AN ADDRESSS BY
MR. FRANKLIN OMORUNA
PRESIDENT UNIC CLUB OF
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 15TH
ANNUAL
(hereinafter
referred to as E.N.A).
September 1 -- 3, 2006
Fellow members of the COP, The Executives, Board of trustees, all past and present executive members of various clubs and association, representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, The Executive Governor of Edo State, HRH Enogie Edun Akenzua representative of the Omono oba ne edo uku okpolokpolo, ogie mwan no yan umogun Oba Erediawa, Officers of the various levels of government, The Mayor of Toronto, Distinguished Guest Speakers, Presidents and members of various Clubs/Associations from around the world, our Sponsors distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
On behalf of the entire members of the UNIC Club of
Canada, I welcome you all to the 15th annual Convention of the Edo
National Association USA & Canada held here in Toronto, which is also the
undisputed and recognized Cultural Capital of Canada, INDEED THE WHOLE WORLD. Wa Bo khian.
I want to use this
opportunity to open our minds to the theme of this year’s Convention that is,
upholding our cultural values, and our philanthropic participation in our
societal development. For us to be successful in these, we cannot but talk
about the role of government in providing a more conducive atmosphere, which
includes good governance of home STATE –
Within the past one-year, we have ventured on some
selected worthwhile projects that have the capabilities of making the ENA a
viable organization to be reckoned with. Some of these include:
·
The ENA endowment funds
·
The ENA disaster relief funds
·
The complete Ratification of the ENA
constitution
·
ENA Strategic
The establishment of the ENA Endowment funds whose
champion Mr. Agidigbi and his hard working management team members has done a
tremendous job that will become evident when they present their report later
this morning.
The ENA disaster relief fund has taken a new and high
proportional dimension after the inauguration in
Following the recommendation of the Security
Committee and a decision reached at the COP meeting, the ENA brought attention
to the issue of poor security of our state. I applaud the bold initiative to
challenge those who were saddle with that responsibility and especially our
call for the removal of the Edo state Commissioner of Police amongst other
recommendations.
Sadly, I am shocked that we may have
handled the Edo library project poorly. I appeal to you all to decide without
laying blames what is the most appropriate action for the successful execution
and disposition of that project that will not bring shame to our organization.
The ENA prides itself as an independent
body that should be recognized by various levels of Government and the
traditional hierarchy. I join many of you who do not want the ENA to be
subservient to any other organization. However, I think you will agree with me
that the world is evolving quickly and in order to thrive and have strong
bargaining powers and clout, we have to ally our selves strategically with
other viable organizations that have common objectives and interest. To this
end I commend the ENA for continued affiliation with South-South Niger/Delta
Coalition an organization that have elected one of our own Dr. Bright Aregs as
it’s President/CEO. This, I must say was not accidental but a result of
dedication and strong representation by our delegates and also the recognition
of the ENA, who ultimately bears the flag of Edo State.
We have carefully and deliberately
engaged passively in the programs and activities of the All Nigerian American
Congress (ANAC) as many of you raised a lot of questions relating to the vision
and mission of the organization despite the mandate of the COP. I would like
to encourage the next administration to fully participate in the programs of
the ANAC as it is becoming increasingly evident that they have an attainable
goal of representing the Nigerians in Diaspora.
The complete ratification of the
Constitution that establishes a formidable organizational structure is one of
the major accomplishments of the past year. I want to use this opportunity to
strongly appeal to the in-coming executives to ensure its full implementation
and to initiate a viable strategic direction to make our organization a force
to reckon with.
This yearly convention has been
described as a social jamboree; personally, I do not see anything wrong with
that. However, let us use the occasion to celebrate life and the successes that
we have achieved over the years as an organization and also use the time to
reflect on what is yet undone and harness the human and material resources
around us to accomplish our goals.
Edo State Indigenes in
Diaspora
To you my brothers and sisters in the
Diaspora “Have we done enough to help those back home, that we criticize the
leadership for, routinely? Have we done our due diligence to propagate our
culture like the Chinese, Indians and the Spanish? It is my summation and
appeal that we have an opportunity to do that, by making speaking our languages
that is at the verge of extinction to our children and practicing our cultural
values on a day-to-day basis. THIS IS
NOT ONLY A DIFFICULT TASK BUT ONEROUS. HISTORY WILL NOT ACCEPT DIFFICULTIES AS
AN EXCUSE FOR NOT ACHIEVING THIS FEAT.
We should make the necessary sacrifice in our role as patriotic
citizens. We
should all recognize that the development of the society is like life, which is
“an immense mural that requires each of us to pick up the brush and paint a
stroke”. “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for
your country” (JFK).
It is
our internal obligation towards our families and community not to let them suffer
from the lack of basic infrastructure and amenities when we have a chance
of rendering assistance. The real winners in life are the people who look at
every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it
better. It is better to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. It is time for us all to contribute our best, thereby leaving our
footprint of success in the sand of time.
EDO STATE GORVERMENT
Philanthropies are not a replacement for good governance.
Our state have not faired well among its equals in the Federation in terms of
infrastructures and security. This is very vital for any person, group of
persons or organisation to operate in.
It is a well-documented report that from the
inception of this administration till date, over N131 billion has been received
from the federation account, excess crude oil revenues; value added tax and
sundry dues. The amount, which covers the period between 1999 and 2005, is made
up of N52.94 billion and N78.59 billion allocations meant for the state and
local councils respectively. It is apparent that the state lacks the
infrastructure and other developmental signposts to justify the expenditure of
this huge revenue. Whatever
the present Edo State Government may have done has not transcribed into the
desired development that Edo State should have attained at this present
paradigm.
It has become evident that Edo State has not been
able to crawl out of the dungeon towards any of the acceptable standards as a
society with the resources available to the administration at all levels. It is
therefore a clarion call to all and sundry to demand better as stakeholders, in
the affairs of our state. If we Nigerians in the Diaspora can remit approximately $5 billion
dollars per year into the economy of Nigeria, Edo state, which has the highest
number of Western Union transaction account for about 30 % of the total
remittance into the Country. This is a
concern to all of us in the Diaspora and I hope the Governor will take the time to
answer some of the obvious questions that will be asked during this convention.
I
say to all who can listen that the Edo’s around the globe have a stake in our
State. I hereby use this opportunity to call on the Edo State governor to
provide the necessary infrastructure to encourage the Edo’s in Diaspora to
return home to help in the rebuilding process of the State. The enfranchisement
of Edo’s in the Diaspora is critical for establishing our place in the Nigeria
community. As in the field of dreams, “if you build it they would come”.
According
to the words of Margaret Mead "Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful committed citizens (like the ENA) can change the world. Indeed, it's
the only thing that ever has."
In closing, I pray like President Bill
Clinton to the Almighty Lord to “leave within us the youthful idealism and
moralism, which has made our people strong. Sicken us at the site of apathy,
maladministration, ignorance, and rejection, so that our generation will remove
complacency, poverty of ideas, and prejudice from the heart of free men….
My
sincere gratitude goes to the Executives, the entire family and members of the
UNIC Club of Canada and specifically the planning committee led by, Mr. Andrew
Okungbowa and Mr. Emma Aigbedion, the Chairman and Secretary respectively, for
their hard work and dedication towards organizing this convention successfully,
To my wife Mrs Florence Omoruna, I sincerely appreciate your understanding and
immerse support throughout this period. And to all our sponsors and many
members of the ENA that gave their support and advice, you have all done a
magnificent job of putting this masterpiece together.
May Almighty God grant us a successful
Convention.
Long Live the ENA,
LONG LIVE the UNIC Club of Canada,
Toronto
Long Live Edo State
LONG LIVE the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, USA and Canada
Thank You All and God Bless.
Franklin Erhumwunse Omoruna
President, UNIC Club of Canada
Chairman, ENA Council of Presidents
(2005/2006)