A call to action - Dr Chuma Mbonu

Umuoji an embodiment of Greatness—A call to action

Fellow Umuojians,

It is that time of year once again. Some of our brothers and sisters have made great effort, strived, and sacrificed both time and money to ensure that our fatherland is not forgotten. The ultimate objective of this effort is partly to make certain that the social obligations which are expected of us, especially those of us in industrialized societies are not neglected. I will be highly disappointed, if it is not uppermost in the mind of any adult Umuojian to help his or her family, including extended relatives. We must think of ourselves as people who have been blessed with enormous opportunities some of which are truly golden. Think of your quality of life, in comparison to that of your relatives in Nigeria and judge for yourself. Fellow Umuojians, we are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with, we surely have the opportunities, capacities, talents, direction, mission, and some even have the calling. It is very unusual and borders on ingratitude that some of the Umuojians in the USA have never participated in any forum geared towards the social, educational, or economic development of Umuoji. Many of us still have families that wallow in abject poverty back home and are cognizance of the fact that the children of Umuoji for the most part do not have the required necessities for learning in our schools. We must extricate ourselves from thinking that our little contribution will make no difference. It does not matter how well we are doing, how rich or poor we think we are, or above all how small our contribution might be. It is most important that we make that contribution either in cash or in kind. We must therefore start by identifying with our brothers and sisters, facing the problems of our people, and having unconditional love for our fatherland. We might have our differences of opinion, differences of character, and differences of perception, but the fact remains that the cost of marginalization transcends all of the above differences. Why then would a rational individual not see it as a top priority to associate and identify with his heritage. This is somewhat a call to action for all Umuojians in the diaspora to rally together for the development of Umuoji. Many have lived in the USA for decades, but it does not really matter how long, but how well. The common denominator here is that we all have the same background, still have relatives in Umuoji, and a good number will ultimately wish to be buried in Umuoji when they finally leave this world. Our ability to have a common vision therefore is a given, but we must accentuate that with action, for as a Japanese saying goes, “Vision without action is a daydream, and action without vision is a nightmare”. It is time for action, and all obstacles must be pushed to the wayside. Distractions and obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. We must however be careful to build our vision out of our heritage and history. We must all understand the future consequences of decisions we make today because legacies live forever. Our ups and downs must be viewed as positive outcomes in the light of the bigger picture which is our much desired positive impact on our people. Some of us over the years have come to believe that unity cannot be achieved among Umuojians in the USA. It is my prayer that positive action will change their minds and that the “Thomases” do not interrupt the on-going movement towards a positive change in Umuoji. Suffice to say that when it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more brick layers. You can fall in line and be one of our bricklayers. The Atlanta convention is the beginning of greater things to come. We are in the process of re-constructing the dilapidated structures in Umuoji Boys High School, and work has already started with walling and securing the entire compound with a gate. It is important that we think of the gross disservice that will have been meted out to the young boys of Umuoji if we let the only boys high school in the town slide down to abyss. We should all come together and tackle this daunting but surmountable problem. As we enjoy our lives and live the American dream, we must realize as Oprah Winfrey correctly said that “…if you are thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”. Your presence in Atlanta will obviously be the start of your participation. Your monetary contribution which will not be made public, except when requested will go a long way to ameliorate the problems of our premier boys high school. Be assured that no amount is too small. I have personally come to realize that there are three categories of people, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who ask what happened. Umuojians historically are not known to fall in the last two categories. Let us continue the legacy of our fathers who fought to establish two secondary schools, pipe-borne water and other resounding successes that set Umuoji apart from the pack in the 60’s and 70’s. Umuojians on the ground in Atlanta are working extremely hard to realize our dream of a memorable convention. We are very proud of the outstanding and transparent leadership of our own indomitable Chief Chuma Okeke-Ekpe (Nnaebue). Our convention activities in the great city of Atlanta are generally planned to offer the much desired relaxation, interaction, and all the goodies of Atlanta the “Black Mecca”. Fellow Umuojians, book your flights, reserve your accommodations, and transcend all procrastinations as we prepare to make our parents and the entire Umuoji proud in Atlanta, Georgia. God bless you all, and see you on July 4th and 5th 2008.

Chuma Mbonu, Ph.D.

General Secretary, UIU-USA