeted at undermining, demeaning and defeating Igbo unity by political surrogacy.
What Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has achieved between 1973 to 2025 (52 years) is to pull Igbo back to pre 1966 exultant artifice of Igbo industry, resilience, discovery, strength and togetherness to reinvent Ndigbo Worldwide in readiness for a new vista of Igbo greatness at the dawn of the 21st century.
Going down memory lane, Igbo race did not abandon it’s son, Colonel Chukwuma Patrick Kaduna Nzeogwu from a tribe of Igbo land at Okpanam, in today’s Delta state, who led a dastardly military putsch against the Federal Republic of Nigeria without any mainstream Igbo knowledge or support but which coup of January 1965, set Igbo race against the rest of Nigeria. Igbo land was completely trampled, pummelled, devastated, degraded and recklessly destroyed by the Federal Government of Nigeria armed forces between 1967 to 1970. Igbo race became displaced, dislodged, disengaged, dismembered and discredited from mainstream Nigeria political, military, economic and bureaucratic architecture since 1970 till date.
But by the machinery of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Igbo in Delta state or Anioma Igbo has received the baton of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership when distinguished technocrat Chief Ralph Uwechue of Igbo extraction from Delta state became the third President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and used his tenure to unite Anioma Igbo with the rest of IGBO race and the healing, forgiveness and reconciliation has become permanent to the glory of God.
Today, many Igbo go to Anioma to buy land, build, do businesses and live there without harassment or molestation of any kind in living together in unity and love. What Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide achieved in reintegrating Anioma Igbo into mainstream Igbo races without grudges or a sense of loss as a result of the civil war of 1967 to 1970 is what it has now set in motion to achieve by transmitting the reins of authority of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership to Igbo tribe of Rivers state (Igweocha) under the leadership of Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata.
The issue or animosity around Igweocha Igbo as the original name of Ndigbo in Rivers state, percolates around the abandoned property imbroglio after the civil war in 1970 in which most Igbo people that lived, built and spent their whole live’s investments in Porthacourt lost their assets to fellow Igbo by the instigation and conspiracies of Federalist leadership.
However, IGBO have moved on thereafter to rediscover essence, presence and conscience in forgiveness, love and unity which has produced the transition of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership authority to Ndigbo in Rivers state through the election of Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata as the current President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.
It is every one’s wish that Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership acceded to Ndigbo in Rivers state (Igweocha), will achieve for Alaigbo and Ndigbo what Chief Ralph Uwechue did in consciously, intentionally, steadfastly, and conscientiously achieved in reintegrating Anioma Igbo into mainstream Igbo races etymology, cosmology and psychology. *Nigeria cannot reunite IGBO but only Ndigbo can reunite themselves which Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership has achieved in post civil war Nigeria.*
When politicians from other parts of Nigeria denigrate IGBO by saying that Igbo are not united, they do not mean that we hate or fight each other, rather they are reminding us that they have divided us by 1967 through dubious states creation exercise and believe IGBO can never be together or united again.
To the glory of God, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership has put a lie to the thoughts of those that want Igbo divided, diminished, destroyed, discredited and despondent.
Igbo race stood in support of the election victory of President Goodluck Jonathan from Bayelsa state in 2011. Igbo stood in support of the South South zone during the struggle for oil derivation fund sharing template by which 13% derivation formula was eventually approved by the Federal Government.
Inspite of the unfortunate trends of insecurity in the South East zone, IGBO has not allowed it to spill over into either Delta or Rivers state for the sake of ethnic preservation and cohesion bearing in mind the sinister accentuations of insecurity in the South East by external forces against IGBO unity.
Finally, this picture showing the out gone President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Nze Fidelis Ozichukwu Chukwu handing over the reins of authority of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership to a new Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide President General, Senator John Azuta Mbata of Igbo extraction in Rivers state bears great symbolisms to:
*Surety of total Igbo race unity.* *Reinvention of Igbo global identity.* *Redefinition of Igbo egalitarianism, equity and fair play.* *Reemergence of Igbo industrial and economic take off in the 21st century.* Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata must ensure that these broad objectives are captured in his daily leadership itenary in the next four years as President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. Distinguished Senator John Azuta Mbata should begin the process of reinventing Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide through: *New constitution drafting for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.*
*Restructuring of the apparatuses of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide administrative machinery for effective and efficient service delivery.*
*Engagement of prominent Igbo scholars and academia to help him rediscover new frontiers of Igbo integration politically, economically, socially and otherwise.*
*Identification and reintegration of IGBO in other states of Nigeria beyond the seven largest holdings of Igbo population.*
*Inclusiveness of Igbo women and youths in reengineering Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership impetus and societal coherence.*
*Audit the accounts of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and establish a new and modern Accounting Reporting system to enable Diaspora Igbo trust and contribute funds to Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide for home land development.*
*Enforce an Annual General Meeting (AGM) procedure every December of the year at which the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide will render records of his performances and stewardship to Ndigbo Worldwide.
* As we celebrate Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide leadership today, may our generation bequeath a stronger, better, efficient and rapid responding Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to build upon for the eternal survival of the IGBO race worldwide. God bless Ndigbo! God bless Alaigbo.
God bless Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. God bless Nigeria.
***Steve Nwabuko is the secretary general of the CCDI Group.
A.I
Feb. 7, 2025
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