Award ceremony turns into a wider call for discipline, skills and stronger community values among Anambra youths
By Emeka Chiaghanam
The Anambra State Town Unions Council (ASTUC)
Youth Wing has honoured six individuals from Dunukofia Local Government Area
for their contributions to their communities, using the occasion to challenge
young people to reject cultism, crime and other activities that could damage
their future.
The six honourees were drawn from the six
communities that make up the council area. They are Chief Okafor Nnamdi Chibuzo
of Ukpo, High Chief Frederick Ezika of Umunnachi, Chief Olisa Adinnu of
Umudioka, Chief Igbanugo Christian Mmaduka of Ukwulu, High Chief Vincent C.
Udobi of Ifitedunu and Honourable Onyemaobi Augustine Nonyelum of Nawgu.
The ceremony, held on Saturday, August 8, 2026,
at the Dunukofia Local Government Headquarters in Ukpo, brought together
community leaders, government representatives, police officers and youths.
For the organisers, however, the awards were
about more than recognising successful people. They were intended to put before
younger members of the communities examples of people whose lives, work and
service could be followed.
President-General of the ASTUC Youth Wing,
Comrade Ken Okoli, told the recipients that the recognition also came with
responsibility. He urged them not to allow the award to become merely another
title, reminding them that young people would be watching their conduct.
Okoli said Anambra's values should guide those
who have been chosen as community role models. He referred to the 12 core
values of the “Onye Anambra” identity, including fear of God, patriotism,
self-reliance, discipline, respect for life, truth, liberty, justice,
community, dignity of labour, religious and ethnic tolerance, and love.
He also gave the honourees a warning that came
with the recognition: if any of them stopped living in a manner worthy of
emulation, the honour could be withdrawn.
The message placed the focus firmly on
character rather than achievement alone. In the eyes of the youth leadership,
being celebrated by a community also means accepting the responsibility that
comes with being watched and followed by others.
The Dunukofia council chairman, Honourable
Chijioke Clement Ozumba, used the gathering to take a harder line against
cultism.
Ozumba urged young people to stay away from
cult groups, warning that membership often brings fear and can lead to sudden
death. He recalled his days as youth leader of Akpu village in Ukpo, when he
led a group that arrested suspected cultists who were subsequently taken to
court and sentenced.
He blamed the spread of cult-related activities
partly on the weakening of family values and called on residents to work
together to tackle the problem.
The council chairman also warned young people
against cybercrime and other fraudulent activities. He said there were
legitimate ways to make a living, including trading and providing skilled
services.
Beyond the warnings, Ozumba pointed to
programmes his administration had introduced for young people, including skills
empowerment, scholarships and youth-focused initiatives. He expressed concern,
however, that attendance at some of those programmes had been low.
He also made cash donations totalling N1.5
million to the ASTUC Youth Wing, the Dunukofia council area and the six
communities within the council.
The police brought another dimension to the
gathering.
The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer,
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, used the event to urge youths to turn away from cultism and
other social vices and consider vocational skills as a way of becoming useful
to themselves and their communities.
Ikenga also encouraged young people to consider
joining the Nigeria Police Force, the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other
Vices (POCACOV) and the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
He said Anambra recorded a low number of young
people joining the police during the most recent nationwide recruitment
exercise and urged youths to consider policing as one way of contributing to
the fight against crime.
Chief Izuchukwu Nwabueze, chairman of the
occasion, praised the ASTUC Youth Wing for creating a platform that brings
young people into community service and leadership development.
He challenged the youth body to go beyond
ceremonies by promoting value orientation, community development, skills
acquisition, civic responsibility and cultural preservation. He also called for
greater economic volunteerism and cooperation with government on development
programmes.
Earlier, the Youth Leader of Dunukofia, Comrade
Chijioke Egbuna, said the ceremony was designed to celebrate people whose lives
had been marked by service, integrity, sacrifice, excellence and commitment to
others.
He said success alone should not determine who
deserves to be called a role model. What matters, he argued, is the number of
people a person has helped, inspired or lifted and the legacy eventually left
behind.
One of the honourees, Chief Udobi, represented
by Honourable Anthony Abaeze, thanked the youth organisation for recognising
people whose achievements were built through hard work.
For Egbuna, the recognition should also serve
as encouragement to the younger generation. He urged youths to believe that
discipline, determination, integrity and hard work could open the way to
meaningful achievement.
The event therefore ended on a note that
reached beyond the six awards. It placed the responsibility for Dunukofia's
future partly in the hands of its young people, while reminding community
leaders that recognition carries an obligation to keep setting the right
example.
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