Byline: Felix Ikem, Nsukka
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Nkpokote Nsukka Development Forum (NNDF), Prof. Douglas Nwagbo, has urged the forum’s pioneer executive members to collaborate with the government and security agencies to address insecurity in the Nsukka cultural zone, particularly kidnapping and herdsmen attacks.
The NNDF, a socio-cultural organisation, draws members from seven local government areas in Enugu State: Nsukka, Igboeze-South, Igboeze-North, Udenu, Igbo-Etiti, Uzo-Uwani, and Isi-Uzo.
Nwagbo issued this charge on Monday, 20 April 2025, during the inauguration of the NNDF’s new executive at the Sports Club Hall in Nsukka Local Government Area. He stressed the urgent need for the executive, led by Chief Bartholomew Ugwoke, to work with the state government and security agencies to tackle kidnapping and herdsmen attacks, which have destroyed farmlands in some communities.
He said, “I charge the pioneer executive of NNDF, led by Chief Bartholomew Ugwoke, to first tackle the issue of insecurity in the zone by working in synergy with the state government and all relevant security agencies to address the menace. The level of insecurity in the zone, especially as it concerns kidnapping and herdsmen attacks in some communities and destruction of farmlands, is unacceptable, and something urgent should be done before the situation gets out of hand. I am optimistic that the executive of NNDF, comprising who’s who in the Nsukka cultural zone, will liaise with relevant security agencies to address this issue.”
Nwagbo congratulated the executive members on their election victory and assured them of the BoT’s support to advance the forum’s objectives. In his acceptance speech after taking the oath of office alongside other elected executives, Ugwoke, the forum’s president, expressed gratitude to the Nsukka cultural zone for entrusting him to lead for the next five years.
He said, “I promise to uphold the values and principles of the forum with a view to moving Nsukka cultural zone to a greater height. History is important because by recalling past events, we analyse them to shape our present and future.” As a legal practitioner, Ugwoke emphasised that the NNDF would remain non-partisan, focusing on repositioning the cultural values of the Nsukka zone for the people’s benefit and the zone’s development.
Ugwoke further stated, “I am humbled by the trust and confidence you have bestowed on me, and I pledge to work tirelessly to serve the cultural zone with integrity, dedication, and passion. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the BoT and everyone who contributed in one way or the other to ensure that the elections and today’s inauguration were successful.”
He urged executive members to strive towards achieving the forum’s mission, warning: “I must also warn that Nkpokote Nsukka is being positioned as a pan-Nsukka socio-political organisation; we should avoid all forms of partisanship. In advanced democracies, there is a time when a bipartisan approach to solving a communal problem becomes imperative.”
Other sworn-in executive members include Prof. Festus Agbo (Deputy President), Mr Emeka Agbo (Secretary), Chief Chinedu Okosisi (Financial Secretary), Mr James Ajibo (Treasurer), and Agu Chineme Enyiduru (Publicity Secretary), among others.