Our Mission
Committing resources to alleviate
the problems confronting Ogberuru people.
ODA is a Support Network of Ogberuru Indigenes living in the USA.
Major Goals
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To promote our positive cultural heritage through educational conferences and workshops
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To assist each other through a Support Network (IMM)
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To extend a corporate helping hand to Ogberuru through special projects
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To provide a forum for cultural interactions and for discussing issues that affect Ogberuru at home and abroad
Our mission is to create positive change by uniting community members from Ogbururu and tackling local challenges head-on. Through advocacy work and collaborative projects, we aim to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment within the USA for all Ogberuru indigens and to leverage our collective power to move the wheels of progress more rapidly at home in Nigeria, serving all of Ogberuru and its neighbors.
Join us in building a stronger, more connected community.
We are committed to promoting social justice, equality, and inclusivity in all aspects of our work. By engaging with all Ogberuru indigenes, in-laws from Nigeria and other countries we build stronger bonds for all our stakeholders, we strive to amplify diverse voices and create impactful solutions that address the root causes of community issues.
Be sure to join our WhatsApp group and be an active participant - contribute your ideas and opinions to our group chats. Also be sure to pay your annual dues, take part in our group life insurance program for yourself and your family.
Ogberuru – the place, the people
Ogberuru is a rural town in Imo State, Nigeria. Tucked in the hinterland of the northern corner of present-day Orlu Local Government Area, Ogberuru sits about 600ft above sea level. Ogberuru is located about 3 miles northwest of Orlu town along Orlu-Awka road and about 22 miles north of Owerri, Imo state capital. (Orlu-Awka road is not motorable beyond Ihiteowere.) To the immediate north and northwest of Ogberuru lies Obibi-Ochasi. It is bounded in the east by Umuchima, in the northeast by Uruala, and in the southeast by Mgbee. It shares its southern borders with Okwuabala and to the west with Ihioma and Umuhu Okabia.
Due to population growth and political trends in the country, two more autonomous communities are being created from the present Ogberuru autonomous community. They are the Ezimba-Ogberuru Autonomous Community, headed by Eze Mike Igwemma, and the Amaudo-Ogberuru Autonomous Community, headed by Eze-Elect Goddy Ezike. What is left of the old Ogberuru community is headed by HRH Eze U. O. U. Iriele, Duruosimiri VI, Obi of Ogberuru. Ogberuru is made up of 10 villages: Aboh, Eziama, Isiakpu, Ubaha, Umuazala, Umuegbe, Umuelele, Umuenwerem, Umunnam, and Umunneme. Based on the 2006 National census, the population of Ogberuru is estimated at 12,000. Out of that, 54% are females. Ogberuru is a great town that has produced many talented men and women in business, academia, industry, religion, sports, and politics.
Ogberuru is situated on multiple hills and valleys with several streams in many of those valleys. Obviously, Ogberuru is endowed with plenty of streams and spring water. Some of these streams are seasonal and in hard-to-reach places. Some of the streams are: Ngwaku, Umuadu, Ezebuzo, Erim, Omirima, Nwayioma etc. Although these streams have served the Ogbeuru people for generations, they are by no means potable sources of water. Even the spring waters among them are regularly polluted. They are not easily accessible. Fetching water from these streams is an odious task. In the present generation of high-tech everywhere, I believe we can do better.
The quest for a potable source of water in Ogberuru has been long and tedious because of the topography of the region. Some low-lying areas may be easier to drill than the hilly areas, but some progress has been made in the past decade. Today, there are 10 water boreholes in Ogberuru at various degrees of productivity. It is no longer a question of if we can successfully drill a productive water borehole in Ogberuru; it is now a question of if we have the resources and will to embark on a community water borehole project.
Ogberuru Development Association, USA (ODA), a registered nonprofit organization made up of indigenes and friends of Ogberuru residing in the USA, has committed herself to providing safe drinking water to the Ogberuru people. This is not the first project ODA has undertaken in Ogberuru or the most ambitious. In 1997, ODA funded a feasibility study to highlight erosion problems in Ogberuru and the surrounding communities. ODA has carried out a multi-year project of fencing Ogberuru Secondary School. In partnership with different individuals, ODA has been supporting some deserving Ogberuru students with ODA scholarship awards.
The Traditional Rulers of Ogberuru
