West Ham donates £35,000 to ANSFA, Okongwu Memorial Grammar School Nnewi(OMGS),Kicks off football made in Anambra

Poised to further consolidate its partnership deal with top Nigerian Professional Football League, NPFL side, FC Ifeanyi Ubah as well as show its commitment to the partnership, English Premiership club, West Ham United donated the sum of £35,000 to the Anambra State Football Association and Okongwu Memorial Grammar School, Nnewi, the alma mater of President of FC Ifeanyi Ubah. Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah.

In line with its full support for the Football Made in Anambra '1 Family - 1 Footballer' project billed to kick-off in December 2016, West Ham United donated £30,000 to ANSFA, even as it feted Okongwu Memorial Grammar School with £5,000, all geared towards the development of youths and sports in Anambra State and Nigeria in general.

The Ifeanyi Ubah Foundation also threw the school children into a heightened frenzy, complementing the benevolent gesture of West Ham United, by making a donation of N1million to Okongwu Memorial Grammar School.

Recall that the Hammers' delegation led by Managing Director, Angus Kinnear had earlier been in Lagos, where an interactive session bordering on the essence of the partnership was held with journalists.

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Say No To Igbo Extinction

The rate at which some Igbos deny dump and denounce their ‘Igboship’ is seriously growing out of hand, and thus calling for action. Like nature made us to know, every tribe has its own culture, origin and tradition which fundamentally make up the ‘heritage’ of that tribe. Igbo as I believe is never an exception to that; fully we have our own heritages just like other tribes.
Each aspect of these heritages – tradition, culture and origin has its own components, which generally include food type, rites, dressing, house style, norms, values, antiquities, procedures, belief, language and history among others.
These are the things that differentiate one tribe from the other, with each tribe working harder to uphold, sustain and preserve her own by practicing, propagating and promoting it.
Among all these, LANGUAGE is the most important aspect of it – the key element. It is the way without which other ways cannot be followed and the phenomenon without which the mouths can never liaise. Language is a natural gift from God, and every tribe has its own, unless the tribe was not created by God.
In similar vein, every tribe loves her own language, speaks, promotes, propagates, values and cares for it. It is a thing of value, worthy of sustenance and preservation.
However, to us, my fellow Igbos, it's clear and obvious, that our own Language, IGBO which is our heritage is drastically dying off and diametrically sinking into abyss.
In the lost days of our fore fathers, they loved, valued, used, cherished and sustained the language. And they were so proud of it, fully understanding that it was theirs, only theirs and theirs alone. They never played with it nor dialogued without it.
But today my fellow Igbos, reverse is the case. We no longer value the language, let alone speaking nor sustaining it. The love is no more there and the passion is no more dear. Everybody now speaks English.
Now is the time when you will hardly see an Igbo 'man' who would ever accept to speak Igbo with you, to the extent that some even deny being Igbo nor being brought up in Igbo land.
What a piffle!
I write this out of my experiences and encounter so far with my fellow Igbos
I approached a youth who I am sure is a pure Igbo guy, spoke Igbo to him, and he started replying in English.
I went to a shop to buy something, spoke Igbo to the seller who I know is an Igbo woman, and she started speaking English.
I entered an office of an Igbo 'man', a lecturer to be precise, spoke Igbo to him; he warned me that I should not try that nonsense again or else I should get out of his office. I tried it next time; he disgraced me and walked me out of his office (in front of my fellow students).
I spoke Igbo language to fellow Igbo student; she told me and I quote
'My friend I can't hear Igbo, if you can't speak English you left me alone'
claiming she’s big girl (with erroneous English).
I asked her why, she says and I quote
'I'm not brought up in Igbo land; I was a Lagos brought up’
(Dropping another dangerous grammar)
I spoke Igbo to her again; she insulted you, hissed and walked out of me.
I our Igbo GS class then, I asked my Igbo teacher question in Igbo; she started speaking English. I mean an Igbo Teacher.
I spoke Igbo to an Igbo child, her mother told me
'No no no, never you try that nonsense next time; Don’t you know that I doesn’t speak Igbo to her? ‘Am training her in English. ‘So don’t you ever try that again’
I asked her why; she carried her baby and walked away.
I freely gave one of my Igbo books to an ‘Igbo’ student to read; he proudly told me 'I can't read Igbo'.
I brought an English and he fluently read it to the end.
I spoke my language (Igbo) in the public and the people there (including my fellow Igbos) started seeing you as Illiterate.
Igbos why?
Who bewitched us like this?
And where are we heading to?
Why do we hate our own and cherish that of others?
Where is that love that our fore fathers had for our dear language?
It’s a thing of pity!
Today, you hardly see an Igbo who can speak Igbo Language for up to five minutes without any addition English.
But that same can fluently speak other languages from day to day without a single mix up.
Why?
Where are we heading to?
Is that your father’s language?
Is it high time we understood that our own is our own, developed love for our own, valued our own and upheld our own?
It has been confirmed that Igbo is the sweetest language in the world, good to speak and perfect in all. So why do we abhor it, abandon it and embrace that of others, thereby suppressing our own, crucifying it and sending it to its earliest grave?
Our fore fathers gave us this language; they did not kill it. But we, in our own time now, how are we trying harder to sustain it and pass it over to our next generation?
What do you think will be the state of Igbo language in next few years to come?
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had in 2012 predicted that Igbo language will die – go extinct in less than four decades to come.
How hard are you trying to say ‘NO’ to that, as Igbo patriotic that we are?
Parents why don't you give your children Igbo names anymore but English and sometimes meaningless names?
Why are you not speaking Igbo to them anymore but English? Or do you think he cannot learn English when he grows up? Why are we all ashamed of our dear language our heritage while others are seriously speaking and upholding their own, even the highly educated people among them? Does speaking Igbo make one illiterate at all?
Why do you want the fire that our fore fathers gave to us fade in our own time and die in our own hand? Would that not be a shameful thing to our tribe?
How often do you speak Igbo in a day? Why don't you preserve and value your own, constantly make it a daily practice and become an Igbo ambassador wherever you find yourself?
How would you feel when you wake up one day and hear that Igbo language is no more there (as predicted)? How do you think that would affect you; detrimentally or beneficially?
My dear people, I wish we would all consider and understand this the way I do. I wish we could all foresee the impending dooms it may cause us if we still continue neglect it.
Dear Igbo parents, I plead you should start speaking Igbo to your children, give them Igbo names, teach them Igbo Language and always make them appreciate the values of our Igbo culture. Language is part of our culture.
Governments (at all level), help to save our Igbo language, invest much in sustaining our heritage; instigate or financially help to sponsor significantIgbo programmes and project which will go a long way in promoting our indigenous Language; and also Initiate essential policies that will help buttress this.
It should be made ‘a must’ that every Igbo child, youth or adult who wishes to be registered or accepted in any school in Igbo land must have an Igbo name, be a fluent Igbo speaker and can write in Igbo (if grown up), with strict consideration.
The same condition and criterion should apply to all Igbo persons who wish to be given a job, appointment or receive any other significant benefits from any government of Igbo land.
Furthermore, there should be an Igbo speaking day in all the offices and institutions within the Igbo land. The language should be made compulsory in all the schools across the Igbo land, both public and private.
Our Indigenousteachers should always teach with Igbo language and ensure that anybody freedom to speak Igbo in the class and in the school any time. This one should be taken more serious because in virtually all the primary and secondary schools in Igbo land today, they do not speak Igbo language anymore, except during the Igbo class. And if a student dares speak it (mistakenly or intentionally), he would get a real flog of his life. Our teachers are making things worse.
Also, we should cultivate the habit of reading Igbo books and listening to Igbo programmes on radios and televisions.
Igbo language should be the principal language in our church services.
My dear people, these the various possible solutions for reviving our ailing language. There are some other possible efficacious panaceas and way-outs, which you as an individual can initiate, agglutinate and put into practices to save our dear language.
Play your own part in saving our dear language from shame. The future and the survival of it lie in our hand.
Be an IGBO AMBASSADOR wherever you are and develop a strong love for it. Be an IGBO PATRIOTIC and let others know the importance of what we have. Speak it, defend it, uphold it, sustain it, and always be proud of it.
IGBO BỤNKE ANYị
IGBO DịANYịMMA
IGBO ỌGA-ADịRịANYị MMARUO MGBE EBIGHI EBI... Iseeee.
SUBAKWA IGBO.

Izunna I. Okafor is Award-Wining Young Nigerian Writer who hails from Anmbra state. He has authored and published so many books and articles.
He is a student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
He is the winner SYNW/Pita Nwana Prize for Igbo Literature 2015, NWA/ Indigenous Writer of The Year 2015/2016 among other awards.
07062208603.

Our Governments Have Failed Us

It is high time we faced the reality and do away with theoretical serendipities.
Where do we start from?
Where do we go? And to whom do we count on?
Right from my childhood age, I have always here this word - 'GOVERNMENT' which at a point i curiously began to imagine and wonder if that was actually a name of a person, a particular group of people, the public, an institution or a place of its own.
This was because its non-exaggerative commonness and usage by the people in their daily dictums and parlances. I would always hear people say things like: 'this government is clueless'(as a person); 'they (the government) have forgotten us' (as a particular group of people); 'the system is corrupt' or 'he is working in government' (as an institution); 'if I go there, I will give free education' (as a place), and other expressions alike.
These varied usage of the word 'government' perplexed my clear and vivid understanding of what it actually means.
‘Who knows? It might be a name of a god', I sometimes wondered aloud as I also heard people say things like: 'we are waiting for our government to rescue us', 'our government has failed to provide for us' 'we are dead in the hand of this wicked government' and 'only government has the power to do that'
All these things diametrically bewilder me and no one ever volunteered to clarify; despite my eager inquisitiveness and curiosity. Even my then teacher could not elucidate.
But, be it as it may, at a particular point, I intellectually began to understand that government is actually all those things – a person, a particular group of people, the public, an institution, a place, and of course a god. Yes; government is all those things to and for people. I conceived it.
Another thing that now began to puzzle me became 'How does this government play her roles in each of these capacities in rendering her services to humanity?'
'This is a very critical question; you are thinking above your age' my teacher responded when I tabled that before her, (without giving any direct answer).
'Anyway, it can never be exhausted' she finally broke the silence, dropping in my mind another curious quest for the search and understanding of the literary meaning of the word 'exhausted'.
'May be this woman is part of the government' i silently wondered as i made away, still bearing the already-internalize word - 'exhausted' in mind, so as to rummage for the meaning.
Finally, I got to understand that governments’ practical performance in some key areas of their primary onus is tantamount to a non-theoretical zero.
What do i mean by that? All those rueful thoughts and dictums that I have always heard people daily expressed about government in various ways are nothing far from the truth; they are all not non truth. Our governments have always failed us.
The commonest to start with is the issue of provision of social amenities.
Personally rating, our governments are still below the minimum benchmark on this side of the leaf as in others; they have failed us. Many major roads in our various rural and urban areas, are still wearing their ugliest outfit even at this period of highly acclaimed development. It is true that a government must not tar all the roads in its areas of jurisdiction, but it is also obvious that there are some roads that when one sees, he would mercifully begin to imagine if that area is actually part of a government jurisdiction or a spelled hinterland. Why would it be so while we have people in government? They have failed us.
During campaign period, they will always come and entertain us with their bogus mendacious campaign promises; each one romancing his sweet tongue and pledging what he cannot fulfill, just to win the support of the masses. And once they get into the office, they immediately forget all those empty promises they made and would never breathe of them again until another election draws near.
You can't even have access to them any more once they get into the office let alone tabling your problems before them. They would be always busy and would never have your time again until another election draws near, then they would now start perambulating again with another brand of spurious manifestoes.
Funny enough, during this period, they would try to come with some cheap cheap gift items or materials to share or automatically embark upon some cheap cheap projects and programmes just to silence and bribe you and secure your mandate for the second time.
Who are they fooling??
Even when any of the projects or programmes is finally commenced, it would hardly see a completion time, and even if it miraculously sees a completion, it would hardly be of quality standard; the people in charge will always try to elicit some selfish gain from the resources mapped for that it. They would always want to practice what they are known for - corruption. That is why there are so many overlooked, abandoned and sub-standard projects littering everywhere.
Our governments have failed us. No social amenities; no good road network and yet we pay exorbitant taxes; no good water; no job for our youths and graduates; we pay electricity bill without seeing or using any light and yet additional tariff is being augmented; fuel pump price is being hiked to the iroko tree, causing incessant increase in the price of things, and thereby aggravating the suffering of the masses; no security and yet one government official is moving with seven policemen, three soldiers and two civil defense (fully armed); no food and no money for the poor and yet the people who are ruling and representing them in the government are going home with millions and billions of naira on periodic/timely basis with over fifteen allowances being paid to them, including the ones they nominally receive on their behalf; no house for the poor; people want to go to school no money; youths have innovative ideas to develop but no money and no sponsor; youths finish vocational training and want to start up their own, no money and no one to help out; the poor are oppressed and there is no one to speak for them or defend them in the court; the disabled are discriminated and excluded from the governance and yet no one would defend or provide for them; sick people and pregnant women are dying in the rural areas due to absence of standard hospital and yet we keep announcing and advertising the arrival of a new diseases; they claim we have good hospitals and yet they always fly abroad to take treatment, even when they have headache; they claim we have good and equipped schools and yet their own children are all studying abroad; Students are taking lectures under an open roof and on a bare floor; civil servants are not paid their salaries and yet their children are denied exams in the school because of school fees; they claim they fight corruption, yet they are the main source of corruption; corruption starts from them but the fight starts from the masses; even the newest and the lowest person in the office is corrupt; looting, embezzlement, misappropriation, money laundering and bribery are the order of the day, just as the entire system is totally corrupt; there is a very bad economic situation and yet their salaries are not affected; the value of naira is currently dwindling and unstable, even than before; they siphon our fund and suck-dry our purse; they use our common wealth to enrich themselves; those who are rich are getting richer day by day while those who are poor are getting poorer day by day-
SHEY !
WHAT A BAD GOVERNMENT!
WHO CAN DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL HAND OF THESE MEN???
WHO WILL SAVE US?? AND WHAT DO WE DO?
'The best time to rate a politician's performance in office is not when election draws near but when even selection is not near'.
We are the cause of our problem to start with; we are the people who put them there with our vote and mandate.
Let's be practically frank about this; what makes you vote for a particular candidate out of many other ones seeking your vote and mandate? Is it because of the small small money (bribe) that you receive that makes you sell your vote? Is it because of cheap cheap materials that they do dash out whenever election is around the corner, in the name of empowerment? Or is it because of the cheap cheap sub-standard projects they usually embark upon whenever election draws near, in the name of constituency project ? Is it because of affiliation, influence or sentiment? Do for vote for a particular person because he is contesting under one political party that you like? Or do you vote for a person because you perceive he can do the job?
NIGERIANS WAKE UP AND LET'S BE WISE !
Why would you sell your vote, your right and your voice because of these cheap cheap things that do not even cover a reasonable percentage of the billions they make there when they enter? Fellow Nigerians, why do they use these things to silence you and bribe away your right? Have you ever asked yourself why these things are always coming at the crucial time of another election? Why is it always at the time of campaign and tenure expiration? Why not bring them in their first, second or third year in office? Why do they always share that bag of rice on their fourth year in office? Is that the only year that hunger wires people? The simple answer to these is that they use those things to deceive you, bribe you, silence you, incarcerate your consent, secure your vote and buy your mandate for the second time, just to show you the level of your political blindness.
What a wickedness ! This evil must stop!
Our people say that he who does not know where rain starts beating him will not know where it will stop beating him. These are the root causes of our problem and the bad government.
You collect rice and eat or collect the money or other gift items and you vote the person in for the second time; and before nine months, your pregnancy (problems) will mature again or resuscitate and you start complaining in vain. Enough is enough! We can say NO to this and the time is NOW. Start to access their performances now that they are in offices. What development have they brought to your area; what is the economic situation like and what programmes and projects have they embarked upon? Now is the right time to rate your leaders and their performances and not when another election draws near. Access them, appraise them and rate them now and write out the names of people you are going to vote out in the next election in order to make the right selection and entrench the desired erection (growth). A clear and complete attention must be give to this latent issue of choosing a leader, if our problems must stop, because we are the people who have the right to choose, reject or decide on anybody. So, Let's ratiocinate and choose wisely.
Secondly, let's always present, press and pressure our leaders with our societal and developmental needs and problems. It has been ratified that most of our leaders are ignorant and unaware of our problems, needs and complaints, especially that of those in the rural areas and hinterlands. Very few of the leaders are willing, eager and ready to help or deliver; but because we do not make our problems and needs known to them, they claim never to know that they exist; after all there is no way they can perambulate round all the hinterlands within their areas of jurisdiction to know what the people are facing or the problems they are encountering. So, we should always make our problems known to them through the appropriate channels and mediums. And not only that, we should consistently and persistently confront them, disturb them, remind them and pressurize them on and with those problems until they are given full and complete attention because the leader might forget or abandon them as time goes on.
Thirdly, we should try as much as possible to monitor, keep surveillance and constant watch over
any on-going or completed project in our areas. We should do away with any act vandalism, treason, stealing,
carelessness, laissez-faire attitude and other acts that hamper and jeopardize development, contravene the law or demoralize the leader. These are the things that impinge on our societal development.
Fourthly on the side of our leaders, you people change your bad attitudes and remember the people you are leading or representing. Always give ears to their cries and always give attentions to their problems, alleviate their sufferings, forget not them once you get into the office, source their challenges, aggregate their needs and articulate their interests to formulate them into a meaningful policy that would better their lives and in turn help to bring about developments. Always remember to fulfill your campaign promises for the Bible says that it is better for you never to make promise than to make one and fail to fulfill it.
Always try to be truthful for once. And most importantly, do away with all forms of corruption for it kills the nation; it is the most poisonous anti-development. Always remember that there is a God who is seeing you and all your deeds.
�� Finally, we should all go on our knees and pray to God upon our leaders and our country.
Let's not always complain too much but table it before God. Always pray for them because it is not always easy to lead; and it takes grace to lead well. Let's always commit the leaders into the able hand of God so that he would touch their mind, direct their ways and pilots their affairs.
Any country that doesn't pray for her leaders or any leader that doesn't pray for his country is likely to achieve nothing but a failure. And we are surely meant to understand that we all are leaders; just the that the scope differs.
So my fellow Nigerians, let's always present our country and our leaders before the Lord as we hope for a real change we expect.
Let us start with these few panaceas and solutions to our problems afore mentioned above; we shall surely achieve the desired condition we always dream about. It starts with you and me. Let's put these into practice and see what the future holds for our dear nation.
My Prayer is that Nigeria, some day some time, will surely experience the emancipation we long for, the positive change we deserve and the outright growth we dream about.
Be a good and patriotic citizen and say ‘NO’ to any form of corruption.
Always do the best you can and leave the rest for God, he can; we shall get there one day.
PROUDLY NIGERIAN.
About The Author:
Izunna I. Okafor is a Young Nigerian award winning Writer who hails from Anambra. He has written and published so many books he is a Public Administration student of Unizik, the co-ordinator Society of Young Nigerian Writer and Ambassador of READ ACROSS NIGERIA, Anambra State Chapter.

Society of Young Nigerian Writers, Anambra State Chapter sets to celebrate Achebe By Izunna I. Okafor

The Society of Young Nigerian Writers,Anambra State Chapter in collaboration with

 Prof.Kenneth Dike Library-Awka, Anambra State is set to honour and celebrate a Literary Legend and an ebullient indigene of the state,Late Prof. Chinua Achebe.
This programme tagged:”CHINUA ACHEBE: A LITERARYICON” is aimed at celebrating
the works and the legacies of the late literary pioneer ‘CHINUA ACHEBE’ in whose memory it isbeing held. Achebe was born on the 16th day of November 1930 in his home town Ogidi,Anambra State and played a great role worthy of recognition and celebration in the literary field of life. And this is the aim of this great event which is slated to take place on 16th of November 2016 at the auditorium hall of Prof. Kenneth Dike E-Library, Awka, starting at 10.am. All the members of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers Anambra State Chapter,both old and new, members of the public, teachers, lecturers,students,traders,members of various writers’ associations,fellow writers both burgeoning and established,artists, readers, civil servants,government officials, school heads, creative minds, lovers of literary works as well as all the lovers of Achebe and Achebe’sare all invited to this great occasion. Achebe was a Man of the People. Come let’s give the honour to whom the honour is dued. The event will feature reading and fracturing of Achebe’s works, writing,recitation of poetries,presentation of literary works in the memory of the legend,exhibition, lectures by notable authors in the memory, life and works of Achebe,quiz competitions in the works and life of Achebe,entertainment plus other enticing literary activities and packages slated for it. Some of the notable guests to the event include: the Hon. commissioner for Education, the Hon.Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs, culture and tourism, the Hon. Commissioner for Youths,Sports and Entrepreneurship Development, all the notable writers across the state, heads
of Departments of English Language and Literature in various higher institutions
across the state, among other guests. 

You are all invited; come all,come one….
 

 

For enquiries or support;

e-mail:synwanambrachapter@gmail.com Or call:
07062208603 Izunna I. Okafor,
the co-ordinator Society of Young Nigerian Writers(Anambra Chapter)

07062696058 Ojiego Chidiebere

 The Media Director SYNW (Anambra Chapter)
Date: 16th Nov. 2016.
Venue: Prof. Kenneth DikeLibrary.
Time:10.am
Signed:
Izunna I. Okafor,theCoordinator.
Ojiego Chidi, the Media Director.
Mr. Ezeonwuji (MUSIC MAN A.B.S),
the Chairman.
Mrs. Nkechi Udenze, the Director
Prof. Kenneth Dike Library,
Awka. Anambra