By Patrick Ochei
The amiable and result oriented Monarch of Issele-Uku Kingdom, HRM Agbogidi Obi Nduka JP (MNSE) has announced that he would be making the 2023 “Iwaji Umuaka” special by paying a royal visit to the Great Saints Orphanage and St. Theresa’s Maternity and Hospital Issele-Uku, to celebrate with the children in the Home and Hospital on August 22, 2023, which is a day set aside in the Ine Aho Festival calendar to mark this year’s “Iwaji Umuaka”.
In the 2023 Ine Aho Festival schedule, Obi Nduka has singled out the “Iwaji Umuaka” to make it special and unique going forward.
The Royal Father has taken this decision in the sense that over the years, that particular date had continued to appear in the Festival calendar but with no activity or rather no importance attached to it, because it’s a children’s affair.
For the year 2023, Agbogidi Nduka has decided to visit the Great Saints Orphanage Issele-Uku with foodstuffs and toiletries to celebrate with them. In the same vein, St. Theresa’s Maternity and Hospital Issele-Uku, the birth place of Agbogidi Obi Nduka would be visited with provisions and health recovery medical items to share with the children in the hospital as a way of showing them love and care.
According to Obi Nduka who briefed the Anioma media personality, Comrade Patrick Ochei on what he intends to achieve on that day going forward, said, “I want to give the children a sense of belonging and active participation in our Ine Aho Festival. They are equally very important segment of our native society; and there is no reason why a date should be alloted to them in our calendar and nothing happens on that day.
“Some of the things we want to be doing on the ‘Iwaji Umuaka’ day going forward, is to bring them to the Palace, teach them the values of our culture and traditions, sing and dance with them, entertain and give them gifts to go home with.
“But for this year on August 22, I will visit the Great Saints Orphanage here in Issele-Uku, as well as the St. Theresa’s Maternity and Hospital Issele-Uku, where I was born, to celebrate with the children and present them with gifts, foodstuffs, beverages and others.
“It is expected that in future too, some of the privileged children who will be involved in this arrangement, will have the opportunity of interacting with those that are less privileged by circumstances of life. By so doing, they will learn the act of love, kindness and giving; most importantly, learn the lesson of human relationship and humanitarian service.
“I will like to use this medium to encourage Issele-Uku sons and daughters both at home and in the Diaspora, to make that day special for children in their spheres of habitation. In whichever environment they are living, they should use that day to reach out to children, especially the less privileged ones and show them love and kindness. This was the intention of our forebears when they created that date in our Festival calendar to celebrate our children, who are our very essence for existence”, Obi Nduka explained.
Meanwhile, the Traditional Ruler has also called for partnership through support with foodstuffs and provisions by those who can afford it, to enable him have a great outing on the “Iwaji Umuaka” day.
For the donation of gifts going to the Orphanage and Hospital, Obi Nduka has constituted a 3-man committee, headed by Chief Victor Egbune (Inwengwe of Issele-Uku) as Chairman, with Chief Mrs. Josephine Ada Kachikwu (Ezinne of Issele-Uku) and Comrade Patrick Ochei as members, to handle all donations and plan the royal visit to the aforementioned places.
Part of the four critical pillars of the Child’s Rights Act of 2003, under the Convention on the Rights of the Child is Participation. It reads, “The Convention on the Rights of the Child comprises four main pillars – the right to survival, the right to protection, the right to development and the right to participation. These rights are based on the non-discrimination principle and all actions must be in line with the best interest of children”.
If they are not allowed to participate in development programmes that define their future, they may miss out in things of value that guarantee their proper existence.
These are the thoughts of the young, dynamic and resilient King Nduka in thinking the future and not just the present in the policy thrust of his monarchical reign.