THE NEED TO RE-ORGANIZE OHANAEZE NDIGBO IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

An Igbo Proverb says "he who does not know where rain started falling on him, will also not know where it will eventually stop".

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is the apex body of all Igbo Groups and Associations, both home and abroad.
The process which led to the formation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Southwest Nigeria (Yoruba land), is not known to many, especially the younger Igbo generation in the region who inherited an already organised forum.

The crisis taking place in almost all the southwest states and different court cases have become a concern to Igbos lately. The activities of few political jobbers who use Ohanaeze platform to mis-represent Ndigbo in the region have over the years been widely condemned and the call for re-organisation of the body in the region has become of great importance. Many have said that the quietness of the founding fathers of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in southwest Nigeria, gave room for the impunity ravaging the Igbo forum in the region.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide after many years of it's formation in Igbo land was introduced in Lagos state in September 1997, through a letter signed and given to High Chief John Uche by Professor Ben Nwabueze, mandating him to form Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos state and other Southwest states. It took two years for him to form and organize Ohanaeze in Lagos state, after which in 1999 an election was conducted and he emerged as the first elected President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos state.
HIGH CHIEF JOHN UCHE (Akpati) was President from October 1999 to October 2003 (4 year single term).

Amongst his great achievements while in office, High Chief John Uche as the first elected President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Lagos state and southwest in general, united all IGBOS and Igbo groups in the region through the formation of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in all other parts of Yoruba land. High Chief John Uche is also the first elected Ohanaeze President outside Igbo land.

Immediately after Nigeria and Biafra civil war, the military led government placed a ban on the activities of "Igbo Town Unions". In reaction, Igbo Associations outside Igbo land, especially in southwest and other parts of Nigeria were either operating as "Igbo Community, Igbo Welfare Association, Igbo Development Association", etc. High Chief John Uche (Akpati) took the campaign to all nook and cranny of Yoruba land and succeeded in establishing Ohanaeze in the region and other places, including outside Nigeria. He was Ikemba Nnewi's direct lieutenant.

High Chief John Uche who many reffer to as the father of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Southwest left good legacies and good memories. Three most important legacies he left are "Connectivity/good relationship between all IGBOS living in the entire Southwest, 4 year single term tenure, and rotation of the Ohanaeze Presidential slot to all 7 major Igbo speaking states". By this, the Presidential seat will be rotated among Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu, Imo and River states, as it is done at the national level.
These he introduced in Southwest in order to promote peace and brotherly spirit among the Igbos living in the region. The abandonment of these practices by recent leaders who took after "Idi Amin of Uganda" is responsible for all the crises in the region. These prodigal sons see Ohanaeze Presidential seat as a means to amass personal wealth and as such do everything to remain in power after the approved 4 year single term tenure. The resultant effects are endless crisis, creation of different factions of Ohanaeze and court cases. Most of these fake leaders go as far being in campaign teams of different political parties, as against the by-laws of Ohanaeze, thereby exposing Igbos and their businesses to danger. This impunity and illegality are openly practiced in Lagos state, Ondo state and others. As a result, Ohanaeze Southwest has become a shadow of itself.

THE CALL FOR REFORMATION.

"Evil thrive because good men keep quiet". There is need to reform Ohanaeze Southwest. A true reformation can only take place when the founding fathers come back to the scene. This reformation cannot be achieved by young men but Elders who understand leadership and pursue collective Igbo interest.
Another Igbo proverb says "Okenye adigi anó na úló ewu amúó na ógbú". The likes of High Chief John Uche should be called out to come and reform Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Southwest, because "Onye chóró ima ala júó ewi".


THIS IS A SUMMERY OF INTERVIEWS WITH THESE ELDER STATESMEN

1. Elder Obiefuna Ibeneme Akachukwu

2. Nze Chukwuma Nnamani

3. Chief Ukpai Okoro Ukpai

4. High Chief Onyeije Uwakwe

5. Deacon Larry Azuka Isiche

6. Chief Dike Agha

7. Chief Woji Amadi

8. Chief Mrs Nneoma Ebitimi