Date Published: 08/06/09

How the Nigerian Union Hungary is being managed

By Hakeem Babalola

A Brief History

The Nigerian Union Hungary was founded in 2001 amidst accusation, controversy and scepticism surrounding the outcome of the election in which Peter Ihaza defeated Charles Akpan, a non-diplomat employee at the Nigerian Embassy - to become the first president - a post he held until 2007 when another election aided by the Caretaker Committee was conducted. Other executive members were: Fred Odorige, Cultural and Social Officer; Endy Nnorom, Treasurer; Emmanuel Arasomwan, Financial Secretary; Husain Omar PRO; Remi Baderinwa, Protocol Officer; Robert Simon, Provost. Nobody contested for the Secretary General but was taken by Sammie Adetiloye, a member of the 2001 Electoral Committee which included Toyin Akinwunmi, Wilson Adogbeji, and Opara Ifeanyi.

At a point in time, the union was perturbed by allegations of malpractice among executive members who were accused of using the union for selfish interests. A source close to the Embassy of Nigeria Hungary once said that a union executive member came to the embassy bragging that his friend must be issued visa; after all, he was an executive member of the Nigerian Union. Consequently, Ihaza mentioned ignorance and abuse of power among the union executive in his "resignation" speech where he partly blamed himself for not exposing them. Some executive members left the union or became inactive as time went by.

When the former Nigerian ruler, Olusegun Obasanjo, came to Hungary in 2001, it was the union that the embassy relied upon to mobilise the Nigerian community to welcome the dictator whom the executive members loved so much to the extent of presenting a calendar gift adorned with their photographs along with that of the visiting ruler. The executive members seem to have enjoyed a cordial relationship with the embassy under Gershon Guyit and Abayomi Akintola both of whom Ihaza once described as wonderful people.

It was the Yoruba Union led by Davis Otun at the time that actually metamorphosed into the present Nigerian Union.

Before The Elections

 Prior to the 2007 elections, there was widespread speculation that the union executive was not willing to leave, an allegation that was indignantly denied. "A ttempts have been made to organize elections to elect people to run the affairs of the Union which unfortunately have been unsuccessful," says Ihaza, adding that if he had wanted to go for another term, no one would have been able to defeat him. Even though some people did not see it that way, Ihaza's claim was supported by John Oni, a member of the Caretaker Committee saying, "They called for election but no one contested". 

Although Fred Odorige admitted that the union was not stable then and that the executive needed some time to put it together, he was uncomfortable with the fact that the executive had overstayed its tenure as against the Union Constitution, which according to him, led to his resignation. "We unconstitutionally overstayed our tenure and I was not comfortable with that because that is something I detest in African leaders," explains the ex-Social and Cultural officer, adding that he did call on his fellow "exco" to follow his example by tendering their resignations.

In anyway the Caretaker Committee mounted a vigorous campaign against what many termed a "sit-tight policy". Those who took it upon themselves to make sure that elections were held - after such a long time - were John Oni, Tunde Adeosun, Wilson Adogbeji and Husain Omar, who later withdrew because of personal interest (Caretaker/Electoral Committee). There were also some individuals who worked underground to make sure it was time for change.

During this period, some people were said to back-pedal because they often change their earlier statement or opinion. News filtered around that certain individuals were encouraging the union executive to stay while at the same time fuelling the ebb of fire to consume them if they failed to leave. Several meetings were held at Dózsa Győrgy út 152 during which Sammie Adetiloye wrote an article titled, "The King Maker" accusing a prominent member of trying to instigate or install certain persons to run the affairs of the union. 

There was also a campaign of calumny here and there. An instance of such malicious attack is when an executive member of the then out-going regime was said to have contacted a would-be candidate and was told not to participate in the elections saying, "Do you know these people enough?" In the same vein, members of the out-going executive were also contacted by some people telling them not to leave because in their opinion there were no capable candidates. The imbroglio no doubt accelerated the recognition of the Caretaker Committee.

The Caretaker Committee Influence & The Elections

Meanwhile, the Caretaker Committee was also accused of being too slow to hold elections. There was rumour that the C.T.C wanted to remain there forever. "We called for elections because of pressure," admits John Oni. "There was obstruction here and there. They forgot that there could never be a quick fix to define what the union is about. We had no choice because there's no constitution backing. C.T.C does not have power. But we did pretty well because we were able to reach to Nigerians across the country".

Several meetings were held and in one instance people met at John Sessi's house and Felix Omoregbee's African Shop respectively. Omoregbee later won the election as the president. Sessi was said to have backed Omoregbee when the question of certificate and integrity came up. That is when Husein Omar openly confronted Omoregbee about his past activities and the school he attended. While the issue of certificate is minor, many people thought the issue of integrity should have been enough ground to disqualify him. For there had been speculation among the African community that he once engaged in bringing people illegally to Hungary. The Caretaker Committee was represented at least in one of the meetings where it was made known that the Caretaker Committee was looking for people to take over as the new executive.

In spite of the bickering, disagreement, accusation and counter accusation, The C.T.C managed to set in place a Constitution Review Committee chaired by Husain Omar. Others include Olu Owolabi, Felix Omoregbee who of course later became the president, Fola Odidi and Yusuf Tafida, who was then the Student Union president. According to the union general meeting agenda scheduled for 2007 June 16, "the primary aim of the committee is to review the Constitution in order to be acceptable  to all Nigerians".  

The Caretaker Committee moved on with the introduction of what they called Future Plans. There was to be a union website with the sole aim of disseminating news to Nigerians in and outside Budapest about the union's activities. A member was said to have promised to foot the bills. However, it is doubtful if the anonymous "committed Nigerian" fulfilled his promise because the union is yet to have a website. There was also to be an insurance scheme known as Group Insurance Scheme to cover accidental death, medical cover and surgery. Without losing sleep over whether the promise will be fulfilled or not, the house voted in the new Constitution with major changes as follows:

"a. The changing of The Nigerian Union meeting day to every first Sunday of every second month. The time will be from 5-7pm .
 
b. The addition of 2 New Executive portfolios:
 
    i. Student Affairs officer - to be nominated by the Executive Committee of the Nigerian Student  Union Hungary .
 
   ii.  Women/ Children Affairs officer - Ideally should be a female.
 
c. Qualification for Election:  
The criteria has been watered down considerably. Every post from the President down to the Women/Children Affairs officer has Secondary Education as the minimum qualification for Executive position. Also only the President with a permanent Residence or Hungarian Citizenship for qualification, all other post only need a minimum of One year renewable resident.

Patron/Matron (Voluntary Body):
The Nigerian Embassy Hungary will have automatic representation and 3 other distinguished individuals who will be recommended by the Executives. Their role will be purely advisory on Union matters and other assistance deemed fit by the Executives. They have no Executive power .
 
d. Fighting and use of foul language will attract a fine of 5,000 HUF and other disciplinary measures taken against such defaulter".

Electoral Committee members include Daniel Osoba, Victor Nelson and Obong. Although there was no stiff competition among the candidates who were voted for on September 30 2007, the new executive was sworn-in on October 6 2007. The Nigerian Embassy staff including Her Excellency, ex-Ambassador (Mrs) Adeola Obileye attended the swearing-in ceremony which was planned to coincide with Nigeria at 47. The embassy gave the union a sum of 250,000 HUF (802 euro). John Sessi who at one time wanted to remain anonymous donated 100, 000 HUF and The African Hungarian Union (AHU) is yet to fulfil its promise of 50, 000 HUF as at 2009 January.

Mr. Felix Omoregbee    -    President

Alhaji Kabiru Idris         -    Vice-President

Mr. Kingsley Johnson    -    Financial Secretary

Mr. Anthony Idigbe        -    Student Affairs Officer

Miss Urenna Aguh        -    Women/children affairs Officer

Mr. Sylvester Izegbune    -    Social Secretary

Mr. Charles Horsefall        -    Provost

The Social Secretary and the Provost had been elected in 2006. Meanwhile, like the 2001 elections, there was no candidate for the post of the Secretary General after Tunde Komolafe "failed to pass through the screening process". It baffles some people how a union could operate without a Secretary General who is probably the lifeline of any union or organisation. Since the advent of the new executive, members have not received minutes of the meetings. What they have been receiving are "minutes" of party events and "how to make money" (i.e. remembering them not to forget to send their 1% of their salary to the union's account). Some have questioned the rationale behind the refusal to let Daniel Osoba who was said to have volunteered and whom some believe capable of holding the post. "At least it's much better than leave the post in a vacuum," says a union member.  

The Introduction of The Caretaker Committee

 Peter Ihaza had delivered a speech at one of the union's meetings informing the gathering that from 2007 April 10, all official matters concerning the day to day running of the Nigerian Union shall be handled by a Caretaker Committee. In the speech, Ihaza highlighted some of the things he believes keeping the union back. He said that the inability of the elected officers to comprehend simple English is a major hindrance. There are those he categorised as meddlers whose incorrigible behaviour he observed, clearly set back the union's progress. He also made reference to religion and ethnicity. 

His words: "For the Union to continue to survive, from my experience in Office, those elected to lead should be able to at least, READ, WRITE, SPEAK AND COMPREHEND ENGLISH to avoid a situation where the constitution is read upside down or duty and privilege are misunderstood and (leads to the arrogation of undue powers)...

"We have seen all types of meddlers form ordinary citizens, through some selected members of the some committee and the representatives of Government in Hungary...There were also those who hid under the clout of religion to perpetrate their mischievous acts...Some people held several meetings to use the multi-ethnic nature of our country, Nigeria to the detriment of our aspiration to be one united Union. I am not unaware of the pressure mounted on some well meaning Nigerians not to participate in the activities of the Union by some negatively tribalistic individuals who have nothing to offer..." Read Ihaza full speech.

Signatory To The Union Account

Throughout their seven-year tenure, Ihaza was the sole signatory to the union account, an issue the new Financial Secretary, Kingsley Johnson, frowns at. Johnson declared that it is unethical for one person to be the sole signatory to a union account, adding that since the union is not a one man business, at least three signatories are needed before any money could be withdrawn form the union account. "But in this case, the president holds the key to almost everything including the post office key. Important documents go to the principal address which is Peter's while only letters from the Nigerian Embassy go to the post office". Therefore, Johnson advised the former president to render an account; to submit all the union documents in his care to the new president; and to give access to all correspondence like post office, e-mail, registered address of the union. Meanwhile, all efforts to ascertain whether the current president is in possession of all the documents met with stone silence. However, Oni described him as someone who listens adding that the president cannot execute the plans alone. "There's little support from other executive members. In fact they don't know what leadership entails," he affirms.

Post Election:

The Handover & The Financial Statement

Even though some believe the handover is not the issue, the ill-feelings created before, during and after the elections between members of the former executive and their successor became apparent as interpersonal and communication situations reduced gradually. An invitation was said to have been sent to the out-going executive for a proper handing over in which only the President and the Secretary General honoured, taking with them some documents considered incomplete by the new executive, who charged that the union most important property was still missing.

Among things said to be missing were the post office key and the bank account statement. However, the following documents were handed over: registration paper, mails received, Tax refund letters showing the money has been paid to the bank, letters written to the Embassy of Nigeria in Budapest, 'Money Input Money Output' but without receipts to show how the money was actually spent. According to an expert, Money Input and Output is not a statement of account. However, the Input and Output sheet as at 31 October 2007 states: Total Input 727, 700 (2, 420 euro) and total Output 697, 545 (2,324 euro) with the total balance as 48, 155 FT (160 euro).

Whilst Johnson disclosed that the balance has not been released by the former executive, Ihaza maintained that no union document or money is with him. "I don't have any union document with me," he laments. "I never withdrew any money until the last day when I withdrew FT 10,000 and I gave them the receipt with the post office box expenses". Ihaza added that about Ft 100,000 was left in the account being the 1% contribution from members' salary as is the practice in Hungary. "I even went to the tax office that I'm no more responsible for the union thing. We prepared the tax return for 2006. If they don't file for the tax, they won't get the money". As at February 2009 about one million Hungarian Forint (3, 330 euro) is said to be in the union account as part of 1% salary donation from each willing member.

But Johnson insists that there was no good communication between the former executive and the new one culminating in improper handover which is against the ethics of any union or organisation. "Apart from the 1% contribution which cannot be withdrawn anyhow, other money the union has is gone," says Johnson. "We didn't get penny...one forint from the last executive. It is important for the union executive to have proof of expenditure otherwise it is misappropriation in accounting. Under the ethics of accounting, the person who keeps records and money cannot be the same". He adds that the union bank account is still in "their" signatory. 

On that Ihaza regrets that they didn't need him in order to change the signature. "You don't need me since I have signed the papers that are necessary. They suppose to go to court and submit necessary papers in order to change the names. It is left for them to do the changes. Besides, Endy (Treasurer) told them to use the normal lawyer but they refused, saying they have their own".

The Involvement Of The Nigerian Embassy

 There was a growing divergence of opinion on whether the Nigeria Union Hungary should accept money from the embassy in the country. While some think there's nothing wrong in accepting money from the embassy as long as it does not disrupt the entire goal of the union, others forbid such gesture saying, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. The latter group is of the opinion that, there is no way a union that depends on the embassy's funding can confront such embassy should there be any need. They reasoned that the union should be able to stand on its own. The best way, according to this group, is to reject any financial aids from the embassy whose contributions have been the major source of fund.

"I want a union so strong that it can even help our embassy in some ways," says a Nigerian who has been living in Hungary for two decades. "The point is, don't let them feed you now otherwise they will starve, even roughshod you later. Moreover, we won't be able to protect the overall interest of Nigerians if we allow the embassy to dictate the tune. How much does it cost that committed members cannot contribute?"

Unfulfilled Promise

It is a normal practice for candidates vying for elected office to highlight or present their agendas to voters, most especially the key executive positions. In a democratic dispensation, it is this agenda that voters usually fall for and then choose the candidates that best represent their interests. It is the opinion of many people, including some members of former and present executives that the union has not been able to achieve its aims and objectives. It was alleged that the only thing the executive managed to achieve was organising parties. "They (the executive) have not got themselves together," declares Oni. "It is like the Nigerian Union is dead".

How To Build A Solid Nigerian Union In Hungary

Some Nigerians believe that the Constitution should be reviewed so that only those who have made up their mind to reside permanently in Hungary must contest for the key executive positions. This group argument is that it is impediment to the progress of the union in a situation whereby almost all the ex-executive members have re-relocated to other countries. Even almost half of the present executive members are not in Hungary.

"Although it is neither a crime nor morally wrong for them to better their lives wherever they choose, any Nigerian who wants to hold an executive position should be sincere to him or herself in this regard," says a member who begs for anonymity, adding that in most other places where the Nigerian Union has succeeded, members of the executive are always true residents and not those who plan to re-locate. 

Another school of thought posits that no candidate for executive office should be affiliated with the embassy as in the case of Charles Akpan and Husein Omar who were employees of the Nigerian Embassy when they contested for the executive positions in 2001. "There's bound to be a conflict of interest and it is as simple as ABC," says a former Electoral Commission.

Oni passionately believes that strong and committed leadership is the main factor that can herald the beginning of a solid Nigerian Union in Hungary. "At the moment, leadership quality is lacking. Until Nigerians understand that the union is not about getting something but giving something, the Nigerian Union, Hungary will remain weak. We don't need crowd. We only need five or more committed people, who want to serve the union; who can find a strategy that can eventually sell the union.

Johnson shares the same sentiment. "The will of the people matters a lot," he says. "What they believe is important. Is it the union of what I will get or what I will contribute? Tribal sentiment and two know must be avoided in order to have a solid or progressive Nigerian Union in Hungary ".  He stated further that it was up to Nigerians in Hungary to make use of their ambassador, because it is they that will determine how the ambassador will work for them.

Meanwhile, Odorige partly puts the blame on Nigerians in Hungary for the union setback. He observed that Nigerians were not attending meetings as they ought to saying, "it is only when there is a program where the ambassador would be physically present that Nigerians show up".

Copyright 2009

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