Anthony Iwuoma
Nsu Elite Congress, NEC, a think tank for Nsu, a sprawling community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State has elected a new set of executive members to steer the affairs of the group in the next three years.
The officers were elected after a seamless election organised by a five-member electoral committee headed by a former director of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Chief Mahakwe Anyanwu.
The electoral committee adopted an online voting system that was able to transmit both the result, infractions, and the general conduct of the exercise at the same time such that at the end of the exercise, none was left in doubt about its fairness. In fact, there was no single protest despite the constitution of an electoral appeal committee that had to be disbanded for want of something to do.
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Considering the ease and flawless delivery of the novel online voting system, one wonders why the organisers of elections in this country find it difficult to conduct credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria despite the humongous funds deployed to the exercise.
The new leaders are headed by Mr. Basil Ojukwu, as president, Mr. Chidi Njokuoma, as his deputy, Dr. Patrick Okorie, as secretary amongst others.
They were inaugurated after a two-day workshop via zoom.
In his valedictory speech, the outgoing president, Chief Pascal Egerue, who, in fact, birthed the NEC some seven years ago, revealed that the group was set up principally to articulate a sustainable development agenda for Nsu, as a corporate entity and for her indigenes as critical elements in the achievement of the agenda as well as to harness the intellectual assets of the town towards the configuration and complexity of today’s global and national economies and to locate appropriately the place of the clan in it. He highlighted how the group started as a Whatsaap platform in 2016 but has now morphed into a formidable association that is the envy of other communities.
A peep into the numerous laudable achievements of the outgoing administration, as highlighted by Egerue revealed: Intervention in the stalled Ama Ogoke/Nsu/Okigwe road, and dragging the contractor to EFCC to compel him to complete the road he had abandoned. However, the road has now been tarred through the intervention of their son and member, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, is the immediate past Minister of State for Education and a front-line presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
NEC under Egerue’s leadership also intervened to stop the looting of the equipment at Imo Tiles and Ceramics by the Rochas Okorocha administration; purchase five brand new motorcycles for the security surveillance of the town, including other sundry support to the security outfit. These motorcycles have now been formally handed over to Nsu Security Trust Fund – Managers of Nsu Security Watch.
NEC also set out to improve infrastructures at the Orieagu Police post. Unfortunately, security disruptions that occurred through targeted attacks by unknown gunmen led to the closure of the station and made the finishing and commissioning of the project impossible.
It organised voters’ registration and awareness campaign projects as well as sensitisation campaigns during the Covid-19 pandemic. It did not stop there but also doled out relief and palliative materials to the people. NEC also contributed to funding one of the four traditional rulers in the town, HRH Eze Emma Ibechi (Akagu) in his successful bid to become the Deputy Chairman of Imo State Council of Ndi Eze. Obviously, this has placed Nsu traditional rulers in high ranking and respect among the traditional rulers in Imo State.
The youth summit organized by NEC drew first class entrepreneurs, such as Frank Nneji – Founder/Chairman ABC Transport, Prof Greg Ibe – Founder of Gregory University, Uturu, and others.
The greatest of the momentous achievements of NEC under Egerue was its ability to fish out and gather Nsu sons and daughters, who pack high octane credentials in the academia, business, and technocracy both in Nigeria and the Diaspora under one umbrella.
The new president, Ojukwu, who was the former general secretary of the group, left no one in doubt that he was fit for the big shoes Egerue left behind.
In fact, many had feared for the future of NEC after Egerue’s exit. However, in his inaugural speech, Ojukwu harped on youth empowerment, as a panacea to the rise in political extremism, unhealthy rivalry and negative competition, domestic terrorism, and kidnapping among the youths.
As a start, he announced the commencement of a NEC Youth Platform with all Nsu youth leaders as members. This all-important forum shall incubate winning strategies across ideological lines in favour of the Nsu community, especially in terms of unity, synergy, and understanding of one another.
Ojukwu also emphasised unity, saying: “Obviously, the Nsu story depends not on any one of us, nor on some of us, but on all of us – hence, our mantra – “TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE”. With love and unity, Ala Nsu shall be victorious.” Ojukwu stated that this victory can never be possible without cooperation with Nsu Development Union (NDU), the umbrella body of the town, and affirmed that NEC, like every sister organization in Nsu, recognises NDU as such, promising to willingly complement and synergize with her to reposition the Nsu community.
The new exco’s ambition is to make NEC an intellectual body as well as a hub where concepts and implementation of projects to better a lot of youths, and the elderly are made possible.
“NEC, under my watch, shall build a strong leadership skill, including the ability to share and articulate our mission and vision, with a good reputation to a positive height that Ala Nsu will be proud of,” the new president vowed.
Everyone expects the new exco to take NEC to higher ground. That was the thrust of most of the speeches of the members, especially Chief Aloy Onyeso, Ome Udo Gburugburu, the United States of America-based paramedic, who could be described as a catalyst for great events.
In his speech, Ome Udo stirred the patriotic spirit when he espoused that NEC came as a propeller, dynamite and bulldozer aggressively determined to transform Nsu community into a Small London.
According to him, “Nsu is our own possession. We cannot abandon her to poverty and diseases. Oh yes, we cannot abandon Nsu to the whims and caprices of our rival enemies. We must all be participants. We must boldly place Nsu on a very enviable pedestal…Everybody must participate in the development of Nsu. We must leave a memorable legacy for posterity.”
Avant-garde NEC is consciously structured to give women their rightful due. So, Mrs. Chika Osuji gave a feminine touch to the occasion. She rightly focused on education, which she identified as the instrument to fight the myriad of challenges, confronting the community. She added that NEC would have missed it if it failed to provide the necessary means of support to improve the quality and level of access to education for the many young people in the town.
Without a doubt, Nsu Elite Congress is a pacesetter in community development, as is usually the case in most parts of Igbo land. What is unique about NEC is its conglomeration of the high and mighty as well as a blend of the middle-level patriotic natives, all consumed with the passion to move the town forward. Many other surrounding communities have since set up similar organistions and before long development projects shall dog all nooks and crannies of the area.
