Chief Ehirim opens up on NUPI crisis.
4 min read
Chief Bede Igwbuike Ehirim, the Ugoebenaja 1 and the sectary general of Akah Urban City Union, South Africa has opened up on the NUPI crisis. Chief Ehirim who told Umuaka Times that he was one of the founding members of NUPI seriously expressed his displeasure and disappointment over the lingering crisis that has engulfed the group. In his views, he strongly holds Dr Austin Agbahiwe, Engineer Vice Onyemepu and the entire executives of NUPI responsible for the crisis.
Below is the edited translation of the recorded message to Umuaka Times last week.
“We are the founders of NUPI which we started after the death of Cikos. After the burial of Cikos, we saw the need to make the committee of friends for Cikos a platform to unite all sons and daughters of Umuaka as one. We called all royal fathers and informed them and they all agreed. I think was Dr Agbahiwe that suggested the name New Umuaka Project. At that time, if you offend anyone or write something bad about another, you will be requested to apologize and it went that way and we had happiness, peace and unity. The organization was very democratic and we were putting things in debate and voting in order to achieve consensus.
When we wanted to embark on electricity project, people were contributing money for the project and at the heart of this contributions, Chief Ezemmuo came into focus and volunteered to buy the transformers. A committee was set up to oversee the activities of the electricity project. People like Dr Uche Oguike, Chief TJ Ehirim who was the chairman, Engineer Solo Obioha from Uba, Engr Nwoke and many more were all there. At last they bought the transformers from the government.
Now people were asking of what happened to the Ezemmuo money hence we got the transformers from the government. So there was a need to channel the money contributed by others and the Ezemmuo money to other projects. There was a need to build a secondary school but they never did it. Instead they banked the money. Even the financial director NUPI does nothing. Only Dr Austin Agbahiwe does everything.
I saw this coming and I warned Barrister Leo and Chief TJ. Ehirim. I remember when Dr Uche Oguike came to South Africa we met and I drew his attention to the problem of NUPI. He gave me a wrong answer because I suspected he had an interest. They organized a sham election and Agbahiwe took his friends and in-laws and gave them posts.
Today Vice is insulting the Eze Amiyi. Now I ask, where is the rule guiding the forum which stipulates tolerance and forgiveness? This bad development made people like Dr Obinna Duriju, Dr Eddy Ikwubuo, Dr Charles Igwebuike etc to stop writing in the forum. Then the forum collapsed.
Then entered Covid19 crisis where they did the worst. People contributed money to buy food for the poor but the mentality of work and chop brought the executives out. Those who were members of the Covid19 team were sent out by the executives. This happened to the extent that Austin and Vice were only the leaders and spokesmen. In fact the covid129 palliative measures were never discussed by the general body. Austin decided the venue which was his house. Someone asked why i
The venue should be in his house; Austin removed him from the group. The worst part of it was that the executives gave themselves 20 bags of rice each as allocation. Can you imagine, rice for the poor.
We need the printed account statements of NUPI. The whole money contributed can be spent to renovate the UCH, many will contribute. Even the money from Ezemmuo can build one storey building and others will come to contribute as well.
I remember when Udenwa was the governor, Hon Chuma Nnaji was the chairman committee of finance and Dr Duruji was the commissioner of education. They all worked together and Hon Tony Duru was the vice chairman of Njaba LGA. Chief Ikwubuo was always coming home from the States. Dona Nwokedi, Nnamdi and Stanley Odueze were all there and there was harmony. They later took the meeting to Agbahiwe’s house and it was there that the whole process failed. Today Ndi Eze have been sidelined especially during the palliatives.
Anybody who is at the leadership of any organization in Umuaka should be responsible. NUPI, as led by Dr Austin Agbahiwe failed by sidelining our royal fathers, it failed it by removing elected executives. It also failed by putting his picture and that of Dr Gertie Anyanwoke on the bags of NUPI rice and by fixing the venue of the palliatives in the house of Dr Agbahiwe. The executives failed woefully by giving some members of NUPI 20 bags of rice each, they failed it. I call that stealing. We need leaders who are ready to serve the public.
