National Confab: women Group commend Jonathan, ask for slot

By Emeka Ibemere

Following the plan by the present government for the convocation of National Sovereign Conference, to discuss the way forward for the country, a Non Governmental Organization that seeks for the interest of rural women in the country has commended President Goodluck Jonathan’s democratic initiative in answering the clarion call to convocate National Conference.

   All State Woman Association of Nigeria in their last Independence general conference in Lagos State, while reviewing the President’s Independence speech praised Jonathan for his able leadership in trying to bring the country together, despite all the provocations from those who want power by all means.

Barrister Temple Nnedum, President General of the organization stated that the president’s move should be applauded by well meaning Nigerians. According to Nnedum, this has been the desires of many Nigerians in order to fix Nigeria in the right direction and that now that the President has yearned to the call, which everything possible should be done in order not to truncate it adding that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.

 “This has been the desire of Nigerian people but something kept on deterring it. We thank God that he has finally intervened on Unity of Nigerian people. We welcome such conference but we are asking that there should be no limit to the discussion to allow everyone to flow”.

Nnedum said there should be no grey areas or no go area in the Conference and urged the government to keep it open for democratic discussion.

The Association asked that no member of the National Assembly should be allowed to make any input on the members of the Committee because according to them, they are all biased politicians who would only allow their political interest to be discussed to the detriment of the national peace, unity and development.

The President of the Association called for community representation where each of the communities in Nigeria would be allowed to appoint their representatives rather than using those politicians at the NASS to discuss on the interest of the communities. The Group also called for the inclusion of professional bodies, Non Governmental Organizations (NGO), religious organizations, students, women groups, market women, labour unions, Teachers and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

“Also, we are demanding that members of the conference should be seen from the community chosen and NASS will not be inclusive due to the fact that their political minds are biased. So, we cannot get the best from them. In all we congratulate Mr. President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, over his independence celebration speech which was very clear and filled with great reforms and idea”, Nnedum stated.

Nnedum said with the move to discuss about the unity of Nigeria which the President has put in place, that it has reinforced the Group’s believe that the President meant well for Nigeria and her unity.  “Indeed, it speaks of Mr. President’s love for one nation, unity of Nigeria and her development”, she said.

“Also, we are of the opinion that this national dialogue should not be left in the hands of politicians and we pray that the proposed Committees set up to bring about the modalities of the national dialogue will take it upon themselves to fashion out the best necessary modalities”.

All State Women Association of Nigeria Worldwide; supported The president on the names chosen and praised him for  selecting men and women of integrity who have been  tested and trusted as elderly Statesmen and women and prayed that they should put first the interest of then country before other tribal, ethnic and political affiliations.

 “The names listed are well selected and trusted, and we believe that they will come with good and great arrangement and we advocate for community- leader- representation to allow equal representation at the conference where nobody, group, professional body or individuals will start crying for marginalization.” According to the Group, the choice of those that would represent their people shouldn’t be lord over their people and called for election by each community, zones, constituencies, local governments and states to select who will represent them. The Group frowned at the level where the Chiefs, Obas and Emirs would hijack the process at the community level and appoint political stooges to represent their communities.

 “Everyone has to discuss on how we can live as one united nation and fashion out the best laws that can bring love and peace to Nigerians. And All State Women Association of Nigeria Worldwide; wishes to demand from President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the Senate President to consider the role of women in society when their fate would be discussed at the Confab”. The President General stated.

 She said that Nigerian women must be well represented at the Confab while calling on National Council Women Society of Nigeria (NCWS) to prepare well for the conference by employing the services of all the women NGOs in the country for the sovereign national conference, which Nnedum said must be based on representation from the grassroots from all the Nigeria communities.

“We are of the opinion that we will speak better as neutral and people that relates with the grassroots”.   

In another development, the Group condemned the killing of over 60 students in Borno by the Boko Haram goons and called for cease fire. The Association said it’s high time the Sect dropped their bombs and embrace peace for the continued existence of Nigeria.

Nnedum advocated that the Sectarian group should key into the opportunity provided by the President to come to the Confab and said their views on the way forward adding that the best way to let the nation know their  agitations was to go to the round-table conference.

“Under the arranged Confab, I think the opportunity for Boko Haram to speak is now. Let them come to the Confab and said their grievances”, Nnedum pleaded.

“We use this medium to appeal to Boko Haram to have a change of heart and use this 53^rd independence anniversary of Nigeria, and the Confab to stop their deadly act. We also are not happy about it, as mothers. We are on our knees; we ask that they stop, whatever be the cause; let them allow it to be discussed at the Sovereign National Conference”.

New yam festival: High Chief cry for help over threat to life

By Emeka Ibemere

Tension in Ogwashi-Uku, Idemili Local Government Area, of Delta State, is all time high. There is anger in the land, too; and emotion has taking flight to height above sea level. Over what you may ask?

Inne festival, which comes up today, Monday 14 October, 2013, at the palace of Agidiehe quarters. This festival has generated a lot of bad blood since this year’s own was fixed. Over five people have been allegedly killed in crises over the Obiship in Ogwashi-Uku kingdom between the families Obi Felix Ogochukwuka 11 of Deiyi royal family of Agidiehe quarters and Umu obi Obahai royal family.

Despite the Appeal Court ruling in Benin City on the legal tussle over the Obiship of Ogwashi Uku kingdom headquarters of Aniocha, South Local Government Area of Delta State, peace has eluded the community. The court had declared the Umu obi Obahai royal family as the only family qualified to produce obi of Ogwashi Uku. The court ruling said Professor Chukwuka Okonjo is the authentic Obi of Ogwashi Uku after the High Court in Delta State removed from the throne, Obi Felix Ogochukwuka 11 of Deiyi royal family in 2007. The Nigerian Army, mobile policemen and other security agencies have been deployed in the area following the Inne festival which holds on Monday; today apparently to prevent Deiyi royal family of Agidiahe, who claiming the heir apparent to the Obiship from celebrating the Inne.

Ogwashi-Uku people said they don’t want a ruler who doesn’t know their customs and tradition to be their monarch and refused Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, the father of the coordinating Minister for Finance and Economic Planning, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala from Umu obi Obahai royal family, from celebrating the new yam festival, last week.

  The Agidiahe quarters who spoke through their leader, HH Nwajei Chuks Nwajei, Agumba and Akaji obi of Ogwashi-Uku on weekend raised an alarm over threats from the Umu obi Obahai royal family, whom he has accused to have plotted to kill him should he enter Ogwashi-Uku to celebrate the new yam festival on Monday in disregard to the order of the sectional Obi represented by Professor Chukwuka Okonjo.

“Infact on Wednesday October 9, professor Okonjo ordered truck loads of soldiers again to Ogwashi-Uku because he alleged that he wanted to do his new yam festival in deviance of the traditional customs of the people of Ogwashi Uku. Therefore, when the soldiers invaded the town, my people said ‘over five truck loads of soldiers, Airforce, mobile policemen, customs officials, and police beat up a lot of people, detained a lot of people and the boys decided to come out and they were almost marching down to the palace, when he saw that even the citizenry came out to protest the invasion of the community, he stopped.", Nwajei said. “Despite all the guns and uniform, he got to the roundabout and turned back”.

Nwajei said its custom that the new yam must be celebrated on that date and that nothing, including the threats to his life could stop it, no matter many forces sent to Ogwashi-Uku.

“My festival is coming up on Monday (Today), as scheduled and because it’s coming up on Monday, they have told people that immediately I come to Ogwashi-Uku that they were going to assassinate me”, he added.

 “I’m not afraid of death because, I know that my cause is clear and unbiased. I know that my struggle and cause are supported by 99 percent of Ogwashi-Uku people. I’m never afraid”. The High Chief disclosed that the threats were sent to his younger brothers in his village warning him about coming home on Monday for the festival. Asked whether he has alerted police high commands, he said.

 “They are coming directly from the people they have told how they will eliminate me. They cannot call me on phone because they know that I can record their voices. They have met my mother, they have met my sisters, they have met our community youth leader. There is one Aloma, who said that Okonjo said that now that Agumba doesn’t want him to rest; he will put him on the ground and will not allow him to rest”. On alerting the police high authorities, Nwajei stated that the police in Delta State have been compromised and that he was not safe going to them anymore.

“I have not. When you are talking about the police in Delta, who are the people giving him truck loads of mobile policemen? I know for sure that the commissioner of police, Aduba is a professional. I also know that his team are professionals but I do not know why Aduba should be used politically by one man”, he added. “Last year, Aduba himself told me that he has an ‘order from the above’, to bring me down to Abuja but because he has investigated and know the truth, he even told me that in Onitsha, they have two people claiming the Igweship of Onitsha, that he wasn’t ready to take me to Abuja”.

Nwajei told journalists on Wednesday that he is asking the government to quickly withdraw the forces deployed to Ogwashi-Uku and called police to order. He said he doesn’t know why an Obi should invite hundreds of soldiers and police with tax payer’s money at these austere times, when the nation is talking of being broke. 

“My prayers are that the Presidency, should call Okonjo Iweala to order because, professor Okonjo is not a rich man and where he is getting his money to hire truck loads of security personnel is from his daughter and the daughter is public servant”.

“They are subjugating the people of Ogwashi-Uku to second slavery. How can the king be celebrating his new yam festival and he is deploying the army and others to go and fight and kill his people, something is wrong. He has no powers to call them; the person behind all these things is Ngozi Okonjo Iweala. My prayer is let Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, who cannot give his people water, good roads, electricity or free education come down to Ogwashi-Uku, and become the Queen or the King”.

According to Nwajei, the Minister cannot make his father a proxy and he would be killing his people. “Let Okonjo Iweala withdraw the soldiers her father is using to intimidate, harass and suppress our people. Let Okonjo-Iweala stop giving our people rice. She gives the community rice, beans and garri in the guise of doing them good but killing them with the soldiers he deployed to Ogwashi-Uku”. He emphasis the fact that there are powers behind Okonjo, but that the power of the people is more powerful. According to him, he has the mandate of the gods in Ogwashi-Uku to carry out his spiritual responsibility to the people of Ogwashi-Uku and that was why the festival must hold. “No way! I cannot cancel it or shift it; it’s the custom of the land which must be held. The custom says, it must be on every October 14, its yearly ritual that must be observed. I’m having this chat with you so that if i die on Monday as they have planned, Nigerians will know who killed me, Professor Ngozi Okonjo Iweala and her father, professor Okonjo and that is why am taking it seriously”, he emphasised.

“More than five people have been killed in the last two weeks concerning this new yam festival. On Wednesday, they told me that the Army slapped somebody and his eyes gone out of its socket that is to tell you that this man is not a leader”. So, I’m calling on David Mark, the Senate President who has the right to call for the withdrawal of the soldiers, to go back to their barracks, am calling on the President to call his Finance Minister to order because, I know that Professor Okonjo, has no right, no money to hire such heavy forces against our people, calling on the IG, to call his men to order, am calling on the Chief of army Staff, to withdraw these soldiers from the sleepy town of Ogwashi Uku. We are not Boko Haram and Ogwashi Uku community is not an enclave of Boko Haram”.

Nwajei, who is also one of the king-makers in Ogwashi-Uku said, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, shouldn’t allow one man to be going with hundreds of security personnel while other areas are under-policed wondering where he gets money to finance the type of security attached to him.

“Our issue is with the President, Goodluck Jonathan, does the president allow one man when salaries have not been paid, when we are hearing that the nation is broke, and that the federal government is in deficit, states were not given their allocations but as some money to give to one man because the daughter is a finance Minister of this country to deploy military, the mobile police men, the customs with the resources of this country”.

 “The Ogwashi Uku community is now thinking that what the Okonjo is doing in Ogwashi-Uku has the support of the presidency, he said. “I’m now appealing to the Chief of defence staff, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Inspector General of the police, and the Chief of army staff to call their men to order. No one man can be using the resources of this country to suppress his people”.

Agumba Ogwashi-Uku said the people of Ogwashi Uku, are peace loving people.

“What we are saying is that; we do not want Professor Okonjo as our obi. Our appeal is that it has come to a stage, where the government has to come to our aid. If not for the way I have been telling my people; ‘let us be cowards for now’, remain peaceful things would have gone worse. We have been appealing to this government to see what they can do for us. I think they are our leaders, to stop Okonjo, to stop dehumanizing our people. It’s just like Odi now, where you can come and kill people, and go scot free, but it will reach a stage that the community and all the Ogwashi-Uku will rise and fight for their rights”.

“Following my interview with your Daily Newswatch, I have been receiving threats to my life that the soldiers are waiting to deal with me. I’m taking it seriously because; this is not the first time. Last year, they mobilize over 12 lorry loads of police, army, anti- terrorism and anti-kidnapping squads from Warri and alleged that I kidnapped the governor’s brother. They came to my ogwa (private Obi) and destroyed everything but the instruction was to kill me. They were in Ogwashi-Uku to kill me. When they got there, they met my mother, my wife and arrested some of my brothers”, he explained. “They took some of my licensed guns. I took them to court and they brought the guns back by themselves and apologised. If I were around, they would have killed me and how much did they give to these uniformed men, N600, 000”.

“Now, they are threatening me again. One of their men called Aloma, met one of my brothers and told him that they are waiting for me at Ogwashi-Uku. Aloma, whom professor Okonjo wanted to make the chairman of the village vigilante, was the one who told my brothers that they have perfected plans to eliminate me and that the moment I get to Ogwashi-Uku; they are going to deal with me because am giving them a lot of hit. I am not afraid of my life, but I need to tell Nigerians that this is happening to me”, according to him, “If am lying, let them take me to court and sue me for libel. You cannot be leading your people and be killing them. There is no way an Obi should be holding his ceremony, with detachment of soldiers, the police, the mobile police, the army, the customs and other security agencies, that shows that he has no support of people of Ogwashi-Uku. You cannot be intimidating your people and at the same time being their ruler”. The worried Nwajei said the truck loads of security operatives were drafted to Ogwashi-Uku because of his festival. According to him, Okonjo wants to disrupt his Inne festival on Monday.

“That is it. He claimed that he was doing his festival and if you are doing your festival, must it be with truck loads of police and army? Ogwashi people said they are not going to do the festival with him because he is not their authentic Obi and that he is not acceptable to them. He is afraid of me because I’m telling him the truth that that Obiship throne is on quicksand and he is going to quit that throne sooner, because he has desecrated the throne with bloody hands by employing the services of the soldiers that killed Ogwashi-Uku people”, he stated. “He stained his hands with the blood of Ogwashi-Uku people and that is what he is afraid of. He is just like a Ceaser who made his horse a senator, Okonjo wants to make Ogwashi-Uku people his stepping stone but we are saying we do not want him to intimidate us any other more. He has done enough and we think that enough is enough. It has reached a point when a goat will begin to bite”.

Nwajei said peace would only return to Ogwashi Uku when Okonjo ceases to an Obi. “Peace will only return when Okonjo Iweala leaves the people of Ogwashi-Uku alone; when he step down as Obi. We are not fighting him. How can we fight him? What we are saying is that he should leave us alone. If he is doing his festival with soldiers allow us to do our own with our people; that are our appeal. Let him not debar us from doing our own ceremony. We are calling on our youths not to fight, am calling on them to remain calm and peaceful as they have been in the past. The venue of the ceremony is at the palace. I will leave my ogwa (my personal palace), and move to the palace of the authentic Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, and that is the norm. This was what he tried to do on Wednesday, but our people refused to follow him, because he is not there Obi. He has no palace and claims to be an Obi. He leaves his house and was going to the palace, which showed that he wasn’t in charge. They stopped him but I will walk to the palace on Monday and nobody will stop me. Let Okonjo and his soldiers stop me”.

He urged Okonjo to allow them to celebrate the annual Inne festival.

Daily signpost: Home Coming for first set of UNN graduates

Daily signpost: Home Coming for first set of UNN graduates: By Emeka Ibemere                        It was one sunny Saturday October 5, 2013, at the University auditorium.   He walked ...

Home Coming for first set of UNN graduates

By Emeka Ibemere                      

It was one sunny Saturday October 5, 2013, at the University auditorium.  He walked on solicited, clutching his certificate and reeling out his registration number; as the first student on the roll of 15 students that started the first indigenous autonomous university in Nigeria.

For Ninety-three years old Elder- Chief Christopher Nzekwe Eneasato, it was  returning to home- the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), where he started his quest for higher learning, after exactly 53 years of graduation.

Eneasato was the first of the pioneers invited by the Vice Chancellor of the UNN, Prof Bartho Okolo as the first Nigeria higher education institution, honoured the pioneers whose exploits and successes so far validated the idea of a wholly Nigerian university, an idea hitherto derided as fantasy.

Few weeks ago, UNN rolled out the drums and red carpets to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the graduation of the pathfinders as part of the annual Founder’s Day celebration and lecture of the institution.

The outstanding performance of the 1963, set at the competitive civil service examination gave the institution an enviable brand name and silenced derisive criticisms that trailed the establishment of the institution.

University of Nigeria opened its large sprawling gates to only 200 students on October 7, 1960, a few days after the declaration of Independence by Nigeria by 1963, 150 of those students graduated with degrees of the university.

Among the pioneers who reported for the 50^th Anniversary celebration were five professors including the best graduating student of the class of ’63, Professor Johnson Asiegbu.  Others were Prof Peter Esedebe, Prof Romanus Egudu, Prof Onigu Otite, and emeritus Professor, O.S.B. Omoregie. Also present were Retired Captain S.O. Ehiede, Chief S.I. Ayela-Uwangu, Chief M.I. Momoh, and Raphael Nwamefor.  The others included Mrs Comfort Ukwu (nee Akwah), Sir Sydney Onyegbuna, Mrs Maria Anyaegbunam, Chief Martin. O. Anih and a representative of Dr. Eleazu Ibeabuchi.

It was gathered that their feats are now part of the folklore of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. Asiegbu for instance obtained a First Class in Political Science and went on to a bag Doctor of Philosophy after a programme at the University of Cambridge. According to the University’s reports, the first batch of graduates performed excellently in the Civil Service Examination ahead of their counterparts from other universities in Nigeria and abroad.

UNN Vice Chancellor Prof Bartho Okolo recalled in an address at the epochal event: “It is public knowledge that some pessimists doubted the need for the establishment of the University of Nigeria at the time of its founding. However, the first real test of the comparative abilities of our pioneer graduates, came in the form of an examination into the National Civil Service”, he stated.

“This distinguished generation of Lions and Lionesses excelled beyond anyone’s imagination. It was reported that their excellent performance at that examination was the beginning of the reputation of excellence that we all enjoy at the University of Nigeria today. Their achievements opened doors for subsequent graduates of the University of Nigeria. Some of these heroes may have fallen, but an event of this nature serves to express our respect, admiration and gratitude for being worthy pioneer students and graduates of this legacy institution. We salute them! We congratulate them! We salute them for the legacy of excellence which they bequeathed to us”.

The Pro- Chancellor of the University, Sir (Dr) Emeka Enejere, said the celebration was important to reinforce the past of the University in order for people to have a better grasp of its present state, and make projection into its future.

He chronicled the history of the University from its conception stage to the establishment of the Institution on October 7, 1960. He saluted the Zion- faith the pioneer graduates had in the University at a time when many people called to question the viability of a degree awarded by a Nigerian university.

“The role you played in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka cannot be forgotten, we cannot thank you enough for bearing the name, Lions and Lionesses with dignity and candour.  Your alma- mater is proud of you, and your names shall eternally be written in the book of records of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka”, he said.

One of the pioneer graduates and the best graduating student of the 1963 class, Prof. Johnson Asiegbu, recalled how critics derided and criticised them for being students of UNN, which many of the cynics called “Zik’s Secondary School”. He said their determination to succeed amidst daunting infrastructure challenges made them resilient and focused on their mandate.

“UNN gave us an assignment when we came here in 1960, an assignment to restore the dignity of man.  We came with enthusiasm from start to the finish.  However, within the environment of the university and outside the university, we had challenges of infrastructure and how people regarded our university and us. If that challenge had affected us, it would have been a different history. Nevertheless, we never lost faith because we knew we had a duty to do to ourselves and to our country”, he added.

“Even the Federal civil service examination that was organised in 1963, was meant to prove that Nsukka graduates  were not worthy of their certificates but the table fell on the critics as Nsukka graduates gave a good account of themselves by occupying all the top positions in the examination. I am happy that the University has sustained that tradition of excellence over the years,” he said.

Prof. Solomon Omoregie, a member of the set, said that the spirit of hard work, which they learnt during their undergraduate studies in UNN, was the bedrock of their successes in their postgraduate studies abroad.

He recalled how his classmates had to line up waiting for their turn to study a particular textbook recommended by their Professors.

“If you had the opportunity to read that book for 30 minutes, you would not see it again for the whole session. That was how we started”, he said.

The octogenarian, who has special interest in poetry, donated copies of his last book to Nnamdi Azikiwe Library as part of his social responsibilities to his alma- mater.  Pioneers, P. Olisanwuche Esedebe and J Okoro Ijomah, writing in University of Nigeria 1960-1985: An Experiment in Higher Education, recalled the ridicule initial students suffered from the media, the public and students at the University College, Ibadan over some of the courses introduced by UNN including the General Studies programme.

 “The idea of (B.A) Nsukka; instead of (B.A.) London; became a standing joke. ‘Can you imagine’, asked one newspaper editor, ‘a Nigerian university with (M.A.) Awo-Omama; (PhD) Onitsha; LL.B (Jankara) and (LL.M Oshogbo)’. He did not foresee that four years after the inception of the University, B.A.  (A.B.U); B.A. (Ife); B.A (Lagos) would be a reality and a little later B.A. (Benin); B.A. Port Harcourt); B.A. Jos; B.A. Sokoto., B.A. Kano, B.A. (Calabar) and so on. Undaunted by what proved to be misguided criticisms, the authorities at Nsukka wisely stuck to the General Studies programme,” Omoregie said.

Almost all universities in the country now have a General Studies component for broadening the knowledge of students across disciplines

The peak of the event was the presentation of pencil portraits of old and young images of the celebrants by the Pro-chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of the University.  The school also launched a book in honour of the pioneers.      

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