16 February, 1998
Dear Mazi Kanu,
His Majesty Mazi Ogbonnaya Okoro Eze Aro VIII has directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 11 Dec. 1997 which reached him on the 30 Jan 1998. He is delighted by your letter as it clearly indicates the efforts which you are making and using your words "to support the spirit of Aro renaissance being resurrected by your offices all over Nigeria". The Goals of all Aros are the same.
In the paragraph two of your letter you made two requests. In the case of "Omu Aro" Eze Aro said that it is your right as loyal Aros in U.S.A. and that right can never be denied to you. For the personal visit His Majesty is very happy to accept but there are logistics and protocol problems which the relative short notice will make it difficult for His Majesty to be there end of May. Some of these are
At the end you have to cater for up to a minimum of 10 or 12 people, of which three or four should come from Aro Communities (AROS IN DIASPORA) depending on the total number of people accompaning the Eze. As much as Eze Aro is very delighted by your invitation and very much like to make the visit it is extremely difficult to make a realistic planning for May 1998.
His Majesty would like to know who you referred to as the All Aro Planning Committee to whom you asked to be introduced. He is aware of the All Aro Conference held at Ibom Hall in Nov 1996 which he addressed.
During the Eze Aros Advisory Council meeting held at Oror on 3rd May 1997 it came to the notice of the Council that the Commemoratio nof Anglo-Aro War of 1901/1902 (Aro 2002) being planned by the Advisory Council was in the hearts of Aros everywhere.
Eze Aro took action and Inaugurated the Planning and Implementation Commission on Aro 2002 and appointed Prof Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike as the Chairman of Aro 2002 and Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa as the Chairman of Finance and FUnd Raising Committee for Aro 2002. The Chairman of the Advisory Council Mazi Matthias Okoro was asked to co-ordinate the works of the two Communities.
Aro Agenda, as you rightly put it, is the focus of attention of all Aros. Right now all priority is, to use His Majesty's words on His first address to the Advisory Council "to re-establish our relevance and dignity in the affairs of Abia State, of Eastern Nigheria, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and beyond, indeed everywhere on earth the sun shines upon the Aro Man. This is a tall order for you".
We are resolved to achieve that "tall order", and your letter seems to share that determination. Together then, we shall go for that dream.
Yours sincerely,