Enugu state Governor, Dr Peter Mbah has called for establishment of Igbo Hall of Fame in Enugu saying that establishing the iconic centre will help to capture the stories and images of our past heroes .
He made the call while speaking at the World Igbo Day celebration, held on Friday at Okpara Square, Enugu, Nigeria.
Governor Mbah said that ,”establishing the iconic centre will help to capture the stories and images of past heroes so that our coming generations can remember their heritage and values
He commended the organisers for choosing Enugu as the venue, saying, “I must quickly commend the choice of Enugu for this event. As we all know … has played a central and consequential role in the history of not only the lgbo, but indeed the history of Nigeria. Firstly, Enugu essentially came into being in the early 1900s when coal was discovered around it.
“The City quickly evolved into an important administrative centre when it became the administrative headquarters of Nigeria’s Southern Provinces in 1929. Subsequently, it became the capital of the Eastern region, which encompassed today’s Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. After the civil war, it remained the capital of the current Southeast then called East Central States., This essentially reconfirmed its positioning as the Political homeland of Ndigbo.’, Mbah said .
The G,overnor went further to say:
“In this light, it is my view that there is a need to establish iconic objects to commemorate the position of Enugu as our historical political center. A good first option for this would be to establish here in Enugu an Igbo hall of fame to capture the stories and images of our past heros so that out go coming generations can remember their heritage and value it.
Speaking on the theme, “Igbo Kunie”, Governor Mbah said the theme was a clarion call for Ndigbo to stand up as one. ‘Yhhis call is apt and is coming at about the right time”.
“At this time when Ndigbo are continuing to excel in virtually every work of life and in virtually every country of the World, this is the right time for Ndigbo to pull together in one direction once again and realize the huge potential that we have always had as a people.
“This would provide a launchpad towards welding ourselves into a compact unit that would act for our benefit in areas of economic development, security operations and strategy as well as in sustaining our culture: The Igbo Day conceot aligns with the resurgence in moves for improved unity and collaboration among Ndigbo”, he saiy
He recalled the maiden meeting of south east governors where some declarations were all made.
” Some months ago, the Southeast Governors’ forum held its maiden meeting in Enugu where a number of landmark declarations were made. In addition, just today the lgbo Security and Economic Summit was concluded in Owerri, Imo State.
“These developments continue to strengthen our position as a people, hopefully this strengthening and consolidation will find expression in the area of our politics and encourage us to emulate our great forebears by building strong bridges with other ethnic blocs across the country when ever our best interests require it. In my view, such handshakes across the Niger (or Benue as the case may be would be a sign of strength and not weakness.
“This welcome trend and this event as well as others like it, will ultimately help us build capacity, which we can channel back to our homeland in the Southeast in many areas where there is room for improvement.
“For me this event is also unique in that it reminds us why we are Igbo by focusing on the things that unite us, our colourful culture and traditions. While there are many reasons for sober discourse in Igbo land at the moment, it is also important to remember that it is not all doom and gloom. That while we still have so much to work on and repair, there is still plenty to be proud about in being Igbo.
“These are things that will continue to boost our self-belief ie. belief in Igbos and Igboland and will ultimately find expression in more tangible areas like our economy through economic growth and ultimately in increased appreciation of the need for peace and tranquility in Ana-igbo” ,he said.
Governor Mbah also spoke on Culture, saying that ,, Culture is also inextricably linked with societal values. Thus, as we put our culture in focus with events such as we are concluding today, we are sure to experience salutary impact on the strength and relevance of our value systems, which recently appear more and more to be in need of a boost.
“Finally, culture as we have seen in many other parts of the World can constitute an economic asset, even to the point of becoming a foreign exchange earner for the owners of the culture in question. Countries like India, Egypt etc. entertain millions of visitors annually to cultural sites like the Taj Mahal and the oyramids respectively. Who says our culture cannot be elevated to such heights.
“With increasing development in the concept, even the World Igbo Day can become a3ourist attraction to Ndigbo at home and abroad as well as their friends and well wishers from across the World.
Governor Mbah , who was the host, said that the event was successful. He expressed the hope that the next episode will reach new heights in attendance and splendor .