Sir John Oforbike (ANLCA Chieftain)
Definitely peace has returned to ANLCA; since the day the NECOM election was conducted last year. The BoT election is the final confirmation that ANLCA is one. Some people who felt aggrieved because they lost in the last NECOM election came back, purchased form and contested the just-concluded BoT election. Some won and some lost. It was an open election; it was a free and fair election. That is democracy in action. We are at peace. ANLCA has moved on.
Alhaji Suleman Momoh (ANLCA Seme Chapter General Patron)
I once said that if ANLCA could not get it right at the BoT elections, that will mark the end of ANLCA. Thank God that with all the obstacles that came up at the time they wanted to start the voting, God took control and made everything peaceful for the election to take place. I was very happy that one of my brothers, Momoh was among the BoT members that were elected, even when he was not around. So, the election was very peaceful and I wish them all the best. I believe there is now peace in ANLCA. The newly-elected BoT members should know why they were voted in and at the same time, they should not disappoint the people that voted them as BoT members. The election was very peaceful and well organized, restoring peace to the association.
Mr Emmanuel Onyeme (ANLCA National Publicity Secretary)
By God’s grace, peace has finally returned to the association. I think the crisis we had for almost five years before the election of the NECOM, and after the NECOM election was all about the Board of Trustees election. But finally, the election has been done and dusted. For me, peace is back in ANLCA and right now we the NECOM are ready to work with the Board of Trustees. You can see the atmosphere right now, everywhere and everybody is calm; believing that all we need to do is to go back to the drawing board and work as one family and as a team. Peace has returned to the association.
Babatunde Mukaila (Former National Secretary, ANLCA)
There is peace in the association. Peace has never eluded ANLCA in the first place. However, following the recent election into the Board of Trustees, I believe the election will go a long way to unite the hierarchy of the association more. I also believe the elections into the BoT will deepen co-existence among members of the association. So, there is peace in ANLCA.
Onyekachi Ojinma (ANLCA Chairman, Seme Border Chapter)
For me, I would say in ANLCA, there is no election. They just decide to handpick those they want. Let me not exaggerate or conclude on whether there will be peace or no peace. What I know is that these are a bunch of greedy men, and they are people causing big problems in ANLCA. Some of them want to die in the position of being a BoT, because they decided not to leave the BoT. They don’t want anybody to grow, they want to suck ANLCA dry. I think there may be no peace there, as far as I’m concerned. I’m not part of them. I wish them well. But I know that they are greedy people. These are the greedy people in ANLCA that have been causing these troubles. Some of them have stayed 16 years while some have stayed 12 years and they still want to come back. ANLCA might have endless trouble, as far as I’m concerned.
Pius Ujubonu (ANLCA Chieftain)
Peace may be difficult to define because the absence of war does not necessarily mean peace. The presence of war does not really mean absence of peace, because sometimes you fight wars to achieve peace. What we have now is that the people that fought the war with NECOM were not able to win the vote of trustees. Instead of any of them coming in, none of them came in. What it means is that we still have a large cache of the people who fought wars with former trustees and the present NECOM. That is one thing. So, if they are able to extend their hands of fellowship to these people by trying to do things that will not make the people to go back to the trenches again, then we might have peace.
If they think that all has been fought and won, they may carelessly take steps that can bring another kind of conflagration that could trigger bad blood.
Pince Segun Adefioye (ANLCA Stakeholders Leader, Lilypond- Ijora Chapter)
I would say peace has partially returned to the association. This is because no matter how much you try to restore peace to the association, there are still some people who still have dissenting voices and are not at peace with the current situation of things. There are still some hitches here and there. However, following the recently-concluded elections of the BoT members, I would say about 90 percent of peace has returned back to ANLCA.
Bisiriyu Lasisi Fanu (Former ANLCA Chairman, Seme Chapter)
Yes, peace has returned to the association. I said peace has returned because we have not heard any contrary interviews here and there. If there has not been peace, the election won’t have been condcuted. The ASECO took their stand to take decisions and everybody concurred with the decision. The election came and it has gone. There is no noise anywhere. Of course, nobody sees what would have brought the noise concerning the disqualification of any candidate. If there is any good reason for it. So, there is peace in the association.
