Arresting Insecurity In South-East

Prof. Ben Nwabueze

BY OKEY MADUFORO

Constitutional lawyer and Chairman Igbo Leaders of Thought, Prof Ben Nwabueze, could not hide his anger over the killings in the South East when he spoke with reporters shortly after a meeting of the body.

Nwabueze alleged that the inability to fight insecurity in the zone was as a result of the fact that most of the state police Commissioners were from the North and did not understand the terrain, adding that some of them have compromised their duties as the chief law enforcers in their respective states.

He, on that day, urged the Federal Government to transfer senior police officers of Igbo extraction to their respective states in order to checkmate the killings in the five states of the South East.

While leaders of Ndigbo were still nursing the concept of a joint security outfit in Igbo land, the governors of the South West took up the initiative by launching what the Amotekun, which is currently jolting the country’s landscape.

Founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Chief Chekwas Okorie told this reporter that the development is an indication that the West has made a strong statement about the killings in their homes, adding that the West have declared war on all manner of brigandage being perpetrated by herdsmen and their co-travellers.

He challenged the leaders of the South East to show capacity by putting in place a foul proof plan towards guaranteeing security of life and prosperity in the geopolitical zone.

In what appears to be a pilot to the need for a regional security apparatus in the area, Present General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, told reporters in Enugu that the body would no longer watch their kit and kin being slaughtered by blood tasty bandits and that the body is more determined than ever to tackle the matter head long.

Nwodo urged Igbo elders to meet with them and fashion out ways of fighting violent crime in the area and that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo would give them every assistance they needed.

Consequent, the South East Governor’s Forum led by Ebonyi State Governor, Engr David Umahi had announced the formation of a Joint Task Force (JTF) on security in the area.

According to the resolution by the five governors, it has become imperative to put up a security outfit jointly sponsored by the respective governments in Igbo land.

That the South East Governors had formed their South East Joint Security on July 28, 2019 and inaugurated her Committee on Joint Security on the August 31, 2019.

The forum took briefing from the Chairman of South East Joint Security Committee and are satisfied with all the arrangement that will lead to South East State Houses of Assembly to enact a law to back up the South East Security Programme with a name to the outfit.

“Forum had written the Federal Government in this respect and at an appropriate time, we shall be inviting the Federal Government to note the details of our Joint Security Programme.

“We wish to assure our people that we have our State Vigilante and the Forest Guards in all the South East States, who work with security agencies daily in our various communities for protection of lives and property. We, again, assure our people that the protection of their lives and property is paramount to us and we are committed to just doing that.”

Ever since the pronouncement, there have been reactions and counter reactions on the subject matter as was shown by first Republic Minister for Aviation, Chief Mbazuluike Amaechi.

“Is it now that they are coming home to the issue at stake? All the same, it is morning yet on creation day and better lait than never.

“This should not be the type of lip service that we pay to highly challenging issues.

“They should draw references and ensure that the enabling law is put in place to give it the bite that it needed and we should not begin to play politics with the security of lives and prosperity.

This is not a political party thing but a turning point in the bid to protect our people and guarantee their safety at all times.”

Former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, noted that it was not about setting up a joint task force but the execution.

“We don’t have anything against the security initiative of our governors but how they intend to carry out this task. The West took their time to assemble the concept and thoughts together before the launching and what we saw on that day shows that they mean business.

“I hope that our own will not be more of grandstanding and so much fanfare without substance and they must be seen to be doing their job effectively and efficiently.”

ANAMBRA: Ekwulobia : A Town Craving For Attention

Ekwulobia-Nnewi Road. Image via Naira Land

BY OKEY MADUFORO

The mourners had come to claim the corpse of their dead relation but the ambulance could not enter the premises of the community general hospital due to the state of the road in the area.

They had to carry the corpse on the head to the ambulance, waiting outside before they left and stationed somewhere near the mortuary are two abandoned and disrepair hospital ambulance that would have been used to carry the corpse.

The hospital wards now look like a shadow of the past when it used to receive patients from far away towns such as Onitsha, Awka and parts of the towns in Imo State.

A truck carrying tubers of yam got stuck along the market road and a long line of vehicle traffic had been formed and commercial activities had been stopped by the traffic.

“We don’t understand if we are part of the state. Just look at our roads. This is what we go through every day because of bad road. Something should be done about our roads.

“This is the trauma the people of Ekwulobia town in Aguata Local Government Area have been facing so far and during every general election candidates frequent the area canvassing for votes.

“They make promises of providing social amenities for the rural dwellers only to practically forget those promises leaving the people to their fate”, said a concerned resident.

On that fateful day, red cap title holders in Ekwulobia came out in their numbers to take reporters round the town.

They explained that it was not a protest against the Anambra State government but a passionate call on the government to look into their plight as a people.

President General of the Ekwulobia People’s Assembly, Rev Emeka Ezike, told reporters that the Ekwulobia hospital road cuts accross Isuofia, Umuona, Igbo Ukwu down towards Onitsha road.

“The general hospital was built before the Nigerian Civil war and it used to serve so many towns in the Old Aguata which is now made up of the present Aguata, Orumba North and South Local Government Areas.

“Recently Gov Willie Obiano sent some hospital equipment to the hospital but we do not even have power in the hospital and the power generating set has parked up long ago.

“People no longer patronize the hospital anymore and most medical personnel do want to come and work here because of the hopeless state of the medical facilities.”

Chairman of Agba village in Ekwulobia town where most of the roads have fallen, Prince Peter Michael Ezekagha, lamented that the roads were first awarded twice when Prof Charles Soludo was Central Bank of Nigeria governor and later awarded again under the regime of Mr Peter Obi as governor but the contractors never mobilized to site.

“As I speak with you, over 300 houses would be washed away by flood in the coming rainy season this year if nothing is done before then.”

He noted that Obiano had announced the construction of 12 kilometres of roads in Ekwulobia and the contractors said that work would commence within six months but it is getting to a year now and nothing is on ground to show for.

Pa Hycienth Onegemechi is in his early eighties and has been doing business in the town all his life.

He recalled that Ekwulobia market used to be the commercial hub of over 70 towns accross Anambra, Imo and Abia states, being a boundary town, adding that it used to be the largest market for Palm oil, palm kenel, timber and building materials.

“We are losing patronage due to lack of facilities in the market like electricity, water supply and the terrible state of the roads within the market.

“Recently, the Anambra State government had to put street lights in some areas and we thank the governor for that but a lot of things need to be done.

“Our town is the fourth major town in Anambra State but it is yet to have that urban status. This town shares boundry with Oko town where we have the Federal Polytechnic and the home of former Vice President, the Late Dr. Alex Ekwueme.

“We voted for the governor massively during the last election and he knows that the town is an APGA town.

“Yes, we have benefited from the governor’s ‘choose your project scheme’ and we executed two and we are waiting for the third phase of the scheme but it is not enough.

“We need transformers and water scheme in our community, so that we can enjoy those amenities already provided by government.”

There appears to be signs of better days ahead following the construction of St Peters Bishop Court road, which is undergoing asphalting and according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Community and Chieftaincy Matters, Bar Vera Okonkwo, no part of the state is being marginalized by the administration of Obian. He said that in the case of Ekwulobia town, all the projects flagged off by the governor would be completed on time.

“The state government has concluded arrangements for the physical upgrading of the General Hospital in Ekwulobia and very soon it would assume the status of a Specialist Hospital in due time,” he said.

SOURCE: NEW TELEGRAPH