EGEDE: On the Path to Economic Prosperity

EZEJIOFO SUNNY PATRICK UDEH Ph.D.

 A brief paper presented at the first Egede Economic Summit Sept 6, 2018

Today I will share with you brief information about Egede and her local economic development prospects.  I will tell tales of two small towns, one in the USA called Hershey, Pennsylvania and another in the small rural community in Anambra State renamed Umuchukwu.  I will share the roles played by two of their sons to get them where they are today. Furthermore, I will comment on the great opportunity I call ‘farming for export’, and new business sector for Egede that will thrive with the help of our young people. Finally, I will conclude by pointing out the need for political stability as a major driver of local economic development.

Opening Comment

I am very happy to be here, among my own very people, to share ideas, perspectives, to learn from each other and shape a path to a better economic prosperity for Egede. 

I am particularly inspired by the enthusiasm generated by the Economic Summit.  We are all indebted to the teaming organizers who left no stone unturned to ensure the success and inclusive nature of this gathering.

Your hard work is in line with the best way to start to address the economic development needs of a community. You have done well by providing a forum and opportunity for people from various professions, local businesses, organizations and all stakeholders to interact and openly discuss and chart a new course to our economic destiny

To all of you the organizers, I say Dalu nu! You have done a good job.  Let’s give them a round of applause.

Today I will share with you brief information about Egede and her local economic development prospects. I will tell tales of two small towns, one in the USA called Hershey, Pennsylvania and another in the small rural community in Anambra State renamed Umuchukwu.  I will share the roles played by two of their sons to get them where they are today.  Furthermore, I will comment on the great opportunity I call ‘farming for export’, and new business sector for Egede that will thrive with the help of our young people. Finally, I will conclude by pointing out the need for political stability as a major driver of local economic development.

Egede & Local Economic Development

Egede is blessed with great people who are accomplished in numerous professions both at home and scattered the worldover creating a vibrant Diaspora population.  Egede has many successful businessmen and women. Egede had political leaders who have represented the entire Udi North in Anambra State and currently representing Udi North in Enugu state.  Egede had commissioners, specials advisers and assistants to governors.  Today Egede is proud to showcase a special adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  Egede nwelu mmadu

Egede is strategically located between two highways – Eke through Affa and a federal road from 9^thMile Corner to Obollo Afor.  Egede is blessed with massive land mass – vast land stretching through Amozalla through Okpogho, all the way to Edu Ogwugwu deep into Ezeagu.  Egede land is ideal for large scale mechanized agriculture and can comfortably accommodate a couple of institutions of higher learning.

Today, Egede is a giant construction site with numerous roads at various stages of construction crisscrossing each other courtesy of Enugu State Government, World Bank and Federal Government. Egede has a stretch of road recently constructed by a successful businessman, our own brother, Mr. Onodugo. Even though the detailed demographics of Egede may not be accurately known at this time, but it is evident that Egede is powered by a vibrant young population ready and willing to participate. It is also important to know that Egede has constant stream of income coming in from our many sons and daughter in the Diaspora.  Therefore, our Egede is ripe to take the giant leap to economic prosperity starting with this open discussion to chart a new path.  From the teaming crowd here today, I have no iota of doubt that we can do it if we set our minds to it.  We can even do it better by understanding how others did it successfully and work toward achieving the same feat for our Egede.

A tale of two small communities

Milton Hershey is the founder and first CEO of Hershey Company, one of the nation’s leading manufacturer of confectionery products - Chocolate. Milton had failed in two of his earlier business ventures before striking gold in Chocolate. The town of Hershey was not just named after him he built the town from scratch. After building his factories, Mr. Hershey whose ambition was beyond just producing chocolate, built a model town with comfortable homes in tree lined streets with well-manicured lawns for his employees.  He built infrastructures not limited to inexpensive public transportation, public school system and recreational and cultural centers.  Today, the town of Hershey is a popular attraction to millions of visitors every year. Majority of the residents hold Hershey as a special place where Mr. Hershey is held in high esteem for his accomplishments and philanthropy.

Not far from here in Anambra State, a similar activity is currently being replicated.  Once a rural community like Egede, the town of Umuchukwu (former Nkerehi) is being transformed into a thriving urban town courtesy of Dr Maduka, a Nevada based Medical Doctor, who owns and operates a successful Medical and Pain Management practice in Las Vegas.  Driven by the abject poverty in his town, Dr. Maduka stepped up to help by providing his people with scholarship to universities. He built several homes for the poor and widows.  He advanced business grants to his people to start and run businesses. He built a monastery, residence for the parish priest, a police station with police barracks, and a Police College.  He built a town hall, a magistrate court, and funded the electricity and water projects for the town. Dr. Maduka is almost completing the construction of a 15-floor complex to house Offices and Medical College of the Anambra State University College of Medical Sciences.  The Medical Complex is one of a kind in a rural community. Dr. Maduka has single-handedly transformed Umuchukwu community in Orumba South Local Government of Anambra state to a modern and urban city.  Today, Umuchukwu like Hershey is a product of the invisible hands and the benevolence of a successful entrepreneur.

Like Adam Smith opined in the Wealth of Nations, “it is not from the benevolence of the entrepreneur that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest” The thinking according to Smith is that if an individual can profit from producing products or delivering services.  It is because consumers like the product or service and it is beneficial to society. Therefore, entrepreneurs in pursuit of their self-interests, they are fulfilling the needs of the society with their products and services through the famous invisible hands – making their pursuit of self-interest a tremendous benefit to the society at large which is apparent in the cases of the two communities of Hershey, Pennsylvania and UmuChukwu, Anambra. There is no reason why we can’t duplicate this feat in Egede.

A case of farming for Export – Cashew Plantation. From Egede to New York

While Hersey is known as the Chocolate town, there is no reason why we can’t find a product or a crop to identify our Egede community with.  As stated earlier we have vast stretch of land into Ezeagu Local Government Area.  The land is very conducive for growing numerous cash crops.  The youth of Egede should be empowered and encouraged to embrace the new wave in Agriculture – farming for export.  Among the numerous cash crops and the most significant is Cashew nut.  It is a crop of considerable economic importance.  Cashew is useful source of byproducts for food and pharmaceutical industries.  The value chain of cashew includes but not limited to farmers through cooperatives, processors, roasters and exporters. The destination of most cashew export is India and Vietnam.  According to the National Cashew Association of (NCAN) Nigeria is losing billions of Naira annually because of our inability to process cashew nuts for export. Nigeria lost $1.4 billion in 2016. The loss could be transformed into profit if we invest in medium scale processing plant to process and export directly to Europe, United States and Canada. We can be sending cargo loads of cashew nuts from Egede directly to New York and unleash economic prosperity more than is happening at Hershey and Umuchukwu.  However, it will take lots of commitment, dedication and hard work. More importantly it will take a strong and more stable political leadership than we have in Egede today.

Political Stability & Local Economic Development and Growth

Perhaps the perception of credibility gap in the leadership of Egede since the demise of His Royal Highness, Okwulu Oha 1 of Egede, Igwe Michael Onwuzu of blessed memory is still lingering. For the fact that Egede traditional political organization rhymes with the typical Igbo rugged republicanism lends more credence to the perception. In Egede, it is more of a consultative assembly of people where every individual is treated equal. Umunna, the male descendant from the ancestors are ranked by age of the ancestors. The council of elders administer and overseas the affairs and specific age grades deliberate and make decisions on important matters. Titled men are respected for their accomplishments but no Egede man revers another as a King or superior. Any deviation from the order tend to ruffle feathers and leave cracks in the unity pot of Egede.

For egede to realize the vision and achieve the mission of local economic development requires the leadership to take steps to ameliorate the situation and alter the existing perception. They need to bend over backward to reach out to the entire community and improve on relationships as they carry all along.  They have to understand to laws governing the offices they occupy and adhere to it rigorously. The people of Egede should start feeling and seeing genuine efforts in the leadership to unite the people.  Egede must cease to be seen as the petition capital at the Enugu state government house. 

In conclusion, it is obvious that Egede holds great economic promises because of many of the good qualities discussed earlier.  Egede should borrow a leaf from those who have done it before and step forward to plan, organize, lead and execute. Umuchukwu is in Anambra state and if Dr. Maduka can single-handedly elevate his home town, we the great people of Egede, the children of a great woman Ugwunye can and will turn the economic fortune of our beloved town to the right path.  And we will do it in consonance with our leaders supporting them to douse any tension created in the process or lack of thereof, as they rose to power so that Egede will return to its original cohesiveness, togetherness and vibrancy as known during the reign of Okwulu Oha 1.  Thank you very much for giving me audience.  Dee jee nu.

Dr. Udeh, an Adjunct Professor of Strategic Management (Graduate) at Southern New Hampshire University and South University (Undergraduate), affiliated to Keller Graduate School of Management, Berkeley College, New York City and Trident University Cypress, CA., a Volunteer Professor at University of the People. He served 21 years and rose to position of Deputy Director at City of New York, was appointed member (Finance) of Transition Committee, Udi. LGA., and was an aspirant for Federal House of Representatives, Udi-Ezeagu Federal Constituency 2011 under PDP, writes from Egede, Udi LGA, Nigeria.