Family Values: Mantra of Umunna Bu Ike Social Club
ACHO ORABUCHI
Dallas, Texas
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Nigerian community in Dallas is inundated every weekend with various activities ranging from Christening and wake keeping to fundraisers. People seem to shuttle from one activity to another to fulfill what is perceived as a community obligation.
This past weekend, my wife and I decided to attend one event. Our decision took us to the inaugural gala of Umunna Bu Ike Social Club of Nigeria, USA. This is another social club in addition to the already existing ones. However, one may wonder if proliferation of social clubs—Enyimba Social Club, Peoples Club, Coal City Social Club, Igwebuike Social Club, just to name a few—is a healthy phenomenon to participants considering the weight of attention they require of their members. To attend to the needs of these clubs is tasking, especially when some people are actively participating in more than three clubs at a time. The quality of participation becomes a different matter since time is inelastic.
I’ll discuss more about Umunna Bu Ike Social Club later.
A few weeks ago, Hon. Ike Ibe brought his Imo State gubernatorial campaign to Dallas, Texas, the political headquarters of the Igbo in the United States, touting his accomplishments in the areas of medical missions, books, and medical equipment totaling about N30 billion to Imo State. However, he was magnanimous to admit—“I did not do all these by myself.” Also, he proposed to install internet connectivity in schools while building human infrastructure. Well, in an already crowded race for the governorship of Imo State, Hon. Ike Ibe—from Okigwe Zone—appears to be garnering political traction among the Imo elite in the Diaspora. Ibe’s sustenance of the momentum among this group largely depends on the dynamics on the ground.
A day earlier, the Udeagu Campaign in USA held a crucial meeting in Dallas to fine-tune the logistics for Udeagu’s US campaign apparatus. The group seemed to be unfazed about the inroads Hon. Ibe was making.
Going back to the inaugural gala of Umunna Bu Ike Social Club of Nigeria, USA on Saturday night and the substance of the club, one thing that struck me most was the mannerism of both the hosts and the guests. The night could be characterized as couples’ night out. The image of oneness—the sacred unity of families—seemed to reflect the unique characteristic of the new club. The portrayal of family values seemed to captivate me most.
In an environment of family violence, alleged marital infidelity, and other family issues among African marriages in the Diaspora, Umunna Bu Ike Social Club of Nigeria, USA may be the panacea that would help bring families together. At least, their structure seemed to suggest so.
What sets Umunna Bu Ike Social Club of Nigeria, USA apart from other emerging social clubs is its mantra of strict adherence to family values. Membership to the club is by family. The club focuses on reinforcing the healthy maintenance of family unit. Members are required to be married and respect the institution of marriage. Singles are not accepted as members; divorce is discouraged and divorced members are dropped from membership. “Membership is by family; when a member family goes through a divorce, both husband and wife will be dropped from membership of Umunna Bu Ike Social Club,” a member of the club, Atty. Austin Uke volunteered.
When some marriages that do not have discernible problems oftentimes explode to the total bewilderment of folks, the club may serve as a conduit that would dislodge the simmering fuse that would eventually trigger or detonate marital implosive. It’s a welcome club. It has a tremendous purpose to serve in our Nigerian community.
In appreciation of what he experienced at the inaugural gala, a founding member of Coal City Social Club, Mr. Sunny Ajumobi, expressed effervescently, “This is more mature and more organized.” Chief Mac Okwah echoed the same sentiment. “You can judge a group by its introductory page—selected invitees—this introductory page looks good to me,” he said. “I’ll join Umunna Bu Ike,” he added. Many people in the audience marveled at the enormous potential of the new club to the extent that members of other clubs completed forms that night to join Umunna Bu Ike. Well, I wish Umunna Bu Ike well. I encourage the members to hold on to their ideals.
Again,
this weekend will be busy. It will start off on Friday, April 21, 2006 with some
wake-keeping activities. It’s a wake-keeping night for Melvina Ojukwu, the lady
that died in the hands of her husband. Sad occurrence! This wake is in
preparation to send her body to Nigeria. “We have opened a trust fund to benefit
her four children at Bank of America with 004885673522 account number, 111000025
routing number, and a toll free number of 1-800-432-1000,” Engr. Ignatius Okafor
said.
The busy weekends will continue unabated since we’ve found ourselves in self-exile.
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See also:
EJIKE EZE: Nigerian kills wife: A rejoinder
ACHO ORABUCHI: Nigerian kills wife in America