Igbuzo Singles Meet Celebrate 10th Anniversary in Ibusa

 Igbuzo Singles Meet Celebrate 10th Anniversary in Ibusa

The Government will Partner with ISM – Hon Innocent Esewezie 

Encourage More NGOs on Ibusa Youths – Emeka Esogbue

Speak our Enuani to your Children – Patricia Nnabuife  

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Prominent sons and daughters of Ibusa came together on Saturday to join the 10th-anniversary celebration of Igbuzo Singles Meet Worldwide (ISM) in the community. The occasion which was long-awaited before intense publicity that accompanied it on social media saw several youths from the community gathering as early as 10 am in groups, smiling and cheering themselves. Cladded in identifiable customized blue t-shirts with ISM inscriptions and first names, some of the youths spoken to by our crew expressed their minds on what to expect ahead of the event. 

Following the recognition of dignitaries from the community and other participants, the founder, Elder Emeka Esogbue took to the floor to deliver his welcome address. He thanked the dignitaries for coming out to identify with the youths, which he said was rare in the community where the leaders appear to give priority to political affairs. Going down memory lane, he stated that the journey had not been an easy one for him but highlighted some of the successes which he said have been recorded by ISM. According to him, the Association has seen 30 members marry themselves while there are outstanding 4 marriages with their invitations already out and awaiting the date of the ceremony and guests.   

He listed the challenges facing the Association to include lack of support from Ibusa people. This is because the people pay less importance to NGOs on youth development and consider them as liabilities according to the founder. 

“The people of Ibusa channel every energy to politics and political bodies,” the renowned historian said critically. 

On the way forward, he called on the people to begin to take collective interest in the responsibility of the youths of the community, initiate more NGOs on youth development, reward the youths of the community and also recognize those running youth organizations in the community as a way to groom the youths. 

In his remark, the Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon Innocent Esewezie said among others that his Government would identify with ISM projects while advising Ibusa women to be good wives to their husbands. He re-emphasized his policy to work closely with youths of the local government while also taking their matters with seriousness. The Council Chairman, easily identified for implementing his policies, advised the Group to initiate more programmes as a means of engaging their members. He promised to hold a meeting with the Anioma Zone members of the Association to be part of their challenges. 

Esewezie advised the youths of Ibusa to embrace politics and be part of the governance, reminding them that when good men refuse to rule, evil men rule over them. 

“The ISM will be used as a platform to address those willing to further in their education but are unable to do so due to one challenge or the other,” he said. 

The Ibusa politician promised to make Ibusa nonviolent during the Yuletide season for a peaceful celebration of Christmas. He also chose the opportunity to speak on the Oshimili North Liaison Office in the community recently re-instituted by him to which he told participants that the Obuzo of Ibusa thanked him for the political delivery. Since the decision was made that the Akwukwu-Igbo community become the Oshimili North Local Government Area and a liaison office be established in Ibusa, there was the expectation on who would establish it until he did it for the people. The liaison office will now host a court registry for natives of the local government to celebrate their marriages. 

The Local Government Chairman said that his administration had to make sacrifices for the establishment of the liaison office in the community. However, it is no longer an Esewezie project but an Oshimili North project.

Hon Innocent Esewezie received thunderous applauds when he pledged that any ISM member using the multipurpose hall for his wedding reception will get a 50% discount. He finally charged other political representatives of the community to work towards inviting government presence to the community. 

Also speaking at the event was Nnediohanma Ezinne Patricia Ifeyinwa Nnabuife, the Chairman of the Occasion and President-General of Ibusa Community Development Union, Women Wing. She advised Ibusa parents to constantly speak the Enuani dialect to their children to sustain the Ibusa bond and also preserve the dialect which according to her is tied to the culture of the people. Nnediohanma Nnabuife also advised Ibusa youths on the need to marry themselves since there are greater advances attached to marrying from one’s community. As the Leader of the ICDU Women Branch, she promised to go back and mobilize in support of the Igbuzo Singles Meet as a way of encouraging more singles to join the organization. 

Chief Mrs. Rosemary Moji Ikolodo who also spoke at the event said she was proud to identify with Ibusa and encouraged the youths to show the Ibusa pride in them by promoting patriotically the Ibusa nationalism. Pastor Felix Nzemeka who traveled down from Canada to attend the event, advised the youths to empower themselves before and in marriage. In proposing the toast, he prayed for the youths. 

Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Onianwah delivered a lecture titled “Igbuzo Marriage: A Relevance to Her People in the 21st Century, in which he adduced the advantages of marrying from one’s home, one of which he said is familiar terrain. He started by defining culture as the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society while also broadening it to include the way of life, dressing pattern, food type, common language, tribal marks, common hereditary, common religion, and common geographical location, among others. He also went further to define marriage as a legally and socially sanctioned union between a man and a woman and as regulated by-laws, rules, beliefs, and attitudes. 

He said that in some cultures, men have a duty to go out and into the world to provide their family with security and sustenance, while women must remain at home to take care of their children and household responsibilities but this is not the case in Igbuzo culture where the couples’ role is complementary.

He gave the analogy of men cultivating yams while the planting and processing of melon were done by women; both jointly cultivate cassava but it is the woman who is responsible for cassava processing in homes. He advised that to sustain the intra-community marriage which is Igbuzo to Igbuzo marriage, encouragement is needed.

Dr. Ruth Nwaobi-Nkeaka who spoke on “Curtailing Sexually transmitted Diseases Among the Youths of Ibusa: Your Responsivity” defined sexually transmitted diseases beyond having sex to include other acts such as kissing. 

She warned that abstinence from pre-marital sex was one of the ways to prevent it and that anyone who does not want to contact it should keep away from sex. She gave the symptoms to include discharge in several ways and apportioned the responsibility of curtailing it to the government and individuals whom she said to have some roles to play to save the society at large.   

The ISM Awards for Youth Development in Ibusa Community in Recognition of Contributions to Charity and Mentorship was presented to Dr. Mrs. Priscilla Okeleke, the Career Counselor of ISM, Chief Mrs. Rosemary Ikolodo, the Hon Grand Matron of ISM, Mr. Emmanuel Amatokwu, Pastor Felix Nzemeka, Chief Austin C. Odume, Ms. Naomi Okoisor, Mr. Stanley Elege, Mr. Henry Mordi, Mr. Collins Ndubueze, Miss Emilia Odume, Miss Joyce Esedebe, and Mr. Anthonia Nwani. 

The anniversary cake was cut by the ISM founder, Elder Emeka Esogbue, flanked by the other dignitaries that included the Oshimili North Local Government Boss, Hon Innocent Esewezie. The Onyeoma Diyoyo Anioma Band was readily on the ground to entertain participants with music.  

Special guests at the event include Hon Innocent Esewezie, the Oshimili North Council Chairman, Elder Anene Chigbue, SS to Governor Okowa, Hon Austin Ajufo, Secretary to Oshimili North LGA (SLG), Mrs. Rosemary Ndudi Oraegbu, Mother of the Day, Chief Mrs. Rosemary Ikolodo, Mrs. Gladys Ikolodo, Mr. Emmanuel Amatokwu, Novelist, Philip Ngozi Kwusike, Mrs. Patricia Oyana, Aide to Oshimili LGA Chairman, Deacon Dave Nwaosisi, Aide to the Oshimili LGA Chairman, Hon Hilary Okobi, Oshimili North Councilor Lilian Esogbue, wife of the founder, Ibusa Community Police personnel and several others.