Onitsha Advancement Foundation

Arrangements for the launch of the values reorientation campaign in full gear

Flag off scheduled for Saturday, May 28, 2022

Onitsha, May 23, 2022: The event which signifies the commencement of the attitudinal change campaign and heralding of the change that is to come will take at Ime Obi Onitsha. Highlights are the unveiling of the campaign icon by His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe, Agbogidi. Obi of Onitsha and the presentation of the communication materials. Guests are expected to include members of the Obi-Council,  representatives of  Onitsha Constituent Groups, and a  cross-section of ndi Onitsha indigenes amongst others. The flag off would be streamed live to facilitate participation by Onitsha indigenes in various parts of the world.

The values reorientation initiative which would be implemented via the campaign has been identified as a critical enabler for the success of the OnAF-promoted economic empowerment programme. It is designed to draw attention to attitudes, habits, and lifestyles which sabotage sustainable development and competitive advantage amongst indigenes of Onitsha (ndi Onicha). Thus, the attitudinal change campaign seeks to drive new ethics for ndi Onicha in order to facilitate a rebirth of thrift, industry, achievement, and pride on a global scale.

Nn’emeka Maduegbuna, leader of the OnAF Values Reorientation/Communications Team, who recently briefed the Obi-in-Council and heads of Onitsha constituent groups, stated that the Values Reorientation/Communications Team is working assiduously towards ensuring a big bang launch and subsequently and impactful campaign. According to Maduegbuna, ‘’the values reorientation campaign draws strongly from the findings of a baseline study amongst ndi Onicha, leading to insights that have resulted in a strategy in which all segments of Onicha Ado N’Idu have to be united and  play their roles in bringing about the desired change.’’ He added that ‘’given the pivotal role of the Obi-in-Council and the  constituent groups in Onitsha matters, no meaningful change can take place in Onitsha Ado N’Idu without their buy-in and active involvement, hence the need for their support and cooperation.’’

Describing the values reorientation initiative as fundamental to the success of the  Economic Empowerment Programme, His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe called on members of the  Obi-in Council and heads of the constituent groups to become drivers of the initiative. His Majesty noted ‘’ we have to be immersed in the initiative leading from the front,  aligning  and reconfiguring our mode of operations such that it is in accord with  the values reorientation initiative.’’

Participants at the briefing session raised various points on how to ensure the success of the campaign, with a good many observing that the message of the values reorientation initiative has struck a very powerful chord with them and that they are set to play the vital roles expected of them in the implementation of the initiative.

The values reorientation initiative seeks to bring about a shift amongst ndi Onicha from consumption to production; applicant/employee mindset to entrepreneurial spirit/drive; Individualism to collaboration/partnership; short-termism to a longer-term focus. Central to the initiative is the need to interrogate the ethical, moral and professional values of ndi Onicha, in the context of ife eji abu Onicha erika.