The head of an Irish-based Nigerian club delivered a rousing message to his fellow members to “encourage the unity of Igbos in Ireland” at its recent annual gathering in Dublin.
The head of an Irish-based Nigerian club delivered a rousing message to his fellow members to “encourage the unity of Igbos in Ireland” at its recent annual gathering in Dublin.
The speech, according to Otu-Umunna Club of Ireland leader Okechukwu Onyia, was an effort to share the history of the club with its current members, and to provide an outlook toward where they are going next, and now to get there.
The club, established in 2004, says its members pride themselves on “being their brother’s keeper, showing true love to each other, looking after each other like they are of the same mother, and being there for each other in times of joy and sorrow”.
To this end the club’s leader claims a number of charitable efforts, including donations to victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Onyia stressed the need for club members to “reach out to people out there” and “expand our kindness to our friends, our communities and beyond.
“Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people,” he added.
The message to take responsibility for one’s actions for the betterment of the community was a common theme throughout Onyia’s speech. Beyond leadership, he also made allusions to the importance of taking action now instead of waiting for tomorrow.
“To leave Egypt and commence on the journey to the promise land is more important than counting the miles it’ll take, because no matter how long it’s going to take, the journey must commence,” he said.
“Remember Moses started it but Joshua finished it. So it is better we start now and if we can’t finish it, I know the almighty God will bring forth the Joshua of our time to finish it.”
Onyia confirmed that his speech was intended to encourage the club’s members to take progressive action towards coming together as a unified group.
He suggested a guideline for how to make such a unity possible, and continued to offer his leadership in favour of the betterment of the club.
“My loyalty remains with you and I will continue to serve you all, to the best of my ability,” he said. “We will not be judged today by our yesterday. Today we begin again, and focused on the success we will create today.”
Onyia said both he and the club’s members were happy living in Ireland, which he described as their home for its ongoing efforts to welcome them. “Long live our second home Ireland,” he added.
