Memoir: The Ibusa Community Development Union, the Izagbo Entrant and the 2017 National Conference

 Memoir: The Ibusa Community Development Union, the Izagbo Entrant and the 2017 National Conference

Emeka Esogbue

Yesterday, The Pen Master chronologically and historically penned down the technological gift of website from Izagbo to Ibusa through the ICDU service. However, due to the enormousness of yearns, and feedbacks received from our Ibusa readers especially our people in the Diaspora, I am moving an inch closer to supplying a more adequate historic background of the change in an era informed by the Izagbo era-defining birth especially with his phenomenal 2017 ICDU National Conference being one of the most memorable to many, in the entire history of ICDU. 

The birth of Izagbo presidency, committee reports, caliber of planners, careful planning, financial input and additionally, oneness, all contributed in the success of this Conference under discussion. For the first time in decades, the Ibusa people jettisoned their artificial and traditional divides to come together. It was a summary of an era of Ibusa unity.

How did this happen? By 2016, there had been Dr. Austin Nonyelim Izagbo, one of Ibusa's finest technocrats, determinedly learned, being a PhD holder, a manager of several businesses, contributor to modern change in Ibusa affairs, dependable leader, a friend of Ibusa, one whose home and offices are always open to Ibusa visitors. Perhaps, only a few can boast of knowing Ibusa better than him; a knower of Ibusa people and major influencer of vast Ibusa personalities. It was not therefore surprising to ICDU watchers that he would be overwhelmingly elected the ICDU leader.

At this time, Izagbo had taken count of the number of ICDU branches round the world. Then he announced several committees with capable and capacitated members drawn from men and women of the society. They include the following committees:

1. Tourism and Culture - headed by Dr. Felicia Adun with Emeka Esogbue as General Secretary

2. Property and Assets - headed by Hon Pat Mozea with Philip Ifechukwude as General Secretary

3. Anti-Cult and other Criminal Activities

4. Education

5. General Hospital; and

6. Strategy Implementation Committee, among others. All of these committees submitted their reports at the 2017 National Conference.

The Culture and Tourism Committee which I was involved, endorsed or proposed a number of recommendations to ICDU which included the transformation of Okpuzu to a state of the art tourist centre with one-stop shop and facilities and hotels: An annual celebration of Igbuzo Day to bring together Igbuzo people since the youths of the community must be attached to what is their own ancestry; construction of tourist centres on the Anioshe and Ani-Udo to preserve what is the beginning of Ibusa with its people.

We are not to be oblivious of the fact that the Constitution Review Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nosike Agokei with Barr Charles Nmarkwe as the Gen Secretary had painstakingly given the Organization an acceptable new Constitution. 

Deemed "the tallest mileage in image as known of several other communities hosting Federal Government Colleges...", the Multi-purpose Hall of the Federal Government Girls College, Ibusa had also been remodeled by ICDU to host the Gala Night and Award Ceremony of the Development Union. Renovations carried out were in the areas of masonry works, electrical, carpentry, provision of temporary lighting from Umejei Road and others.

With Izagbo, I was for the first time personally involved in planning the ICDU National Conference which required tiresome and energetic and effort-taking meetings, coming with infinite phone calls, every now and then, inside the Lagos Caniz office of the new leader. In all our meetings, I observed Dr. Izagbo as characterized by precise and conscientious attention to rightness of details; listening to all contributors with scrupulousness accompanied with intermittent phone calls to a section of other planners in Ibusa. He was team player and carrier of everyone on a train of right reasoning and unbiased responses in return.

For these meetings, I had met Enyi Philo Okonkwo and Mr. Ben Ejeteh for the first time while popular Emmanuel Kwasa Amatokwu, my maternal cousin from Umuisagba and Sir Tony Oraegbu who was coming to join us all the way from Ibadan were familiarly known to me. I had also met a few others for the first time. Enyi Okonkwo was experienced in events as I understood it and Mr. Amatokwu, the Ibusa Mayor was our logistics person while Mr. Ejeteh was a strategists of some sort, churning out and situating remarkable ideas. 

Indefatigability, service to Ibusa and anxiety to deliver ably to our people kept pushing us. From our diligent and patriotic engagements, I had no doubt whatsoever that the conference would make a huge success thereafter.

The hard-work paid off with the much publicised Gala/Award Night which was part of the earlier activities lined up for the ICDU National Conference holding inside the Multi-purpose Hall of the Federal Government Girls College, Ibusa. To the best of my knowledge, it turned out the first time awards would be given to distinguished sons and daughters of Ibusa in any ICDU National Conference arrangement with the following as recipients:

1. Admiral Dele Ezeoba (Retd)

2. Senator Peter Nwaoboshi

3. Dame (Mrs) Winfred Akpani

4. Prof Buchi Emecheta (Post humous)

As we went ahead with these awards inside the Multi-purpose Hall, I frequently shook my legs in wonderment of when and how another recognition of Ibusa achievers especially the unwealthy who have truly served Ibusa would be achieved again, knowing that we live in Ibusa society where the impossibility of honour is noticeable; where even chances of near unanimous agreement on who to honour is found missing. Nevertheless, I resigned my fate to "the God that produced Izagbo would produce another bold and brave leader" to carry on". 

The birth of Izagbo is a blessing to Ibusa and his ICDU entrant is a phenomenal change, perceptible to all. Above all, he represents the communal thought that ICDU leaders should be groomed having himself been groomed. Dr. Austin Izagbo and futuristic ICDU leaders should be nurturers of the Ibusa future. But by far, following up with action plans and laid down agendas of ICDU such as Committee repors and other resolutions will help to fast-track the community's growth and development. This was one lesson I learnt.