A Frontline Contestant for the position of the President General of Nzuko-Ora Nnewi and former President of Ndiakwu Community, and currently the president of Ndiakwu Development Union, Prof.Edwin Chukwuma .(Oyi Na ATU Mba) has thrown some light on his involvement and activities as the President of the Community. In an exclusive interview with Multiple Awards Winning Journalist Don Peter Okoro at his residence, the Professor of Management Sciences and Entrepreneurship studies also used the opportunity to clear some misconceptions about his tenure and how he and his team were able to instill sanity into the system while maintaining peace and order in Ndiakwu.
In his words: ” I became the President of Ndiakwu Community Otolo in 2000, which is on a 4 year, two term arrangement.
After serving the first term, I came into the 2nd term in 2004. At that point in time, I found out that some people were in position of and issuing Receipts for Security Levies from different sources and the money going into private pockets.
When I noticed this, I wasn’t happy and decided to stop the criminal act. This is because the money being collected was mainly from our poor mothers and widows, whose children were sending money from various parts of the country and the world for their welfare.
As soon as I blocked that aspect of the money making venture, they started making trouble. There was a particular person who wanted to embezzle a huge sum of money, but I refused and insisted that the money must be recovered and inject back to the Community Treasury.
This is how the whole problem started. They said I was becoming too hard for them. As a result, they ganged up against me and constituted a nuisance to what we were doing. Then followed with a palace coup. Some wrote Petitions against me ,but eventually, all the cases they made against me both in the Courts and the Police came to nothing.
I defeated them in all. The truth is that I was not fighting with the Community, It was individuals that were fighting me. Those who felt I was blocking their ways in Ndiakwu Community. So, those who are saying that Oyi has done this or that, don’t really know what happened. They cannot give accurate account of the problem then in Ndiakwu.
I was just defending the interest of the community.”” On what gave rise to my aspirations to contest for the position of the PG Nzuko-ora Nnewi, he replied: “Since I have served the Federal Government for 35 years as a chief lecturer and directors in different capacities and retired, I am free to render my services to the Community. This is especially so, seeing what is happening in Nnewi Community.
As at today, Nzuko-Ora Nnewi cannot boast of a Community Hall of their own where they can hold meetings. There is no existing Library in Nnewi. The Library at the Youth League Hall has been dismantled and the staff transferred to Nnewi South. Meanwhile. there is a place known as Nnewi GRA which is owned by Nnewi.
It was mapped out by the Anambra State Government. That is a place we can now carve out to build a Recreational Centre or Park where people can come and enjoy themselves. Where the Teaching Hospital has been relocated to, is very far. I’m advocating that we should think of bringing back a General Hospital to Nnewi to complement the Teaching Hospital.
The other important thing is a Park. In Nnewi, the Parks are scattered everywhere. We need to bring all these Parks together and have a Central Park. Then, look at the Nkwo- Nnewi Triangle that we’ve been talking about.
We have so many Millionaires whom we can collaborate with through Private Party Partnership ( PPP), to build a very massive 3 Storey Building with offices and shops and this will be another source of income for Nnewi. Another area I’ll look at when I emerge as the PG is to review the qualifications of those aspiring to become the PG of Nzuko-ora.
For instance, anyone coming out to be the PG of Nnewi must be an educated person.Must have at least a First Degree. If you are not educated, how do you face other Community Leaders who are Ph.D. Holders and Professors; Specialists in different fields of human endeavours.?”” Prof. Chukwuma promised to unify the town and harmonise the various Security Agencies.
He recalled that when he was the President of Ndiakwu Otolo, he made a Public Announcement that if you don’t have anything doing or you are a Criminal, you should leave Ndiakwu Otolo, and they all left.
Giving his words of advice especially to the Delegates, he admonished: “”Ndi-Nnewi should be very careful this time around. It should not be Business as Usual.We have to shine our eyes.
We should think about the future generations. Anyone coming to govern Nnewi must be someone with impeccable character and enviable integrity. Someone who is matured, focused and knows what he wants to do. Someone that cannot be pushed around. Someone without a godfather, because once you have a godfather, it means you are not competent enough to do anything except what your godfather tells you. Thank you.””