The perennial attitude of rural urban migration syndrome of many Ndị-Igbo which has kept their entire ancestry homes and villages in Nigeria deserted and desolate as result of the search for greener pastures in urban areas in Nigeria and foreign countries has called for attention and critics of prominent Ịgbo leaders and opinion moulder.
Disturbed by the above ugly trends, High Chief Chịnedu Benson Madubuko, OFR, Ezeanị Chịnaechendo N’Adazịanị: Chairman/CEO De Chico Investment Limited, harped on the inherent dangers associated with the unbecoming attitude of Ndị-Igbo, when the new executive members of Association of Anambra State Development Unions (AASDU) led by their out-gone president, Comrade Sunny Chidube paid him courtesy visit in his office.
He said “We are witnesses to how the communities in our south eastern states are today. In the communities where we come from, because of our rural urban migration, so many of our ancestral homes nobody is occupying them any longer.
“After training our children we send them abroad. If you discourage any of them from traveling abroad they will say you don’t value them as your child. (My apologies to our wives), often times our wives support these children in all these. We lavish the money we can use to train ten people to train one person, as if after training them abroad they will be better than those in Nigeria.
“More worrisome is most times they don’t return to Nigeria again, because they have made more friends there, as result you lose them as you children.
The Sun Newspaper award winner 2020 Entrepreneur love with humanity exposited the dangers of building magnificent buildings, and keeping them empty or employing visitors as security personnel or tenants to occupy them, describing this practice as abnormal.
“The very people that are terrorising us are the people inhabiting our ancestral home now. Very soon they will take over our homes and villages, insecurity and other social vices have taken over our villages” he lamented.
To accommodate and discourage rural urban migration in Ịgbo society, the accomplished Entrepreneur passionately advised the need for increase in the population of Ndị-Igbo; those that have the wherewithal to marry more wives to enhance population growth of Ndị-Igbo.
“We have to plan and look towards the direction of occupying our ancestral homes. We need to have the value of increasing our population through having larger families. Marrying more wives should be better option to increase our population. One of them will leave in the city and the other will occupy your ancestral home. The home of a wealthy man should not be empty, as you are traveling to the city you will be rest assured that your ancestral home is been warmed up by your wife and your offsprings at home” he stressed.
“Our wives need to understand these facts that it is for peace and for benefit of all of us. If we channel our thoughts towards that direction from now, it will help us. We have to at any point remember our ancestral homes. It will not be good after acquiring all these wealth we allow it to lavish”. He admonished.
Ezeanị Chịnaechendo hailed those that conceptualised and those that are sustaining the idea of Association of Anambra state development unions (AASDU) stressing “We commend the founders and the people that sustained AASDU till date. The major challenge we have in the country is we place the wrong people in sensitive positions” he averred.
He eulogized unity between the out-gone and incumbent executives, admonishing conventional politicians to emulate the uncommon gesture.
“It is uncommon to see an organization where the out-gone administration is aiding or working along with new executive of same administration. If this kind of understanding you are demonstrating is in Nigeria’s conventional politics, we can not find ourselves the level we are presently, because unity is paramount in anything we are doing, be it in the family setting or in any organization”.
The passionate philanthropist advised other states in Ịgbo land resident in Rivers state to form an articulate and formidable fronts to built themselves and have one voice as AASDU has.
“Anambra state has set an example amongst states that resides in Rivers state. If other state resident in Rivers state will be as united as Anambra state, there will be easier way of communicating with the peoples concerned. For instance, somebody who doesn’t attend his town union meeting will parade himself as the leader of Ndị-Igbo in Port Harcourt. He may claim spokesperson of Ndị-Ịgbo in any gathering and whatever he said, because nobody is there to dispute his claims, people will believe and obey him and whatever he said is binding”.
I am thanking you, the people that made Anambra state to be formidable in Rivers state, and I am praying the in no distance time other states will emulate Anambra state and continue to maintain law and order for us to have trusted representatives”.
The Chairman/CEO De Chico Investment Limited thanked his visitors for their visit, positing that it’s an honor bestow on him.
“I thank you for your visit; to me it’s a mark of huge respect and honour, and I assure you that I won’t take it for granted. As I always said anything humanly possible that propels the progress of AASDU, I shall be part of it. I am not just saying it, I demonstrate it also. I advise you to respect for constituted authority and the leadership should also be tolerance, maintain and uphold the dignity of the association”. Ezeani Chinaechendo concluded.
Earlier, the out-gone president of AASDU, Comrade Sunny Chidube highlighted the essence of their courtesy visit, according to him, it was to was to introduce new leadership to the core stakeholders and patrons of the association and establish familiarity with them.
“In every progressive organizations there are people behind it that propels the progress especially in ASSDU. We felt that there is dear need that few persons are to be paid courtesy visits.
“The new executive has also planned to pay such visits to BoT members and our patrons. They acknowledged that amongst them there are stakeholders and also major stakeholders and considered those that will visited, hence we are here sir” Comrade Sunny stated.
Lending his voice, the incumbent AASDU President, Chief Kenneth Chijioke Ilo expressed gladness over Ezeani’s passion for Anambra state to stand above every other states in Rivers state through his avowed commitment for AASDU.
“Ezeani, the people in you presence are your children, executive members of AASDU. Because of your benevolence and passion to AASDU the association needs this honour of paying you courtesy and thank you visit. We recognize the role you played and still playing towards the upliftment of AASDU, especially as it concerns THE LIGHT ARENA, which has articulate Ndị-Anambra as number one in the comity of state unions residence in Rivers state.
We also deemed pertinent to include our women’s wing executive led by Iyom Diamond Okekearu to be part of the entourage for formal introduction to you. We also have to inform you that AASDU is organizing culture day on 17th and 18th October this year”. AASDU President reiterated.
The Chairman of 2025 AASDU cultural week Chief, Ambassador Okey Nwanna ceased the opportunity to inform Ezeani Chinaechendo about the 2025 AASDU cultural day schedule on the 17th and 18th of October 2025 and also intimate him about their plans and some of the activities of the cultural fiesta.
Highlight of the visit was the introduction of newly elected officers and that of women’s wing of the association.
Recall, on the 24th November 2024 when Comrade Sunny Chidubem led executive concluded their second tenure, AASDU had an election that ushered in new executive that would pilot their affairs in the next four years. Thus; Chief Kenneth Chijioke Ilo, President, Sir. Chris Nwankwo, First Vice President, Chief Ikechukwu Otti, Second Vice President. Mr. Obiajulu Collins Eze, Secretary General, Engr. Uchendu Chijioke Ilo, Assistant Secretary General. Dr. Michael Nwabueze, Financial Secretary, Ugochukwu Aniche, Assistant Financial Secretary, Mr. Ifeanyi Maduelosi Treasurer, Engr. Bernard Udeoba Publicity Secretary, Engr. Paul Sunday Nkà chukwu, Assistant Publicity Secretary, Chief Nzelibe Samuel, Director of Social, Mr. Chukwuebuka Nwokocha, Assistant Director of Social. Ambassador Festus Igwebuike, Provost 1, and Mr. Nnenna Nnamdi Emeka, Provost 2 were elected.
