After over ten years of crisis, the Federated Arochukwu Youths Association (FAYA) has finally reconciled, reunited and elected officers to pilot the affairs of a united FAYA Lagos branch. In an election supervised by its National President, Mazi Ugoji Obasi Kanu, which was conducted on Sunday, June 18, 2023 at 62 Murtala Muhammed Airport road by an electoral committee chaired by Mazi Lawrence Oti, with Mazi Eugene Onoh, President, Nzuko Aro Lagos branch as member, Mazi Okey Anabanti, member and Mazi Sunday Orji as Secretary, eight officers were elected to pilot the affairs of the association for the next three years.
At the conclusion of the election, Mazi Nnanna Inyama was elected the branch President. Others include Shedrach Ikenna Dickson, Vice President; Miss Ebere Okoronkwo, Secretary and Miss Onyinyechi Arukwe, Financial Secretary. Mazi Uchenna Harbor was elected Treasurer; Chidera Francis, Welfare Officer 1; Franklin Ogbonnaya, Welfare Officer 2 and Uchenna Onyema, Floor Chairman. The association had broken into two factions – FAYA Lagos West and FAYA Lagos – after a botched election in 2013.
Series of events took place with the association unable to conduct an election ten years ago, which necessitated the union to invite Nzuko Aro Lagos branch to assist it conduct its election. The union under the leadership of Mazi Emmanuel Kanu (Jideofor) liaised with FAYA leadership and chose Sunday, April 23, 2013 as the day to conduct the election. Venue was the Hotel Communicator, Ijesha area of Lagos State. Mazi Kanu invited some members of Nzuko Aro Lagos branch including the Managing Editor of Aro News, Mazi Ugo Okoro, Mazi Foster Emeregbam etc to assist him in the conduct of the election.
There was palpable tension inside and outside the meeting venue as over 300 turbo charged members of FAYA converged at the venue. The first sense of trouble was during accreditation when tempers rose due to accusations and counter accusations on who were qualified to vote and be voted for. Calm and normalcy was later restored and election proper commenced. Election of the branch chairman was first to be conducted and after the announcement of the result, hell literally broke loose. Tempers flared and the election stalled. Skirmishes broke out here and there, but normalcy was later restored and everyone went home thanking God for safety.
After the event of April 23, 2013, FAYA Lagos branch split into two as earlier mentioned. Efforts were made to reunite the two factions but none was successful. Nzuko Aro Lagos branch under the leadership of Mazi Eugene Onoh, with members from both factions and some good spirited Umu Aro brokered peace in 2022 and eventually set up a caretaker committee headed by Mazi Lawrence Oti, Chairman, Mazi Sunday Orji as Secretary and other members to pilot the affairs of a united FAYA for some months before election proper. Their efforts and those of FAYA members including its national leadership paved way for a genuine reconciliation and eventual election.
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