Press Release
28th Feb 2023
FENRAD Executive Director comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor Elected WANEP Southeast Regional coordinator
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor Executive Director. Foundation For Environmental Rights,Advocacy & Development(FENRAD) Abia State A foremost Environmental & Human Rights organization have been elected as the Southeast Regional coordinator WANEP
In keenly contest election which held online
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor Emerge the New Zonal coordinator
West Africa Network on Peace building is a network of peacebuilding civil society organizations with structural presence in all the countries of ECOWAS, including Cameroun and Chad.
The network seeks to build collaborative relationship among peacebuilding organizations towards conflict prevention and resolution. Its credibility and commitment to peace and stability in West Africa has been recognized by ECOWAS through the appointment of WANEP as the civil society representative at the ECOWAS secretariat.
The establishment of the network has been a response to the growing pathologic civil based violence and war in West Africa caused by mismanaged socio-political structures and systems. WANEP`s niche is built on its ability to facilitate a platform for concerted structural and social reforms amongst societies in West Africa sub region. It works towards achieving this through streamlined thematic programs.
These include the Women in Peacebuilding, the Non Violence and Peace Education, Research and Documentation, Democracy and Good Governance, and the Early Warning and Preventive Peacebuilding.
Within the WANEP-Nigeria structure, its mode of operation is through the six geo-political zones. These zonal arrangement facilitates an ownership process among zonal network groups and also encourages the local generation of intervention strategies to peculiar conflicts within the zone
The outcome of South East WANEP Virtual Meeting Held on 17th April, 2023*
After the prayer said by Enugu State coordinator, Prof Obioma Nwaorgu by 1.12pm, the outgoing zonal coordinator, Chibundu Uchegbu called for the introduction of members. This was after he had announced what the agenda were.
Mr Uchegbu made a brief opening remarks thanking all the members for their faith in the organisation, adding that WANEP is the strongest and largest peace building network in the zone, therefore encouraged members to observer it dictates taking cognizance of the security situation in the country. In his conclusion, he said this is the last time he would be in the WANEP meeting as the zonal coordinator that the next time he will feature he is going to feature as a member of WANEP, not as a zonal coordinator. He thanked the BoT Rep for the zone, Barr Margret Nwagbuo for her motherly roles in guiding him throughout his tenure. He also expressed gratitude to all the coordinators and members of the organisation for supporting while his regime lasted.
In her own remarks, the BoT Rep for the zone, Barr Margret Nwagbuo, welcomed WANEP members to the meeting, and thanked Mr Chibundu Uchegbu for the services he rendered to the network, and advised that the next coordinator must posses the qualities of leadership, know the routines of the organisation and take it to the greater heights. She concluded by wishing the outgoing zonal coordinator, Chibundu Uchegbu, well.
Election into the office the zonal coordinator
Nomination
1. Hope Okoye, Anambra State coordinator nominated Comrade Nelson Nwafor as the zonal coordinator
2. Barr Margret Nwagbuo, BoT Rep for the zone, nominated Pst Frank Akuma as the zonal coordinator.
Voting
Number of accredited voters – 9
Comrade Nelson Nwafor – 5 votes
Pst Frank Akuma – 4 votes
Winner: Comrade Nelson Nwafor.
On this ground, Comrade Nelson Nwafor was declared the elected coordinated for the South East WANEP.
In his handover speech, Chibundu Uchegbu thanked all the participants and voters and encouraged them to uphold the tenets of the organisation. He then invited the new coordinator, Comrade Nelson Nwafor to address the organisation and then conclude the meeting.
Speaking, the South East WANEP coordinator, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor commended the spirit exhibited in the exercise and promised to work with everyone and listened to advice in order to take the network to a greater height. He begged the BoT Rep, Mrs Margret Nwagbuo to keep playing the motherly role she played during the time of Chibundu Uchegbu all for the growth of the network. He thanked and congratulated the outgone zonal coordinator, Chibundu Uchegbu, for the strengths and dedication he have to the network, and pledged to uphold them.
The meeting ended by 3.21pm.
Attendance
1. Barr Margret Nwagbuo (BoT Rep)
2. Amauche Ohaka (Imo)
3. Chinelo Dim (Enugu)
4. Pst Frank Akuma (Enugu)
5. Ifeoma Onugu (Anambra)
6. Hope Nkeiruka Okoye (Anambra State coordinator)
7. Basil Ejigini (Imo State coordinator)
8. Comrade Nelson Nwafor (Abia State coordinator – as then)
9. Eze Faith Ogochukwu (Enugu)
10. Prof Obioma Nwaorgu (Enugu State coordinator)
11. Chibundu Uchegbu (outgone zonal coordinator)