How the Onwufuju Brothers Celebrated Their Nwusha Alor In Grand Style

Yesterday, the Onwufuju family and the entire Ogbeosowa Village witnessed a grand celebration their sons brought their way.

Ogbueshi Nmadu Onwufuju and Ogbueshi Obi Onwufuju told Asaba Post News-Wire that their joy is today fulfilled as their friends, relatives and well wishers came in their numbers to celebrate with them.

Find below photos of how the event was celebrated in Grand Style.

Happy Photo Tour 

Ogbueshi Nmadu Onwufuju stepping in to have the event get started.

Ogbueshi Obi Onwufuju is ready too

Mr & Mrs Chukwuka Onwufuju supporting Ogbueshi Obi Onwufuju with lots of love

Ogbueshi Nmadu Onwufuju telling the media how he feels about today

Discussing with invited musicians, please my friend must enjoy the best of your works today.

One of Asaba Best Master Of Ceremony, Mr. Uche Eluaka doing what he is best at.

Ushering in the Chairman of the day's event, Ogbueshi Albert Chukwuka Ilombu, J.P

Umuada Ogbeosowa were present too.

Henry fugus oil and gas workers came to felicitate with one of their own

Henry fugus oil and gas workers came to felicitate with one of their own

Umuada Ogbeosowa

Ogbueshi Nmadu Onwufuju doing the Otulaka thing, with both Ogbueshi Ilombu abd Bishop Elect Azeh Nick supportively watching the young Ogbueshi doing what his fathers did.

friends also came, especially, members of the Trojan Club International, at the middle of the front roll is the clubs PRO, Mr. Promise Amahah

Ndi Ogbueshi from Ogbeosowa in attendance, we came to support our sons.

Chief John Nwuba(L) and Chief M Morroco (R) shortly before the ace musician began his great works.

Umuada from the Umu-Obi Odogwu family in Ezeafadia, Ajaji Quarters came to support their sons

More friends, no dull moments

Bishop Elect Azeh Nick invoking heavenly presence

The Events Chairman performing the traditional kolanut breaking rites.

Ogbueshi Nmadu Onwufuju welcoming his guests, from right is Mrs Uche Oni, and the former Chairman, Oshimili South LGA, Hon. Izuka Okolo

Band Members of the Azuka Moweta led Anioma brothers dance Group, performing at the event.

Friends and well wishers

Musical entertainers doing what they know best for the guests, friends and well wishers

The celebrant and members of the high table welcoming the Commissioner Of Police, Delta State Command, CP Ikechukwu A Aduba

The Chairman of the occassion stressing out some point of discussion with the police boss.

Afam Ogbotobo musical group thrilling the guest to some nice tones.

Beautiful ladies from the Dynamic Ladies Club, whose presence added great color to the event.

from right, Ogbueshi Dada Okonji, Ogbueshi Chiedu Chi-Chi and the leaders of the Asaba Community Vigilante(AVC), Mr. Okonji and Mr. Nnamdi Chukwuedo

Ogbueshi Iyoh Ifeanyi and his friend at the event

Mr. CEE and his friends

TIE BETWEEN URHOBO AND ANIOMA

Clement Ofuani

THE point to begin the story of my political journey is unarguably my meeting with David Edevbie. I told my wife when I was leaving home for Ikoyi for that meeting that I would get on famously with this man.

The basis of that prediction could only have been divine inspiration as I knew practically nothing about him at that point in time beyond the fact that he had been recently appointed Delta State Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning and he was a brother to Matthew Edevbie who was my client as my audit firm was the external auditor of his group of companies.

I got to the venue and as soon as I was announced, this young man, roughly my age bounded down the staircase and received me with a very warm hand shake and introduced himself simply as David, which he had a unique way of pronouncing for emphasis. Then, we began talking. The discussions ranged from our perspectives of life, aspirations and public service.

I did not really know that the interview had commenced. The only pointed question that I recall him asking me was whether I knew how to do financial modeling using Excel spreadsheet and I answered in the affirmative. He then told me that he needed a special adviser or assistant to work with him in Asaba and asked me what I thought the nomenclature of the office should be and I thought to myself that an assistant would probably be more appropriate as he would assist in the work and also offer advice, so I told him special assistant.

He asked if I had any question for him and I said that I was worried about the relatively low pay for the office and would like to be left some free time to attend to my professional practice for supplemental income and that I would always tell him the truth in all circumstances but that it would be his responsibility to decide what to do with my advice.

On the first point, he promised that he would let me have time as much as was possible and on the second point, he affirmed that he needed an honest adviser who would always tell him the truth. It was at this point that he promised to speak with the Governor when he got to Asaba and to revert to me as soon as possible and we parted on a note of conviviality.

About two weeks later, my wife called me from home that I had a radio message from Government House Asaba directing me to come to Asaba immediately. It was on a Wednesday afternoon. I made arrangements for a quick trip to Asaba the following day, packing a few clothes.

When I arrived at the Commissioner’s office in Asaba the next day, he was away toBenin Citybut was expected back later that day. I returned the next morning and was in the office before 8 o’clock, shortly before the Commissioner arrived. This was our second meeting.

He introduced me to the secretary who turned out to be an Ijaw woman and the personal assistant, Alfred Ebreneyin, who turned out to be an Itsekiri man. He then showed me my desk and chair and I immediately started work as his Special Assistant or SA for short. Lunch time, he took me to his hotel suite and showed me to the guest room where I was to stay for the next month and half, sharing the accommodation with him.

David Edevbie is an Urhobo man from Delta Central Senatorial District and I am an Anioma man from Delta North Senatorial District and this was 1999. We had not worked for more than four months before he informed me that he had told the Governor that if he could not reach him and needed urgent advice on anything concerning finance, that the Governor should speak to his SA, Clem, and that whatever I tell him is what he would have told him anyway. He, therefore, warned me that this was massive responsibility on my shoulders.

I was dumbfounded by the vote of confidence and the open manner in which he freely gave it to me and promised to always bear it in mind.

Our relationship over the next four years undeniably became legendary. David never spared his compliments for me but he never shied away from correcting my mistakes and very firmly too. Indeed, I learnt a bit of my bluntness today from David. In due course, people came to me to tell me that I was his brain box and that I did all the work, but I knew better and corrected those I could, informing them that I learnt a lot from David and that he did far more work than they could ever know.

When the cabinet was dissolved at the end of the Governor’s first term, David asked me what I intended to do with my future as we were packing our things in the office and I said to him that I was going back to my accounting practice but that if he was reappointed and he wanted me, I would still be delighted to serve as his SA. He said he was proceeding to Harvard for an advanced management programme and we promised to keep in touch.

Later on, I was informed by a friend that my name had come up for appointment as a Commissioner in the new administration but that some people were kicking against it on the premise that I should not be in the cabinet with my ‘Oga’ who had been penciled down as Finance Commissioner and I was advised to reach out to him for his views. I told the person that I did not need to speak with David to tell them that he would endorse me but the friend persisted. So, I placed a call to David in Harvard and his reply was, “Clem, tell them that I will be delighted to have you as my cabinet colleague because you are competent to handle it’. That was the end of that apparent resistance.

In cabinet, we became almost like siamese twins in our views on issues such that once one of us had spoken, you did not need to hear from the other. David protected me like a mother hen by getting more senior political colleagues to accept my seemingly ‘rigid’ positions on certain issues referred to me. On one occasion, my colleagues had been having a go at me and it was not until he intervened by informing them that he too had been a ‘victim’ as I had returned his file rather than endorse it for the Governor’s approval that they relented with the argument that if I could do that to David, then it was alright.

Even after he had left cabinet and I remained, he continued to protect me. On one occasion, I was informed that the Governor was unhappy with a political stance I had taken and had voiced it out to some people. I called David and asked him to find out from the Governor if he wanted my resignation but he advised me to hold off and later called back to say that my resignation was unnecessary as he had spoken to the Governor. I later got in touch with the Governor to explain my side of the story and he told me that all of that was in the past and that I should focus on the future.

My story with David did not end with Delta State Government. When he was appointed Principal Secretary to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua (PSP for short), I went to congratulate him and what he told me in his new office was ‘Clem, this office belongs to us’. This was despite the fact that I was at that point in time, the Economic Adviser to the new Governor of Delta State. He subsequently got in touch with the Governor to inform him that he needed my presence in the Villa and got his blessing which made it easy for me to disengage without acrimony from Delta State government to resume at the Villa as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Policy and the de facto second in command to the PSP.

As he did in Delta, it was not too long after that David also told President Yar’Adua when he was going on a short break and that he need not worry as Clem would be available to act for him. The day I went to the President’s office to act for the PSP, I just told Mr. President that I was from David and he asked me to carry on with the job. Our work at the Villa was once again the stuff of legends and probably will be left for my memoirs but suffice it to state that even on David’s departure from the Villa following the demise of President Yar’Adua, he was instrumental to my remaining behind to serve the new President.

I tell this story today so that fellow Deltans can learn of this incredible bond between an Urhobo man and an Anioma man and perhaps use it to gain a new perspective on our shared destiny and common humanity. It is a story of love and loyalty that defied the artificial political cleavages that some people have fed on in our state to ensure their political relevance and it is a story that can galvanize us to reach to new heights in our march of progress.

Mr. CLEMENT OFUANI,

wrote from

Asaba, Delta Sate

DTSG Determine To Empower Youths

Delta State Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Ebifa Ijeoma, has reiterated government continuous effort in creating employment for the teeming youths of the state towards making them self-reliant.

Mr. Ijeoma stated this while briefing the press in Asaba on the activities of his ministry.

He said that the Directorate of Youth Development would continue to ensure the involvement of youths in decision making, leadership, community based and other developmental programmes, particularly in matters affecting them through the provision of necessary services to them as well as creating a platform for town hall meetings with the youths.

The commissioner stated that through the activities of the directorate, the attention of the youths had been re-directed from restiveness to proper harnessing of their energy towards the success of the Uduaghan led-administration.

Mr. Ijeoma said that government through the directorate had been able to restore peace in Ndokwa East, Warri and other areas where there was crisis in the past.

He decried the negative attitude of some politicians who, after using the youths during electioneering campaign abandoned them, adding that the development was not the best for the nation’s democracy.

The Youth Commissioner disclosed that the Directorate of Youth Development would create a platform for human capital development of the youths so as to meet the manpower needed for industrialization with a view to realizing a Delta beyond Oil.

Mr. Ijeoma said that by 2013, the state would experience a different crop of young men and women who would be identified as beneficiaries of Uduaghan’s Youth Development Initiatives in the state.

 

MANDATE 2015: A ROAD MAP

Frank Ofili

My Dear Umu Anioma

I became a member of this group when its membership strength was in the 2nd thousandth. Since then I have come to fall in love with this group. I have watched the group grow from strength to strength. As I type away on this script, on this beautiful Easter Day, the group’s membership stands at 5743. It is still growing. Issues discussed here have been robust. Some controversial, some emotive, but most underline the yearnings and aspirations of Anioma people. From all indications, Aniomas are united on two points: (1)The need for an Anioma son or daughter to become the governor of Delta State in 2015; and (2)The yearnings of Anioma people for a state our own called Anioma State. 

Anioma Voice has done an excellent job on both fronts. But like all organic organisations, there are beginning to emerge some noticeable chinks in the group’s armour, and it is to these I shall focus this piece. Our yearning for an Anioma State is well documented, and is as old as states creation goes in Nigeria. I will therefore not dwell on it. I am confident it is a matter of time. We shall have an Anioma State, but with regard to Mandate 2015, I am afraid we are putting the cart before the horse.

I have read comments and discussions about Mandate 2015 in this forum. I have participated in some of those discussions and on-line BB conferences. I have also made a few comments myself, some quite controversial. Arguments on Mandate 2015 have largely been one sided. This is understandable. For us it is an emotional issue. But in our quest to voice our wishes, some have aired their opinion in a manner that tended to suggest that our votes alone can give us the governorship in 2015. This is far from true.  

One thing however can be said for an average Anioma son or daughter – we are articulate, vocal, voluble, fearless and passionate about Aniomaland. While these maybe good attributes to have, it is these same qualities that have thrown up some inherent contradictions in this group, and it is on that plank I hereby suggest a road map to Mandate 2015. Itemized below are the steps I think we need to take in that road map. They are by no means exhaustive. Suggestions and modifications are welcome.

1.     1.       FENCE-MENDING: In my undergraduate days we were taught the four major stages in group formation. These are Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. Each of these stages has its own inherent characteristics. My view is that Anioma Voice is currently at the second stage, which is Storming. The major characteristic of this stage is conflict and confrontation among the members of the group.  It is no secret that in our desire to air our views in discussions on this forum we may have individually and/or collectively made some comments that have offended some people, even within this group. So what I think we have to do as a first step to fence-mending is to stop attacking one another or anyone for that matter, in or out of this group. Let us stop the attacks and focus on issues that affect Anioma. We must encourage all Anioma sons and daughters to belong and work together for the good of Aniomaland. We must close ranks irrespective of our political leanings. I am aware that we all feel largely disappointed by the performance of our Anioma political office holders, but the solution does not lie in personal attacks that tend to suggest to the outside world that we are not united.

1.     2.       REACH OUT: Closely related to the first stage in the road map is to reach out to other ethnic nationalities in Delta State and offer a hand of friendship. It is not unlikely that we may have also made comments that offended them. We must begin to forge strategic alliances with our internal and external audiences and assure other ethnic nationalities in the state that an Anioma governor in 2015 will accommodate their interests and aspirations. Our votes alone cannot give us the governorship. We must admit that fact.

1.     3.       ARTICULATION OF THE ANIOMA VISION FOR DELTA STATE: Next we have to draw up an Anioma agenda for Delta State. The agenda must accommodate the yearnings and aspirations of other interest groups in the state. It must be fair, it must be assuring, and it must be devoid of primordial sentiments that have divided Nigeria over the years. Anioma intelligentsia, traditional leaders, politicians, opinion leaders and leaders of other relevant interest groups must form part of the committee to draw up the agenda.

1.     4.       PARTY MEMBERSHIP: We must also start making conscious and concerted effort to populate the existing political parties in the state. From within the parties, we must begin to sell and propagate the Anioma agenda for Delta state. Anioma sons and daughters must stop seeing politics as a dirty game. We all understand how it is played in Nigeria, unfortunately, but nothing will be corrected if we all shy away from politics. We must get involved. The easiest place to effect a correction is from within.

1.     5.       MASSIVE ENLIGHTENMENT CAMPAIGN: It will be of no use if we draw up an Anioma agenda without selling it to the general public. We must therefore embark on a well coordinated and orchestrated public enlightenment campaign. Every available fora or media must be used to sell the Anioma agenda. The campaign must cut across party lines, it must be all-inclusive. We must put ourselves in a position where we run or influence things rather than let things run or influence us. Simply put, we have to put ourselves in a position where we are impossible to ignore

1.     6.       CHOOSING OUR CANDIDATE: When the time comes we must chose our governorship flag bearer carefully. The flag bearer must be somebody with a cross-over appeal. Somebody other ethnic nationalities can trust. Choosing our flag bearer should not be based on politics. It should be based on acceptability. If we can get the candidate from the strongest political party in the state (presumably PDP), all well and good, but PDP is not the only party in the state. We must hunt for credible candidate everywhere, even outside political parties.

1.     7.       REGISTER TO VOTE: Points 1 to 6 are all well and good, but equally important is to register as a voter. Side by side with this is to mobilise all Anioma towns, villages and communities to register. Our guest communities must also be encouraged to buy into our agenda and register not just to vote but to vote for an Anioma son or daughter.  Anioma Sons and daughters living outside Aniomaland must be encouraged in their town meetings to go home and register when it is time for registration of voters. We must stop showing apathy to, or disinterest in, elections.

1.     8.       VOTE AND GUARD OUR VOTES: On the day of governorship election, we must also make sure we turn out en-mass to vote our candidate. Again those living outside Aniomaland must also be encouraged to go home and vote. But we must not only vote. We must also guard our votes. We must not vote and simply go home. We must vote and remain at the polling station until the votes are counted and result declared at the station where we voted. In all this we must be peaceful, orderly and be sure not to violate any electoral law.

1.     9.       ACCEPT THE RESULT: when we have voted, and result is finally declared, we must also be willing to accept the result. Having done 1 to 8 above, our prayers and hopes are that the result turns out in our favour. But where it does not we must accept it as it is. We must be sportsman-like. It is not a do or die affair, and there will be another day.

Given our boisterous nature, I am not unaware that this road-map might elicit criticism and condemnation from Anioma sons and daughters. But Like I have stated earlier, it is not absolute. Suggestions and modifications are welcome.

Long Live Anioma

Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria

FRANK OFILI