By: Abba Onyekachukwu, Abuja.
Barr Ifeanyichukwu Obasi Nweze, Principal Partner at Halleluyah Chambers and outgoing President of a factional Ohaneze Ndigbo in Abuja, has urged newly elected leaders to prioritize integrity, stressing that it requires fear of God, transparency, and sincerity.
The outgoing President gave them the advice after their election over the weekend in Abuja.
He said with the fear of God, transparency, and sincerity, the sky will be their limit. Adding that they should shun advice from those who are always finding one way or the other to either enrich themselves with public funds, or embezzle the public, he told them to go into leadership with selflessness, saying that with selflessness in leadership, God has his way of rewarding them.
The members of the Igbo socio-cultural organization has within the last weekend elected new officers to take over the mantle of its leadership in the FCT
Honorable Andrew Ugwu, the newly elected President of the organization has this to say: “As Ndigbo have elected me as their president for a period of four years. This to say: Today Ndigbo have decided to elect me to be the president of Ohaneze Ndigbo in the FCT Abuja for a period of four years.
“My administration will usher in a lot of goodies, a lot of powers that will benefit Ndigbo. As you know too well, in Abuja Municipal Area Council, the 65% of investment here belongs to Ndigbo, yet we are not in government. For that, I will ensure that Oh eze under my leadership will make sure that our people will be in government.
“It is very simple. You can’t give what you don’t have, in Igbo here, we have over 70% population, through our population that we negotiate and take power. In the year 1999 an Igbo man was the house of representative member, and it was as result of population.
“I know the problems of division and the solution and I’m a bridge builder. We must have one Ohaneze. You can see the declaration made by Ohaneze Ndigbo in the South East and everywhere that nobody should answer king of Ndigbo (Eze Ndigbo) and that is what we want our people to know and let them stop going against Ohaneze law and declaration in the diaspora. No more Eze Ndigbo outside Igbo, but the Ohaneze Ndigbo permitted is to have an Igbo leader (Onyendu Nd’Igbo. At the moment, we are yet to have Onyendu Nd’Igbo in the FCT and my promise is that within my leadership, we shall produce one with peace and acceptability.”
The Woman Leader, Mrs Gladys Okoro, on her own said: “Infact, Ion’t believe in division. We are coming together, and with the help of God, the incoming president will achieve it. We’ve been: calling meetings, inviting elders forums, youths, men, women, going to the other factions, trying to bring them together and they are heeding to it. They are going to accept. And all of them were ready to be one.”
Chief Emeka Victor, the newly elected Publicity Secretary, also had this to say: “People will call it faction, I believe there is one Ohaneze. People will always come where there is a number. And the problem that we have today is that we have Igbo kings in the diaspora (Eze Ndigbo in the diaspora). And as far as I’m concerned, the whole traditional rulers in Igbo land have affirmed there is nothing like that. What we have is Onyendu. As far as one Ohaneze Ndigbo in the FCT chapter is concerned, we have Andrew Ugwu as Onyendu or president. But I’m telling you today, sir, that those factions you see, we are going to call them to follow one street, okay.”
