PRESIDENT'S WELCOME ADDRESS TO THE 2007 CONVENTION
BY PRESIDENT IFEANYI IYEGBU
HOUSTON 2007

Honorable chairman, distinguished members of the supporting chair, ladies and gentlemen: on behalf of the Issele-uku Association of North America, I welcome you to Houston and to this national convention of the people of Issele-uku in North America and the United Kingdom. I like to take this opportunity to give special recognition to retired Brig. Gen. Fred Chijuka, president of Issele-uku Development Union and Chief G.C. Okwumabua, the Odogwu of Issele-uku kingdom for coming all the way from Nigeria to honor our invitation. My special recognition also goes to the honorable chairman of this occasion, an Issele-uku native son, Dr. Benjamin Okwumabua, president and CEO of BNO International Trading Company Inc., New York City. Thank you for being here and for all the community development efforts that you have been involved. To all the Issele-uku people from within and outside the United States, my special welcome goes to you all for believing in this mission. To all our friends and supporters from within our Houston community, I thank you for honoring our invitation as you always do.

Mr. Chairman, nine years ago here in Houston, in a similar gathering, I stood up here as the president of Issele-uku Association of Houston to welcome a great gathering of our people who came to raise money for a great cause. Since then, we have completed building a modern public library at Issele-Uku, with help from the Denver and Atlanta chapters of Issele-uku Association and handed it over to the Delta State Library Board. Today, Issele-uku is enjoying the fruits of that initiative.  To make that library one of the best in the state, we will continue to allocate our resources into it. The monies raised here today will also be used in pursuing other noble projects as may be determined by the governing body of Issele-uku Association of North America.

The Issele-uku Association of North America was born out of necessity. We believe that only the community that has foresight and a strong sense of unity stands a better chance of making a positive impact in the lives of their people.  In pursuance of that ideology, well-meaning Issele-uku citizens from all parts of North America came together and formed this association in order to pursue a greater goal of sustainable development in our community at home. Much as we believe in the concept of self help initiatives, we have no illusion that this association can single handedly transform our community into the ideals of our expectations. This association will be wearing many hats in the future: we will act as a think tank and assist in giving researched information to our representatives in government to better serve the people. We will henceforth participate in the screening of Issele-uku aspiring political office seekers to make sure that when these candidates get in office, they will protect the interest of our community.  Issele-uku has been side tracked in many areas of development in the past and this will continue to happen unless we the people begin now to show that we are a relevant part of the political process in Delta State.

Issele-uku has been blessed in the past with a one man army. We are living witnesses of what Rev. Martin did to transform Issele-uku from a sleepy unknown little village, to a bright shinny town on a hill top. There is a crying need today among the people of Issele-uku to continue on that legacy. The coner stone that Rev. Martin built in Issele-uku is what Issele-uku association of North America is today calling on you to support and sustain. If we affect the basic life necessities at home, we in Diaspora will no longer feel horrified at the thought of going home to live out our lives.

There is a new dawn in Issele-uku history today. We are now witnessing our native sons and daughters as they rise up and take their places in the national theater of governmental responsibilities.  Issele-uku has produced for the very first time, a Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army, we have produced a national director general of the state security service, the son of Issele-uku is today the Chief of Air Staff of the Nigerian Air force.  This is not to blow our trumpets, but to inspire each of us into doing greater things for the future. Those future plans are what we are here today to initiate for the good of Issele-uku. We will work closely with the IDU at home to co-ordinate plans for Issele-uku development and encourage our sons and daughters to join the political process in Nigeria.

This association is even more relevant today than it was yesterday. About three months ago, we witnessed what could be happening to us as a community if we fail to defend or fight for our basic rights.  The immediate past governor of our state, deliberately and for no justifiable reason, closed down the NYS camp at Issele-uku and re-located it to his home town. That was not the first time our state government has done that to Issele-uku, but the difference today is that Issele-uku will no longer sit on the fence and let a repressive government strip us of our rights. Issele-uku association of North America in conjunction with other organizations will lead the fight to stop this government policy of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

We appeal to all Issele-uku citizens all over this continental USA and Canada to join us in our collective search for a better life for our people at home and abroad. We call on you individually to register and become the proud, card carrying members of Issele-uku Association of North America and take your place as a community builder. The alternative of sitting on the fence and watching the status quo will no longer be an option, but getting involved will make a world of difference. We have the capability to change the cause of our history in our life time by contributing to the overall development of Issele-uku. We can do this not only with money, but with determination to leave Issele-uku in a better condition than we found it.

The genesis of this association has a verifiable track record of proven act of service delivery as shown by the library we built at Issele-uku and that track record will be strengthened with your support. We have initiated an unprecedented action by inviting our people from home to be a part of this group that will formulate a working agenda for Issele-uku future development. I call on all Issele-uku people again to join us in finding solutions to the multi problems that we face today.

Finally, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to all our Issele-uku citizens who came here from out-of-state to participate in this convention. I also want to thank the able President of the Houston chapter of Issele-uku association, Mr. Chuks Nwabudike and the entire members of his association for hosting this convention. To the organizing committee chairman of this convention, I say thank you to Mr. Richard Young-Odor for the wonderful job he did to make this occasion successful. And to the national secretary of Issele-uku Association of North America, Mr. Nkadi Azuh, I thank you for your endless and tireless efforts in your job as the secretary of this organization. And to all of you who are here today, I welcome you to this convention. Thank you all.

 J. Ifeanyi Iyegbu
 President, Issele-uku Association of North America, Inc.