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The Ijebu Association of the
United States of America was established by a group of Nigerian students in
the 1970s and was appropriately named The Ijebu Students Association.
The original intent of the
organization, back then, was to provide a forum for moral, intellectual and
psychological support for its members, and to ensure their well-being and
academic success during their temporary sojourn in the United States. The
main aim of members of the group, as typical of all Nigerians back then, was
to earn as many academic degrees as they were able to, and then go back to
Nigeria to contribute to the development of their fatherland.
Well, as the old saying goes,
the old order changeth, yielding places to new. The social, economic and
political environments in Nigeria have changed this laudable goal for all
Nigerians, including the Ijebus. Hence, stable and enduring ethnic
communities of Nigerian-American residents have formed, one of which is the
rebirth of the former student organization into a permanent, viable and
flourishing ethnic community that is now known as the Ijebu Association of
the United States of America.
Just like other ethnic
communities, our priorities and focus have metamorphosed from those of young
students with little or no adult concerns or commitments, to those expected
of any ethnic community composed of adults with spouses, children, and even
grandchildren. We now deal with challenges of daily living such as birth,
marriage, child-rearing, sickness and even mortality issues (albeit
immigration issues creep in as well, from time to time). Additionally, we
embark on projects aimed at improving the quality of life for our
communities in Ijebuland in Nigeria, details of which are provided in other
pages of this web site.
In short, we are a group
of law-abiding Nigerian-Americans of Ijebu descent, who seek the general
welfare of our members, uphold, cherish and nurture our cultural heritage,
create cordial relationships among all people of Ijebu descent as well as
other Nigerian ethnic groups, and develop good citizenry in the communities
of our domicile. Did you know that the Queen of Sheba was buried in Ijebu? ..... Click here to learn more.
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