ONITSHA—THE Obi of Onitsha Kingdom, Igwe Alfred Achebe has urged the leadership of the Onitsha Improvemnet Union (OIU) to refocus and broaden the base of the umbrella organisation with a view to contributing towards the socio-economic and political improvement of the area. Igwe Achebe made the call at the Azu-Ofala festival held on Ime-Obi Onitsha where he received various age grades in the Kingdom who paid their loyalty to him. He described as unfortunate the inability of the leadership of the organisation to come to terms with the challenges facing the area.
“The Onitsha Improvement Union, on the other hand, gives me serious cause for concern. Notwithstanding several consultations with me, its leadership appears totally oblivious of the real challenges we face. There is an urgent need to refocus and broaden the base of this umbrella organisation. It is too vital to our body politic to be allowed to drift aimlessly and endlessly”. He said that his cabinet would set up an effective and transparent mechanism to ensure that a fair share of the wealth generated in Onitsha was made available for the traditional administration and development of Onitsha Kingdom, adding that the youths would be given special attention in the scheme of affairs next year.
Igwe Achebe disclosed that plans were underway to honour a galaxy of Onitsha sons and daughters who had left indelible legacies on the society at large and their vocations and professions over a life time career. Reacting to a meeting spearheaded by two erstwhile Ndichie on September 23, the royal father threatened to decisively deal with any of them who attempts to destabilize the peace and unity currently enjoyed by the good people of his domain.
“I should not talk about some gathering on September 23 spearheaded by two erstwhile Ndichie. Such event do not merit the diginity of our comment, except to say that no one, I repeat, no one is above the law,” he cautioned.
He hinted that some natives of Onitsha in the diaspora under the aegis of Onitsha Ado Club of Atlanta were sponsoring the establishment of monitoring centres for hypertension and diabetes at three locations, namely St Mary’s Parish, St Stephen’s Church and Emmanuel Church all in Onitsha and urged the people to take advantage of the gesture.
Similarly, he disclosed that a group of professionals under the umbrella of G-36 had awarded university scholarships to Onitsha youths while two sons of the place Nwakibie Orakwe Egbunike and Ikem Ozobia had donated 27.5KVA Perkins generator and public address system to Ime-Obi and N1m to Man- power Development Trust Fund and 26 secondary and tertiary institutions scholarships each to the youths since 2001. Ozobia, the Igwe continued also donated computers to secondary schools and N1m to the Manpower Development Trust Fund.
