| A Profile Mirroring The Vision |
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“Maintaining our origin means staying
true to the task regardless of the station.” – Sam
Uwandu
Staying Connected to Imo Roots
Though not resident in Imo state, Chief Uwandu is always part
and parcel of every activity concerning the progress of Imo
State because of his strong believe in traditional ties. He was
the
first Financial Secretary of the Mbano People’s Association
during the period of 1988 to1992. He also served as the associations
General Secretary from 1992-1998.
In 1998, he was among a concerned group of Imo state citizens
resident in the USA who initiated the Imo forum, an umbrella
organization that hosts Imo professionals committed to the underlying
objective of providing support to the political and economic
growth of Imo State. Since then Imo Forum has been instrumental
to several remarkable changes taking place in the state today.
In
2000, Imo Forum held a summit that hosted Governor Achike Udenwa
during his USA visit to meet with United States investors in
a bid to attract development investment to Imo State. The exploration
of such trade opportunity backed by Imo forum support heightened
Governor Udenwa’s interest and foresight to open an Imo
Trade Office in Washington DC.
To facilitate the takeoff of this pioneer
trade project Chief Uwandu picked up over 50% of the expenses incurred
by Imo Forum
USA in hosting the Imo foreign investment summit. The Trade Office
which eventually took off continues to receive the support of members
of the forum and other Imo State citizens in America through providing
available links for development aid assistance to the office especially
in the area of health care.
Chief Uwandu is the current President of Imo Forum and he is
committed to a practical and informed agenda that will continue
to bring economic development efforts in Imo State.
The highest manifestation of life
consists in this: that a being governs its own actions. A thing
which
is always subject to the
direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing. – Saint
Thomas Aquinas
Self-reliance and Entrepreneurship
Chief Sam Uwandu is currently the Founder and Chief Executive
Officer of Sam Uwandu and Associates, a financial enterprise
based in Maryland United States of America. He was appointed
a member of the Financial Review Committee of the Government
of District of Columbia in 1995. He is a member of the Business
Advisory Council to the United States Republican National Committee.
He has a wide range of financial accounting and management experience.
He is well versed in operational budgeting, capital budgeting
and budget forecast with expertise in the auditing of public
sector and corporate accounts. These are salient qualities that
match the challenges of fiscal discipline and financial oversight
functions which a 21st Century leader must have in order to run
an institution that is not weighed down with corrupt practices.
Chief Uwandu understands the crippling effects of foreign debts
on developing nations and the harm it does to the economic enhancement
of citizens therein. Because a lesser debt burdened Nigeria will
yield economic results in Imo State, Chief Uwandu sponsors a
Pro-African Advocacy Group that canvasses for debt relief through
organizing sensitizing outreach programs that target the audience
of US congressmen and officials.
He does this with the optimism that when advanced countries cancel
Nigeria debts, the funds will be spread across the nation for
the benefit of the common man. By adopting prudent spending such
allocations will be put into proper use of providing basic social
infrastructures such as electricity, water, good roads, transport,
health care and education.
From humble beginnings, Chief Uwandu has attained excellence
through the dint of hardwork driven by the necessity to invent
ideas that help improve people’s standard of living.
A conscientious crusader for social justice he intends to inspire
in Imolites the culture of threading on all frontiers of possibilities
as a sine quo non for success, by invoking the words of Ralph
Waldo Emerson:
“
Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap
a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character
and you reap a destiny.” “No one can cheat you
out of ultimate success but yourself.”
Leadership without borders
According to Bill Clinton erstwhile US President, ‘we need
not just a new generation of leadership but a new gender of
leadership.”
Pursuant to this guiding principle, Chief Uwandu has been a leading
force in mobilizing an African lobby in the United States that
canvasses for open democratic processes in African settings.
This ideology will be instrumental to Uwandu plans to establish
an all inclusive government in Imo State that will be predicated
on a twin pillar phenomena:
- Eradicating the special interest group syndrome that hijacks
the instruments of power and runs Imo state affairs as a closely
held corporation.
- Bridging the gap of ownership to accommodate majority of disenfranchised
Imo citizens who have been made irrelevant to government proceedings
as a result of their age long marginalization.
At the dawn of a new Chief Uwandu era, every citizen of Imo State
will not only count but will also be uniquely endowed with the
blessings that equal participation in governance will offer. From
students,
to the aged, traders, market women, motorists,
farmers, civil servants, private sector and professionals the “
Imolite
Table” will be a dining place for all.
The acknowledgement of individual
inalienable rights to life and freedom are the gateway to fundamental human rights
and sustainable
development. To appreciate Chief Uwandu determination to accomplish
the goals of broad leadership take a look at some examples of what
he has done so far:
As a member of the National Advancement of Colored People (NAACP),
Chief Uwandu champions the quest for social justice based on the
principle of equal participation for all.
Under his current leadership
as President of the African Coalition for Republicans (ACR) in
Prince George’s County Maryland USA
he promotes total integration of all segments of the African population
into mainstream America regardless of race, class or status.
Chief Uwandu is the Patron of both
St. John’s Episcopal Anglican
Women Group and the African Women Appreciation Day events planned
for March 2006 in commemoration of the International Women’s
Month.
He has supported many projects executed by women both in Nigeria
and in USA because of his conviction that women are key partners
in our sociopolitical landscape and should not be relegated to afterthought
decisions that cast the shadow of second-class citizenry on them.
His realistic assessment is that women have displayed business ingenuity
that contributes to our market economy and many of them belong to
the intelligentsia group with potentials for excellent leadership
roles which the Uwandu administration plans to tap.
A Culture of Care and Commitment: Promises
Made Promises Kept.
“Each
of us in our own way can try to spread compassion into people’s
hearts. Western civilizations these days place great importance
on filling the human 'brain' with knowledge, but no one seems
to care about filling the human 'heart' with compassion. This
is what the real role of religion is." Delai
Lama
A philanthropist at heart, Chief Uwandu is unwavering in his
commitment to uplift the least among us and garner resources
for community improvements. His philanthropic gestures cover
a wide range of events that different people from all works of
life have benefited from and include but not limited to:
