Egbe Omo Obokun at 30

Mr. Bolu Esho
Founding Member

Soon after the civil war in Nigeria the membership of the re--organized Nigerian Students Union fell and those active were mainly of southern Nigerian origin. The intentions and programs of the union were enviable, but the officers devoted most of their time to national issues and little local affairs. As a result, students of various ethnic groups started forming their own indigenous associations for the purpose of addressing their own needs. 

With an effort championed by Prince Amos Adeagbo Aromolaran, a small group of Ijesha students in New York and New Jersey met on November 4, 1974 to form the Egbe Omo Obokun NY-NJ. As far as we could tell, we were the first of such a Nigerian ethnic association so formed in America. At that meeting, Adebolu Esho was chosen to coordinate the new Egbe's efforts to enroll new members, draft a constitution, chair future meetings and organize an election of officers in good time. With enthusiasm, hard work and praise from Kabiyesi, Peter Agunlejika, the then Owa Obokun of Ijeshaland we achieved all our objectives in four months. On the last Sunday of March 1975, we held our fifth meeti':l9 at the Brooklyn home of Mr. Dele Ajayi.

With forth-nine members in attendance, we elected Mr. Lanre Makinwa our first President, Prince Adeagbo Ammolaran the General Secretary and Mr. Jide Olowokere our Treasurer. We were happy and full of energy to the extent that we decided to publicize ourselves and raise funds with a big dance at the old Harlem Theater in Manhattan. The success and publicity generated by this dance encouraged other ethnic groups to follow our steps. All associations need a goal to achieve Two of our objectives were to help ourselves in the U.S. and to assist our people at home. While as students our financial constraints were still able to help members in various difficulties through sympathetic American ears. As a founding member of this Egbe, I have witnessed our generosity enjoyed by members and people at home thai never knew we existed. As an example, one situation will always remain in my memory. Sometime in 1978, a visiting Ijesha teacher attended one of our monthly meetings. As is always the case, we asked the visitor to give us news from home and a few words of wisdom. After praising our efforts, he embarked on a litany of horrors afflicting Nigerian students at home. According to him, one of the horrors was a shortage of books in the libraries for the students. Under the good leadership of our new then president, Mr. Gabriel Adelakun, we decided at that meeting to help. Decisions were made to consult publishing houses New York for books and we volunteered to buy a set
of thirty-one volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica for the lIesha Public library. At seventeen hundred dollars, these volumes were a lot of money for us. Nevertheless, we levied ourselves.

At our next monthly meeting, members were surprised when as the General Secretary at that time I made a report on our efforts. Three publishing houses had offered to give us books To make the occasion more joyous, everybody came with their levies for the encyclopedia. I imprinted the books and the encyclopedia with our stamp and sent them early in 1979 to tjesha libraries. However we must always make sure the good out weighs the bad. Over the last twenty-six years, Egbe Orno Obokun had proved itself to be a perfect success and I
consider it a privilege to have been a member.

It is not possible for me in this short article to mention those members who had served this Egbe gloriously. Nevertheless. forthe benefit of new and younger members, I list in chronological order below our former and present presidents. They all deserve our praise,

• First Coordinator - Adebolu Esho