₦airaland Forum

9ja_I_hail: UMU IGBO MMA MMA NU OOO.

MY DEAR IGBO BROTHERS AND SISTER I AM GLAD READING THROUGH YOUR THREAD I WILL LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR THOUGHTFUL IDEAS AND GREAT KNOWLEDGES,BECAUSE OF THIS I AM 100% CONVINCED THAT IGBO NATION HAS PEOPLE WHO CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN IN IGBO LAND THROUGH THEIR KNOWLEDGE.I WILL LIKE TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU ALL FOR MY INABILITY TO BE HERE AND CONTRIBUTE,I WAS SICK AND IT NEEDED THAT I HAVE TO FLY TO ABROAD FOR SURGERY AND I MUST TELL YOU THAT EVERYTHING WENT SUCCESSFUL AND I AM GETTING BACK TO MY FIT.I GAVE THIS TESTIMONY TO YOU MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS SO THAT YOU ALL CAN JOIN ME IN THANKING GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME,I AM GLAD TO BE HERE TYPING AND LAUGHING WITH YOU ALL AGAIN.

I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO EZE ONLYTRUTH,AND OUR HONORABLE COMMISSIONER POINTB,AND OTHERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TOWARDS THIS THREAD,MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND MAY GOD BLESS IGBOS AND FRIENDS OF IGBO NATION.

THANK YOU ALL.

My brother you are in my prayers. The truth is that there is a power FAR GREATER than any power that a human being can ever imagine. That power is GOD and he is with you my brother. Only believe that he is able to bring you back to full health and NEVER doubt, then just watch and see what would happen!
Thanks for wishing us well and supporting us.
We shall get there.

Umunna, we are making progress even if slowly, nevertheless we are progressing! The most important thing is that we MUST NEVER stop. Only by COMPLETE and TOTAL commitment would we ever get the future that we want.

@PointB, bros jisie ike. I understand what you mean. Our movement will be slow but steady with only one direction -FORWARD.

FACE: Meetings and Quorum.

I suggest that meetings should be held by leadership once every month with one month advance notice and new dates agreed at meetings. We need full commitment at the moment; therefore a quorum of 75% is needed.

Minutes of meetings held by leadership should be produced and forwarded to members via newsletter.

Observations by members regarding the minutes or new ideas should be raised by members and forwarded to the leaders either by open publication via news letter or sent to any officer and copied to the Eze. Such suggestion or observation will be discussed under matters arising, which will be a permanent feature on the group meeting agenda.

I agree with the bolded except that we should also add a provision that empowers any cabinet member to call an emergency meeting at any time. We should be able to react to emergency situations as they arise. The quorum is also fine.

My brother FACE, e be like say you be natural born bureaucrat.

FACE: In my opinion, the officers should comprise of the Eze,patrons (Founding members ?) and the cabinet. Whilst the patrons are selected via the process proposed or a modification of it,the cabinet should comprise of the people the Eze has chosen to work with and may be drawn from other members or patrons. Overwhelming members objection (simple majority vote) to the cabinet member selection should nullify such selection.

The officers will set and direct the agenda of the organisation as ratified by other members. [/b]The need for ratification will be determined by formal member complaint backed by the support of not less than 25% of registered members.

[b]The officers will create and enpower the committees to be set up and committee members may include other members. [/b]The committe level is where the different strengths and skills of members are utilised and is fully inclusive with regards to membership.

[b]The members will expect the officers to achieve results as per the set objectives and mission statement. Updates will be given via news letters.

I totally agree with all the bolded. The truth is that this constitution is a founding ad hoc constitution upon which many modifications will be imposed when the organization gets to full steam. What is important is the sustenance of the vision and vigor of the movement. As is evident, current cabinet members have shown all the required attributes of leadership; so we shall constitute founding officers of the movement. When we get to Article 6 which deals with terms of office, we shall set out ways by which we replenish the cabinet.

noiseless: Well done umunna and keep it going we shall get there, i will like to ask what sort of relationship are we supose to be having with the RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS in Igboland,and what are the responsibilties that can be given to them in general? Why i choosed to bring them in my comment is that we are all aware that some of them are very very loaded, and i doubt if they are really phisically giving back to the communties enough? Pease umunna, i really believe that religion in Igboland should be seeing doing more for the very poor in the society, either by carrying out certain projects and maintaining the projects to benefit the communities or by contributing 40-60 % of the projects it could be anything as long as it benefits the communities. Since the land is blessed with enough large and different churches/denominations, they should collectively work as a team on any project. Please i'm not trying to go hard on religion but because i know that collectively they can take on any project and get it done and wont have any dificulty, they should contribute afterall every little helps. Thank you umunna.

My brother, your idea is one of the strategies we are looking at. Churches are powerful instruments of positive change, so we would be naive not to use them to effect change. In fact I personally believe that churches have HUGE roles to play in reclaiming the future for our peoples. So, thank you for your opinion. Please remain faithful and committed to our course and cause because we need passionate people like yourself, not those seeking self aggrandizement. Thanks!

Thank you bro Sam_Ikenna and PointB,
Now, moving on to the next Article, I could not help feeling that it may not be very wise to discuss EVERY function of the committees. We can probably state their names and some of their functions, but not the strategies to be deployed.
We should brainstorm of course in the council meetings. We are only guarding against theft of ideas from us here.

So, here I go:

Article 5: [/b]Officers, Cabinet Members, [b]Committees and responsibilities

Networking: [/b]Developing connections to every necessary person, groups, agencies and bodies.

[b]Lobby: Using the connections raised by the networking committee to mount effective lobbying campaigns.

Politicking: Using various lobbying strategies to sway the political direction and maturity (grassroots awareness) of the East.

Development Planning: Formulating development strategies and forming actionable plans for development (physical and economic) for the East.

The HOWs should not be for public consumption here.

My brothers and sisters,

I want to address those who think that we should move to Igboland Forum.
With all due respect and consideration, I think they have either not followed deliberation on this thread up to this stage and simply jumped in, or that they want to surreptitiously derail our mission. Our focus is not only on Igboland, but our entire Eastern neighborhood. I feel like I have to restate it so that those who don't believe in our direction can leave us to continue in the direction we want to move.
This movement is not aiming for secession from Nigeria. On the contrary it is aiming to sustain Eastern Nigeria within the Nigerian nation. We are planning how to survive and thrive IN IT.
Past FACTS and current events in Nigeria prove that there is Eastern Nigeria. Only folks bold enough accept this truth. This is why I emphasize that the size of membership is not really important at this stage. We are developing an idea, and only those who share in that idea would naturally join. We don't want to become another Igbo group out there. We want to learn from the past, fix what is broken (not throw away the baby with the bath water) and design a future that is REALISTIC within the Nigerian nation.

So, please let's think along this line. This mission is not for the faint folks with fragile ego and light heads. It is meant for those with resolute determination to solve a problem that everybody acknowledges that it exist, but none is willing to address.

Thank you all.

@Bro Sam_Ikenna, it is well my brother. Nothing is really chiseled in stone yet. At the end of the day, we shall produce a document that reflect the core vision and mission of this movement. I personally believe that Section 2.2.3 is okay. It is broad and fluid. Don't worry, we shall never elect an Eze that would abuse ANY section of this constitution. I am confident of that.

Let's continue with the next sections as recommended by the moderator.

PointB: One_Naira, thanks for your input. Your suggestion is noted, and I believe it should be discussed on it's merit. Whatever is decided will be updated at the appropriate article/section of the constitution.

@ all,
Let's keep this thread alive. Let's hear more opinion on membership, especially online membership. How can ensure online members are not 'disenfranchise', and how can ENYI guard against online members manipulation?

It's tricky, but fundamentally important.

Let's put on our thinking caps.

Thank you again our able moderator PointB!
The simple answer to the bolded question is that we can't; not at the early stages. Let the corn and the weed grow together at first. We shall later get to the stage of membership ratification when we must have gathered speed.
Everything we are doing at this stage is just "make shift". Of course we shall have a GOOD website and other little apps crawling on it to purify registration process.

Umunna, we may have to move onto the next Section of this exercise. I believe we've gathered enough opinion for this Section. When we draft it proper, we shall cover all desires and then make a provision for future amendments.

Thanks for your hardwork and stewardship PointB.

I agree with ndu_chucks on this one (unfortunately). I saw this yesterday and decided to think about it thoroughly overnight before commenting. The first thought that entered my mind was that a camel would pass through the eye of the needle before this would be enshrined in the Nigerian constitution. I have MANY reasons for this. I have since decided to stop sharing ALL my thinking about Nigeria on Nairaland.
Suffice it to say that I would accept these only if someone double assures me that Nigeria will disintegrate precipitously afterwards. On the face value, the proposals seem to address all our problems, but what is the need of making it if you know that it would never be implemented? Why did the Ohanaeze ask us to give a person from "SS" an unprecedented support in the last election? Why is the SE and SS moving together politically in the center of Nigeria? Why is the NE, NW and part of NC supporting Buhari and CPC till date? When we answer these questions we shall meet the truth face to face. I am addicted to the truth.

But for the records, let it be noted that I do not oppose these proposals one bit. What I laugh at is its intents.

I'm very proud of you all my brothers and sisters. All your comments are very inspiring and apt. I've been very busy but I promise I will comment again within the next 12 hours.
Jisie nu ike!

remark D: Oh i see the point made about being anonymous and online... I was thinking ahead and that we have to un-anonymify ourselves once the group is sorted out and "ready to go."

I wasn't, still aren't sure how we can achieve much while being anonymous to each other and the people we are trying to reach.

I hope I have it all wrong.

We decided to be anonymous for the time being to be able to surmount a lot of obstacles: historical, geographical, personal, organizational, and developmental. A lot of organizations fail because individuals within them make the mistake of personalizing the mission instead of making it a group/institutional one. Group efforts move at snails pace. No doubt the anonymity is temporal. Once we reach a critical mass in organization, connection and development, we shall launch it offline.

I personally do not believe in failed projects. The history and geography of the Nigerian space is littered with failed movements in the North, West, East and South of the country. We don't want to be an addition to that list. What is important is what we are doing to build the base, not in the number of members,(for now).
We are already achieving something, though it may not be so obvious. The achievement is subtle but very much there.

Thanks for your honest counsel.

re@lchange:
now that this thread is getting serious watch as noisemakers will start to avoid it
few igbos are serious on this nairaland
where is ogugua88 now?
where is metalgoong?
where are all igbos shouting up and down?
dis thread will show us that many of our people are here just to make noise
where is dede, where is eziachi, where are they all

i commend FACE and pointB and beneli

eze where are you?

My brother don't be dismayed at the fact that a lot of our people here are just noisemakers; sorry to say that. A whole lot of them are here for self entertainment and aggrandizement, always seeking to score cheap points against others, while making zero contribution to the discourse. We all have different callings in life and must fulfill our destinies one way or another. Some are programmed by their very nature to be spoilers, while some are natural builders of ideas and leaders of men. One of the biggest problems in Igboland is that a lot of our people are only energized against fellow Igbos. Once you remove that incentive, they simply disappear!

So, I would advise you to make your own contribution and move on. Be a builder and a solver of problems instead of just being a fault-finder.
Thanks bro.

At this stage, I want to appeal to our people to be very smart and have a sound mind towards this process.
We are obviously mindful of the fact that our ideas here are being stolen copied and replicated in adulterated forms by some organizations already existing. I personally noticed that one organization basically lifted MY idea about a PARTICULAR STRATEGY and implemented it without any modification whatsoever (I'm ok with that BTW), and of course we were not credited with that idea (not that I expected it, lol). How did I know that it was my idea? Because I know the leader of the group personally and he picks my mind quite often. So, he comes here, reads my stuff and implements it in HIS organization.
Why am I saying this? I'm saying it because when the final document is produced, a lot of stuff may not be expressed verbose. Our leadership in the future would have to be "initiated" into the idea behind some of our choice of words in the document. Most great movements do just that. So I crave your indulgence!

The main thing for everyone to bear in mind is that this movement will be HUGE and cover a whole lot of areas and interests in the East. As we develop it, we shall form wings and parts within the movement which focus on parts of the East in order to maintain our grassroots penetration strategy. The structure of the movement should make this possible so that ours will be a bottom-up movement in the main rather than a top-down one.
Each part or wing will permeate each part to be defined (it could be state, or local government area or town or even clan, we shall make that decision later). We should design our founding constitution to make all these possible as we develop and expand. As we all know, all politics is local; so local folks will lead local actions.

We are mere figure heads.

As I stated earlier, the council may have to complete this process in camera. We are the pioneer leaders of this movement. Future leaders will work with this constitution or amend it as they see fit.

Okay here is what I'm thinking for now. Later we shall assemble all these thoughts and document them as part of this document.

Others (PointB and Beneli) have already hit the target by stating that the membership should be as broad as possible. We should invite membership from EVERY individual/ group in the East of River Niger + Anioma. We do not have immediate plans for paid membership until we launch offline. The thinking process that goes into the founding is very important. That process will be two-folds: (1) an honest study of history and geography of Eastern Nigeria; (2) a visioning/prognostication of the future, guided resolutely by the past. Both shall be done dispassionately and in COMPLETE HONESTY, not in revisionism or emotions.

For example, no matter how long or how passionately anyone wants it or denies it, Uyo in Akwa Ibom state is closer to Aba in Abia state than to Benin or Warri. So it would be st.upid for anyone to build a deep sea infrastructure in Ibaka without thinking seriously about how to link it to Aba. Both cities gain from such linkage. The Asaba airport (which I hope should become international soon) should serve Onitsha, and Onitsha should serve Asaba commercial needs. The point is that the economic revival of the East can only happen in COMPLETE honesty and nothing else. That is why the membership of this movement will target honest people rather than just anyone; even if the dishonest ones outnumber the honest ones, lessons of life proves over and over that dishonesty never endures longer than honesty.

This movement was deliberately designed to target the youths because they tend not to remember too much [/b]of the past, and in the process pollute the future. Younger folks have more confidence to master the future. That is why we are aiming to reclaim the future.
So, our membership is not expected to [b]attract everyone at this stage. ALL IS INVITED OF COURSE, BUT FEW MAY BE ACCEPTED (to address Afam4eva's fears about some ignoble folks hijacking the movement).

When we must have surmounted all inertia and retrogressive forces who would certainly want to pull this down, our membership is sure to turn from a trickle to a deluge. So, let us target all those who want to see a democratic, modern and progressing Eastern Nigeria. Our future is founded on truth and we shall overcome to create an unstoppable movement.

BTW I endorse Beneli's membership structure

I'm back to make my own contribution.

Thank you PointB for putting it together so neatly. We are progressing!

We are now getting to the "meat" of the sandwich.

Once we carve this Section well, it is downhill from here.
We shall do our best to design this Section in such a way as would make it impossible for anyone with ill-will toward the development and progress of the East to access membership. We may find that the "how" (criteria for selection/invitation to membership) may trump the need for all other membership considerations. We may also decide not to make such exercise an open one because there are always enemies (both within and outside our region) lurking around to enervate the effort.

Umunna jisie nu ike! I wish us God's speed!

spyder880,

You are doing a GREAT job. You are doing exactly what we've been begging our folks at home to do for months with no one taking up the job. We cannot thank you enough my brother!

Now, some of us who thought that Sullivan is only concentrating on Enugu Metro will have to retract that thinking because it is not true at all. The man is touching the villages as well!

I like seeing the country side parts of Igboland because there is this nagging lie that we don't have enough land.
HARD FACTS prove otherwise.

Check out this country side. Simply breath taking!

My proposal in continuation of a Section of Article 2 which deals with affiliations of the movement.

(a) The Movement should actively seek and maintain a constant liaison with ALL Igbo groups starting with youth organizations, to cultural, educational, and religious groups.

(b) The Movement should develop and maintain constant communication with all elected persons in the East.

(c) The Movement should develop and maintain constant synergy with ALL political groups in the East.

(d) The Movement should in the long run develop and maintain political rapport and rapprochement with ALL progressive groups in Nigeria.

(e) The Movement should develop and maintain working relationships with various international agencies for development,transparency, legal defence/representation, and human rights.


We can add a provision to develop this list as we go.

The most important nature of this movement is that it should be a slow moving FREIGHT TRAIN that is unstoppable when in full speed. The momentum should be able to crush any obstacle.

I particularly like the proposal to that requires the election of the new Eze to be completed 2 months before the expiration of the incumbent Eze's term. That would allow for a solid period of orientation to happen to enable the new Eze pick up the baton and run from day one. Brilliant.

I also like the "patrons" idea because it ensures that the movement is built on a solid timeless base.

But by far the most brilliant recommendation is quoted below:

Patrons must be people who believe that all human beings were born and created equal. Therefore, a person shall be barred for life from becoming a patron or a representative if that person had at anytime suggested, insinuated or advocated that any part of Igbo land is superior to any other part of Igbo land or used derogatory terms to refer to other nationalities that constitute Igbo land.

My brothers, I couldn't have said it better myself.

FACE: I will have a go at article 2 thus:

The Eze is the number 1 patron and figure head. The Eze can only be elected through a free and fair election arranged by the electoral committee to be set up. The tenure of the Eze shall be for 1 year only, but renewable via elections. All elections must be held and concluded at least 2 months before the end of the tenure.

Patrons; also to be known as Ndi Nze na Ozo shall be nominated and elected once only; the only exception being the selection of no more than three patrons by the pioneer Eze. Subsequently, each new Eze will become a patron automatically and the de facto leader of all patrons, but will not be able to appoint or remove patrons unilaterally.

Patrons must be people who believe that all human beings were born and created equal. Therefore, a person shall be barred for life from becoming a patron or a representative if that person had at anytime suggested, insinuated or advocated that any part of Igbo land is superior to any other part of Igbo land or used derogatory terms to refer to other nationalities that constitute Igbo land.

Patrons can only be removed or suspended via due process as follows:

i. Complaints raised by any member of the movement.

ii. Investigation and recommendation by committee set up by other patrons

iii. Action taken through a vote of simple majority by patrons and a deciding vote by Eze where there is a tie.

iv. The decision (refer to iii)can be appealed by the complainants or patron

v. The Eze can only unilaterally uphold the decision and will need 2/3 of the total votes of the patrons and council members to upturn any decision. Such votes will only be valid if 75% of all patrons and council members cast their votes.

vi. The Eze selects his council members and may select from any member of the movement including the patrons. Council members must be made known to the members and 51% member objection shall nullify such selection.

Powers

i. Patrons have the powers to set up committees for different projects and investigations.

ii. In the absence of elected assemblies, the patrons have the rights to make major decisions on behalf of members only after consultations with members.

iii. Powers to draft proposals and endorsements on behalf of members.

iv. Powers to create a platform towards electing representatives when the need arises. The need is determined by the advancement of the movement and level of calls by members for such.

v. Powers to start investigations on serious allegations against the Eze, in which case the Eze will not chair or assemble the panel of investigation.

vi. Powers to sanction the Eze following investigations. 75% vote by patrons is needed for such sanction. The Eze has the right of appeal and a public vote will be required for his removal or sanction, should the Eze chose to appeal. A simple majority vote of not less than 75% of members is required to ratify the Eze’s removal following his appeal.

vii. …..
viii. …..
ix. ……

x. The patrons are expected to spearhead the achievement of the objectives of the association and shall be dissolved if a 75% vote of no confidence is passed by members.

xi. The patrons and Eze shall not be able to alter any part of the constitution without consultations, similar to the writing of the original constitution.

Vii, Viii and ix have been left blank on purpose and all amendments must refer to the original documents. Additions may assume any of the vacant spaces and must be contained in articles of amendments. Articles of amendments can only be produced following a process similar to the writing of the original constitution. There will be no need to follow this process following the formation of assembly and election of representatives.

Scope and limitations of the association

i. The association must work within the law at all times. The association is non violent and shall use non violent means to achieve its objectives.

ii. The scope of the association must not be at odds with the objectives. The scope is dependent on the objectives and the objectives are subject to expansion as ratified by members.

iii. The organisation shall not give blind support to any political party or actively promote any single party without strong concessions from the party. Political supports and endorsements are dependent on the political paradigm of the day and will be subservient to Eastern Nigeria Interests and mutual interests based on concessions from our allies.

iv. Communication and association must be established through registration and free subscription to the news letter. Very important discussions to be carried out via news letter and publications of consensus delivered on Nairaland or any other forum that we have membership base.

My brother FACE,

I went through your proposals above line and line and could find almost nothing to subtract. Umu Igbo are very blessed to have sound minds amongst us here thinking and designing an organization that will be a powerful instrument in our quest for a revival of our Eastern corner in Nigeria.
You have given us the skeletal structure of this movement. We shall flesh it out as more opinions are collated here.
Thank you ezigbo nwa!

I laugh at those who think that any Nigerian president has REAL powers to depose an Oba of Benin.
His throne is one of FEW real traditional thrones in Nigeria. His office is not contested.
Anyone who thinks he can try to remove him is welcome to try! lol

The Oba had every right to defer to the spirits that guide him. I may not worship the same spirits, but I revere folks who are guided by spirits rather that those guided by lucre.

My brothers, a huge congratulations!
Now let's draw inspiration from our name and motto to set our aims and objectives.

I would not like to be the first to state a specific aim or a single objective. I would instead set a visual map of where we should end up at the end before we can declare our efforts a success. In doing that, here I go!

The youths of any society are the enforcers of mores and accountability. Whatever the youths want MUST happen if the youths stand together and resolute. If we want anything to happen in our corner of Nigeria, it will happen provided we never waver in our pursuit of that thing.

My brothers,we all agree that our region needs a massive economic revival and infrastructural development. We also agree that these can only happen when our politicians start to listen to us and represent us instead of themselves. We also agree that if our region revives economically, it becomes easier to revive our language and culture as well as defeat other forms of social ills which I listed in an earlier page. Hunger and lack are evil twins which are very dangerous to any group of humans any where. Humans lose their souls whenever they can't relax as a result of anxiety from hunger, always wondering where the next day's food would come from. Meanwhile we have politicians who receive hundreds of millions of Naira in emoluments and kick backs who sit fat in Abuja while we lack in the East our homeland.

This issue gave me many sleepless nights as well (I have many sleepless nights because of our plight, lol); so I came up with at least one strategy that we can use to achieve concrete results. I will not share the details here; I will share it with the umunna council, but it basically holds politicians PERSONALLY accountable, one politician at a time.
My brothers, Ndigbo say that "Otu onye siere oha, oha ericha, mana oha siere otu onye, ogaghi ericha ya" -if one person cooks food for all (the masses), the food will be easily gulped up, but if the masses (all) cooks for one person, there is no way he/she can finish the food!

We are the youths, and our future is at stake if we let thieves continue to steal our future!
When we are done, we shall have politicians who resign when they can't deliver on their promises, or be hounded out.
We shall make it IMPOSSIBLE for peoples of questionable character to be elected to lead ANYTHING in the East; ANYTHING! We are working on the strategy in our council meetings. We also have a national strategy that ensures that no Nigerian leader would EVER again deny us of our fair share of infrastructure or development projects. Just like we hold local politicians accountable, we shall hold national ones accountable, both nationally and internationally.
The days should be gone when policemen or security personnel shoot unarmed people in the East and escape justice. We shall make the lives of such people HELL.

Join us if you are smart and have relevant talent!
If our region functions economically, we shall reclaim our future!

My brothers, o ruo na omume! (the die is cast!).

Come up with an apt, relevant and focused AIM, and give us a few objectives too.

Thank you in advance!

Signed,

Onlytruth, ndu di n'eziokwu 1 of Igboland, Eze Ndigbo Nairaland.

A very wonderful thread!
Bro spyder880 you delivered as you promised. Thanks!
I've had a ball feasting my eyes on pictures of our beloved Enugu. There is only ONE Enugu in the world. Very proud to call it home.

Umunna, ezigara m unu imeelu. Biko nu onye obula guo imeelu ya.
Dalu nu, jisie nu ike!

I thank everyone for contributing.

Igbo kwenu!

No more from me on this issue unless I need to respond to a misconception. I am already in the "Aims and Objectives" stage spiritually.

Thank you once more our able moderator PointB!

So, here are my nominations:

Name: Eastern Nigeria Youth Initiative (ENYI)
Motto: Reclaiming The future
Slogan: Bilie!

Please note that I did not say Reclaiming OUR future. I said Reclaiming THE future.

I would have supported ANYI too, but there is a little politico-philosophical conundrum in the words around "Alaigbo Nigeria". IMHO there is Alaigbo, and there is Nigeria. I would like us to retain the word for future use in case we need to secede. There was Eastern Nigeria, and there is still Eastern Nigeria though some will prefer to keep deceiving themselves with SE and SS. The matter is so clear that it can be seen even from the moon.

I completely support that the first phase of this movement should focus on Igboland to do some serious home cleaning; but after that we still need to relate and connect with the "outside" -our neighbors and Africa and the world. Igboland is not in the outer space. I envisage a pyramid structure with BROAD base and sharp top. Pyramid shapes are very difficult to topple. Nigeria's history shows that one must be very much connected with his immediate neighbors and be in a position to influence what they do CONSTANTLY. That is why the North is still one even after being partitioned into 19 states. That is why Nigeria threatened war when Apartheid South Africa wanted to create a military base in Equatorial Guinea during the IBB days. Nigeria responded by threat of war as well as by building a polytechnic in Equatorial Guinea. Nigeria could have focused on Nigeria only, but I assure you that she would have woken up with South African military overrunning Nigeria one day.
I really doubt that some of my brothers who want us to focus on Igboland alone and call it a day have actually thought about what our neighbors can do if we don't connect and influence them strongly CONSTANTLY. lol
As long as there are folks like my humble self in Igboland, we shall not repeat a past strategic mistake.

remark D: "So what is the name of your group?" ... ""Its called 'ENYI... Ndi Igbo ebiliwo!" (The udaolu on "enyi" denoting that of "friend" as opposed to elephant; giving a sense of saying "Friend, the Igbos have risen!" ...
Risen to?... objectives include reclaiming the future via... political/economic awareness from the grass root.
Should there be a "mission" as well as aims and objectives... cause missioin i think is the "how to" so maybe via lobbying, education programs or whatever... i'm just throwing things out there.. my two sense eh.

While i'm at it, one thing i strongly believe and wish for is that each and every citizen will know that they have a right, and should be able to contact their rep member and voice their concern on what they want from the government.
a lot of people are ignorant about politics or how the government works. There should be a means to contact senators or members of the house of reps [/b]and the public should know it.

[b]The more aware people are of the government, the mor elikely they are to hold them accountable.

it would also be nice to have a part of the group workin gon cultural preservation. Lobbying schools, even private schools, to teach Igbo, the language, history, etc. it is disappointing when kids even in Nigeria can't speak Igbo, talkless of those abroad. yet kids born in north america of asian descent are able to speak fluetn Chinese languages.

Okay, think i've said enough for now. I am glad to see a group like this, i really hope tangible results can be produced and i will give my unflenching support as much as i can.

Ka Chi mezie okwu. Mma nu.
- Remark D.

My brother your post is very brilliant, particularly the bolded. We have already started to map out strategies with which to publicly (and privately) hold ALL our public servants to account. We are developing that strategy in the council and we invite any brother with talent and aptitude to join that effort. We will need committees or task forces charged with doing some of what you noted.

Dudu_Negro: If I am correct, this is the new branding that the rest of Nigeria has been waiting to see. It is commendable that you are stepping out of the old skin and creating a new and progressive path forward. Since you are now talking about AIM and OBJECTIVES, as one of the strong advocates that have repeatedly demanded you rebrand "Igbo", I feel it a honor to drop a line on what I believe one of your aims should be. I quite understand this is a ethnic discussion about Igbo and maybe you don't look for my views but by God, when you mention my race, Yoruba, in your discussions, then you have by choice expressed interest in me or any other Yoruba for that matter.

Anyway, to cut the gessi short, part of your resurgence and reawakening should include forgiving past humiliations suffered in the hands of your immediate neighbors. You cannot be a trusted ally and friend of Lagos or Kano if you still hold grudges and bitterness against Rivers and Calabar. So it is very crucial as you start this new beginning that you also not forget about the missteps of your past and then endeavor to avoid repeating them. It will be very difficult during discussions when events of the past are reminisced to restrain temper but the continous harnessing of your ego to the illusions of history will end up undoing your efforts to transform. Biafra has happened, there is nothing you can do to undo its damages and humiliations. However, there is capability for how you can influence your future. Standing one leg in Ojukwu's Biafra and one leg in the future will definitely block your rise.

Your ethnic group is a designated major tribe in Nigeria, the only one out of the three that is not situated on an international border. Of all the people in the South, you are also the only prominent group that has zero presence on the coast. This is an adverse position to be for a people that pride itself as very enterprising. You are locked in and cut off from direct and independent accessibility to the international market. That can change. Changing it will be one of the most difficult challenges for you to tackle because as I have said, this is where you have to swallow pride and arrogance and humble yourself to your immediate neighbors. I am not talking about abandoning your power, but rather building coalition and an Eastern commonwealth like the Yorubas in the West have or the Fulanis have in the North. You need Rivers, you need Calabar so you can easily extend growth and development into Alaigbo, Lagos and Kano are active factors that help decimate population and development of your homeland and by extension your politics. The changes you desire in your mind and life must be integrated as a synergy with territorial presence and resettlement of the homeland.

I will not pick out specific words with which I specifically agree in your post for the fear that it might allow you a window into my thoughts. hehe
Your advise is well taken.
Let me assure you from my position as "Eze" here, that Ndigbo are NOT interested in seeking vengeance against anybody for any civil war ills. We are too busy hustling to reclaim the future. However, we cannot do that until we have chased all thieves and charlatans out of Igboland. Our manifest destiny as a MAJOR tribe in Nigeria is to work with other MAJOR tribes in Nigeria to shape the future of that country. We dropped the ball somewhere in the past, and we shall get that ball back. Our renaissance will make all these possible.
Pray for us and wish us God's speed.

afam4eva: It's really not about the name for me but about the aims and objectives. I have a problem about some people suggesting that the name should be in English so that it will accomodate other ethnicities and won't be an Igbo only thing.

In all honesty I didn't want to return to this issue, but the bolded words are forcing my response on it. I didn't want to return to it because the rules of this effort are very clear; for example, every member here was/is asked to suggest a name for our group. The rule did not say to focus on shooting down a suggestion and move on. That is what Metalgoong was doing and I didn't see a need to respond to him. We are all entitled to our opinions here, and I thank God that one of the most beautiful things about our culture is egalitarianism. The opinion of the "Eze" is only ONE opinion. Umunna can make up more votes and defeat whatever the Eze's opinion is. That is how it works in Igboland.
So, like PointB said, suggest a name, offer reasons for the name you suggested, call it a day. Umunna will take note of it and ensure that if the opinion is majority, it carries the day, simple.

The bolded words NEVER came from me here. Go back and reread. The name came up accidentally and it formed an Igbo word. Even at that, I quickly added a caveat that our name can be (though not necessarily)Igbo. Then I added that the pursuit of an Igbo name ab initio is not necessarily revolutionary, or any different from what others are already doing with no result to show for it. We all agree that the aims and objectives is what counts.
What still baffles me is that all those irked by the name "Eastern" Nigeria Youth Initiative, fail to see that it forms an Igbo word -Enyi (Elephant, or friend). Our success in our corner of Nigeria is highly dependent on our ability to first cleanse our land of strange cultures that pollute it. However it also depends on our ability to project Igbo as the major tribe in the East. I am still baffled that some of my brothers can't understand the dangers of caging oneself in, just for the sake of pride. We have Ohanaeze (for older folks), we also have Aka Ikenga (for professionals and younger folks). They have been there for years; what have they done so far? Do we have even an international airport, or any serious federal project?

To round up, please suggest your own name, slogan, aims and objectives, make the case for them and move on. This process is bigger than any individual.
Thanks bro.

PointB: As we shift our attention and energy to Aims and Objectives, let's me remind us that out there exist scores of different Igbo groups. Some are socio-cultural, other are political.

I doubt we seek to be like them or replicate their system. I might be wrong, but I see this fledging group metamorphosing into an agent for economic and infrastructural development of Igboland. Our recourse to politicking should be where it obvious that politicking is the right channel to ensure, economic and infrastructural growth.

Hence, our priority should be pursuing infrastructure that ensure radical economic growth and transformation of our land on one hand while also pursing social cultural rebirth.

Let the debate on 'Aim and Objectives' begin...

Thank you again my able brother PointB.
Like our brother [b]Sam_Ikenna [/b]observed, you are an excellent organizer. This movement would have been seriously handicapped if not for your SOLID organizing abilities. You basically gave birth to this movement almost single-handedly. Your able stewardship is highly appreciated. Thanks!

@Topic
The first bolded words capture the GIST of it all. We must be different and CONFIDENT, nothing less. We should aim to empower Igboland economically. If we can achieve that, almost all other problems we have will be easily solved.
A poor man has no friends, and people distance from him. We should use DEFT politicking to empower Igboland ECONOMICALLY first. Of course we will also pursue cultural renaissance (rebirth)as well, but that rebirth cannot happen while our people leave Igboland in droves to other regions. People cannot speak Igbo in Lagos or Kano. Gradual death of Igbo language started from mass emigration from Igboland. We need the infrastructure that allow us to stay in our land. Other things will follow naturally afterwards.

I guess I just made my first pitch! hehe!

Umunne m, it would really be very good if someone can come up with NAMES even if the name are Igbo, but let's keep the points I shared earlier in mind.
If a wise person formed a rebel group to take on the Nigerian state for instance, do you think the person would call it "Igbo Liberation Movement"? He would call it "Nigerian Liberation Council". It gives one more room to maneuver, and win allies and negotiate peace without shutting myself in.
We are not taking on the Nigerian state; we are only forming a group that would inspire a different mindset in our public servants in our Eastern corner of Nigeria. If other parts of Nigeria copy from us, the whole country gains.
So let's act local but think global.