As Usiagwu is an open-minded person who does not shy away from pointing out the wrong, it is expedient to call on all Igbankians to find each other and devise ways on how we can synergize for the community good.
There is no denying the fact that technology, particularly social media, and the telephone has allowed us to be more connected than ever before so much so that many people are no more disconnected and isolated from one another. In as much as the foregoing fact cannot be pooh-poohed, as it has continued to be an advantage to community mobilizers and builders, it is no more news that a golden fish in the facsimile of Engr. Usiagwu Arthur Osaretin, a community development enthusiast, President of Igbanke General Union (IGU) Worldwide has no hiding place among his kinsmen, particularly as he is one of the brains behind infrastructural development in Igbanke town in Edo State. Undoubtedly, he has been demonstrating his magic wand to mobilize his people that reside in different parts of the world by virtue of his leadership position as a community leader.
As the president of IGU, he has not relented in his effort to unite all sons and daughters in the Diaspora as he has continued to initiate and execute policies aimed at fostering a greater sense of connection and belonging. His sustained giant strides toward the development of the Igbanke community have made not a few Igbankians, such as this writer to be asking, “How has Presido been mobilizing the people by ensuring that they collectively work towards the development of the community?
The answer to the foregoing question cannot be farfetched as he has in his ingenuity been building strong relationships and creating a sense of purpose, meaning, and belonging with everyone that originated from the community, and in the Diaspora. These relationships which he has continued to put in place in his leadership capacity have unarguably created a culture of accountability, which, in turn, inspires all members of IGU to be keying into his initiatives.
So how is he doing it that the members of IGU have continued to trust him and work with him? To answer the foregoing question, there is no denying the fact that he is committed to being a community builder, and by observation, has remained a leader that has developed the mindset of ensuring that Igbanke as a community must be developed. As observed in his first tenure, and now in his second tenure, he is a leader that thinks bigger, and sacrifices time and resources to help the Igbanke people in his capacity.
Not only that, he has the habit of celebrating the success of every Igbanke person in the Diaspora and at home and sees their success as his success. Without a doubt, he takes time to invest in relationships and support his brothers and sisters in the Diaspora. Most salient of all is that he has sustainably exemplified himself to be a good community leader.
Regarding the virtues that distinguish him from other community leaders, he is a personality that passionately cultivates credibility and trust. Thus, he is known as a community builder that has the passion to work tirelessly in order to nurture strong credibility and trust with virtually every Igbanke indigene that comes across him.
At this juncture, it is expedient to say that his knack for connecting with Igbanke people in the Diaspora has been going for him; both in his first tenure and in the ongoing second tenure, and his social and brotherly dispositions have continued to show that he is a purpose-driven son of the soil and leader who is much more connected to the people.
Against the foregoing backdrop, it is not out of place to say that anyone that does not dispassionately look at the community leadership qualities of “Presido” as he is fondly called may erroneously think that it is a piece of cake to be a community leader and builder. How wrong such is success never comes easy. Neither does trust. It takes years, especially as it is expedient for a community leader to sustainably gain the confidence of those that are directly under his leadership. Without any iota of exaggeration, it takes strength, grit, and character to be a community leader and builder even as he must be level-headed when faced with a crisis, and must know how to navigate roadblocks and deal with problems before they trickle down to people that fall under the purview of his leadership.
As a community leader, there is no denying the fact that Presido has the uncommon traits that every renowned builder possesses and one of them is that as a good builder, he knows his priorities and that of his people, even as he is transparent and upfront while addressing the concerns of members of IGU and at the same time commits himself to maintain a cordial rapport with them.
His achievements are so visible that family members, friends, youth leaders, and associates are always proud of him as he has remained a source of inspiration to many, particularly as he is reputed to be engaged with other community leaders in ensuring that Igbanke becomes an infrastructural developed community, and has in the same vein been an advocate of peaceful co-existence, hence he has remained a key role player towards the attraction of diverse projects, in no small way, to the community.
Against the foregoing backdrop, not a few Igbankians have on various occasions applauded his virtues, as they are unanimous in their views that he is one of the people that are uplifting the community, particularly as they are cognizant of the fact that his amiable mien is conspicuous for everyone to see. Little wonder one of the indigenes at an event applauded him thus: “I call him a positive force…uniquely different from the crowd with zero tolerance for laziness and laxity as he is highly cerebral, upwardly mobile, and cerebrally sagacious.”
At this juncture, permit this writer to opinionate that no one of us on his own is as strong as all of us together. Beyond politics, I believe it is important for all self-respecting indigenes of Igbanke community to reflect on what roles they can play in bringing positive change to the community as Usiagwu has chosen to.
Without sounding panegyric, it is so easy to become an armchair critic even when you can play a part, no matter how small to champion sustainable development towards the sustainable growth of Igbanke. As Usiagwu is an open-minded person who does not shy away from pointing out the wrong, it is expedient to call on all Igbankians to find each other and devise ways on how we can synergize for the community good.