2012-05-19T14:03:32-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1 XOOPS WebLinks 0.9 Copyright (c) 2012, XOOPS XOOPS http://anioma.org/ admin@anioma.org 2010-04-09T08:07:55-05:00 2010-04-09T08:07:55-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.1

PROFESSOR EPIPHANY AZINGE, SANDirector General,Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal StudiesSupreme Court ComplexAbuja. PROTOCOLPermit me to preface my remark by congratulating His Royal Majesty, Asagb

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2010-04-09T08:01:54-05:00 2010-04-09T08:01:54-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.2

GREAT ASABA HERITAGE! A woman named Diaba from Agbakuba village in Nteje, Anambra State, was said to have been impregnated by Onojobo, a prince and trader from Igala land, while she was residing in Ez

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2010-04-09T07:32:54-05:00 2010-04-09T07:32:54-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.3

Asaba people and tradition Book Title - Asaba People and Tradition Author - JFO. Chiadikania Publisher - Chiadix Ventures Cover Price - Not stated Pages - 205 Book Reviewer - Chief J.O. Iloba/ F

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2010-04-04T20:22:23-05:00 2010-04-04T20:22:23-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.4

Celebrating New Yam Festival in Asaba September 2009 By: Written by . Tuesday, 29 September 2009 01:00 The People of Asaba still cherish and celebrate their annual Iwaji Festival (New Yam

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2010-04-04T19:31:43-05:00 2010-04-04T19:31:43-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.5

The Asagba and the Transformation of Asaba By Chuka Konwea Asaba, the Delta State capital was in a festive mood last week. There was drumming, dancing, singing and merry-making. There was exhortativ

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2010-04-04T00:01:28-05:00 2010-04-04T00:01:28-05:00 tag:anioma.org,2012://1.6

Family and Friends, Think on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ especially this weekend and honor the Lord in praise and Worship. Bottom line GET YOUR BEHIND TO CHURCH! http://christcathedralchurch.org/ To

XOOPS Asaba Online :: Blogs 2012-05-19T14:03:32-05:00 2012-05-19T14:03:32-05:00 tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5706099341341013374.post-4878723862478399448

John Chuka is a native ofIdumuje Unorborn John Chukwukadibia Nwabueze Obanor to the late Olikeze of Idumuje Unor, Chief Ebenezer Chiekwu Obanor, a.k.a. ?Let There be Light?, from Ogbeakwu Quarters of ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots Idumuje Unorborn John Chukwukadibia Nwabueze Obanor to the late Olikeze of Idumuje Unor, Chief Ebenezer Chiekwu Obanor, a.k.a. ?Let There be Light?, from Ogbeakwu Quarters of Idumuje Unor,Aniocha North,Delta State,Nigeriaand late Mrs. Florence Obanor, fromOnicha Olona,Oshimili, Delta State, Nigeria.

John was born and breed inAsaba, Delta State,Nigeria, for the most part. As a result of theNigerian Civil War, John was, together with his siblings, brought back home to Idumuje Unor from Asaba. He received the first few years of his primary education from Nkwor II Primary School, Idumuje Unor; proceeded toBenin Cityto finish up, after attending a handful of primary schools in and around the city; and ended up in Asaba for his secondary education atSt. Patrick?s College.

John lost his father at a very tender age and his mother as a young adult. John graduated from St. Patrick's College in 1983 and faced a period of development stagnation for ten years before he had the opportunity to return to school again in 1995 segue his departure fromNigeriain 1993.

John lived inThe Netherlandsfor about six years. As a foreigner, he was compelled to double back on his secondary education in The Netherlands at an overly matured age to studyDutchfor a period of two years in order to meet a language requirement necessary for admission into any institutions of higher learning in the country. John acquired a Bachelors Degree in International Business Studies fromThe Hague University,The Hague, The Netherlands in 2001 and proceeded toTexas Tech University,Lubbock,Texaswhere he bagged a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration in 2003.

After his graduation fromTexasTechUniversity, John worked briefly forCingular WirelessinLubbock,Texas, and did a brief graduate work on PhD trajectory in 2004 atUniversity of North Texas,Denton,Texasbefore he decided to explore his talent in Entrepreneurship.

John has been resident in theUnited States of Americasince the year 2000. As a first generation immigrant faced with all sorts of limitations, John earned a living as a Cab Driver inNew York City,New Yorkbefore relocating toDallas,Texaswhere he presently calls home. John is presently working very hard to establish himself as an Entrepreneur.Online TaxiCab Service, LLCis his brain child.

John would tell you that his ultimate life inspiration is deeply rooted in his deceased parents. Although his mother remains his fortress, his father is his hero. His father's love, devotion, and selfless service to his people never cease to impress and humble John. He is immensely amazed and challenged by his father's accomplishments. Almost three decades after his father's demise, Idumuje Unor natives (Ikekes) at home and abroad continue to shower John with kindness for the sake of his father's good deeds. John would like to leave a similar legacy for his progeny to be proud of and enjoy long after he is gone. For this selfish and no other reason, John would be glad and honored to serve his communities (knowledge, social, business, etc) in any capacity, anytime, any day, anywhere, around the world.

The purpose of thisweblogis to share his personal views on issues that matter to John. No subject is off limits. John will post blogs on different range of issues as he is inspired by the tension arising from the collision of his disposition and environment.

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Arise, O compatriotsNigeria's call obeyTo serve our FatherlandWith love and strength and faithThe labour of our heroes pastShall never be in vainTo serve with heart and mightOne nation bound in freedo ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots Nigeria's call obey
To serve our Fatherland
With love and strength and faith
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom peace and unity.

O God of creation
Direct our noble cause
Guide our Leaders right
Help our Youth the truth to know
In love and honesty to grow
And living just and true
Great lofty heights attain
To build a nation where peace and justice reign.

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Nigeria we hail theeOur own dear native landThough tribe and tongue may differIn brotherhood we standNigerians all, and proud to serveOur sovereign Motherland.Our flag shall be a symbolThat truth and ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots Our own dear native land
Though tribe and tongue may differ
In brotherhood we stand
Nigerians all, and proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.

Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign
In peace or battle honoured
And this we count as gain
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.

O God of all creation
Grant this our one request
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.

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I pledge to Nigeria my countryTo be faithful, loyal and honestTo serve Nigeria with all my strengthTo defend her unity and uphold her honor and glorySo help me God.

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots To be faithful, loyal and honest
To serve Nigeria with all my strength
To defend her unity and uphold her honor and glory
So help me God.

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Anioma Association USA, Inc. is a non-profit organization. As the name implies, the organization is a national entity with affiliate local Chapters from various States of the United States of America. ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots Anioma Association USA, Inc. is a non-profit organization. As the name implies, the organization is a national entity with affiliate local Chapters from various States of the United States of America. With very strong potential of growth, the Association presently consists of 10 Chapters: Atlanta, Rouge, Houston, Middle Tennessee, Northern California, Philadelphia/Delaware, Southern California, Tri State, Washington State, and Washington Dc/Maryland.

The Summit is a biannual event, which creates room for the Governing Council made up of Chapter Presidents to get together and determine how the National Executive must go about its business all through their two-year term of office. The General Membership is allowed in attendance as contributors and observers with no voting rights. Even the National Executive Officers are bared from voting on issues.

Recommendations are volunteered. Some key issues are strongly debated. Votes are taken. The 2008-2010 Budget is adopted. The constitution is reviewed and adopted. But the highpoints of the Summit are marked by the Keynote Speaker and the Anioma Youth.

The Keynote Address, titled Development through self-help: A Clarion Call to Anioma People, is delivered by Mr. Felix Ewona Ekam, a top notch Management employee of Total Oil. Mr. Ekam is able to sums up the main problems facing Anioma and many other Nigerian communities, as lack of utilities and infrastructures. He goes further to pinpoint the problems that could, to a reasonable degree, be considered to be analogous with Anioma people as marginalization, neglect, poverty, and lack of leadership. In his proposed solutions to the problems facing Anioma people, Mr., Ekam informs that the right character and attitude could go a long way in solving major problems. He also iterates that good people generate good ideas and good ideas attract funds. He concludes by proffering six attributes that can be coined into the acronym, ANIOMA, as the panacea to the problems Anioma people face today: Accountability, Neighborliness, Information, Organization, Maintainability, and Audacity.

The Anioma Youth steals the day with an Anioma youth, Miss Isioma Emordi, in the driver seat. Dr. Nwanne Oyemenem and Dr. Veronica Ufoegbune teams up to give a presentation on the package they have put together to help bring Anioma Youth together and also help them learn the Anioma Language. The CD and book, titled Introduction to Ibo Language, authored by Dr. Onyemenem are in display for sale. Miss Emordi gives a verbal and visual presentation onAnioma Youth Forumas created, designed, and directed by Dr. Ufoegbune. Miss Emordi brings her presentation to a close by announcing that she seeks other dedicated and hard-working Anioma Youth anywhere to further work with her on the Anioma Youth project. She could be reached atprincessisioma_2000@yahoo.com.

Later in the evening all roads leads to the residence of the former President of Anioma Association USA, Inc. Dallas Fort Worth Chapter, Mr. Austin Ikechukwu who resides with his beautiful wife in their dream home at Rowlett. Food and assorted kinds of wine, beer, and liquor, are abundantly available. Soda and water are conspicuously in the mix as well, for the designate drivers for the night.DJ Alex Ugbechetakes the guests on a fun trip down a memory lane to their high school days. Everybody parties like they have no early flight to catch in the morning.

Blogger?s Note:
The Summit was held in Dallas, Texas at the Hyatt Place on 17 January 2009. As a patriotic citizen of Anioma and an active member of Anioma Association USA, Inc. Dallas Fort Worth Chapter, I was in attendance and I thought I should report on the event to enable you catch up a little on what you missed.

The Summit was a huge success in terms of how it was organized and executed. The President, Mr. Uche Honnah, is charismatic and he exudes infectious confidence. We need more people like him to come forward as future leaders of Nigeria in training. The Former President, Dr. Osadebe Anam, was there to support the new President.

I encourage all Nigerian citizens worldwide to join any Nigeria-related organization in his/her immediate community and make a difference by mere participation. That?s all it takes to orchestrate the change we all crave.

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Watching the time tick to 12 noon for the now famous and illustrious son of an obscure African Father become the 44th President of the United States of America as authorized by the Constitution of the ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots
Never in my entire life have I witnessed the approval of a leader by the entire world citizenry of different beliefs and values. Not even monarchs or emperors dead or alive can legitimately claim to have received the amount of support and goodwill accorded President Obama from all corners of the world. Every time I think of the crowd that comes out to greet President Obama anywhere he goes, my mind wonders off to Jesus Christ and the massive crowds that came out to greet him wherever he went in his time and age.

I?m beginning to wonder if President Obama is not the messiah that was promised to come and save the world. Coming to think of it, the world was at the brink of destruction as a result of the uncompromising nature of the world leaders until the arrival of President Obama on the scene. I do not in any way intend to suggest that all world problems have been resolved by the mere installation of Barack H. Obama as the leader of the Free World. At the same token, I cannot neglect the fact that all warring factions of the world are willing to put down their arms momentarily to take a shot at dialogue borne out of mutual respect and understanding as prescribed by President Obama. The State of Israel is taking the lead in this respect. They availed themselves the liberty to pummel Gaza under the seemingly approving watch of the Bush administration knowing fully well that such an act may not be condoned by the Obama administration.

I believe the right leadership is the key instrument in any problem-solving effort. Empirical observation of world events reveals that people like to be lead. They like to be told what to do by somebody whom they trust and respect. President Obama represents the right leadership in the context of solving the litany of problems facing the United States of America in particular and perhaps the world in general simply because he was able to establish his credibility amongst the people that now trust and respect him.

Food for thought
There is a lesson to learn here by everybody that considers him or herself a leader or anybody that is interested in solving the problems that abound in their immediate or extended community, large or small: family, group, organization, state, country, etc. Credibility must be established before leadership can be earned and subsequently the derived political capital expended.

According to the pundits, it took President Obama twelve years of hard work manifested in the form of sacrifice, dedication, perseverance, resilience, tenacity, etc to get to the pinnacle of American hierarchy of leadership. I would say it took his entire life to get to where he is today. Nonetheless, how many leaders out there are willing and able to truly and selflessly give 12 years of their life to establish their credibility? Not too many, I dare say.

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It is of paramount importance that Nigerian parents resident in the United States raise their kids emphasizing the importance of our Nigerian traditional beliefs and values. Otherwise, the kids may en ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots
United States of America is God?s own country, without a doubt. A country, that is second to none in terms of the proliferation of opportunities for all capitalists around the world. The United States is comparable to the biblical Land of Canaan that abundantly flows with milk and honey. The United States embodies a systematic collection of the world best in any vocation. The best of the good, the bad, and the ugly are all in the United States. Mere residence in the United States bestows access to innumerable opportunity to be one of the very best of any chosen vocation in the world.

All things conceivable by the human mind are best achievable by man in no other country but the United States of America. I have seen ugly people become beautifully successful because they are borne ugly. Manikins turn celebrities because they are borne with deficient genes nobody would normally chose to have. Storekeepers become extraordinary entrepreneurs because they are innovative, patient, and perseverant. People from humble backgrounds rise to stardom because they understand the dynamics of the American economy. Students become professors because they are more resilient than they are intelligent. Servants become masters because they are hard-working. Vagabonds become philanthropists because they could dream. College dropouts become powerful exceedingly successful Chief Executive Officers because they are shrewd and astute in nature. Aren?t all things just possible in the United States!

Without a doubt, America is the best place in the entire wild world to dream dreams and actualize them. I figure the American Dream, which is relative different for different folks, is obtainable by anybody irrespective of race, color, creed, or citizenship. The only set of requirements is the ability to let the imagination go wild, the ability to persistently believe in oneself, the ability to stay honest, the ability to tirelessly work hard, and most importantly, the ability to tenaciously hang in there even when it seems there is nothing to hang onto. As great and prosperous The United States is, it sometimes takes the hungry third eye of an immigrant to see the abundant opportunities the United States economy churns out every second, every minute, every hour, every day.

When I see American citizens try so hard to fabricate and proffer a zillion reasons why they cannot achieve the American dream, I wonder why they fail to see and avail themselves with the abundantly available opportunities that millions of immigrants from different continents could only dream about. I wonder why some American citizens in some American communities remain in perpetual search of opportunities in the mist of abundant opportunities. Quite a number of them spend most of their precious time blaming the society for all that goes wrong in their lives. Others simply beg for handouts by the way of welfare and unemployment applications. The last thing they ever want to do is seek out and take advantage of the available opportunities.

I couldn?t help but liken such Americans to the proverbial prodigal son of a powerful, rich, and famous King who was invited to dine and wine on his father?s Kingly table. Contrary to the norm, the prodigal son turned the priceless invitation down and declared he would be honored if accorded the privilege to craw underneath the royal table where he could persistently beg for the food crumbs that accidentally fall off the table or even steal those crumbs when nobody is looking. I wonder how in the world a fish that lives in the sea be in constant collect spittle to take a bath as a result of short supply of water.

In this same United States of America resides in limbo, the typical problematic immigrant. In addition to his studies in his original country, he probably studied in the best two continents in the world, Europe and America. He has a minimum of two degrees under his belt. He has been a determined, hard-working, and law-abiding alien in the United States for almost about a decade. Yet, he is not allowed to legitimately apply for jobs that he is well qualified for simply because he still has to untie some complex knots in his Permanent Resident application buried amongst million others in the Department of Homeland Security achieves.

The immigrant officially described as an alien probably works as a cashier at a corner store to keep up with his recurring financial obligations which includes legal fees paid to Immigration Lawyers and Department of Homeland Security in the guise of application fees. He wakes up in the morning ready for work. Sooner than he steps into his raggedy 15-year old Toyota Camry ready to shift the gear lever from ?P? to ?D?, an able-bodied young American with ten toes and ten fingers walks up to him wearing a hostile expression on his face as if the immigrant owes him the world. With attitude, the young American says to the immigrant ?I hate to ask you but I have to ask you anyways ?say bro, you got fi-dollars (five dollars) so that a brother could ride the bus to Downtown??

It is more of a demand than a request. Intuitively, the immigrant would not oblige the American with the money, but he fears the consequence of non-cooperation. He could imagine what the young American could do to his Camry while he is asleep in his apartment. A litany of possible consequences ran through his mind in a brief moment as he decides on whether to yield or not. The young American could leak out the air in one or more of his tyres. He could drive a nail into one or more of his tyres. He could slash one or more of his tyres. He could dump a bag of salt in his gas tank. He could smash in his windshield, his headlamps, or rear lights. He could even arrange for him to be robbed or lynched. The immigrant is mental being held hostage for a brief moment. The immigrant thought about the encounter of his immigrant friend who was accosted by another delinquent young American on the street demanding a dollar. The immigrant politely told him that he did not have any money. The delinquent American insisted on conducting a search him so as to confirm his claim explaining that he hated liars.
In order to avoid such humiliation, the immigrant gives a five dollar bill to the young American without saying a word and drives off to work.

I find it ironic that the immigrant is struggling to strategically position himself in the shoes of this young American who happens to be naturally blessed with the gift of being an American Citizen, and the young American is knowingly or unknowingly assuming the position of the immigrant. The immigrant wants to become a Permanent Resident so that he could at the very list, return to the academia to acquire a PhD and thereby have a lot of doors open to him. On the contrary, this young American fails to recognize and take advantage of the fact that he could well be in the position to give the immigrant the handout. It appears the young American would rather be at the receiving end than be at the giving end of the spectrum. If it were possible, the immigrant would trade places with the young American in a heart beat. It is troubling to see a man that has so much, lack and seek so much.

The situation this young American finds himself could be explained in two different ways. He is either ignorant or complaisant. Simple logic makes it impossible to believe a man could be so ignorant to not see or hear the sights and sounds in such a country of affluence. A man cannot just be so ignorant to not feel or smell the opulence that abounds in the United States of America. The man has to be complaisant, which happens to be the natural tendency of man. When people are in dire need, they stay awake and toil for things to get better. As soon as they get comfortable, Complacency sets in. Even the immigrants are not left out on this universal syndrome.

The average immigrants emigrate from their country of origin to the United States with barely anything of possessions to their name. They typically work very hard to raise Doctors and Engineers as second generation immigrants. Being Doctors an Engineers guarantees, to a reasonable degree, that there will be food on the table for the family. This generation of Doctor and Engineer immigrants, secured in their six-figure paying jobs, work effortlessly to raise Sociologist and Anthropologists as third generation immigrants who never have to worry about having food on the table for the family. This set of Sociologist and Anthropologist immigrants, in turn, depending on their parents to bail them out whenever necessary, raise college dropouts and musicians as fourth generation immigrants who for the most part are unable to support themselves let alone having food on the table for the family.

At this point you here the kids argue that they do not have to be Doctors or Engineers simply because their parents want them to be Doctors and Engineers. All of a sudden, they now figure out that they could have a choice. This is complacency inherent in the average American as a result of the wealth and abundance prevalent in the country. The fourth generation immigrants are now Americanized to the core. They have lost touch with their humble background. Those who manage to remind themselves of their humble beginning, generation after generation, continue to accomplish great milestones and tell success stories after success stories. They grow into dynasties simply because they endeavor to remain hungry in the mist of plenty. They continue to break new grounds in their unending quest for success. Dynasties are built brick by brick, and mile by mile, all the way to the top.

Complacency goes a long way to explain the poverty level in the Latino and African American communities in the United States. The first generation Latino immigrants who had to swim laps to illegally emigrate to the United States in search of greener pasture worked very hard to ensure that their offspring wouldn?t have to work as hard and suffer humiliation to realize the American Dream. Unfortunately, the same thing could not be said of the Latino line of generations down the fourth and beyond.

During the early days of African Americans in the United States, which at best, could be described as the Kunta Kinte era, when a Negro was only equal to livestock owned by the White Slave Masters, a Black man was then not even at liberty to keep his natural (parent-given) name. Blacks must bear the name chosen and imposed by their White Owner. At this point in time in the history of the United States, long before Martin Luther King, one of the best jobs available to a Black man in the United States was to work in the kitchen of his White Master, where he could primarily work, eat, learn, and grow strong physically and mentally. In the second significant era in the American Black history, which I like to describe as Martin Luther King era, the opportunity to attend college was golden to the Blacks. Those who stumble upon such opportunity grabbed it with two hands to make a golden home run. Today, we are in the era that could be described as the Barack Obama era. It takes all kinds of ground-breaking initiatives and incentives to keep African American kids in the classroom. This is Complacency at the highest order.

Nigerian kids borne and raised here in the United States are no exception. They will lose the link to their parent?s humble background if the parents fail to instill in them our core Nigerian traditional beliefs and values. On the other hand, they could build dynasties if they would learn how to remain hungry even when they have bellyful.

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Americans wrongly characterize Nigerians as fraudsters as a result of the unethical business conducts of a very insignificant segment of the Nigerian population who typically request a down payment on ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots
I opened my first bank account about a decade ago with Wells Fargo Bank located on University in Lubbock, Texas, on arrival to the United States as a student at Texas Tech University. I left Lubbock about three years after and I took the bank account with me. I have always retained Wells Fargo Bank as my primary bank.

I walked into a Wells Fargo Bank on Lovers and Matilda in Dallas, Texas to make a deposit. There on the wall was this humongous photo frame strategically hung on the wall for the purpose of attracting as much attention as possible. I thought it was some sort of license FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) mandates all banks to acquire and conspicuously display somewhere in their business premises where it could easily be seen and read. I felt terribly violated when I read the text in the photo frame. It was a warning to the bank customers to beware of Nigerian fraudsters. I immediately knew why the bank tellers pay special attention to me whenever I come in to conduct my little transactions with the bank. I was so embarrassed that I seldom went to that very particular branch of the bank anymore. I only went there when I really can?t help it.

I took my bank transactions to the Wells Fargo branch at Preston and Forest. I walked into the bank on this day to remit some money to Europe in an attempt to fulfill a financial commitment I made to an acquaintance resident in The Netherlands, where I lived for about seven years. The bank teller directed me to the desk of another bank official for assistance. We got into a chit chat while she tried to figure our how to help me with my remittance to Europe. She told me she was from Kenya. I voluntarily told her I was from Nigeria in my attempt to return her cordiality. That was when the whack in the guts came. ?I heard Nigerian Men kill their wives in America? she said! I couldn?t believe what I just heard. I was so mad that I was ready to close my bank account with Wells Fargo and take my business somewhere else. On a second thought, I knew that taking my business somewhere else would not change the perception about Nigerians. In addition to executing my bank transaction, I found myself in a debate defending my fellow countrymen in the bank.

Homicide cases within Nigerian communities in the United States have been reported quite a few times in the news. Such seldom cases can be attributed to the inability of Nigerian men to accept the realities of their new world, America, the land of the free. If it is a man?s world in Nigeria, it is safe to say that it is a woman?s world in the United States. Let?s say that women are more subservient to men in Nigeria than they are in the United States. Nigerian men resident in the United States fail to accept the fact that they now reside in a different society where different set of rules apply and that the rules are studiously enforced, contrary to what obtains in Nigeria. Nigerian men resident in the United States wallow in the illusion that their Nigerian wives would adhere to the Nigerian set of norms even though they now reside in the United States, so that they could be patronized as good wives. This explains why Nigerian bachelors resident in the United States flock home to find their African Queen.

Nigerian men fail to acknowledge the fact that women are equally capable of change as their Nigeria male counterparts. The typical Nigerian male comes over to the Western world and undergoes all kinds of changes as a result of exposure to his new environment. The Nigerian male now thinks he knows better than everybody back home. He is now a self acclaimed superstar in his own little world created by his own little myopic mind. To say the least, the Nigerian male condemns his traditional beliefs and values back home, and castigates his traditional elders and traditional role models, all for being real and natural. The westernized Nigerian male reduces his original beliefs and values to a set of primitive nonsense. He simply finds nothing good in the Nigerian traditional way of life he was born into and raised in, thanks to his exposure to the Western ways of life.

When the westernized Nigerian male is ready to start a family and eventually procreate, he cockily comes to the conclusion that the Western woman is not good enough for him as she will not treat him like a wife would be expected to treat an accomplished husband back home in Nigeria. This is where the twist actually begins. The Westernized Nigerian male thinks nothing of the traditional Nigerian beliefs and values, which is now well beneath a ?Westerner-wanna-be? like him, but he wants to be treated in accordance with the dictates of that same traditional Nigerian belief system. How is that for double standard!

Now, the westernized Nigeria male goes to Nigeria to find his African Queen. Traditionally, Nigerians don?t pick a wife off the streets of Lagos. Nigerian parents, concerned relatives, and well-wishers do their due diligence when they seek a wife. They take time to conduct a thorough background check on a woman before she could even be considered a potential candidate for marriage. On the contrary, the shallow minded westernized Nigerian male goes to the top night clubs and female hostels on Nigerian university campuses located in major cities such as Lagos to seek out the most excitingly beautiful Nigerian young woman that could best stroke his testosterone driven egoistic manhood. This gold digger in the image of a young lady sees nothing but a gold mine in the gullible westernized Nigerian male, and goes to work like a miner naturally would at a gold mine. She goes out of her way to stage a make-believe performance. The helpless and defenseless westernized Nigerian male falls prey to the irresistible wife ?to-be Nigerian female fraudster.

The duped westernized Nigerian male returns to the West feeling like a million bucks. He works his tail off and goes through all kinds of hoops to get his future nightmare over to the West as his spouse. Eventually, the fraudster comes over to the West and gets exposed to the Western ways of life just like the westernized Nigerian male was, not too long ago. She discovers the unthinkable: women are in charge in the West as opposed to men being in charge in Nigeria. Just like any other opportunist would, the Nigerian groomed bride capitalizes on her newly found powers and becomes rebellious, in the views of the husband. Ultimately, the wife imposter would invoke her powers to tame the stubborn husband, who is incapable of seeing himself being relegated to the role of a subordinate in the already doomed relationship from the get go.

All hell breaks loose. After a few years down the line, the fraudulent wife gets stronger and more grounded in the Western system, while the gullible husband gets weaker and less relevant in his assumed Kingdom. Most Nigerian husbands with a little bit of wisdom would get a divorce, count their losses, lick their wounds, and move on with life. A few others feel so violated that they could hardly see the wisdom in cutting their loss and let go. Rather, they think of their investment in the sour relationship and thereby continue to escalate the tension to the point of no return. Eventually, they take the highway out by committing the ultimate sin of murder by design or by accident.

The Nigerian communities in the United States must own up to reality in order to get rid of the tendency to self-destruct, which comes about as a result of the infamous matrimonies between the overly self conceited United States based Nigerian bachelors and their desperate home groomed bachelorette counterparts. The old adage which encourages a stranger on a visit to Rome to behave like the Romans, speaks to the problem. The notorious Nigerian bachelor must realize the fact that he cannot expect to import the prevailing characteristics of the Nigerian marriage institution to the United States and make it stick for too long, irrespective of the race or nationality of his spouse.

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The master speech maker, President Barack H. Obama has been to Ghana, Africa, and returned back to Washington to resume his primary task of protecting and providing for the American people. The Ghanai ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots
The most outstanding message from President Obama to Africans, in my view, lies in his articulation that ?Africa?s future is up to Africans.? Suffice to say that the problems that abound in Africa must and can be best be solved by Africans. Inasmuch as this Obama-reechoed African mantra is true, it?s not, by any measure, a new sound bite to Africans.

For the benefit of the cynic in me, it must be noted that Africans have loudly and clearly heard this mantra so much and so long that it now sounds like a cracked Jackson-5 Off the Wall vinyl.

The ambiguity, which President Obama could have done so well to eliminated from his speech, is whether he includes or excludes himself when he challenges Africans to step up to the plate and take the proverbial bull by the horn with respect to turning African around. Being of an African father, I hope Mr. President does not count himself out of this potentially courageous group of Africans that must rise to take on the daunting task of cleaning up the colossal chaos in Africa.

It certainly would have been refreshing if President Obama had gone a little bit deeper in his speech to tell Africans in particular and the world in general, how he, as an African descent, the leader of the free world, and of course, the most powerful man on earth for the next three or more years, intends to be part of the solution. Instead, he promised that the United States will partner with Ghana, Africa.

It?s not quite clear if this proposed partnership with Africa is truly with Africa or with Ghana. The master speech maker could have made it less ambiguous. However, it is nothing new for the United States to partner with any African country that is capable of feeding the insatiable addiction of the United States to crude oil. Let?s not forget that a vast amount of crude oil has just been discovered in Ghana. Is this the true reason why President Obama chose Ghana to be the new face of Africa?

Although it cannot be ruled out that President Obama is possibly just about business as usual in Ghana, he deserves the benefit of the doubt ? he could have meant, as he unequivocally claimed, to genuinely forge a partnership between the United States and Ghana for the sole purpose of rewarding the people of Ghana for the leadership they have demonstrated in establishing true and practicable democracy on the African continent.

Time out for cynicism! Irrespective of President Obama?s intentions in Ghana, the truth remains that African?s problems could best be solved by Africans, no matter the circumstances under which it was articulated or who the messenger actually is. It?s equally safe to say that this is one rare and remarkable occasion that an African of substance has stood up to challenge fellow Africans of all age groups and social classes to stand up for themselves and fight for their God given rights if they truly believe in it. It would be a ground-breaking achievement if we, Africans, would finally wake up from our self induced endless slumber to stand up for our rights and fight for it. For the benefit of the reader, Africans referred to as a people could be substituted with any African country your affinity lies with. For instance, I, as a Nigerian, have the natural tendency to gravitate toward Nigeria.

I sometimes wonder whether the Nigerian bogeyman (voodoo man) remotely removed the bile in the Nigerian masses so as to render us all incapable of getting angry as a result of the injustice that abound in the country as perpetuated by our Nigerian rogue leaders.

A great African patriot, the Creator of Afrobeat music, Fela Anikulakpo Kuti, in a flawless artistic manner, painted the picturesque of the Nigerian status quo in his famous songs, Sorrow, Blood, and Tears (http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858727842/.) He emphatically suggested that Nigerians are way too tolerant as a result of fear. Nigerians have tons of reasons not to activate the bile in us. Nigerians inexplicitly chose to remain alive in perpetual bondage than get ruffled in their quest for liberty. Shall we please reactivate our bile so that we can learn how to get angry again for a change? A great African American legend and icon of his time, James Brown, articulated it even better in his popular song, Say it Loud, I?m Black and Proud (http://lyrics.dainutekstai.lt/1035/james-brown-say-it-loud-im-black-and-im-proud.htm.) He would rather die on his feet than live o his knees.

We are Nigerians; and we must be proud! We should rather die in liberty than live in self-imposed slavery. We must act now. For clarity sake, when I say act, I don?t necessarily prescribe violence as the only means to achieving the desired change. Change can be achieved in so many ways other than the crudest form, violence. President Obama is, for instance, on a mission to change the world with the least amount of violence, possible. We could emulate the precedent set by President Obama by making selfless sacrifices with the expectation to be rewarded with the eventual success of our fellow Nigerians.

We must remember that President Obama did not embark on his present world acclaimed mission to change the world as the President of the United States. He stated as an obedient little boy bred by a single parent mother with very limited means. He continued as a teenager in the excruciatingly slow but sure path to success by acquiring quality education using all available public funds, which were and still are available to all American citizens. As an inquisitive, exuberant, and energetic young adult, full of stamina, he went the extra mile to turn down all the plum job opportunities dangling right in his face, screaming for his attention, to serve his American communities as a college professor and a community organizer at different time periods of his exemplary life.

The great-to-be-destined Barack Obama took command of the classrooms of American Universities, streets, and alleys to educate his fellow Americans on how to lift up the down trodden and heart broken. He perfected his act as a United States Senator, making laws that could generate and or restore hope for his less fortunate hopeless fellow Americans.

At the pinnacle of his struggle, he is on a mission to change the world. He influenced the outcome of democratic elections in Lebanon by delivering a speech in Cairo. He orchestrated the emphatic demand for change in Iran by the power of his words. He turned foes into friends by offering genuine respect. He made the world safer by the way of diminishing the nuclear arsenals of Russian and his own country, the United States. All theses milestones were achieved without violence. We sure can change things in Nigeria without violence as a starting point.

When Americans needed some sort of a messiah to pull the country back from the brink of self destruction as co-authored by former President Gorge W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, they became color blind and called upon Barrack Hussein Obama. President Obama is a success story simply because he was prepared awaiting the opportunity to show up in his horizon. My good old friend, Mr. Peter Aghasomba once told me that ?success is defined by many as preparation awaiting opportunity.? Are Nigerians prepared awaiting the opportunity Wave Of change?

In his speech, President Obama focused on four areas he considered ?critical to the future of Africa ? democracy, opportunity, health, and peaceful resolution of conflict.? I will focus on just one area in my analyses ? democracy. I believe that if we, Nigerians, could get our system of governance on the right trajectory, other things will gradually fall into place.

I learned in the early days of my education that democracy could best be defined as the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. By implication, the people should be at the core of this system. This is not the case in the pseudo Western democracy practiced today in Nigeria.

It is important to recognize the fact various Nigerian communities had different shades of democracy in its crudest form, perhaps, before the advent of the Whiteman. A version of the so called crude form of democracy, for lack of a better expression, still exists today in my hometown ? every member of the community gather at a central location to deliberate on issues of mutual interest. I can assure you that if systematically analyzed and reassembled, a form of democracy enrooted in the core fabric of Nigerian culture(s) and acceptable to all Nigerians, will emerge.

We chose to fashion our democracy after Western democracy. Western democracy in Nigeria is so unreal and foreign to Nigerian and her diverse cultures; hence, it will never work. I can assure you that pseudo democracy can never work in Nigeria as it will ever remain foreign to Nigerians.

It is a breath of fresh air to know that President Obama believes that ?each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions.? Naturally, the fundamental bastion of any successful form of democracy is intrinsically embedded in the assumption that freedom of the press and the media, availability of information and easy access to it are guaranteed to a reasonable degree.

We, Nigerians, sustain our current form of pseudo democracy by the way of bribery and corruption, fear and murder. Nigerian politicians buy votes with bags of rice, bags of onions, and bottles and gallons of cooking oil. Whenever the votes cannot be purchased, they resort to intimidation and murder as recourse.

Besides the fact that the press and the media are guaranteed to be maximally intimidated and subsequently repressed, elections are determined before the election actually takes place. The average Nigerian at the grassroots level could barley function in English Language. Nigerian grassroots can barley read, write, or speak English Language, which happens to be the adopted official Language of Nigeria. If the vast majority of Nigerians cannot access and understand the language of governance, I wonder how democracy can be successful communicated to the people. Nigerians, as a people, should and must be able to forge a shade of democracy that is applicable in the vast majority of the illiterate Nigerian grassroots.

If the United States of America and the West are able to comprehend and share President Obama?s conviction with respect to democracy in Africa, they must give room for Nigeria to forge her own democracy as it will apply in the context of Nigeria.

Nigeria is considered to be the giant of Africa. In fairness to Nigeria, she has truly demonstrated to be the giant of Africa. With a population of about 150 million people, Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world. Nigeria assumed leadership position in resolving African conflicts in other African countries such as Liberia, Seria Leone, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, etc. It is safe to say that Nigeria is to Africa what the United States is to the World. Nonetheless, President Obama chose to Address Africa in Ghana. What a slap on the face for Nigeria. The reason for such a snub to Nigeria, as inexplicitly explained by President Obama, is to put Nigerian leaders on notice that there is need to change there ways of conducting the business of governance. I say it?s not enough.

If there is one single thing America and the West could do to support Nigeria in her quest for homegrown democracy, the Nigerian leaders must be dissuaded from looting the national treasury. . Nigerian leaders loot the national treasury and hide their spoils in Western banks. The accomplice Western countries turn around and release the stolen funds to the victim country, Nigeria, in form of loans with high interest rates. It would mean more than grants and aids to Nigerian masses if the accomplice Western countries would refuse to accept the ill gotten deposits in their banks. Nigerian leaders might stop stealing if they have no where to hide their spoils.

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All motorways and airways originating from major corners of the world inhabited by Anioma indigenes lead to Herndon, Virginia, USA as Anioma, friends, and well-wishers convened at the invitation of An ...

John Chuka noreply@blogger.com John Chuka: Grassroots
Anioma Association USA, Incorporated, otherwise known as Anioma National, is the apex Anioma organization in Diaspora duly registered in the United States of America as a legal entity, with twelve Member Chapters and still counting. It all started with the establishment of a parochial organization in the Washington DC Area to unite and cater to the needs of the Anioma sub communities in that locality. The success of the parochial organization, known today as the Washington DC Member Chapter of Anioma National, inadvertently exposed the need for an umbrella organization to achieve the same purpose as the parochial organization, but with focus directed at the Greater Anioma community in Diaspora.

The noble idea to establish Anioma National came to fruition with the adoption of its original constitution on 26 May 1997. Since inception, Anioma National has produced four different Administrations under the respective able and willing leaderships of Dr. Kunirum Osia (1997 ? 2002), Dr. Emeka Ikpeazu (2002 ? 2006), Dr. Osadebe Anam (2006 ? 2008), and Mr. Uche Honnah (2008 ? Present.)
The 2010 Anioma National Convention, dubbed Anioma World Economic Congress (AWEC) with the theme, Harnessing Resources for our Future, is another milestone in the struggle to unite Anioma people and its communities in the United States. AWEC, which is clearly the very first of its magnitude, is a huge success in ways more than one.

Many sons and daughters of Anioma were invited from home and abroad. Some of the invited dignitaries from home particularly, were unable to make it as a result of travel constraints, but they mandated proxies to deliver their messages and packages of support and goodwill. Those that made it from different corners of the world participated robustly. Various strata of Anioma leadership in the public sector were remarkably represented at AWEC: Anioma Councillorship, Anioma Chairmanship, and Anioma Senatorial District Leadership. Anioma Community Organizers, Anioma NGO?s, and Anioma Bankers were equally represented.

AWEC kicked off with a Welcome Reception on Friday night being the 2nd day of July 2010. Despite the fact that the conventioneers were tired from their trips, they were so pumped up that they turned out in droves for the welcome reception. The anticipated attendance capacity was so overwhelmingly exceeded that some of the conventioneers stood against the walls, while some others stood outside the reception hall. The evening provided the opportunity for the various Member Chapter Presidents to deliver a State of Chapter Address. It also allowed the National Financial Secretary, Mr. Victor Kwentua to deliver a Power Point Presentation of the association?s Financial Account Overview. The rest of the evening culminated in Anioma sons and daughters meeting and catching up with one another. It was indeed pleasant to see the sons and daughters of the most diverse Nigerian community, geographically linked together and culturally bonded together, exchange pleasantries!

The convention went into auto pilot the following morning being Saturday the 3rd day of July 2010, as AWEC convened ready to dissect the State of Anioma Economy. Coordinated by Mr. Greg Odiaka, the National Vice President, Mr. John Chuka, the National Assistant Secretary, and Mr. Austin Ikechukwu, the Financial Secretary of Dallas Fort Worth Member Chapter, AWEC was able to define the State of Anioma Economy, identify major impediments militating against Anioma Economy, and most importantly, proffer solutions.

The Congress implicitly reached a consensus that the State of Anioma Economy was deplorable. Some of the highlighted impediments as identified by the Congress include, but are not limited to Lack of Infrastructure such as Energy and Road Network, Lack of Proper Education of Anioma Youth, Corruption, and Unemployment. As a solution to the problem, the Congress agreed that the public and private sectors must be actively involved to ameliorate the deplorable State of Anioma Economy.

The Congress pointed out that no proffered solutions will come to fruition without the involvement of a committed Executive Arm of the State Government. It was suggested that such a committed Executive Arm of the State Government could only become a reality if the Governor was from Anioma. The Congress reasoned further that the emergence of a Governor from Anioma without the creation of Anioma State would be almost impossible.

At this juncture, The AWEC Guest of Honor, Senator Patrick Osakwe, took the stage to establish a controversial position, stating that Anioma people waste precious time seeking the creation of Anioma State, which in his view, was already in existence. He reasoned that for the simple fact that the State Capital of an existing Nigerian State called Delta State is located in an integral part of the Greater Anioma community, Asaba, Delta State belongs to Anioma people, without a doubt. He emphatically assures the Congress that it is a reality, which nobody can change, no matter how much they try.

The Senator proposes that those who do not want to be part of the existing Delta State should be fighting for their own state as opposed to the true beneficiaries of the State, Anioma people, fighting for a new State. As a solution to the deplorable State of Anioma Economy, Senator Osakwe proposed that Anioma people channel their effort towards the establishment of Anioma Identity, which in his opinion would deliver the Executive Arm of the Delta State Government to Anioma people. His implicit assumption here is that a Governor of Delta State from Anioma would be committed to the general development of Anioma communities. Although a few conventioneers disagreed with the distinguished three-time Senator, he received a standing ovation from the Congress.

Another highpoint of the morning session was the 2010 Elections of Anioma National Executives in accordance with the constitutional mandate to any out-going National Administration. With a minor adjustment, the incumbent President, Mr. Honnah and his fellow commendable Executives returned unopposed for a second term in office. The minor adjustment stems from the fact that the Assistant Secretary, Mr. John Chuka, chose to run for the office of the Social Secretary, which was vacated by Mr. Greg Chiazor.

Unlike every other member of the National Executive Committee, Mr. Chuka did not have the privilege to be elected as the National Assistant Secretary. Rather, he was appointed. Mr. Chuka joined the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Member Chapter of Anioma National about two years ago. Immediately after his mandatory six-month probation period, Mr. Chuka volunteered to fill the vacant office of the General Secretary in his parochial chapter. In no time, Mr. Chuka established his determination, ability, and willingness to serve his community; and the news spread across the country. Getting to know about Mr. Chuka and his skill set, Pres. Honnah saw an opportunity to fill the vacant office of the National Assistant Secretary. As he was not willing to wait until the next elections, Pres. Honnah requested the nomination of Mr. Chuka for the office of the National Assistant Secretary by his Member Chapter President, pres. Peter Irabor, and ultimately presented the nomination to the Governing Council for ratification.

On the premise that, with the exception of Mr. Chuka, every member of the new Administration who returned unopposed has had the opportunity to address the Congress in the past, Mr. Chuka was exclusively called upon to address the Congress. Although he announced he was going to address the Congress in Anioma Language, he delivered his speech in English Language for the most part. Mr. Chuka expressed his gratitude for being afforded the opportunity to serve his community and promised to bring to bear, his skills, knowledge, and experience, serving his community.

The Congress wined down mandating Anioma National to, among other things, etch its footprint on the political landscape of Delta State. Right from inception, Anioma National had always avoided getting involved in politics back home arguing that the association is and should remain a non-political organization. Given the new mandate it?s anybody?s guess that the association has no recourse other than to gradually transform into a pressure group poised to influence government policies in Delta State without actually being politically involved. Anioma National was also mandated to forge a more united front amongst Anioma people and Anioma-related organizations in the United States so as to ensure a bigger and more successful convention in 2012.

The convention peaked and plateaued with the Fundraiser/Gala Night Dinner slated for Saturday night. The occasion was chaired by the Distinguished Senator, Mr. Patrick Osakwe. Other Anioma dignitaries at the High Table include, but are not limited to Chief Ken Iwelunmor, the Alibo of Onitcha Ugbo, Dr. Oliver Osadebe Anam, Former President, Anioma National, Current President, Conference of Igbo State in Americas, Mr. Uche Honnah, President, Anioma National, Hon. Mekomah, Chairman, Oshimilli North Local Government, and Engr. Osi Okotcha, Potential Candidate, Delta State House of Assembly. Funds were raised, food and beverages were served, Anioma sons and daughters danced and made pictures to commemorate the event.

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