Nnewi Community Organization Of Washington Dc Area [Ncowa] Heading To Age 40

[Observations from a floor member]

It was in the last quarter of the year 1988 when this writer moved back to the Washington DC area, which was his first “home” in the United States of America. He left Nigeria, landed in Washington DC in July 1972, lived in DC for his first two years, moved to New York City, lived for four years, moved to Chicago Illinois, lived for six years, moved back to New York city from where, after another four years, he moved back to DC area and settled.

In his first few years in DC, he was one of the founding members of Igbo Association (I believe so it was called)which was formed following the home-going and death of one Mr. Unonu. It was the first post-Biafra war Igbo meeting in the DC area.

Moving to New York City in 1974, he inquired and was informed there was a strong Igbo Association which was very active during Nigeria-Biafra war but dissolved after the war. It was the Otu ofor of the New York metropolitan area. Moving to Chicago in late 1978 to pursue a career, he became a founding member of the Umunna Association of Chicago and environs. It was formed following the terminal illness of one young man named Peter Eze. He was from Enugu state. Ndigbo gathered to send him home where he died shortly after. From that joint effort, Ndigbo started the meeting and I believe that despite some rocky seasons, Umunna of Chicago is still a viable organization to date. 2

Completing his academic and career segments in Chicago, the sojourner moved back to New York City in 19 84. On this second sojourn in the big apple, he was too engulfed with his studies, to search for any Igbo Organization. That lasted four years and he moved “back to the base”. Back in Maryland in the fall of 1988 to start his private Ophthalmology practice, he joined the Igwubuike Igbo Association of Baltimore area. On inquiry, he was informed that indigenes of Nnewi have an association in the Washington DC area.

He was elated to attend his first Nnewi Community Association of Washington (DC) Area meeting holding at the premises of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Enendu in New Carrollton, Maryland. On inquiry at the meeting, he was informed that the PURPOSE of the Organization was summarized in three sentences:

“(A) to maintain and promote the social, educational, cultural, civic and general well-being of its members.

(B) To encourage the formation and growth of Nnewi Communities in the Washington Metropolitan and surrounding region. (C) To encourage and promote exchange of ideas and information with our people at home”

He was informed that the Nnewi Association was formed following a 1985 Christmas dinner in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Ndum.

This writer has remained a full member of the organization from that date in 1988 to date and claims the authority to report the following remarks and observations as an insider.

NCOWA was the acronym coined when the guiding document, the By-laws, was drafted and the organization was registered in the District of Columbia. 3

The first chairman and the first Nnewi lady remain Mr. Leonard and Mrs. Ifeoma Enendu, respectively.

Subsequent chair persons of NCOWA include,Mr.(now Ogbuefi) Anthony Ndum, Mazi Chukwuma Okonkwo, Mazi Dennis Egwuatu, Mazi Ike Mohghalu, Ms. Uchechukwu Odilatu, Maiyedun Eze Okonkwo, Mazi Nwabufo Ojukwu, and Mazi Chukwuma Okeke who is the current chief executive.

Almost all the listed chief executives held office for two terms (limits) but some were retained for longer due to the dynamics of the organization at the time and a few were drafted by popular acclamation and need to return and finish another’s term truncated by job relocation.

It is pertinent that at no time was there any campaign by anyone for the office of the chairperson. Every one of them was nominated by a floor member and supported by a clear majority of the membership, sometimes even against the reluctance and objection of the nominee.

At no time has there been any embezzlement or malfeasance within the executives of NCOWA. There has never been any compensation of any of the executives of the Organization at any level.

It has always been a labor of love in which the chief executive invariably, incurred personal monetary expenses, besides time, effort, and ideas.

NCOWA has, over these three decades, hosted biannual fundraising gala nights where the membership were also the major donors.

Operational funds have been based on annual dues, new membership registrations and the fundraising parties. 4

With these few resources, NCOWA was able to execute significant projects in our town Nnewi, gave substantial contribution and support in building and sustaining the now debilitated Nnewi USA [NUSA] The projects by NCOWA in Nnewi are listed elsewhere and should be available in this renewed NCOWA website.

It will be misleading to assume that NCOWA had no problems. Far from it. Like any other Organization of its caliber, there are personalities who must disagree on many bases and in their perceptions of worthy priorities. The thriving spirit of NCOWA stems from the sincerity of most membership in giving their best and realizing that this is our last stand against the wide world. Our home is too far to saunter around in the wide world of the USA in isolation.

The Coalition of the black race is not faring well, if at all, in tangible existence. The divisiveness of Africans in the Diaspora (especially in the USA) is not unrelated to the usual noise of Nigerians gallivanting as “the giant of Africa”, offending and belittling fellow Africans with our noise and unproductive “superiority” complex.

The Nigerian unions do not fail to replicate the perpetual struggle of which ethnic group (tribe) is more progressive than others, particularly Igbo-Yoruba competition, versus the “born to rule” high horse of the few Fulani- cum- Hausa who bother to spare their time outside Nigeria. National, regional, and local Igbo Organizations set out with amazing zeal, soon undermined by the squabble over leadership and control of the treasury, as soon as they have raised significant funds. I believe that we, NCOWA membership, realize that Nnewi is our last stop.”Onye a maghi ebe o na-eje, e bulu ya gafee ama nna ya”. “Otu nkpisi aku, adaghi a gbani ya enu”. {You do not use your last arrow for random shooting}. 5

Any Organization that runs at all does so with three principal officials, the president (chairperson) the secretary and the treasurer. Other offices, when filled, give the potential to run very well, all other factors being in order.

It is helpful to list most, if not all the past and present secretaries of NCOWA. I may not recall them all or in proper chronological order, but here goes:

Mrs. Ifeoma Enendu, Mazi (now Pastor) Okechukwu Odilatu, Mazi (now Attorney) Osita Okeke, Mazi Okechukwu Ukachukwu, Ms. Stella Anyanetoh, Mazi Edwin Okonkwo ,Mrs. Uchenna Okafor-Amobi, Dr. Ebubechukwu Odunukwe, Mazi Kene Ibekwe, Mrs. Chinelo Okafor and the current Mazi Lucky Ufondu.

There is need to recall many of our loyal membership who had to relocate to other parts of the US and the world because of employment dictates.

Mazi Chukwuma Okonkwo, listed among our former chairpersons, had to move back to Africa. Mazi Osita Okeke moved to New York where he took the spirit of NCOWA to galvanize Nnewi Union of the New York Tristate, Mazi Okechukwu Ukachukwu, a staunch member of Nnewi Chicago. Ms. Stella Anyanetoh, a foundation member of Ojoto-USA, Mrs. Amaka Machie, who moved back to the west Coast of the USA, Mazi Kenee Ibekwe was the vice Chairman to Mazi Nwabufo Ojukwu. He relocated with his family to a job in a city south of the DC area.

It is proper to remember the brothers and sister we have lost along the way and still miss their zeal and contributions to our progress. 6

Late Mazi. Emeka Nwagbo was the first, then were Mazi Chuka Ajene, Ms. Lizzy Egwuatu, Mrs. Philomena Chibuzo Mgbemena , followed most recently by Mrs. Rita Ekechukwu. May their souls keep resting in peace.

NCOWA has raised our first generation of children who are professionals in their disciplines and keep making us proud. They understand that most of their parents did not push hard enough to make them learn the Igbo language, but they have also come to understand the pressure and the prevailing circumstances at the time they would have most successfully learnt the language.

The ripple effect of the lost opportunity is, unfortunately, playing out on our grandchildren.

No parent can teach his/her child what he/she does not know. This problem cannot be resolved on this historical recall but may raise the issue in the minds of young NCOWA parents raising children to try and avoid the errors of the older generation.

Similar to the language goof was the unintended error of raising our first-generation children as “brothers, sisters or cousins” and we, their parents, as their ‘uncles and aunts’. Result: our children naturally, would not and did not have any romantic considerations among themselves and several grew up married to other people from everywhere else except Nnewi.

One of the high points of the NCOWA membership is the open-door invitation of our Sisters married outside Nnewi to gain full membership with their children (Umudiana Nnewi).

It has been a win-win situation to our nephews and nieces to find homeliness in a large organization; they may not have enough 7

numerical strength to form their own yet join to swell our membership. “Nwadiana bu eke” is a popular Nnewi aphorism.

I will be remiss if I do not observe the elegance of NCOWA women.

It is by God’s grace that most NCOWA men are endowed with high class beautiful wives and sisters. The lewd gossips and stories that disturb many Igbo organization in our locale has never manifested in NCOWA. There has always been the unexpressed and fundamental mantra that Respect is mutual, and that no Nnewi man is subservient to another man, he gives due respect to his brethren and gets back the same.

Our women are not given to vulgar dressing, no matter how much such is in vogue, and they always bear in mind to show good example to the young ones, our daughters and granddaughters who look upon them as role models. They unite to form the heart of most NCOWA projects and help the Organization to carry each to fruition. We, the men, are blessed with those angels espoused to us.

The men are quite a class by themselves. Arguments get heated and tempers rise sometimes during serious deliberations.

But all those begin and end on the venue of the meetings. Jokes and hearty laughter punctuate the deliberations, providing relief and refreshment. Brethren remain brethren because, “Iwe nwanne adaghi elu n’okpukpu”. What each of us wants is “O dinma Nnewi” When the town is peaceful and progressive, everyone benefits.

What about our children? You may ask. The first generations of our children are now adults and paddling their family canoes, so to say. It may seem that we have not succeeded in bringing many of them to join our meetings, so they can “take over” and run with it when we, the old bones retire. 8

A careful look below the surface may shock the inquisitor with surprises.

Our adult children are not very far from their parents and may have even stronger affinity with each other than meets the eye. They, unlike their parents, hold more meetings informally but are more productive, than their parents (meeting champions) via the electronic network. They know where each other is, what he/she is doing and how to support each other in ventures of education, employment, and marital life.

No, the effort expended in getting them together during our meetings, having them practice the dances and perform in our gala events, has had a tremendous bonding effect on them. Praise God! We did something right there. May God continue to bless them. When they decide to go back and reclaim our land, Nigeria (if it is still limping along) will not know what hit her.

Where do we go from here? Good question. No answers yet but optimism always sustains man through difficult times.

If we, the current NCOWA , keep holding up the spirit of NCOWA as we have done theses past three decades, with truth, service and fairness, we need not fear about the future of us, individually or collectively.

Psalm 37:25 “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread”

EbubeChukwu Odunukwe,M.D.

March 31, 2020