The 9th Annual Convention of the Esan World Congress (EWC) USA/Canada, scheduled for July 11 to 13, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey, is set to become a defining moment in the push to transform healthcare outcomes for the people of Esanland in Edo State, Nigeria.
This year’s gathering, themed “Made For This: Enhancing Healthcare in Esanland,” is more than a diaspora reunion. It is a bold and urgent declaration of intent to rewrite the health narrative of Esan communities through collective vision, expertise and action.
Organisers say the convention is purposefully designed to unify Esan sons and daughters, professionals, thought leaders, and allies around a shared mission to deliver real change. The EWC president, Dr. Eromonsele Idahosa and secretary-general, Prof. Ehiyamen Osezua, described the convention as a rallying point that goes beyond tradition. For them, this moment calls for coordinated, deliberate commitment to address longstanding healthcare deficits in the Esan region, located in Nigeria’s central senatorial district of Edo State.
“Our history is filled with examples of Esan people rising to meet challenges with unity, courage, and resolve. Now is the time to channel our global strength, expertise, and resources to revolutionize healthcare access and outcomes for our people,” said Dr. Idahosa. Osezua, a professor of public administration at the University of Texas, Austin, added that the convention would be a platform for critical conversations around development, cultural preservation and sustainable systems, with a clear emphasis on healthcare enhancement. “This is more than a reunion,” he noted. “It is a reaffirmation of our shared purpose as a people.”
The convention will include global plenary sessions featuring healthcare and development experts, workshops aimed at practical solutions, and strategic medical outreach plans to benefit rural and urban communities in Esanland. There will also be forums to engage Esan voices across generations, a cultural night to celebrate heritage and excellence, and a major fundraiser to support healthcare projects across Esan-speaking areas.
One of the anticipated high points of the convention will be the unveiling of the second edition of the EWC Journal of Organisational Leadership. This flagship publication is set to spotlight critical research, strategic governance frameworks, and healthcare leadership innovations aimed at accelerating system-wide transformation in Esanland and beyond.
The governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo is expected as the special guest of honour, further reinforcing the strengthening partnership between the Edo State government and the global Esan diaspora. Okpebholo’s anticipated presence signals official recognition of the diaspora’s pivotal role in driving community-based development.
International public health expert and keynote speaker, Prof. Edwin Eseigbe will anchor the central discussion on building resilient and equitable healthcare systems in Esanland. Eseigbe, a renowned paediatric neurologist and neurodevelopmental paediatrician, currently serves as professor of paediatrics at the Benue State University and visiting professor at Bingham University, Karu.
A former chief medical director of Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos and president of the Child Neurology Society of Nigeria, his professional affiliations also include the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, where he chairs the tobacco control and prevention unit. He is also lead consultant on children with special needs to the Federal Ministry of Health.
Eseigbe holds an MBBS from the University of Benin, an MSc in public health and a Doctor of Medicine from the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the West African College of Physicians, Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh and the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. His keynote will offer practical insights into building healthcare frameworks that are community-centred, data-driven and inclusive.
Confirming preparations for the convention are well underway, the chairman of the publicity committee, Simon Ogbeide and Mary Inegbenehi, host and president of Esan Sons and Daughters in Diaspora Inc., New York, jointly called on all Esan professionals, policymakers and stakeholders to participate. “This is not just another convention: it is a turning point. Healthcare is not a privilege; it is a right. We are Esan. We are made for this,” said Ogbeide.
Inegbenehi added that the convention will serve as a convergence point for innovation and long-term planning, aimed at strengthening unity, building health infrastructure and creating a lasting legacy of wellness and progress for generations to come.
