FOR A BETTER ORGANISED OHANAEZE NDIGBO FOR THE GOOD OF NDIGBO:
MY STAND
I served as the National Legal Adviser of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Organisation Worldwide in the dissolved National Executive Committee (NEC) 2016-2021.
My Observation during the tenure of the said National Executive Committee (NEC) 2016-2021, hereinafter referred to as NEC 2016-2021" are hereunder stated.
LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
In the four (4) years of the life of the NEC 2016-2021, there was no statement of account published, whether audited or unaudited, debated, or undebated, in any of the meetings of the NEC 2016-2021.
LACK OF PROBITY:
There was complete lack of probity in the management and control of the finances of the NEC 2016-2021, an account was opened and operated secretly by the President-General; a domiciliary account without any resolution(s) of NEC 2016-2021. The said domiciliary account was never discussed and the knowledge of it was never brought to the attention of the members of NEC 2016-2021. Its operation and signatories were deliberately hidden from the membership of the NEC 2016-2021, which did not officially and on record know the content and health of the said domiciliary account into which foreign currencies were lodged, which was only known to and by the very negligible few who opened and operated the said domiciliary account, secretly. Monies received from the Governors of the seven (7) states of OHANAEZE NDIGBO, donations from NDIGBO in diaspora, gifts in cash and kind from the well-wishers and friends of OHANAEZE-NDIGBO were never disclosed.
The entire accounts of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, opened and operated by NEC 2016-2021 were never published, discussed or debated by NEC 2016-2021 in any of its meetings. No monthly, quarterly, or annual account, or financial statement was ever published.
ABSENCE OF OPENNESS:
There was almost total lack of openness in the affairs of NEC 2016-2021. Except for the Cabal of about 6 members, the financial affairs of NEC 2016-2021 were unknown by the other members of the NEC 2016-2021; there was total secrecy in the conduct of the financial affairs of OHANAEZE NDIGBO, NEC 2016-2021.
There is a Fifty Billion Naira (N50,000,000,000) Civil war compensatory damages awarded to the Igbo by the Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Holden in Abuja, in the case of VINCENT AGU & 19 OTHERS VS.THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. I was directed by the President -General of OHANAEZE NDIGBO to apply to the Attorney-General of the Federation for the payment of the said judgment sum due to the IGBO. After submitting the said claim by a letter dated 20/01/2020 and furnishing the A-G of the Federation with the telephone Number of The PG, I never heard about the matter till date; i was cut off from the transaction for the payment of the said sum of N50billion due to NDIGBO, as per the ECOWAS Court, Abuja. I had acted on instructions and do not have a personal interest in carrying out the professional duties of my office as Legal Adviser. I will make the documents in my possession in respect of this matter available to the in-coming NEC, for further action in the interest of NDIGBO.
CONDUCTOF MEETINGS OF NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE GENERALLY
My advice to the in-coming National Executive Committee (NEC) is that democratic openness should be the MODUS OPERANDI in the conduct of its deliberations. There is bound to be lack of in-depth discussions of items in an agenda of twenty-plus (20+) items, for a sitting of the NEC. What we experienced in 2016-2021 was the distribution of an agenda, at each meeting, of more than 20 (twenty)items; during the session of the NEC meeting, an individual would run through the agenda as a lecturer, intermittently banging on the table and raising his voice in a Hitleric attempt to cow any dissenting voice. I observe the drama with stoic disposition. There was a palpable absence of democratic procedure in deliberations of NEC 2016-2021. I watched the conduct of the proceedings of NEC 2016-2021 with disgust and could only remember the conduct of political proceedings in the parliament of NAZI Germany, by the LEADER. To see a younger leader, or any leader, be he/she, an elder, addressing his colleagues, temperamentally, banging on the table, with raised voice is an unpleasant spectacle in a democratic setting. These are clear signs of dictatorship. There must be civility in the conduct of proceedings. This is a humble advice to NDIGBO, clamouring for IGBO PRESIDENCY, come 2023.
There must be probity, accountability and openness in the conduct of the affairs of a democratic society. Dictatorial tendencies in an organisation is unacceptable. Public affairs must not be private enterprise, shrouded in secrecy. Persons, who serve the public, are subject to public criticism in their conduct of public affairs.
Serving in any capacity in OHANAEZE NDIGBO is not a fulltime employment. Officers of OHANAEZE NDIGBO, at all levels, should be persons with visible means of income and livelihood, who are desirous to serve NDIGBO, altruistically, for the benefit and advancement of the IGBO Nation. The OHANAEZE, I envisage is not a platform for providing financial/economic/political rescue boat, or platform for persons who are at the verge of indegency, or in desperate search for public and political awareness, having opportunities for political appointments/elevations. Those who seek such opportunities should join political parties, and there are so many political parties to choose from.
As for me, at the age of eighty (80) years, and actually being the oldest member of NEC 2016-2021, I do not seek any political appointment. I am at the PINNACLE and PLENITUDE of my carrier as a legal practitioner. I do not need political appointments; I have said so, severally.
CONCLUSION
Let us take stock of our assets and liabilities from January 2016 to January 2021, being the period of NEC 2016-2021. The law of nature and democratic norms, or values, demand that we must give ACCOUNT OF OUR STEWARDSHIP. HOW MUCH CAME INTO THE ACCOUNT OF OHANAEZE NDIGBO NEC 2016-2021, IN NAIRA, FOREIGN EXCHANGE AND ANY OTHER ASSETS REMAINS A SECRET ONLY KNOWN BY A NEGLIGIBLE FEW. REMEMBER, WE DID NOT ORGANISE THE ANNUAL IGBO DAY!
EVERY BENEFIT, WHETHER IN CASH OR KIND RECEIVED FOR AND ON BEHALF OF OHANAEZE NDIGBO FROM JANUARY 10, 2016 TO JANUARY, 2021 MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR. OHANAEZE NDIGBO IS NOT A ONE-MANS BUSINESS!
CHIEF (ICHIE) CHUKS MUOMA (SAN),
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