Mr. James Ochai: Immediate past president of WIDA
An Idoma nationality-focused Development group under the aegis of Western Idoma Development Association (WIDA) Jos branch, has called for the urgent broadening of its developmental action-plans through the re-activation and setting up of its national body in view of prevailing democratic realities on the ground in Nigeria.
In a letter addressed to all District Development Associations of Western Idoma land extraction nationwide and signed by its immediate past President and Secretary, Mr James Ochai and Okoh Ekere respectively, the group called for the strengthening of Idoma voice through the transformation of its numerous blocks into a national body with an impactful force that can influence federal, state and Nongovernmental Organizations funded development projects to its highly neglected home-land.
The out-going president of the group, at its valedictory event held in Jos Sunday 19th of July informed members of the group that competition for national development agenda listing is a herculean task that needs all hands to be on deck and pleaded that other Idoma groups should please be ready to offer their hands of co-operation to WIDA for the good of the downtrodden people of Idoma land. He cited the need for the urgent formation of the national body, a secretariat building for the group, which was on the drawing board, and the necessity for bridging of all communication gaps between all Idoma-Iand development-focused groups and their cultural and political leadership at home as major objectives of the group. According to him the achievement of these goals should form the directional sign-posts for the organization’s tasking journey into the future. The group’s members and observers present at the valedictory event included the past President of Idoma Development Association, Jos branch, Evangelist Innocent Akor, the Ad’Idoma of Jos North Local Government Area Mr. Sunday Onoja and a host of others
The main focus of Western Idoma Development Association is to join other homeland development-focused groups to provide leadership for the long needed turn-around of the developmental backwardness of Idoma nation at large and the western axis the land in particular, using all legal means, democratic instruments and the great opportunities provided by Information and Communication Technology to rise above the underdevelopment imposed on the land and its people over time.
