The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Oyo state has held a two day advanced training retreat for elected members to enhance their leadership skills and performance in their various positions. The retreat which has the theme ” Effective leadership vis A vis teamwork” took place at the Oxygen hotel at Moniya Ibadan.
Speaking at the retreat which held from May 23rd – 24th, in Ibadan, Oyo state, the president of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Oyo State Comrade Okechukwu Umeh said the officials received training that will build effective leadership and teamwork which will impact the association positively and the nation at large.
He said ” This is an advanced leadership training for our elected executives. Leadership is very important and having executives from different zones , there is the need to retrain so that we can align for us to understand one another”.
Speaking on the electoral process in the country and voters apathy , Comrade Umeh said it is not wise for people to be forced to vote.
He said ” People should not be coerced to vote but they should be convinced to vote. People should be carried along not forced. If the government is making the desired impacts and people are feeling the impacts, there will be no need to force anyone to vote. They will participate in the government when they see that thier votes count , but if they feel that thier votes do not count, they will not want to vote and participate.”
Speaking on the importance of leadership in nation building, Comrade Umeh said leadership should not be dictatorial.
He urged government to be willing to work with the people.
“Leadership is not meant to be dictatorial from the top and forced on the people down. Take for instance , the local government autonomy is not what it is. Leadership should be felt in all communities, every citizen should feel governance. Leadership is not about you sitting in your mansion and you cannot feel the pain of the people. You barricade yourself from them . When people see that leaders are not concerned about thier welfare, they will leave the government to the leaders. The unrest we are witnessing today can be tackled at the community level. People can easily identify strangers and point criminals out to the security agencies and in that way we are talking about cooperative government that everyone is willing to participate in”.
Speaking on his election as the president of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Oyo state, Comrade Umeh said the process of electing him and other executives of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide Oyo State was transparent and based on proven records of his integrity and leadership acumen.
“Everyone who witnessed the election saw that it was transparent. I am from a family of leaders. My grand father and my father were community leaders. They have a track record of honesty and integrity and I cannot fail . I must maintain the good name of my family”.
The Special Adviser to the Oyo state governor on Igbo Affairs , Honourable Tallest Innocent commended the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo worldwide Oyo state for the peaceful retreat . He said ‘’ I am happy about the retreat . As we all know, Igbos are peaceful people who go about doing their businesses and they want a calm atmosphere so they cannot contribute to insecurity but rather will be the ones promoting peace wherever they are . The present government in Oyo state led by His Excellency Engr. Sey Makinde is a progressive governor and we can see the development he is bringing to the state. Therefore, having a peaceful state is what we all want ‘’ .
Concerning elections in the country, Honourble Innocent urged politicians to take governance seriously and impact the people positively. He said ‘’ This is the second year of the present government and the 2027 election is still far, yet some persons have started talking about alignment towards 2027. This is not the time for that but should be a time for governance like what his Excellency Eng Seyi Makinde is doing in the state. There are massive road constructions going on in the state and the people can see the development he is championing that is what should be in the minds of our politicians.
Commenting on the importance of the retreat , Chief Isaac Okonkwo , expressed happiness over the success of the retreat . He said ‘’ I am happy about this retreat. It is a prayer answered . For all Igbos who have one another at heart , we gain nothing quarrelling and bite beating . We are peaceful and we will make peace in the environment we found ourselves. We need to reciprocate ‘’
Also commenting on the retreat , Mrs Ijeoma Uchendu , the Women Leader said ‘’ This retreat has helped me to learn how to work with others because we are coming from different states. My advice to women is to be submissive to their husbands. I believe our husbands have a lot for us. Negative influences have come up trying to tell women not to be submissive, however, women must be free from such radicals. Women should not rely only on their husbands to cater for the home. If she is a stay at home mum, she can use the internet to keep herself busy by checking out what she can put out there on the internet for people to patronize her . No doubt, some women are married to wealthy men but even at that , they have to resourceful too . Also, concerning women and leadership, I would like our women to participate in leadership. Women have to be resilient and courageous because there are lots of challenges but with determination, women can achieve a lot. ‘’
Lecturers at the retreat are Dr. Jackson Osun, from the Federal University Oye Ekiti State,Dr. Femi Olowookere, the Head Department of Geriatric Centre University Teaching Hospital (UCH) Dr. Michael Eze from the Department of Mass Communication Bowen University Osun State and Prince Charles Obasi .
