Nkerefi witnessed a historic gathering on September 28, 2025. What was planned as an ordinary town hall meeting by the Nkerefi Development Union (NDU) turned into something far greater: the first Nkerefi Economic Summit. What unfolded was a turning point in the history of our people, Nkerefi, and behind this bold event stood one man, Monday Diamond Ani,popularly called Odoziobodo,the Chairman of the Central Planning Committee (CPC).
The Nkerefi Central Leadership’s appointment of Monday Diamond as Chairman of the Central Planning Committee was the best decision ever made by the leadership since their ascension of office eight years ago.
Monday Diamond refused to settle for routine. Others spoke of meeting, but he thought of a future. When a meeting was planned, he imagined a summit. When others saw dialogue, he saw the rebirth of a blueprint. And so, the economic Summit was born. Diamond didn’t just envisage; he brought forth ideas that mattered. The creative genius was mercurial in his creative thinking, and the CPC Members all bought into his ideas for a better outing.
His vision was bold; he presented to the people a future reviving ideas. He spoke of an ultramodern civil centre which is to serve as the town’s pride and social amalgamation for the four autonomous communities,neighbourhood security posts and barricades for maximum security. A higher institution to shape young minds for the future of Nkerefi, a police unit as a deterrence to insecurity and to enforce order, and a social development trust fund to drive growth of our dear community through education support initiative and poverty eradication. His ideas are rooted in security, education and socioeconomic growth. Those outlined blueprints are top-notch and quite palatable. We entrust it to secure Nkerefi’s tomorrow. To some, it seems ambiguous. To him, it was only the beginning.
What further proved his resolve was his organisational ability. He took the planning head-on, and nearly every donation for the event came through his reach out effort, secured contact and persuasion of Nkerefi sons and daughters both home and in diaspora.
Eight out of ten dignitaries honoured his invitation. The hard effort of the committee members is not unnoticed; they proved to have team spirit. Working in uniformity and zealous ability.
However, a think tank was at the engine room stocking up all the fire which blazed on the 28th of Sept in Nkerefi.
Support came from every corner. What never happened in the history of our community was witnessed. Former minister Uche Ogah and President of Masters Group offered scholarships for eight poor Nkerefi children from primary school through university. Ambassador Ndubuisi Manuwa, United Nations Ambassador on Education, Africa region pledged to train two hundred youths in skills and empowerment programmes – fifty from each of Nkerefi’s four autonomous communities. Barrister Chijioke Edeoga attended with encouragement; he rendered support. Capt. Everest Nnaji (Odengene), Engr. Laurence Ezeh, and Okey Mbah, Chairman of Nkanu East LGA Hon Sydney Okechukwu Edeh, all offered their homogeneous support. Furthermore, sons and daughters of Nkerefi, both at home and in diaspora, rallied to the cause.
Such a level of gathering stunned many. The event that was planned in just under four weeks happens to be the turning point of our community’s history, setting the stage for our desired future. The summit drew the largest crowd in Nkerefi’s history. The presidents-general of the four autonomous communities attended. Ndi Igwe were all present.
For a single day, the highly populated town known as Nkerefi was seen united under one roof, one program, one cause.
At the heart of it all was Ani’s long record of service and his obvious concern for the welfare of Nkerefi people, children, youths, elders and elites also. This has earned him organic loyalty and support, drawing enormous crowd around him at all time. It’s this trust that gave him the platform to dream and deliver. Indeed, Monday Diamond is precious to Ndi Nkerefi.
Special thanks must be given to the president of the NDU, Jim Nonso Dubem. A man who identifies extraordinary talents, a man who makes men. It’s a fact that through his pukka leadership, the NDU hosted such a glorious event that birthed our future today. NDU, as the apex organisational body, has proven beyond doubt that it has all it takes to catapult Nkerefi to the desired point.
At this point it’s necessary to state that the summit is not the end. It’s the beginning, as the real test lies in what comes next: building the ultramodern civic centre, securing the projects, managing funds, and sustaining momentum. Therefore, accountability will matter, and in Diamond, the people see a man capable of carrying the weight to the end.
History will remember September 28th as the day Nkerefi turned a corner. A town that once lost hope regained it through the chairmanship of a visionary think tank, Monday Diamond Ani. The man who saw tomorrow in today’s Nkerefi.
Written by;
Comr Victor Njoku
A software engineer, data analysist and political scientist.
Writes from Nkerefi.
