Bar. Charles Umeadi-Abana, an Awka-based lawyer and son of Nri, has called for unity among the 18 age grades in the historic kingdom to drive social and economic development. Speaking at a recent meeting, he emphasized that age grades, once the backbone of Igbo community organization, have lost their collective influence by operating independently.
He urged them to form a common forum to coordinate their activities and help implement the Nri Progress Union (NPU) policies, noting that Chief Dr. Romanus Okafor, the current President-General of NPU, has brought structure and governance to Nri.
Umeadi-Abana stressed that while age grades still gather for individual ceremonies, they must become more strategically involved in security, discipline, economic progress, and the enforcement of community decisions. A coordinated approach, he argued, would create a responsive and democratic Nri, where major community decisions are agreed upon and enforced collectively.
AT Reporter
