Mbaise People’s Congress (MPC) will hold its annual Mbaise Colloquium on Friday, August 14 at Paragon Hotel, Eke-Nguru, Imo State chaired by Ikechukwu Amaechi, Managing Director of TheNiche newspaper.
This year’s colloquium, the 20th in the series, has the theme, “Contemporary challenges: Need for paradigm shift”.
Two topics – “2015 elections: Matters arising”, and “Youth unemployment: Approaches that work” – will be dissected by two sons of Mbaise community, Carl Azudibia and Innocent Chukwuma.
The discussants will be Professor Iyke Dozie, Dean of the School of Health Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), and Professor Chima Onuoha, of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
Those expected to attend this year’s event include former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Emeka Ihedioha; Senator Chris Anyanwu; and former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri.
The guest of honour will be House of Representatives member, Nnanna Igbokwe, representing Ahiazu/Ezinnitte Federal Constituency.
MPC, a non-partisan, non-religious, non-governmental and non-profit organisation of Mbaise professionals, is driven by passion and patriotism and committed to the development of Mbaise in particular and Nigeria in general.
MPC National President, Ochiagha Ano Anyanwu, said the group “aims at re-orientating and renewing the consciousness of Mbaise people towards social, political, economic and cultural development and progress of Mbaise.”
He emphasised that “MPC is committed to providing a re-direction, engendering integrity and a sense of service in the socio-political and economic lives of Mbaise people; renewing our political space, reviving civic culture and galvanising the patriotic energy of Mbaise people towards well-rounded development.”
Started in 1995, the colloquium has become a landmark event in the socio-political calendar of the five clans that make up Mbaise – Ahiara, Agbaja, Ekwerazu, Ezinnihitte and Oke-Uvuru.
The colloquium precedes the popular cultural event, Iri-ji Mbaise, held on August 15 every year.
It is a measure of the importance of the colloquium and the intellectual harvest it has become that past lecturers included the late Professor Celestine Onwuliri, the late Chief Pini Jason Onyegbaduo, Sir Echi Nwogu, Professor T. U. Nwala, Dr Eddy Agulanna, Professor H. I. Ajaegbu, Dr Okey Aguwa, Mr. Frank Nneji, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), Rev. Fr. Dr. P. Amakiri, and others.
The colloquium has also been chaired by Nze Mark Odu, Chief I. D. Nwoga, Sir Bon Nwakanma (SAN), Professor Fabian Osuji, Professor C. C. Nwachukwu, and Professor L.C. Onukwube, among others.