Things Fall Apart in Umuada Igbo Sisterhood

Nigerian First lady's Camp Denies "50@50" Purported Visit and Sale of Cloth.

Anthony Obi Ogbo | Guardian News Network | Hou., TX

The fierce battle for association names, identity, and countless indifferences has thrown a newly incorporated association Umuada Igbo in Houston, Inc. into a war zone of acrimony and damaged scores, intensifying traffic at the 165th Judicial District Court where members and their legal representatives burn away unpaid hours.

The only major event held before the group went into an unbearable coma was the induction ceremony of a Houston branch, presided over by one Ada Ozo Grace Nonye Agude who heads the overseas operations. Bridget (BB) Akazie was appointed as the patron of her executives and over 240 members.The group was christened by a parent body in Nigeria, Umuada Igbo Nigeria, who supposedly oversees all branches world-wide, International Guardian has gathered.

Umuada Igbo Nigeria, according to information gathered from its website, is a socio-cultural organization with a corporate identity - a non-political, and non-governmental organization whose membership is exclusively derived from Igbo daughters living in Nigeria and overseas. To further expand its branches to other major cities, the Houston branch was created in collaboration with the Nigerian-based body, and Mrs. Agude presided at the induction which was coordinated Mrs Akazie.

However, since its induction on October 2010, the entire organization has been marred by uncertainties, resulting in damaging altercations, physical abuse, and all time high cyber character assassinations in sheer contradiction to the organization's motto - "Love, Peace, Unity and Progress."

As of press time, the global group now exists under a pair of names with two leaderships: Dr. Lolo Kate Ezeofor is the founder of the an acclaimed parent body Umuadaigbo, Nigeria in Nigeria, West Africa, while Mrs. Agude is the erstwhile overseas coordinator who now leads the other faction called Umuada Ndi Igbo in Diaspora, headquartered in the United States of America. Whereas two local branches of Umuada Igbo in the Diaspora Inc. are headed by Mrs Akazie, one Ada Igbo Nile in Diaspora is headed by Chief Chinyere Adiku. Furthermore, Umuada Igbo in the Diaspora, Inc. remains an affiliate of Umuadaigbo, Nigeria, whereas Ada Igbo Nile now affiliates with Umuada Ndi Igbo in Diaspora.

Since December 2010, operations of both groups had been pegged down by court orders and an anticipated mediation process, crippling media interviews - Thus, most executive members of both groups were skeptical about commenting for fear of contradictions. Copies of motions for temporary restrictions and extensions have been filed and signed by a presiding Judge under multiple names: Umuada Igbo Nigeria in the Diaspora, Inc., Umuada Igbo Nigeria USA Houston Branch Inc., Umuada Igbo Nigeria in Diaspora, Texas Branch, USA, Inc., Umuada Igbo Nigeria in the Diaspora & USA Inc., revealing the complexity of any possible resolution.

To avoid further distractions, it was gathered, the group led by Mrs Agude adopted their current national and local names: "We are now called Ada Igbo Nile and happily affiliated with Umuada Ndi Igbo in Diaspora led by our honorable leader Ada Ozo Grace Nonye Agude. We are more interested to move our great women and Igbo culture forward, and a fight for name should not be a distraction," said executive member Rebecca Oji who spoke to our reporters.

News of the current commotion besieging Umuada Igbo came as a surprise when International Guardian revealed it in a story promo for its January edition. While tongues were still wagging over pugnacious differences, it was gathered that poor organizational formation, lack of transparency and communication between members and leaders may have triggered the disorder that disintegrated the group. For instance, "Inefficient management of organization's money by the executive body" was vividly stated in a resignation memo dated November 3 and jointly signed by a faction of the group under the name Umuada Igbo Nigeria in Diaspora, Houston Chapter.

According to the memo, the group which had reconstituted as Ada Igbo claimed that some of the issues necessitating them to part ways included "Members are disrespected, insulted, intimidated, and negatively labeled when they are outspoken or ask questions." Such misconduct, it claimed, is not acceptable: "We all have the right to be treated with respect and dignity." (See complete memo in the inbox).

To make matters worse, International Guardian gathered that financial information regarding the October induction ceremony and other expenses did not go well with most members. The same memo cited "inefficient management of organization's money by the executive body," as a major issue, claiming that "Deceptive practice and wastage of people's money by the Executives is not acceptable. The executives used $36,000.00 plus to organize an inaugural party that was worth less than $15,000.00. This is despite the fact that a lot of the women donated large sums of money and items, some which are not accounted for to this day. The Executives failed to give a well detailed expenditure with substantiated receipts regarding the use of the organization's money."

Mrs. Akazie, who headed the group at the time and now leads a faction as a patron, shot back describing the break-away group as "disgruntled few" who are just out to make trouble. "Look and listen. We have about 240 members, and these are less than ten members who have been disrupting our meetings," she told International Guardian. Mrs Oji, however, objected and said membership has totally fizzled since concerns were raised on financial mismanagement and micromanaging of the initial membership.

Issues regarding finances really became complicated, International Guardian learned. More than $1000,000 was at stake, and none of the executives were bonded to protect the organization's treasury. For instance, 240 members paid a total of $100 for inauguration, $100 for membership, and another $61 for the membership blouse. The inauguration fees go to the national body headed by Mrs. Agude, while the rest remains under local control. To inflate the local purse, members were made to pay up to $100 for ads in the souvenir book, whereas unspecified donations had also been made by the public.Today, parties are pointing accusing fingers at each other, whereas the general membership is being kept in the dark.

Mrs. Akazie told International Guardian that the national body had not rendered an account of the $100 inauguration fees by 240 inductees, but Mrs. Oji shot back with a published analysis: "The process is that out of the $100, $20 goes to the Nigerian Secretariat headed by Mrs. Ezeofor, and $30 goes to the national purse, while the $50 is spent on the organization's uniform. The problem we have is that we were told $36,000 was spent for the inauguration event but we are yet to see details. They told us that Mrs. Akazie spent $1000.00 for her personal hotel lodging expenses, but why would she lodge in a hotel for just a one night event held at a private reception hall? What an insult!" she said.

To make matters worse, another messy fight happened when the uniforms ordered for the inauguration could not arrive before the event. Mrs Akazie blamed the national body for not living up to that promise, while Mrs Agude's camp claimed the group had no control over the timing. It was gathered that the national body advised that the inauguration date be postponed until logistics could be finalized, but the Houston hosts were desperately trying to beat competing groups in a show of superiority and stubbornly ignored that warning. International Guardian learned that members engaged in a physical fight during the inauguration, and Mrs. Agude claimed she was physically assaulted in her hotel room by unidentified members.

Besides the complicated governance, an internet fight made mediation almost impossible since members had taken to group discussions and trading of venom and vulgarity. A peace summit organized late last year and presided over by Mrs Ezeofor collapsed as the opposing group failed to show up. Mrs. Agude's camp claimed they had not been contacted in the mediation planning process, but was only invited to show up at a date they had scheduled for other ceremonies.

To make it worse, they accused Dr. Ezeofor of taking sides with her invitees "because they bought her ticket, including a four-day visit in Dubai and a Houston shopping spree," said another member who opted for anonymity. International Guardian was told that Ezeofor had further angered the general membership with her comment about the crisis: "Those who fell out of the bus will fall back into the bus." As of press time, both groups exist under their two different names: Ada Igbo Nile in Diaspora and Umuada Igbo in the Diaspora, Inc. respectively.