The Umu Ezionum online platform was formed and created on Facebook on the 20th day of April, 2010 by Mr Enudi Diamond. The dream of having this online forum was hinged on the need to meet many of our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters in the diaspora who have never visited home or have any plans of doing so. This is because either their parents never took them home or that their parents don’t have an interest in associating with members of their ethnic group (The Ukwuani) arising from ‘What they heard or their fear of the unknown’. As a result of this, they are ‘lost’.
I lived with a maternal cousin for over 5 years. We all knew that we came from Ezionum, while his parents grew up and had them outside Ezionum and mine in Asaba. Just by a mere coincidence, both sisters met at an occasion with their two children, unknowingly that these children are roommates and have been living together all along. I imagined if we were of different sex and had found love, what would have come out of it. Imagine if we had done something terrible to ourselves and later discovered that we are blood relatives.
I visited the regular Nduku Festival in 1997 and fought outside the dance hall (Hall Odinichi) where King Ubulu (of blessed memory) played, with a girl and a boy. After the Nduku, on getting back to Asaba, our parents came back with the same girl whom I fought with at Ezionum three days before, to stay with us in Asaba. Imagine the shock and surprise.
With these several instances, together with the advent and popularity of Facebook, the group UMU EZIONUM was birthed. The aim is as follows:
- To cater for and unite the people of Ezionum in interacting and sharing positive ideas.
- To give our Kingdom the deserved online presence, thereby creating the much-needed acquaintance with those in the diaspora.
- To re-orientate our people who are ill-informed about Ezionum Kingdom.
- To establish unity of purpose. This is already being experienced on the online platform and even one-on-one physical meetings.
This gathered a lot of momentum and encouragement. However, based on the success being recorded on Facebook, there was a push on the Umu Ezionum Facebook page to form a real-time interaction. This suggestion led to the establishment of a WhatsApp page for the forum.
One of the leading voices we must acknowledge is Mr. Richard Ntada. On the 18th of September, 2016, we created the UMU EZIONUM WhatsApp platform, and many sons and daughters of this great kingdom came together to chart a positive course that will propel the kingdom to a more enviable height. Developmental projects were introduced for the kingdom. The first project we embarked on was ‘Bring Back Ezionum Light’.