[b]Interview with: Nze, Engr. Malachy Okolo
Nze Iheamarame, Eze Oguejiofor.
The Founding Chairman of NYC (The Big Apple Branch)

What is the group, I mean Peoples Club about?

The Club is about furthering social activities, economic empowerment, and networking opportunities of its members and rendering benevolent services to mankind through unity and love.

Where does it originate?

The Club originated and has its headquarters in Nigeria,specifically at Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria. It was formed in 1971 at Aba. After the civil war, “Nigerians who were impelled by the desire to foster good relations amongst mankind and to sponsor and promote charitable and philanthropic causes founded the Club in 1971 at Aba in Nigeria,” according to Uwagboe and Ume (1988, p.3)”: The New York City Branch was inaugurated on August 6, 2006.

How do you recruit members?

It is not a direct membership Club. A person desiring to join the Club has to find a sponsor who is already a member of the Club before he/she receives a call from the chairman of the branch and then be given an application. When sponsored, the individual has to go through a stringent interview process to be accepted.

Why such a tough process?

To invest in one another’s future, you must make sure you are bringing people of like minds and characters. You have to be friends to work together. The Club derives its longevity and success history through love and unity. Often a person admitted to the Club calls a private party to celebrate the achievement. It is a Club of Who is Who.

Are there other requirements for Membership?

There are a few other requirements for membership such as age, residency, character, means of livelihood, potential to help the Club grow, social history etc. Basically, a person being sponsored must have a verifiable means of livelihood, He must be age 21 or above; must not be anti-social or laden with lots of enemies; must have potential to be productive in the Club; must be willing to move forward. This is important because there are people, no matter how you try; they are destined to move backwards. Also a Club cannot grow by acquiring a cluster of enemies. Enemies do not invest together or be their brother’s keeper.

Do you admit women?

Yes! The Club does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religious affiliation, etc. As long as one is willing to abide by the Club’s constitution, By-laws, and protocols and meet our admission requirements, one is admitted. However, only one spouse, if a married couple, can be admitted. The other spouse becomes an associate member.

Why can’t you admit both?

To Peoples Club: 1 + 1 = 1. We regard a married couple as one entity and one voice. Only one can react at a time. Both have a voice in the Club, but through one channel. It gives the clue how important family unity is to the Club. Charity begins at home. The unity of the unit family translates to the unity of the Club, made up of these unit families. So, both have the same benefit but one voice.

What about admitting singles?

Admission into the Club is not limited to married couples as long as you are sponsored and meet all the admission requirements.

Is the Club only for the Igbos?

No! No! No! It originated from Igboland. Now it is international. Any body can join if they meet all the requirements. In Boston, an Indian, from India is a member. In Cherry Hill, A Yoruba is their secretary, a very powerful position.

Is there any fee involved in admission? Can you discuss these fees?

Of course, you cannot talk about such a noble Club without some fees. Membership in the Club is an investment. You cannot talk o finvestment without money. The fees vary from chapter to chapter depending on the local benefits of chapter. These fees, except application fees, are paid only after the general membership accepts the member. The fees go up with time depending on investments and membership benefits of the Chapter. Simply, our fees are on a sliding scale. The people who are admitted this year may be payinga lesser fees than those to be admitted in the future.

So once a person is voted inand paid his fees is he a full member?

No. He/she is a member on probation until inducted. After that he/she is a full member.

What does induction mean?

This is when an admitted member is sworn in. It is usually a very big and important ceremony. The leadership worldwide comes to this occasion. It is also a good moment for the inductees to invite friends and relatives to observe and support them. After the induction, it is all celebration.Then the candidates become full members with full local and national benefits.

Let us talk about benefits:Having gone through the tough admission process and fees, what is there for the person. What does the Club offer?

This is the area I have the greatest pride to talk about. Of course, anyone who invests money, invested to get something out of it. The greatest investment any one can make for him and his family is investing in his/her inner peace. Inner peace, most often, does not come without some financial comfort. Both benefits with their ramifications are what a member is investing in. In a Club where everyone is a close comrade, you do not go far anymore to search for good and trustable friends. They are iny our bosom. You can invest together with such friends; you can watch eachother’s back etc. This does not infer that there cannot be squabbles among friends sometimes. Yes we are humans. There are strict protocols to deal with such issues. In certain cases we help them settle or be ejected from the club.Good guys cannot be contaminated. We also have very good death and life benefits, local and group insurance policies and national social security.These benefits are great. I cherish camaraderie and networking most.

How many clubs do you have nowin USA and Canada?

So far we have 12 branches

1. Houston

2. Washington

3. Princeton

4. Miami

5. Boston

6. Dallas

7. Galveston

8. Philadelphia

9. Toronto

10. Atlanta

11. New York

12. Cheryl Hill

So, any one who belongs toany one of the chapter belongs to the other?

Each chapter is semi-autonomous and links directly to the headquarters. A link to other Clubs is through personal relationship and networking. No chairman has influence over the other. So what that means is that a member in each of the branch is a member of PCNI but belongs, goes to the meetings and derives his/her local benefits from his/her chapter. A member in any branch is a member of Peoples Club but where they attend meeting and derive their local benefits varies.

What if a person from another branch wants to switch to New York City Branch?

That process is guided by our transfer policy. Transfer is not all that an easy process. To transfer, you must make sure that the other branch is willing to accept you. Then you apply for transfer through your branch. Your branch must be willing to release you and the other branch should be willing to accept you for the transfer to be effected.



What condition would makeyour branch not to release you or the other branch not to accept you?

A member must get a letter from his branch approving his request for transfer. The other branch must have that letter before the transfer is effective.

Why?

Well, loyalty and humility in the Club and to the leadership is very important. Often we say that the Club disciplines adults.What that means is that the affairs of the Club are guided not only by the constitution and By-laws but also by protocols. If an individual is not a member in good standing, the other Club may not be willing to accept the member. If the member did not pay all his dues and clear any constitutional violations for which, he/she is being prosecuted in the chapter, he/she may not get the letter from his/her chapter that the other branch needs to accept the individual. This prevents a persons from causing problems from one Club and running to another. Such an arrangement ensures that people behave well in the Club and eliminates hostility between chapters. It keeps the door clear for networking and helping one another grow, which is the main focus of the Club.

You said you have a chapter in NJ. Can a person in NJ join NY chapter and vice versa?

Yes, but not very easily. If a person is in another zone or tributary, he must convince the Club he is joining that he has a good reason to join that chapter. Him or the Club must request a clearance from the other resident Club. This process is necessary to ensure that a person who would not qualify to be a member and not known very well by the new branch is not admitted by another branch. If a person fails an interview in one branch, he may not have a chance to join another branch. Let’s say a person in New York who is big time troublemaker is refused entry in NY, if we do not have a means of checking this, he would go to New Jersey and join, and then he comes back to New York flapping his wings that he is now a member of the Club. New York chapter has the right to reject his participation in any event New York City Branch is a part of. We do not want such incidence to be occurring.

There is this speculationthat the Club is a secret Club or Ogboni etc.

You make me laugh very loud. If this were a secret Club, would I be revealing to you the operations of the Club? That is said about any group where 99 percent of their members are successful. We cannot be an exception. What you should note is that the Club started in the Eastern region of Nigeria where 90% of the population are Christians. Majority of our leadership at Onitsha are Knights. I am a Knight and an ardent Catholic. Majority of our members are Christians. There is no room for that in the Club.

What distinguishes New YorkCity PCNI with other branches?

Naturally, there is no competition between branches. Your question connotes competition. However, the vibrancy of a Branch depends on itsl ocation and people who make up the Branch. We are the Big Apple branch. We do a lot of things differently with a blend of New York freedom and productivity culture. We are production-oriented institution. We give no room for redundancy or retrogression. If you are afraid of being successful, the Big Apple PCNI is a wrong place to be.

What would you say to some people in New York who criticize the Club for their pride and the way their leaders are worshiped and respected anywhere they go?

I would say; Lord forgive them, for they do not know what they say. Such criticism comes with our endemic crab mentality territory. Peoples Club loves those people but we cannot be looking backwards in their direction while we are running a race to win.

What events do you have going on now or coming soon?

We are currently recruiting new members. Anyone who is interested in joining this noble club should get a sponsor or call (646)-773-7111. On July 22, 2006 we will be having our second induction of new members for New York City branch. We may have the pleasure of having Chief Osita Osadebe play for us Live at Kennedy Airport Ramada Plaza. Also, we will be having end of year party on December 9, 2006.

Thank you for your time and patience

Please come back should you have a need for it.

Note that since the Interview above, seven (6) new branches have been inaugurated in the Americas namely:

13 San Francisco

14 Princeton Junction

15 Chicago

16 Arlington Tx

17 New Haven Ct

18. Los Angeles