Ogene Igbo Speaks On Essence Of Cultural Revival At ‘Ebube Ogbunike’ Conference

BEING TEXT OF WELCOME ADDRESS DELIVERED BY DR HARRIS CHUMA (OGENE OGBUNIKE), THE COORDINATOR, TEAM MAKE OGBUNIKE GREAT, TMOG, AT A CULTURAL CONFERENCE WITH THE THEME: ‘EBUBE OGBUNIKE: CULTURAL REVIVAL, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN A DIGITAL ERA”. WHICH HELD ON JUNE 17, 2023 IN COOPERATION WITH OGBUNIKE PROGRESS UNION AT OGBUNIKE TOWN HALL, OGBUNIKE, ANAMBRA STATE.

 

Ogbunike Ekenem unu!!
All Protocols Observed!!

Do you know why I had to borrow that cliché, ‘All Protocols Observed’? Simple: It is difficult to recognise all the important dignitaries here present, without breaching protocol.
So once again…All Protocols Observed!!!

It is with great joy and optimism that I welcome all of you to this epochal event. May I stress the fact that we, members of Team Make Ogbunike Great, TMOG, appreciate your efforts and time. Several things which require your attention could have prevented you from participating in this conference, but you have, against all odds, shelved those to be here with us. We thank you immensely and recognize the fact that you have by this act, demonstrated your love for our Dear Ogbunike town, whose progress, we have all gathered here today for.
Some of you would have observed that Team Make Ogbunike Great is consistently hosting summits and conferences.

You are right. That is because we believe in the supremacy of knowledge and wisdom and these two can only come from sharing experiences and enlightening one another; because no man is an island unto himself. That is why Koffi Annan, the great Ghanaian diplomat and former Secretary General of the United Nations, once said: “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”

We at TMOG therefore recognize the power of knowledge and will deploy it in making our town, a better place. So we have called you today. We will call you tomorrow, and the day after; we will keep calling you so long as we are gathering to share knowledge and learn how to make Ogbunike a better place, because as the able-bodied men of today, our duty is to leave a better Ogbunike for the people coming behind us.
Today we have gathered to make a meaning of the theme: ‘EBUBE OGBUNIKE: CULTURAL REVIVAL, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS IN A DIGITAL ERA”

To put this together, a think-tank at TMOG has carefully assessed our town and recognized that the cultural tourism potential has been there, lying dormant and could be re-launched in an era where people are being encouraged to ‘act local but think global’.

Local in this context refers to our culture, our heritage, but with digital tools, which are available at our finger tips today, we can take these aspects of us to the global audience to attract tourism to our town. The reward for attracting tourism to our town is income, jobs, respect and recognition. Respect for our town will always come when our town is reckoned with for something and you never can tell what doors this might open for you, your business or your interest.

Money in this instance could be dollars, pounds and Euros, apart from our Naira.
Researchers and scholars in the tourism business say that out of every 100 direct jobs created in tourism, 45 more jobs are added indirectly. This will give you an idea of how this could engage our teeming youths in Ogbunike, who graduate from various institutions on yearly basis. We all recognize the fact that creating jobs for these young ones is a veritable way of reducing the security challenges we have been facing and now that tourism is a way out, we should embrace it and run with it.

Our town Ogbunike is known for the Ogbunike Cave which was gratuitously recognized by UNICEF as one of the heritage sites in the world, but is that all we can be known for? I will say NO! Our life as a people is unique that there are so many endearing things about us that can attract visitors into our town.
From our market to our food (eg my mother’s ofe onugbu), our music, our festivals and our dance, we can all join hands to do so much more in our town.

Actualizing this, however, requires everyone’s contribution. To be able to sell Ogbunike to a visitor, you must love the town enough to promote her. You will not attract visitors when all you do online, be it Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp is to run down the town. Let us make conscious efforts to post positive things about the Ogbunike in a way our sons and daughters with the wherewithal can come home and invest. If your post is one that demonises Ogbunike, be sure that you have just de-marketed her before thousands of people all over the world. Indirectly, you have also told those thousands, not to trust you or do business with you. In fact, let us all inculcate the habit of referencing the town whenever the opportunity comes.
Always tell the world what your town means to you and how the town bring perfection to almost everything they do. Be the number one ambassador of the town!

This is what the members of TMOG had in mind by putting this event together. TMOG has arranged an array of distinguished personalities to help us solve the puzzle and I am optimistic that at the end, we all would have learnt how Ogbunike can become the tourist haven we dream of.
Like everything good, putting this together has not been easy. It is an initiative driven by passion and love for community and at this juncture, I wish to thank members of the TMOG for their sacrifices and dedication. I also wish to thank the Ogbunike Progress Union, OPU for their collaboration and belief in making our town better.
With the support of all of us here, we will get there!

Ogbunike Ekenem unu!!!

Thank you for your attention!!!