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Mbah inspects new Enugu headquarters as facility nears completion
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Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has built a new world headquarters for Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide in Enugu, with the facility expected to be handed over to the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation in October.
Enugu State Governor Dr Peter Mbah inspected the facility on Tuesday in Enugu alongside Okorocha and other officials as construction entered its final stage.
Located on Park Avenue in Enugu GRA, the more than 3,000-square-metre facility features twin auditoriums, about 11 offices, conference rooms, a library, an interactive audiovisual space and a memorabilia section dedicated to preserving Igbo history and heritage.
Speaking during the inspection, Okorocha said his decision to build the facility was motivated by his desire to provide Ohanaeze with a befitting permanent home and promote pride and identity among Ndigbo.
“I am not doing this because I am wealthy. I am not doing it to dramatise wealth. It is simply my heart speaking, the heart of love for my people,” he said.
Okorocha said he had earlier visited the old Ohanaeze secretariat and felt that the facility was inadequate for an organisation representing millions of Ndigbo.
He said the new headquarters was intended to provide a permanent institutional home for Ohanaeze and strengthen its capacity to serve Ndigbo in Nigeria and across the diaspora.
“I want them to identify with their roots and where they come from, and I want the pride of being Igbo to be restored,” he said.
According to him, Ohanaeze should also be positioned to respond more effectively when Igbo people encounter difficulties abroad.
“Wherever in the world, whether in China, America, Singapore or anywhere else, any Igbo child is in trouble for any reason, particularly where they are accused of an offence they did not commit, this secretariat should intervene as quickly as possible,” he said.
Okorocha said the building was about three to four weeks away from readiness, with landscaping and other finishing works still ongoing.
He said the formal commissioning would be arranged by the Ohanaeze leadership and the Enugu State Government, while his responsibility would be to hand over the building to the organisation.
“This building is for Ohanaeze, and forever it will be for Ohanaeze. It is a property for the organisation,” he said.
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Mbah, who toured the facility, commended Okorocha and the Rochas Foundation for the project, describing the building as befitting of the Igbo people.
He said the project also served as a reminder of the common roots of Ndigbo and the need for greater unity.
“This reminds us that, at a time like this, the Igbo must come together,” Mbah said.
The governor said the location of the facility in Enugu, which he described as a significant centre of Igbo identity, made the project particularly important.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Senator John Azuta-Mbata, thanked Okorocha for what he described as a deliberate effort to provide a lasting symbol for the organisation.
He said the facility would serve as a legacy for successive leaderships of Ohanaeze and strengthen its ability to protect and defend the interests of Ndigbo.
The building was designed by Walsh Blanc, an integrated spatial design and experiential architecture practice led by its Managing Director, Mrs Uloma Rochas Nwosu.
Nwosu said the design was inspired by the need to create a facility that would unite Ndigbo while telling the story of their history, culture and identity.
She said the building was about 85 per cent complete and incorporated several Igbo-themed elements, including a lion motif, red and white colours and seven pillars representing the seven Igbo-speaking states.
The facility also contains a memorabilia space in the basement, where audiovisual installations, artworks, documentaries and historical materials will be displayed.
Nwosu said part of the old Ohanaeze secretariat would be preserved as a historical reference point, with old furniture, flooring and other materials retained alongside photographs and videos documenting the history of the former building.
She added that a significant portion of the furniture and artworks used in the new headquarters was locally produced.
The new headquarters is expected to be formally handed over to Ohanaeze Ndigbo in the first week of October.
