14/06/2026
*AT LAST, THE OBIUNO MEGA CIVIC CENTRE, AHIAGU OBIUNO IGBO-UKWU HAS NOW RECEIVED THE LONG-AWAITED ROOF OVER ITS HEAD...!*
*THANK YOU SO MUCH, HON LEONARD LITHRACO OGBONNIA LED-ADMINISTRATION OF OBIUNO DEVELOPMENT UNION, IGBO-UKWU...!*🌹🌷🍹💐👏👏👏👏👏👏🤝🍹
Ndi banyi ekeneem unu!👋🌹
First, I thank you very much, my brother and comrade, Uzo Azubike for this beautiful and inspiring write-up. You see, eh, our people, particularly the youths of our community, need to be writing things like these. When you see a good thing, admire it and show the world that you love what you see. This way, our leaders will be encouraged! Etoo D**e na nke omelu, omekwa ozo! We must not all donate huge sums of money but we can at least appreciate the good deeds of others. My late friend, Sir Tony Abanobi, (may his good soul continue to rest in peace, Amen!), would always happily say: Onye ejihu ego, o na aku aka! Iga abu ogbenye bulu kwa amosu! No way! That's the spirit! Na akunu aka! Good soup, na moni mekam!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍
Having said the above, I heartily join the good people of Obiuno Quarter of Igbo-Ukwu to rejoice on the recent roofing of this long-standing monument which has been crying for a roof over its head since 2020 when we left office. Congratulations! I urge you to push on further to its full completion and Commissioning. Yes, we can if we really push further. May God continue to give you all what it will take to make this happen, Amen!🙏
*Now, let me tell you a brief history (also using some videos and photos pulled from our archives) of this Obiuno Mega Civic Centre:*
Recall that the Eze-Akajiugo led-administration of Obiuno Quarter (2016-2020), closely following the hugely successful conclusion of the December 28, 2018 Obiuno Mass Return Celebration, immediately commenced the foundation-laying or groundbreaking of this multipurpose civic centre on the Easter Saturday of April 2019. It was part of our vision and promise to ndi Obiuno Igbo-Ukwu to have a befitting Hall because none ever existed before our arrival to the scene. The original drawing and architectural designs were done by the renowned Architect Charles Okey Egbudom. We got him to design the building. The photos below show the models of this hall as it was designed to be at completion. That the current portrait of this hall looks different to its original design is as a result of what happens whenever there are different leadership styles ond changes over time.
So, on our part, we set to work immediately and progressed with speed, but due to the Covid-19 interruption, which began in March of 2020, also conciding with the last year of our regime, all that stalled our energy and speed. So, we left the work at a near roofing stage by the end of 2020, where it has since stood before this roofing completion by this present regime took over in December of 2024, four years after we left. Let me stop at this point but in any case, Covid-19 dealt a severe blow to, not only this project, but to the entire world. As we were emerging from its lockdown, we lost the project's lead contractor, Prince Arthur-George Umeanyika Umeokoli😭 and his painful exit was immediately followed by the sudden death of the project's electrical engineer, Barnabas Udoye.😭
Painfully, all these sad developments happened during the last quarter of our regime. We we were in safe hands at the beginning because the Building Committee of this Obiuno Mega Civic Centre was headed by Ebekuodike Sir Eddy Muoemenam😭 with the secretary as Lay Reader Fred Okonkwo (popularly known as Akama, who was also our 1st Vice-Chairman of ODU). Except for these sad developments, the project would have been completed as planned before our exit because every resource was in place or near accessible.
*Special thanks to Nwaezefunamba and his team!*🍹💐🌹🌷👍👍🦚
*Be that as it may be, I deeply thank Nwazefunamba and his present team for this feat. It's not easy ooh! I also thank all those who served in the earlier building committees, all those who donated money and materials to get to the stage we left office. We mourn the sad demise of Otuo-Ogbajie, Elias Okonkwo of Elly-Foam Ltd, for his sacrifice.*
*In particular, I thank those who now made this roofing project come through, MayorJekwu Ofordum, Nze Eze-Ulukanachukwu Chinedu Okoye etc...you know yourselves...thank you! I also extend my thanks to Chief Anthony Okafor, Ezenwagu Igbo-Ukwu for his corporate support because I am also involved!*👍👍🍹
You see, eh, I have always believed that what distinguishes two separate regimes of every community leadership is one compound expression: *leadership style and its vision.*
Without any equivocations, I can boldly assert that,
among other key ingredients of successful community leadership, the peculiar leadership style and vision of those at the helm of affairs of any community at any given time, determine how far, how well or how great that particular community can be. Yes, a community is as great as its leadership. So that it does look like a gossip mill or 'iku asili mobu iko onu', Nigeria is what it is because of bad or poor leadership. Now, relate this example to any community like ours.
What sets apart each set or regime of people who govern their local communities is the type of style or vision of those at the top, particularly the chief driver: the Chairman or President-General, whichever is applicable. Eze-Akajiugo Sir Barr MCK Ubah has been a Chairman of Obiuno Quarter or Community (2016-2020) and today, the President-General of Igbo-Ukwu (Home and Abroad) from 2023-date Reflect back to Obiuno Community before 2016 and what the picture looks like long after he left vis-a-vis his regime's achievements. On the other part, do the same reflection to our Igbo-Ukwu larger community before 2023 till date and tell yourself what you think is/are the difference(s) between those past years of Obiuno and Igbo-Ukwu respectively. Deal with your findings whichever way that pleases you!
*The Difference Could be as clear as 7Up!* But let's interrogate my thesis further for you to drink the finest distillations.
You see,eh, the core of any thriving community lies directly in the strategic vision and personal style of its leaders. When leaders possess a clear, forward-looking roadmap, they transform abstract community goals into actionable, shared milestones. A peculiar, adaptive leadership style acts as the engine for this vision, determining how effectively a leader communicates, builds trust, and rallies diverse groups together.
Without the above distinct guidance, community initiatives often stall or fail, but with it, local energy is efficiently channelled into sustainable growth, resilience, and unity. When we took over the leadership of Obiuno Quarter of Igbo-Ukwu on December 28, 2016, from the remains of Late Mr Chukwuma Cozy Okoye/Mr Ikechukwu Okeke ticket, we had a clear and well-articulated roadmap.
We began by rekindling hope and warm enthusiasm in community leadership. With that in place, we had the first ever Obiuno Security Summit which helped us to raise money for recreating and tweeting our security architecture and resources. We chased away the long protracted darkness from Obiuno and brought back NEPA to resume giving Obiuno regular power supply. We planned and executed the most successful Obiuno Mass Return Celebration from where we harvested multimillion naira fundings for our Obiuno Mega Civic Centre and Obiuno Health Centre facility. To get all these done was because we first cultivated and jump-started the active confidence and participation of our people to come back to rebuild and reinvent the Obiuno Community of our founding fathers' dream.
So, we were intentional about where we were headed to and today every promise we made to ndiObiuno, we delivered until that ill-fated Covid-19 global lockdown that stopped us from roofing the Obiuno Mega Civic Centre. Recall that by March of 2019, Covid-19 happened to the whole world which also hit the roofing stage of the Obiuno Mega Civic Centre after nine months from the day we laid the foundation (groundbreaking). All the the other ear-marked or embarked projects were delivered, including the road expansion project from Ahiagu to Ide Ofokaja Link Road plus the Obiuno Health Centre facility was long completed by the Nnabugwu sons awaiting only commissioning). Please take time to watch the attached videos and colourful photos that told the whole stories.
Therefore, it is safevto say tgat the heights a community reaches are a direct reflection of its clearly set leadership blueprints. Exceptional leaders do not just manage daily operations; they establish a distinct cultural tone that inspires civic pride and collective ownership. Their unique approach decides whether a community merely survives or truly achieves long-term greatness. By aligning their specific talents with the unique needs of their people, these men at the helm of our community affairs dictate the velocity of progress and leave a lasting legacy of success. Team Eze-Akajiugo has since climbed upstairs to drive the apex leadership of the entire Igbo-Ukwu community. You can judge for yourself what the difference has been in the last two and half years of coming to Amaehulu Town Hall. Again, I leave you with that. Community leadership us not a place to play partisan politics because we have no other party than IDU...nkea bu nke anyi! Only a humble servant leader can drive this only party God has given to us through our great founding fathers like Ogbuefi Chief F.O Onyekwelu and his co-visionary team members and pathfinders.
*My Party Shots...*💉 💉
Finally, I insist that great community leadership thrives on deep communal trust and confidence; active inclusivity; and shared ownership. It begins when chosen, elected or affirmed leaders actively listen to the diverse voices within their community, ensuring that every resident or citizen feels valued and heard. By prioritizing transparent (open) communication and empathy, these leaders transform a simple group of people into a unified, supportive family. When individuals see their ideas reflected in community decisions, they naturally offer their respect, affection and their entire 3-Ts (time, talentandtreasure). This deep emotional connection or recognition creates an environment where leadership is not imposed from above, but is warmly accepted and loved by the people.
True financial sustainability and long-term success follow when a community completely owns its vision. See Team Eze-Akajiugo's *"Strategy and Action Plan for moving Igbo-Ukwu forward beyond the next 4 years @ www.igboukwu.org".* When the citizens or residents trust their chosen leaders, they enthusiastically fund their envisioned local projects through donations, volunteer hours, and shared resources. This collective investment ensures that development is driven entirely by local needs rather than outside agendas. By nurturing new leaders from within, the community creates a self-sustaining cycle of growth and resilience. Ultimately, the most powerful community leadership is a reflection of the people themselves, working together to build a shared, prosperous future.
*I therefore urge those coming to assume the next regime of IDU leadership to come very prepared to serve Igbo-Ukwu. We cannot afford to go back to Egypt...Yes Moses had done his best and divinely assigned task, Joshua is now in charge, praise God, Somebody!*🙌
Wishing you a great week ahead! 😘 🌹🌷💐🍹
✍️ *Eze-Akajiugo Sir Barr MCK Ubah, Your Brother and President-General.* 🌹💐🌷🍹
