The
2003 Labor Holiday weekend annual outing of World Igbo Congress
(WIC) has just concluded in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. As
many recoup from the event and hectic preparations that
preceded it, some are beginning to weigh in their take on
the significance, or lack of it, of this year’s outing.
Home-based politicians have, as usual, used the gathering
in Nashville to air their personal views on shepherding
Igbo interests. Barring minimal change of personnel, the
incumbent WIC leadership has obtained a fresh mandate to
oversee the group’s affairs for next 2 years. From
all indications, the Nashville confab was business as usual
for all concerned. Well, that may actually be the unique
feature of the Diaspora premier Igbo body and why it has
reliably functioned as a magnet for political operatives
of all shades. The economics of hosting such annual conventions
may be nothing to write home about. But based on response
of invitees and delegates, WIC conventions have secured
a niche in the annual calendar of Igbo political elite based
in Nigeria and the Diaspora.
Many have glibly talked about the need for change in structure
and operational modalities of the WIC. In some circles,
the Nashville convention was billed as the watershed in
evolutionary history of WIC when power of control would
be restored to the House of Delegates (HOD), which was deemed
as actual “owners” of the organization. Those
who spearheaded the HOD takeover bid either ran out of gas
as soon as they arrived Nashville or where simply shocked
and awed by what they encountered at the convention venue.
The HOD takeover “crusaders” had their eyes
on taking control of the election process with the objective
of minimizing the domineering influence of the Board of
Directors (BOD) which had the exclusive right to elect WIC
leadership. This election cycle was still restricted to
the BOD while the HOD watched in awe. Less than 40 wise
men in the BOD have once more set the benchmark for the
Diaspora Igbo and of course, they expect all and sundry
to fall in line. Accolades and messages of goodwill have
begun to pour in to the re-elected incumbents, even from
the very ranks of would-be HOD “mutineers”.
All eyes are already being focused on the 2004 outing to
be hosted in New Jersey.
It requires no sophisticated reasoning to deduce that no
tangible change is imminent in the WIC for the foreseeable
future. There was substantial noise, even within the loyal
core, for a change in the run-up to the just-concluded WIC
elections. It is now clear that the will of those who like
the status quo prevailed. Whatever abracadabra that took
place in the BOD quickly convinced even the progressive
elements in its ranks to circle the wagon so as to disabuse
any minds of the notion of a leadership crisis within the
WIC. The basic design of WIC structure and bylaws by its
founders was intended to put the organization on an even
keel with little chance of rocking the boat even by the
most determined non-insider. The WIC may have failed to
meet people’s expectation but it must not be shown
to also have failed in the eyes of its loyalists who, of
course, make up the majority of the BOD. The outcome of
“Nashville 2003”, if nothing else, has reaffirmed
entrenched opinions on prospects for actualizing an effective
pan-Igbo umbrella organization for Igbo Diaspora. The WIC
has repeatedly demonstrated that it was not originally designed
to be everything to everyone. The fraud, if any exists,
may actually lie in selling it as such.
Many do share the belief that Ndiigbo indeed need an organization
that is cast in the mode of the WIC. Whether the existing
formation can meet that expectation is another matter altogether.
We all need to be realistic in addressing this issue if
any durable workable solution shall ever emerge out of present
confusion in Igbo leadership. One extreme position insists
that the WIC already exists and is widely acknowledged as
the premier organization for Igbo Diaspora. All that is
required now is for individuals and groups to appreciate
its import and pitch in their bit to make it become what
its founders originally intended. A contradicting position
sees the very structure and operational agenda of present
WIC as the greatest impediment to actualizing the popular
expectation for a potent and relevant pan-Igbo Diaspora
umbrella organization. Holders of this viewpoint see no
virtue in involving their time, resources and sweat within
an organization whose leadership appears unwilling or unable
to move it in the direction for needed changes that can
broaden its appeal and enhance its effectiveness. The just-concluded
outing in Nashville sprung no surprises. Not too many expected
such anyway.