PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS TO THE CONVENTION

On behalf of  Issele-Uku Association of North America, Inc. I welcome you to Houston, Texas and to this second annual convention of our people in North America.

This convention is one of a kind because this is the very first time in our history that we have invited our people from Nigeria to a convention of this magnitude in the United States to discuss issues relating to the development of our Issele-Uku community. For those of you who had the courage and dedication to honor this invitation, I say thank you for coming here today to be with us. Few people have the courage to stand out and get involved in the affairs of their communities and such people show extra ordinary commitment to the cause of the people they serve. On behalf of this association, I want to welcome retired Army Brig. Gen. Fred B. Chijuka for coming here and for his service to Nigeria and most especially, for his dedication to the service of Issele-Uku community.  His willingness to travel from Nigeria with his wife to the United States to be part of this convention speaks volumes about his love for Issele-Uku. I hope everybody knows that Gen. Chijuka is the president of Issele-Uku Development Union, the over all body that oversees the entire development and security of Issele-Uku. Issele-Uku association of North America, Inc. and all other organizations both here in the USA and in Nigeria are under the umbrella of the IDU. Gen. and Mrs. Chijuka, welcome to Houston, Texas.

I can’t express my happiness enough to tell you how elated I am to welcome one of the paramount Issele-Uku chiefs and the representative of the Obi of Issele-Uku to this convention, please help me welcome Chief G.C. Okwumabua, the Odogwu of Issele-Uku kingdom. I also want to welcome all our distinguished Issele-Uku citizens from all over the United States and the United Kingdom who are here today for this convention. Your service and interest in the welfare of Issele-Uku is the burning determination that brought you all here to find ways to improve the lives of our people at home. N’di benyi, nnua nu. !!

In January this year, we almost lost the Vice President of this association in a very tragic incident of attempted murder in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Chris Mordi was on the job when he was confronted by an armed robber who demanded money from him. In a split of a second, Mr. Mordi was shot and thrown out of his vehicle. He laid on the ground bleeding and passers by rushed to his aide.  Series of operations were performed on him at the hospital and his life was saved.  An outpouring of support and prayers from our community helped him through this ordeal.  Mr. Mordi is still recovering from his wounds, but that did not stop him from coming to this convention. Talk about dedication, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Chris Mordi personifies what this association is all about; determination, dedication and commitment. My fellow citizens, please help me welcome the Vice president of Issele-Uku association of North America, Mr. Christopher Mordi.

This convention will deal with two major issues that Issele-Uku community has. First, we will attempt to identify our major problems relative to Issele-Uku development and second, we will attempt to find practical

approach to those issues. The ideas for the solution to some of our problems will be conveyed to our leaders at home through the President of  Issele-Uku Development Union. We will attempt to sustain our findings through persistent contact with the home branch and through an open and honest dialogue with our leaders in Nigeria.

This convention will also deal with the difficult task of uniting the other Issele-Uku organizations across the United States who felt aggrieved for what happened during the Houston convention of 2000. The development of Issele-Uku cannot materialize if the house is divided. Issele-Uku association of North America, Inc. was formed because the problems that Issele-Uku confronts deserve the complete attention and dedication of all its citizens. I will take this opportunity to acknowledge that what happened in Houston in 2000 was not anything to be proud of, if anything, the lesson should teach us tolerance, unity, honesty, and fair play in dealing with each other. I will also take this opportunity to call on all our Issele-Uku citizens across the United States to put aside their differences and put the interest of Issele-Uku first and come back  and join us in the struggle to change the structure of our home town.

The job we do in the cause of Issele-Uku development is a thankless exercise. Sometimes we feel very discouraged and want to give up the struggle. But the saying goes that “no one said it would be easy”  I am therefore appealing to all of you not to become complaisant  or apathetic because the positive result of  the good work we do out weighs the pain that accompany the exercise.

The image and symbol  of our tradition is our Obi and we should  take this very seriously. Our traditional leader is a symbol of our pride and we have an obligation to project the Obi in a positive image. Given that no man is perfect, we have an obligation to help the Obi succeed in his leadership position. We cannot achieve this by alienating him or discrediting him.  I call on all Issele-Uku people to work with the Obi and help him succeed in promoting Issele-Uku in a positive way.

For our native son, Air Force Marshal Paul Dike, Issele-Uku cannot be more proud of his accomplishments in recent times. We acknowledge his contributions to Issele-Uku development in the recent completion of a magnificent town hall that he built for the people of Issele-Uku. He made the promise to build that structure in December 2006, and with military swiftness, he completed the building in six months. For the very first time, we now have a structure at home where we can take our friends out to have a drink and something to eat in an air conditioned building. We thank brother Paul Dike for being a committed citizen of Issele-Uku development. Let’s hope that this will signal the beginning of better things to come in Issele-Uku.

To all of you who are working behind the scenes to improve our community, I say don’t get tired and keep up the good work. Believe in yourselves and help our children born here to understand the intricate cultures of our people. Let them visit home and help explain their anxieties and curiosities. Let’s go on and have a very successful convention. Thank you all.

J. Ifeanyi Iyegbu

8/4/07