Inauguration Welcome Address by Nwachukwu C. Okafor
WELCOME ADDRESS DELIVERED BY OGBUEHI NWACHUKWU CHUKWUKAIRO OKAFOR LL.M, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OHANAEZE NDIGBO OF NORTH CAROLINA, AT THE INUGURATION OF THE ORGANIZATION ON FRIDAY THE 24TH OF NOVEMBER 2017, AT THE HILTON NORTH RALEIGH, 3415 WAKE FOREST ROAD RALEIGH NC 27609.
The Governor of North Carolina, Mr. Roy Cooper, All Mayors Present, the President General Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Deputy President, representatives of State Organizations and all other Igbo Organizations present, ladies and gentlemen.
Today, marks another positive step in a journey that started in 2008, when I made the initial consultations for the unification of all Igbo’s in North Carolina. I was told then that uniting Ndigbo was an uphill task. That assessment rather than deter, propelled my resolve and in 2014, with the help of two other passionate Igbo men, Mazi Emmanuel Uzo Obi and Ositadimma Njodimma Ogbonna, we conceptualized, what today has become a force for good, an organization known as Ohanaeze Ndigbo of North Carolina.
In doing this, we did not invent the wheel. No the wheel was invented immediately after the Nigerian civil war, when some prominent Igbo’s gathered to proclaim the need to unify Igbo’s under a common umbrella body known as the Igbo National Assembly (INA). That body was later banned by the Federal Government of Nigeria, however in 1976, Ohanaeze Ndigbo was borne.
When we therefore, decided to organize our people here in North Carolina, we were following in the footsteps of our forbearers and that is why today and for the first time, the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide is here with his deputy to inaugurate and establish Ohanaeze Ndigbo in North Carolina United States of America.
This change agent was incorporated as a non-profit organization on the 31st day of December, 2014. We aim at the preservation and promotion of a better understanding of our cultures; and inculcating the finer elements of the American culture, with the hope that our children will learn and live by the best practices in those two cultures.
We strive to be very good Americans, for we believe that, if we become good Americans, we can become better Nigerians and ultimately wonderful Igbo men and an asset to humanity.
Time has come when Africans in America should lead the charge to liberate Africa from the clutches of poverty, corruption and unsustainable economic practices. We aspire to become instruments of change and instead of seeking handouts we intend to become that aide that our people need.
Since incorporation, we have strived to live by the above objectives and have provided a roof for all Igbo’s irrespective of whether they are registered members of the organization or not .
To ensure continuity and sustainability of the dream we have developed our short and long term goals, which you will find inside the brochure before you. Part of the plan is to lessen the burden to families in case of the unexpected. We have successfully organized our members to purchase group life insurance. It is on record, that we are the first Igbo organization in the Research Triangle Park area, that all its members and their families have life insurance coverage.
Last year, we hosted the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Audu Ogbeh here in Raleigh in pursuit of our program to aid the development of year round farming in Nigeria. That project is still being developed and will soon begin to yield expected results.
The Igbo community in North Carolina is growing rapidly. Our children are being forced to learn our cultures second hand. Our language is being lost because both parents are working and there are no institutions, where our children can go and learn our language and ways of life. We have therefore resolved as a matter of great urgency to establish an Igbo center, where our children can converge and learn our language and cultures. The center will provide resource materials for the public and people who are interested in learning about the great cultures and origins of Ndigbo of Eastern Nigeria. This is one of our main reasons for this gathering today and we hope that all of you can help us achieve it.
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We are not oblivious of the happenings back in Nigeria. We believe strongly in a united Nigeria where fairness, justice and equity reign; where, a child is not judged based on ethnicity or tribal origins, state of origin, quota systems or catchment area; where citizens are not subjected to neither army nor police brutality. A true federation like the United States of America.
We are worried that despite attaining the age of majority, Nigeria is still crawling, and almost all indices to measure growth are in the negative. It is our hope, that the President Generals’ message here today, will help in comforting all those who are concerned about the faith of the Ndigbo in particular and the Nigerian nation in general.
Finally, I want thank the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide and his deputy, who travelled all the way from Nigeria to be with us despite very tight and grueling schedules which they have had to endure in recent times.
I will not fail to thank my wonderful wife Lady Chinonyrem Okafor and our children Oluchi,Chidimma, Arinzechukwu,Chibuike and Chukwubataobie, who have endured countless times that I have had to leave family duties, to attend to matters that concern the organization. To the members of my executive, I cannot ask for any other team than you. To all our members, today belongs to you.
To all those who are still sitting on the fence, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is your home, come lets join hands and build a formidable union of all Igbo’s in North Carolina. I welcome you here today and hope that your time with us will be well spent.
Thank you so much.
Nwachukwu Chukwukairo Okafor LL.M
Ogbuehi Agunaecheibeya.
President Ohanaeze Ndigbo of North Carolina.