I will take a cue from the postulations of My Editor-in Chief, Mr. Henry Ekpe, who in his piece ‘The Old Owerri I Know’ published in the Weekend Edition of Imo Trumpeta last Friday vividly made comparisons between Owerri of the seventies, eighties and now.
I decided to continue from where he stopped as today’s piece will move a step further to deeply reflect the burden of Owerri people since Rochas Okorocha emerged the Governor of Imo State. Here we go:
It has been observed lately that the Okorocha Adminstration has been at loggerheads with the good people of Owere Nchi Ise. For purposes of clarity, it is imperative to say that Owere Nchi Ise is the native name for Owerri municipality made up of five villages namely Umuororonjo, Amawom, Umuoyima, Umuonyeche and Umuodu communities.
However my observation stems from recent outburt by stakeholders in the area who have vowed to boycott the forthcoming Community Government Council Election scheduled to hold on December 15, 2012 across the State.They tell anyone that cares to listen that Okorocha reneged on his promise to allocate each of the five villages/ communities in Owerri a CGC component.
They further contend that Owerri municipality is the only local Government in Imo State the communities therein were not accorded a CGC status. They are also unhappy over the recent action of the State Government on the basis that it failed to take cognisance of the fact that Owerri is the only municiplaity in Southern Nigeria and the second in the entire federation after Kano municipality. Kano and Owerri, according to their historical analysis, also enjoy metropolitan status and are capitals of their respective States.
Both cities share similar features as well. While Kano Municiplaity is the commercial nerve centre of the North, Owerri prides itself as the capital city of Eastern heartland.
According to the President General of Owerri Community Assembly (OCA), Oweya Christian Anukam, that Owerri municipality has one CGC component is not only an insult on the sensibilities of the people but a delibrate policy to witchunt them. He wondered why the area will be singled out of the benefits of the CGC, whereas most communities, if not all in the State, were accorded a CGC status in the 26 local Governments. As a keen obsever of events in Owere Nch Ise, I will admit that this present development has stirred the hornest nest in the five communities in Owerri. They say that the Rescue Mission of Governor Okorocha has not in anyway benefited the good people of Owere Nchi Ise.
Going down memory lane, one can say that they have cause to have such suspicions. Owerri people have not had it rosy with Governor Okorocha’s Adminstration. And some leaders in the area attribute it to the fact that Owelle may not have forgiven the people for the actions of some PDP stakeholders of Owere Nchi Ise stock who stopped him (Owelle) from using the Township school ground, located along Wethedral Road, Owerri for his campign before that April 26, 2011 nail biting Governorship election in Imo State. I was informed that some political henchmen loyal to then Governor Ikedi Ohakim, in apparent display of political overzealouness for Ohakim, organised some youths of Owere Nchi Ise to disupt Owelle’s campaign at the School ground.
There was another gist that Eze Emmanuel Njemanze, Ozuruigbo v of Owere delibrately avoided receiving the then APGA candidate when he visited his palace. These I was told are believed to be Owelle’s grieviances against Owere people.
If this is the case, then is it not strange that Okorocha, that was allegedly villified by some misguided Owere people before the elections secured a large number of votes in Owerri municipality after his Ideato North Local Government Area.
APGA- Okorocha’s his political party- also dethroned the might and size of the PDP by winning the House of Assembly seat in Owerri municipality which was in the kitty of the PDP for several decades. The area also massively voted for APGA in the senatorial and House of Reps elections providing bloc votes that aided to take Senator Chris Anyanwu to the Senate and Hon Ezenwa Onyewuchi to the Federal House of Representatives in Abuja.
This is why it baffles yours sincerely that the present Adminstration is perceived to have adopted an anti- Owerri stance . This has manifested in several dimensions. And it is disheartening to the people that after providing sufficent votes that significantly aided the victory of the present Adminstration, coupled with promises made to them that each of the villages will get a CGC component, the reverse is now the case.
I was reliably informed told that Nick Oparandundu, the Governor’s Special Adviser on Economic Matters had assured a mammoth crowd of Owere people at Ugwu Ekwema Civic Centre, that each village in Owere Nchi Ise will get a CGC component. We were also told that Okorocha assured Owerri people who visited him at New Government House, that each of the communities in the seat of government will get a CGC component each.
To say that his promise increased the expectations of the people who have yearned for an automous status for a long period is an understatement. That promise tempoarily quenched the thirst for the ‘democratization’ of the five communities in the area which has been the agitation of authentic leaders of Owere people.
For over a decade , majority of Owere people had earnestly yearned for an autonomous status. It has been craved for a long time as a basis to rapidly spread dividends of democracy to the people to the five villages. With the denial of an autonomous status by past Adminstrations, many had expected that the CGC will signify the beginning of the ‘democratization’ process of the communities as a preparatory measure to ensure the liberalization of traditional structure in Owere Nchi Ise.
I am also aware that majority of Owerri people, except a tiny few, had in the past strongly craved for a Development Centre for the purpose of adminstrative convinience which was graciously approved by the Imo State House of Assembly in 2006. Suprisingly the House approval was rejected by then Governor Achike Udenwa for inexplicable reasons.
From the foregoing, Owelle can now understand why the people of Owere Nchi ise supported his proposal that each of the five communities to have a CGC slot. That he has reneged on that promise has only suceeded to instil a negative perception by the people about his adminstration . That he made a U-turn on the issue is seen as a mirror that reflects firmly held belief harboured by the people that Owere Nchi Ise is being schemed out from the benefits of his Rescue mission.
Therefore,what transpired between the State Government and Amawom community over Governor Okorocha’s resolve to build an Ecumenical Centre and a Five Star hotel at Area k, World Bank Housing Estate is a casestudy. The land owners (Amawom people) objected to the use of the land on the basis that consultations were not made. It is not disputeable that Government has the right to take any land for developmental purpose. it is not objectionale, rather what is objectionable is that there were no compensation for the land owners. Aside this, there was also an attempt to take the land by ‘force’ an act which is against the grain the commonsense for a Government whose slogan is my people, my people.
Having suffered from the pains of urbanization that has subjected Owerri people to live in slums and having contributed significantly to the infrastructural development of Owerri capital city, the resistance put up by Amawom community towards the State Government on the Area K issue was justified.
And if that is the basis for the latest non favourable antics adopted by the State Government towards Owere Nchi Ise people by denying them one of the fruits(CGC) of the Rescue Mission, then it is absurd.
However,the proposed plan to relocate the Eke Ukwu Owere market to somewhere along Government Technical College (GTC), egbu road Owerri as announced by Governor Okorocha in his 2013 Budget Speech to members of the Imo State House of Assembly is seen as another extension of his perceived manifestation of his grouse with Owere people. It is a sign that shows he has an axe to grind with the people.
While the gains inherent from the removal of the market sound pleasant to the ears of the originators of the plan, they fail to forget that in Igbo land, it is difficult for owners of ancestral herlics to let it go. A historical account shows that Eke Ukwu Owere market is the collective ancestral heritage of the five villages of Owere Nchi Ise. Based on this, one can deduce what the market means to Owere people.
Despite the fact that change remains permament, the preservation of a historical or cultural identifty is not lost on Igbos. Therefore the Eke Ukwu Owere market is one of the cherised ancestral and historical identity of Owerri people.This is why they get so infuriated whenever there is any plan to relocate it.
I remember how attempts made by previous Adminstrations to relocate the market failed in the past. The Amadi Ikwechegh military Adminstration tried it, he crumbled. The feud between Owere people and Ikwechegh over Eke Ukwu Owere market rose to a point of no retreat no surrender. At a point, a delegation of Owere people led by Chief Nath Onyeukwu, Ikemba Owere to then Chief of General Staff, Rear Admiral Augustus Aikhomu (of blessed memory) , in addition to Eze Alexious Anumaku Njemanze’s famous ‘ Ikwechegh, na kwa echeki’ warning were cumulative factors which forced Ikwechegh to hands from plans to relocate the ancient market. Being a resilient people, they resisted the might, size and power of the military government to relocate the market. And this left in its trail a bitter rivarly between the people and that Government.
( To be Continued Next Tuesday)
