Chief Mbata and Nnia Nwodo Are The Best
OpenLife Nigeria reports that Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos speaks on the leadership qualities of former President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief John Nnia Nwodo and loyalty to the current President General, Chief Azuta Mbata.
Chief Solomon who just returned into Nigeria from Art exhibitions in Europe and South America also speaks on his on the way forward for Ohanaeze Ndigbo
Sir, in a recent meeting in Ohanaeze Ndigbo secretariat, you made a statement that Chief Nnia Nwodo and Chief Mbata are the best President generals Ohanaeze Ndigbo have ever produced among the living ones.
It sounds so strange to hear you mentioned Chief Nnia Nwodo. Was he not the one that nullified the first election that produced Chief Leo Okafor {Oba Ojoto} and later set up electoral committee that produced you as the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos in which case his action necessitated court case against him, AIG Okpara {Nwodo’ deputy} including Eric Ebe? They were later removed from the case, leaving only in the suit because you are the one in charge of Lagos?
Yes, I said so and I will clarify it one by one.
First of all, whatever those who are not close to Ohanaeze Ndigbo affairs in Lagos feel about what Chief Nnia Nwodo did not get right, well, they should know that nobody is an Island.
It was not his making. It was because of the wrong information Everest Ozonweke was giving him and his executives.
After all, Chief Nwodo doesn’t live in Lagos.
You cannot be living in Africa and become an eye witness to what may have been happening in Cambodia on daily basis.
That was the position of Nnia Nwodo in the Lagos affairs of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
The problem of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos is not from Nnia Nwodo but from Everest Ozonweke.
I will give you a little bit of Everest Ozonweke’s attitudes and how he injected crises into the Ohanaeze Chapter in Lagos.
Everest Ozonweke joined Ohanaeze Ndigbo during Fabian Onwughalu’s regime, the immediate past president.
It was Chief Thompson Ohia that brought Ozonweke to Ohanaeze Ndigbo and introduced him to Fabian Onwughalu.
The same Chief Thompson Ohia introduced him to the former secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide , Joe Nwogu , under Gary Igariwey’s tenure.
At the moment, Joe Nwogu will not like to hear the name Everest Ozonweke let alone seeing him. This is because he found out that Everest Ozonweke is like an epidemic.
The reason Ozonweke was pestering around Joe Nwogu was that he thought he was going to become the President General after Igariwey but immediately he realized that the governor endorsed Professor George Obiozor, he ran to Professor Obiozor and began to blackmail Professor Joe Nwogu.
However, Everest said he regretted working with Obiozor simply because he found out that the man was a diplomat and never entertained blackmailing.
Chief Thompson Ohia is a two-term secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos who had worked with all the past and current Presidents.
Thompson Ohia was among the people that drafted the constitution and bye law of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos.
When we were newly sworn into office, Chief Thomspon Ohia was the ex officio, representing Imo State while Ozonweke was my secretary.
In a very short period, I and Thomspon Ohia became sworn enemies.
When we realized that Ozonweke was behind the problem, we settled and I realized that Ohia’s words are his bond. That prompted me to make him my Chief of Staff.
During the regime of Fabian Onwughalu who is my immediate past president in the Lagos chapter, Ozonweke labelled himself as the in-coming President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos in less than three months when he joined Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
It got to the extent that some Ohanaeze Ndigbo members agreed with the name and started calling him in-coming including Fabian Onwughalu, the then President.
When Fabian Onwughalu discovered his character, he began to call him a green snake in green grass.
When Everest Ozonweke found out that Fabian Onwughalu was not ready to hand over to him, he started going to Enugu consistently to blackmail Fabian Onwughalu.
That triggered the first crises that brought factions into Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos. In the process Femi Fergusson became a parallel President against Fabian Onwughalu’s regime.
To be honest, Fabian Onwughalu suffered in his regime, no doubt because of Everest Ozonweke.
That was why Chief Igariwey, the then President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide and Fabian Onwughalu were not in good terms till the end of his tenure.
Thereafter, Chief Nnia Nwodo was elected President General.
Everest Ozonweke now made himself stronger in his blackmail career to take over Ohanaeze Ndigbo President Lagos.
He attached himself to Nnia Nwodo with the pride that Enugu had taken over the affairs of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and that he will do everything to help Enugu man by giving him information for success.
But, incidentally, he was giving Nwodo wrong information and Nnia Nwodo believed Ozonweke as his Enugu brother.
Ozonweke extended his venom to all those who were close to Nnia Nwodo against Fabian Onwughalu’s regime.
Also, there was another caucus in Lagos that was against Fabian Onwughalu during his campaign.
But immediately Fabian Onwughalu won the election, they handed off their grievances and gave him their blessings.
But you have not stated why you mentioned Nnia Nwodo as one of the best living past President General
Why are you asking me the same question you have asked before? Haven’t I said enough about Nnia Nwodo who does not live in Lagos and that he is not the problem of Lagos. I have told you that Everest Ozonweke is the problem of Lagos.
Anyway, not to worry. If you don’t understand what I have said before, I will explain more.
Nnia Nwodo is a man of integrity.
He is a household name in Igboland and Nigeria at large.
When Nwodo became the President General, he showed leadership quality by bringing so many prominent personalities including retired civil servants and retired military personnel and people in government into Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
That helped in financing Ohanaeze Ndigbo because there is no allocation from anywhere.
I took after Nnia Nwodo by changing the narrative of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos irrespective of Ozonweke’s venom and blackmailing.
Nnia Nwodo applauded me on my inauguration day at the National Theatre, Ignamu Lagos. He told the audience that they did not make mistake in choosing Chief Solomon as the President , Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos based on what he saw when he visited the first Ohanaeze secretariat in the history of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos.
He saw the level and standard of furniture that were used to furnish the secretariat.
All the executives elected alongside Chief Solomon told him, during the visit, that it was single handedly given to Ndigbo by Chief Solomon. And that all these things happened before his inauguration.
Yet, Everest Ozonweke continued with his blackmailing career.
There is no way somebody can escape Ozonweke’s virus if you give him chance to get close to you.
First of all, he will tell you that since he met you, his life has changed for the better and you will also see him as a divine friend from God.
Let me tell you something that will shock you about Ozonweke.
There was a day I asked him: Everest, we have problem with Chief John Uche, {the first elected President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos,} what do you think we can do to resolve it?
He said that it was very good that I had already set up Ohanaeze Ndigbo Elders Council and we will use the elders to destroy Chief John Uche.
He said we will put a lot of allegations on Chief John Uche’s head.
But when I found out that Ozonweke’s advice were devilish after the elders have ostracized Chief John Uche from anything that has to do with Ohanaeze Ndigbo name, I reversed it and brought Chief John Uche on board again for Ohanaeze affairs.
Another funny thing about Ozonweke is that he will tell you that he was the one who introduced your wife and your children to you.
Ozonweke is a hungry man to the extent that if you take him to one of his favourite outings which is always funeral ceremonies, when they bring water to wash hands, he will first of all drink the water before eating.
Another side of his high life is that no matter how he blackmails you, once he has any problem especially in the area of finance and he knows that you are the one to solve that problem, he will swallow his shame and pride and come to you and plead that it was the work of devil. When you see his mood, you will be feel he is a changed person.
But what Ozonweke has never realized is that whatever one is doing , there is an end and a reward for it.
Even if what I am saying is not the truth about his life, I will also have reward from God.
I feel by now that Ozonweke should have known that with the kind of leader we have today which is Chief John Mbata, it is all over for blackmailing institution in Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Now, talking about Chief John Mbata, you have always been expressing confidence and supports for the new President General. Why is it so even when he has not spent up to a year in office?
Yes, I have confidence in Chief Mbata. I have few vital points to support my confidence in Chief Mbata. The first is that Chief Mbata is taking his time to verify all the stories including that of those with sugar coated mouths who see Ohanaeze Ndigbo as their only avenue to survive.
To me, there is nothing absolutely bad about that because contacts within Ohanaeze Ndigbo can lead one to his promised land but you must be sincere to your oath of office.
Second, Chief Mbata is a sound lawyer, a politician and also a successful business man.
So, you cannot bribe him. He has Ndigbo in his heart. So he doesn’t want to turn his leadership into social media display.
Thirdly, Chief Mbata was not the one who conducted any election or nullified any election that brought crises to Lagos. He was not the one who took anyone to court.
But as a lawyer, he knows that a court judgement with CTC is the final bus stop in any issue especially when it is not appealed or vacated within a certain period of time. He also knows the danger in contempt of court.
Even if Chief Mbata comes out to say everybody should go home and respect court judgement or sends someone to pronounce it, he is not the one who made the court pronouncement. It was the Judge. It is court that is responsible and not Chief Mbata.
That is why he is using his leadership quality, natural wisdom and political idea to send message to Lagos chapter that we can settle our differences without a third party.
Number four that is more impressive is that Chief Mbata has let people in Ohanaeze Ndigbo to know that his purpose of taking the mantle of Ndigbo leadership is not to be moving from one governor’s office to another looking for fat envelope to be shared on arrival or to be moving round the offices of our successful business men.
This is for those who say he is so quite. He has also shown that Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership is not for those who do not have any means of livelihood.
Fifth is that these few points have proved some executives wrong who were saying that we should not give the heart of Ndigbo to Rivers people.
The sixth one is that Mbata’s approach to some sensitive matters which other leaders will dabble into without any investigation, is worthy of emulation.
Seventh is an advice from me, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene as President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Lagos to Mbata as my President General. It is to let him know that as the leader of Ndigbo every decision lies on his table.
The eight one is that if the President General, Chief Mbata is not a quality and a sound lawyer, they would have deceived him with lies in a way that he would have taken the risk to come to Lagos immediately after his inauguration to pronounce that there is nothing like judgement.
That would have been like Tinubu’s own and some governors who assumed office by court judgements and that they are all fraudulent. That is why I will always be loyal to him.
Importantly, I want to let my President General know that Enugu has no right to go and conduct election in any state chapter. But they can go and observe the process .One to three people are more than enough to go and observe.
Also, you should also investigate those in the national that are interested in State chapter’s crises because of the money they are going to realize from the crises.
“Mr. A, give me this, I will talk to the President. Mr. B, give me that, I will talk to the PG. Yesterday, I was with the PG. I was with your governor with the PG etc.”
My President General, Chief, Senator John Azuta Mbata, once you observe and tackle these points I stated above , you will enjoy Ohanaeze national and all the state chapters and the legacy will remain forever in your name.
Another important area I want you to take seriously is that work closely with your brothers from Rivers especially Ikwerre who know Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership and members.
This is because if there is failure in your administration, they will be mentioning Rivers particularly Ikwerre people.
No other state in Igbo extraction will be mentioned. These people I am talking about will come in different forms especially blackmailing which I know you are not interested in.
But when we talk of God, we must think of what devil can do. Those executive members of NEC who may be pushing you to nominate them to go and conduct elections in Lagos and the UK in every end of tenure don’t want you to succeed in your leadership. They are only interested in how much they are going to realize.
They are the ones eating from oppositions in any state where there are issues.
You are now a bone on their neck because you listen to advice and you don’t believe in blackmailing and that is the Titus fish bone on their necks.
Leadership is by birth. Sacrifice, natural intelligence and the interest you have on the people who are under your leadership are what leadership is all about.
President General sir, without exaggeration, I, Chief Solomon Ogbonna Aguene, have those qualities mentioned above.
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