By Jones Nnaike

It is now common knowledge that The Igbos of Southern Nigeria usually return enmass every end of the year to spend the xmas yuletide with their kith and kins at home.

Several Communities of the region have since found a creative way of making use of the opportunities attendant upon such demographic mix to positively showcase their culture and advance development initiatives.

One of such communities is Ekitiafor Abba in Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State. Ekitiafor which is part of the larger Abba clan trace their origin as being descendants of the famous Abam warriors who  were part of the military wing of the Aro trading system that exerted influence and suzerainty over much of Igboland and beyond for more than four centuries prior to the advent of formal British colonialism.

However the current status of Ekitiafor as an autonomous entity has a recent origin that was achieved under the governorship of Chief Ihedi Ohakim and which got further revalidation during the reign of Chief Rochas Okorocha

Perhaps it might be apt to say that the community has fared quite well with her new found autonomy if going by the peace, unity and progress that pervades there is the criteria to judge. It is also important to note that all these positive attributes would not have been possible if not for the internal restructural of its traditional institution and governance structure that was undertaken by the leaders of the community to align it with modern trends.

It was such restructuring that gave rise to the creation of five prime offices  and their occupation by highly qualified top achievers who work with the traditional ruler to give leadership to the community. Such offices includes the Lord Mayor, The Lord Chancellor, The Ambassador Extra Ordnaire, The Lord Pillar, The Lord Envoy and The Traditional Prime Minister.

Another novelty in this restructuring is that the succession to these offices is by election conducted by the council of chiefs. Fundamentally all these reforms and other rules have been codified into a written constitution that is now used to direct the affairs of the community.

Again the quality of top professionals that has ascended these positions attests to the efficacy of these reforms. Take for instance, the position of the Lord Mayor is occupied by Chief Chris Onwuzuruike, a successful American based Architect/Builder and business owner. The Lord Ambassador on the other hand Professor F.C. Dike is a SAN and Former Attorney General of Imo State.

The Lord Chancellor Chief/Nze Ted Obialor is an American based pharmacist. The Lord Pillar Chief Uchenna Uzowuru is a successful Lagos based business man just as the Lord Envoy Chief Ugochukwu Nwoke is also a Lagos based IT/Phone Professional. This is not to mention the fact that the traditional ruler himself HRH (Hon) Eze B.I Ononenyi Uzoma is a former member of the House of Representatives.

The attraction of high quality manpower into its leadership position and a general reform of its traditional institution and its adaptation to modern trends has given rise to not only the much needed peace and unity but also to a quantum leap in physical development. Evidence of this progress is not only the ubiquitous beautiful homes that are springing up everywhere in the community but also the tarred roads as well as well paved drainages that adorn its physical landscape.

Perhaps the ultimate symbol of the progress that pervades Ekitiafor Abbah Autonomous Community is the superb organisation attendant upon the conduct of its yearly Ekitiafor Day Celebrations that holds on the second January of every year. This years version of the festival attracted numerous visitors from all parts of the country and the diaspora particularly from the United States of America, Canada, The United Kingdom and Asia.

At the festival venue proper which held at the primary school ground, many natives appeared in their most colourful dresses. There was also the endless stream of neighboring traditional rulers and their chiefs that enriched the crowd quality. Not to be left out though is the colourful displays by various masquerade groups of all kind of descriptions. There were the very fearful ones as well as the benign types. It is also good to mention the different cultural dance groups with their heart rendering choruses that competed for attention.

In effect it could be said that the peace, unity and physical improvements which reign in Ekitiafor is in itself an offshoot of efforts at internal leadership improvement mechanism which has led to the alignment of its traditional institution with modern values.

Such alignment which has attracted quality manpower into its leadership cadre who are making invaluable contributions to the development is a paradigm shift in development which ought to be emulated by other communities in a quest to achieve peace, unity and development.

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In the light of the foregoing, it would be apt to say that Community improvements often depends on how internal institutional mechanisms in the locality are reformed to adapt to new ideas   and technologies. Ekitiafor Abba has demonstrated extreme resilience in adapting its traditional institutions to modern trends. The progress the Community currently enjoys in all realms of its affairs is a consequence of this very fact. The superb organisation of the Ekitiafor day celebration is the ultimate symbol of this progress.

In all, the visitors and participants who witnessed this year’s edition of the Ekitiafor Day celebration would have gone home with the satisfaction that the trip to the community was worth the effort.

Vanguard