The Nation Newspaper

Category: Southeast report

‘Poor road has ruined our cottage industry

Communities once renowned for large-scale rice and palm oil production lie in ruins, their businesses comatose. Blame bad road, OKODILI NDIDI reports

It once felt good to hail from communities fringing the Nnewi-Arondizogu-Okigwe-Enugu Road in Imo State. Residents happily tilled the land, producing such cash crops as rice.

They also milled palm oil and made a fortune for their efforts. From Lagos, Enugu, Cross River states and the north, many flocked to the Farm Produce Market in Arondizogu in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state to buy their produce. The people prospered and so did the settlements. Life was good.

Not anymore.

Why not?

The 19km Trunk-A road on which patrons trooped to the communities has since failed and along with it, the booming industry.

But today what reminds the indigenes of those good old days of prosperity and abundance, are abandoned rice farms, failed cottage industries and sad remains of what used to be beautiful travelers’ guest houses and whether –beaten gigantic roofs of filling stations and factories.

The communities are almost completely deserted, save for some adamant indigenes who are managing to eke a living out of their peasant farming, hoping that one day their plight will draw the attention of the Federal Government.

Today, the few travellers who still brave the road have tales of horror in the hands of daredevil armed robbers who have turned the once busy highway into a den of terror.

Now described as one of the worst Trunk-A roads in the country, the Nnewi-Arondizogu-Okigwe-Enugu Road was awarded to different contractors in the past, Doliz Brown Group, who abandoned the project shortly after mobilising to site, dashing the hope of the people each time.

At different points along the now snaky road, heavy duty equipments belonging to the absconded firms litter the road.

After years of fruitless hope for intervention, the communities have once again brought their plight to the knowledge of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari.

The traditional ruler of Ihieme-Izuogu, Eze Cosmos Ndubuisi Kanu lamented that the state of the road has brought untold economic hardship on the people.

He said, “We have managed this terrible situation for over fifteen years. Everything in this community has been at a standstill. We can’t take our farm produce to the market because of the road. Most of the people have abandoned their rice farms and gone to the cities to search for nonexistent jobs.

“We have 12 autonomous communities along this road that are affected and terrible accidents happen on this road always. It has brought economic and social services to a halt, the few industries and hotels that were flourishing when the road was still good have all closed down. The contractors handling the road in the past have all abandoned it but we are not apportioning blame but we are appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to come to our aid and fix this road, given its importance”.

He continued that, “We are agrarian communities and we cultivate rice in commercial quantities but since the road collapsed, we are no longer cultivating that much because we don’t have road to take them to the market. This important Trunk-A road connects six states in the Southeast and Southsouth geopolitical zones”.

Another indigene, Mr. Uche Ohia, a legal practitioner and rice farmer, called for urgent and drastic intervention on the road, stating that the state of the road has forced out young farmers who could have been contributing to providing the food need of the nation.

A portion of the road washed away by erosion

He said, “we have lost millions of naira to the collapse of this road, the level of impoverishment among the people is very high because no business can thrive under the present situation. The economy of the communities has totally collapsed, it is indeed a terrible situation.

“This situation is not encouraging most of us who returned home to invest in agriculture. For instance I have a large palm plantation and for almost last two weeks now I have been looking for means to transport the harvest fruits to the market and they are beginning to get bad.

“One other major problem created by bad road, is the increase in criminal activities. There is high rate of vandalization of electrical installations by vandals who operate unchallenged at night because no one dare move out once it is night. It gets even worse any day it rains. We are appealing to the Federal Government to order the contractors handling the road to return to site or revoke it and award it to a more committed firm”.

Another angry indigene and a banker, Dr Ikenna Uche, noted that the contractors handling the road contributed to its present state, adding that, “the contractors destroyed the road totally by abandoning it after excavating deep boroughs on the road and this has resulted in flooding and serious erosion. This road used to be the shortest route to Lagos but our people now travel to Onitsha or Owerri before going to Lagos.

“Our people don’t come back home anymore because of the bad road. Those of us that manage to come leave our cars in Owerri and ride on okada, which is very dangerous. We are appealing to the relevant authorities to come to our aid and I can assure you that once this road fixed the economy will bounce back and all the collapsed industries will be revived because our people are willing to invest at home.

The abandoned federal road

“Another area of serious concern is that the total collapse of the road has also affected the state of other social infrastructure like school, market, health centers, electricity and pipe borne water. All these have either ceased to exist or are in very poor state because the communities are cut off by the bad road”.

Apart from this particular road, other Federal roads in the state have equally collapsed. The Owerri-Port Harcourt and the Owerri-Umuahia roads have also been abandoned and are currently in a terrible state of disrepair.

Speaking on the development, the Chief of Staff to the Imo State Government House, Chief Uche Nwosu, decried the state of the roads, adding that in the last four years, the state government has spent huge sum of money carrying out palliative repairs on all the Federal Government roads in the state.

He however assured that the situation will not remain the same under the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, noting that, “the situation of the Federal Government roads in the state will not remain the same because the Governor has already taken it up with the President but that does not mean the state will not continue to maintain the roads because the common road users does not know the difference”.

Proffering solution to the problem, Nwosu suggested that all Federal Government roads in every state should be managed by the state but financed by the Federal Government.

September 11, 2015
Why I established army language institute, by Ihejirika

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Azubike Ihejirika has shed light on why he set up the Nigerian Army Language Institute (NALI) at Ovim in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State.

He said the NALI project was informed by the need for military men to learn other languages apart from English so they could communicate effectively with their counterparts from non-English-speaking countries.

Ovim was once renowned for the rail line which ran through the community, and later for the senior military officers who hailed from it.

General Ike Nwachukwu and Admiral Ndubisi Kanu hail from there, as do Col. Osondu and Ihejirika.

•Part of the language instute

Kanu constructed a road from Isuikwuato to Uturu down to Okigwe through which he was coming home when he was the military governor of old Imo State.

Nwachukwu transferred the then Imo State University later known as Abia State University to its now permanent site at Uturu.

In 2012, Ihejirika established the Nigerian Army Language Institute at Ovim where soldiers and others could be trained in French language and other foreign languages to enable them communicate with their counterparts from non-English-speaking countries.

Gen Ihejirika from whose country home one could see clearly the language institute, said that nothing gives him joy like waking up every morning to have a view of the institute and prayed that the institute will live beyond the expectations of its founders.

In a chat with The Nation at his country home in Ovim while playing host to Col Marc Humbert the France Defence Attache to Nigeria, Gen Ihejirika said that he established the institute which is the first of its kind in Africa so that Nigerian soldiers on a peace mission will stop finding it difficult to communicate with their counterparts from other African countries.

Gen Ihejirika said that during his tenure as COAS he found out that Nigerian soldiers were not communicating fluently with their colleagues from neighbouring non-English-speaking countries.

He said that his first thought was to establish the institute so that Nigerian soldiers who are always on a peace mission will find it easy to communicate with other soldiers whenever they are on a peace mission, “Also bearing in mind that we are surrounded by French speaking African countries, there was this need for our soldiers to understand themselves whenever they are amongst their colleagues from other countries”.

The former COAS said that when the institute was established it was mainly for Nigerian soldiers to help their French-speaking neighbours during peace missions to understand themselves but now the reverse is the case as the French-speaking neighbours are now helping Nigeria in the war against insurgency.

Gen Ihejirika said, “When the institute was established it was to help our soldiers understand French language when on peace mission to other countries, now it has turn the other way round, as we need to speak and understand French as these French speaking countries are now in our country to help us fight insurgency”.

In his speech the French DA, Col. Humbert commended Gen Ihejirika for citing the institute at a serene place where students will come and study unhindered from distractions associated with urban areas, stressing that the environment will enable the students to assimilate the languages faster.

Speaking at the language institute, Humbert said that Nigeria and France are very close allies and that there is need for the Nigeria to educate its officers in French language.

Humbert who donated French books and other teaching aids to the army institute said that the close relationship between the two countries has made the embassy to donate the books to enable them face the challenges of language in future.

He described the institute as a place for the future and believed that it will grow to support the entire military force in its fight against all manner of terrorism and other forms of challenges in any part of the country.

The French DA noted that the success recorded at the institute, “Will help the Nigerian army to corporate with its French speaking neighbours in the current war against insurgency as they have formed an alliance to fight the terrorism war”.

He described Nigeria as a great country will huge potentials and backed with different communities, stressing that the beauty of the difference in culture and language is the unifying factor of the country.

Humbert said that the books are a token of their appreciation to the school and hope that it will help in training of soldiers, and also help in fostering good working relationship with other countries.

Receiving the books and other teaching materials, on behalf of the chief of army staff, the commandant of the institute, Col. Joseph Bamidele Ajanaku said that the materials will go a long way in helping the students.

Col. Ajanaku said that the school has just commenced with its first batch of 20 students who are doing the basic French course 1, stressing that the materials will help them to learn the language faster.

He said the institute started operation on August 1, adding,

“We intend to increase the languages to include, Swahili, Portuguese, German and Chinese languages as we are expanding towards these countries in bilateral relationship”.

Col Ajanaku said that with the establishment of the institute at Ovim that it has helped in no small way to fast track the development of the area, stressing that most of the senior officers who are coming to the place for the language training will spend their money around the area and also help to increase the economic activities in the area.

September 11, 2015
Priest to present 19th UNN inaugural lecture

A Catholic priest has been scheduled to deliver the 19th inaugural lecture of University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).

The lecture series were introduced 39 years ago by the institution’s Governing Council to stimulate robust research and academic excellence.

The lecture, which only involves academic staff who have attained the status of professor, provides them the platform to showcase their intellectual prowess in their fields before the university community.

A statement from the senate ceremonials committee of the University of Nigeria, said a famous economist and catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Prof. Hyacinth Eme Ichoku, will deliver the historic 99th inaugural lecture series on Thursday, next week, September 17.

The lecture entitled “Health and Economic Development in Reverse Causality”, will attempt to x-ray the relationship between health and economic outcomes, as conventional wisdom and scientific evidence produced in the 1980s suggested that improved income leads to improved health of the population.

The release said, “As the standard of living of the people improves, people tend to live healthier and longer lives, thus, it is said that the wealthier the healthier, implying that richer individuals tend to be healthier and richer nations tend on average to live healthier and have longer life expectancy. However, there are new scientific evidence suggesting that improved health leads to improved productivity, therefore, that improved health is a major determinant and contributor to economic growth and development.

The Vice Chancellor of the institution Prof. Chukwuma Ozumba will chair the occasion, scheduled for the Princess Alexandra Auditorium, on the Nsukka campus on Thursday, September 17th.

The UNN 99th inaugural lecturer, Prof. Hyacinth Eme Ichoku who was ordained catholic priest in 1988, joined the university in 2001 as a lecturer and rose rapidly to the status of professor in 2012, after securing a doctorate degree in economics at the university of Cape Town South Africa in 2006.

September 11, 2015
Ebonyi fixes roads

Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi has started matching his campaign word with action as his administration embarks on fixing the state’s deplorable roads.

To achieve this, he bought 15 heavy-duty trucks which he handed over to the Ministry of Works.

•Some of the trucks bought for the road project

Speaking at the handover ceremony held at Akanu ibiam Roundabout, Abakaliki, Governor Umahi said the trucks were acquired to fast-track the construction projects.

The governor who said that the government had incorporated three new construction companies, namely-south construction company ltd, North construction company ltd. and central construction company to assist in fast tracking the much desired development of the state, announced that the trucks would be deployed to the three senatorial zones of the state for use.

The governor disclosed that a team of expatriate engineers has been recruited to work with our engineers to achieve the desired result. He reiterated his commitment to construct at least 10kms of road in each of the 13 local government areas of the state within the first two years of his administration.

He said, “We are having quite a number of pay-loaders, a number of bulldozers, a number of mixers and other construction equipment. So we want to divide it into these three senatorial zones. We have approved that each of the local government areas and of course each community in Ebonyi State should start receiving attention in terms of electricity.”

The state Commissioner for Works, Mr Felix Nweze, an engineer, announced that the state government placed orders for the procurement of six concrete mixers and eight pay-loaders to arrive very soon.

New Market Road Abakaliki under construction

Nweze disclosed that the contractors handling the construction of flyovers at the state capital had mobilised to site; while the over laying of asphalt on ogaoja road would commence soon.

He said that the fifteen trucks handed over to the ministry by the Governor “would enable us to move quickly into action to rehabilitate most of our roads,” stressing that Nkaliki, Ogoja, Gunning and new Market roads have been rehabilitated.

September 11, 2015
Lawmaker seeks road contract probe

A member of the House of Representatives Hon Uko Nkole (Arochukwu/Ohafia constituency) has called for a comprehensive probe of all contracts awarded for the Arochukwu/Ohafia Road.

•Hon Uko

Nkole proposed that the probe should stretch as far back as the era of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF).

He described the road as a disaster and death trap requiring immediate intervention in order to stop the daily accidents which occur on it.

Gully erosion has further damaged the road, several parts of which have failed, making travel a herculean and hazardous exercise.

Speaking with reporters in Arochukwu, Nkole said that there is need for the federal government to extend the corruption fight to the contracts awarded for the construction of Arochukwu/Ohafia federal road.

Nkole said that the contract for the construction of the road has been awarded several times by successive governments with no visible result.

He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to order for probe on all the contracts awarded for the construction of the road from the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) till date and that any of the contractors found culpable should be made to refund the money and also face the law to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to go their way.

The federal lawmaker said that the road has suffered neglect since the end of the civil war 41 years ago and is getting worse day by day while causing untold hardship to commuters and the people of Ohafia and Arochukwu and other adjoining communities.

He explained that the people from the area are mainly agrarian people and traders but have no good roads to transport their goods to and from the area thereby affecting the socio-economic development and denying them the necessary infrastructure that could have come their way.

A community leader, Mazi Jideofor Kanu who spoke on behalf of Akanu/Ania village said the that transportation of farm produce in commercial quantity from Ohafia, Arochukwu, Ihechiowa, Ututu to other neighboring communities in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states is truncated and wondered when the traumatic experiences encountered on the road would end.

The President General Nzuko Arochukwu, Mazi Nnamdi Udoh said there is no time left to be apportioning blame on what has delayed the rehabilitation of the Arochukwu/Ohafia Roads because it will not help the local people.

Udoh said that the local people are the ones who bear the brunt daily and called on the Federal Government as a matter of urgency to deploy a competent construction firm to take over the project and complete it in record time in order to redeem the people of the area from the

unfortunate bondage.

One of the motorists Kanu Monday said that the road needs a Save our Soul [SOS] intervention and appealed to the federal government to come to their aid because they are being cut off from other communities and wonder if they are part of this country called Nigeria.

Kanu said that it is shame that 41 years after the end of the civil with the saying no victor no vanquished, “We are still being treated as the vanquished people of the war, we need to be told our proper place in this country, except we are no longer from this country”.

Another motorist Okezie Ibom said that there is need for the federal government to come to the aid of the people from that part of the country, stressing that many people have lost their lives on the road because of the dilapidated nature of the road.

Ibom said that the situation of the road has gone a long way to prove the saying by Igbo people that there is no easy road to get to Arochukwu and wondered when the saying will be proved wrong by subsequent administrations.

September 11, 2015
Community urges Fed Govt to tackle N3b landslide

Community leaders of Isuochi in Ummunnochi Local Government Area of Abia State have lamented the landslide which has caused much havoc in the settlement, saying it will take over N3b to contain the menace.

Speaking while conducting reporters round the affected areas the member representing Ummunneochi Constituency at the state House of Assembly, Prince Ikedi Ezekwesili said the landslide was caused by a road project whose contract was awarded by the Niger Delta Ministry.

Ezekwesili said the community cannot handle the landslide on its own as it will require well over N3 billion to contain.

The lawmaker and called on the federal government to either order the contractor back to site of call on the federal ministry of environment to come to their aid.

Ezekwesili said that the ay the construction company handled the road and drainage construction caused the landslide, adding that the company should come back to site to remedy the situation before more harm will be done to the community.

He said, “If you look behind you will see the landslide, this landslide was occasioned by improper termination of drainage by the construction company that did this road, ENACO that did this Federal Road between Leru and Nkwoagu.

It is quit disheartening, you can see it, we appreciated the gesture of the Federal government by giving us his road, but it is very unfortunate and little did we know that the company either they did not do proper Environmental Impact Assessment or they were ordinarily naïve or careless, they could not extend the drainage appropriately.

If you move down there is a stream, so, if they have extended the drain down properly we would not have seen the landslide that we are seeing today. You can imagine that the length from here now to the road is not up to twenty steps if by the next rain or couple of rains,

the road will be cut off”.

Ezekwesili said that despite cutting the road, the Umunnochi Council Secretariat, Isuochi Model secondary school, the Divisional Police headquarters, the Community’s Unity Square that is under construction and the 7.5MVA Isuochi power Station under the National Integrated

Power Project (NIPP) are all under the threat of the encroaching landslide.

He said: “This environment is clearly sandy environment and of cause, a construction company ought to have known the appropriate mechanism or technology or what to do regarding the trend.

So what we are saying as a people is that the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs should step up immediately to find something to do to stop further landslide and of cause the company, we are no longer pretending about our emotions if we don’t see them within one month from now, we will take other actions which may not stop at legal action”.

Ezekwesili who is the Minority leader in the State House of Assembly regretted that the road project which should have been a source of joy to the community is now turning out to be a bad omen to his community.

He said, “The project has come to destroy my community, there are over five communities that would be affected by this landslide, this communities may not last in the next five years from now if something urgent is not done about this ugly situation.

They may not, five years may be a long time, if this could happen within a space of two years of this road construction, it means that in the next two years it would have gone further and may wash away the five communities’ .

In his own reaction the Vice president of Isuochi Development Union, Elder Sunday Ekeh, said that they have we have been crying over danger posed to the communities in these local government by landslide.

Elder Ekeh recalled that last year the former Senator for Abia North senatorial District, Late Comrade Uche Chukwumereije had to take the photograph of the affected area to Abuja and nothing came out of it.

He said, “We are crying aloud now because if the rain continues the way it has been raining now, the level of devastation that it would cause the community would be calamitous”.

September 11, 2015
Enugu varsity buries pioneer VC

Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s mentor, Professor Julius Onah has been buried. The pioneer vice chancellor of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) was 76.

He was the first professor of marketing in West Africa.

The academic community in the former Eastern Region and beyond trooped to ESUT to pay their last respects to the academic giant.

Four former vice-chancellors of the university were present at the valedictory.

At the occasion, Governor Ugwuanyi named the ESUT Auditorium after Professor Julius Onah, describing him as not only a mentor but motivationalý father whose life examples propelled many to greater heights.

The late Onah was buried at his home town, Orba in Udenu local government area of the state where the governor also hails from.

In a eulogy, Ugwuanyi urged his contemporaries to emulate the late Professor Onah by distinguishing themselves in their various disciplines.

The Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese Most Rev. Godfrey Onah urged people who aspire to achieve greatness on earth and remain hopeful in having a place in God’s Kingdom to follow the path of sincerity as exemplified in the life of late Professor Onah.

He observed that late Onah’s exemplary leadership and academic prowess reflected by his first positions in various endeavours which he said had affected lives of both the small and the great who had continued to look up to him as a role model even at death.

September 11, 2015
Beware of masqueraders’

The Enugu State police command has alerted residents of the state on the new tactics employed by rogues to rob unsuspecting members of the public: masquerades

The police said robbers disguised as masquerades now attack members of the public.

In a bulletin, the spokesman of the command, Ebere Amaraizu, said, “The hoodlums who hide under the guise of masquerades attack and unleash mayhem and at times rob unsuspecting citizens of their valuables.

“The command in this regard wishes to make it clear that in as much as it will not interfere in the traditional activities of communities in the state such as the masquerade festivals amongst other things, it will not fold its arms and watch innocent and good people of the state pass through pains in the hands of individuals or group of persons in the name of masquerade as well as other traditional activities.”

It warned perpetrators “to desist from such unwholesome act by sticking to the tenet of the rule of law while engaging themselves in masquerade and traditional activities as anyone or group of persons caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

The command reminded the people of the state desirous of enlisting into the police force that recruitment has not started, but it warned candidates to watch out for online fraudsters who may take advantage of the recruitment information to defraud them.

September 11, 2015
Facility for building material traders

Traders in building materials in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State now have a brand new market courtesy of the council.

The market sited along Enugu-Port Harcourt Road is equipped with modern facilities.

The facility covering about 26.67 hectares of land will help to decongest the overcrowded building materials market at Kenyatta and Amawbia streets.

Chairman of the council, Victor Agbo told correspondents on a fact finding mission in the 17 local government council areas that they have so far constructed 200 stalls for iron rod dealers out of the expected 1,500 shops and offices in the market.

He explained that the facilities in the new international building material market would include, police post, drainage system, banks, toilets, restaurants and other facilities for easy trading.

ý”It is a large place that will accommodate all the traders in Amawbia section of Kenyatta Market and also young ones who are coming up, so that immediately they are settled by their masters they have a space to start their own and not hanging around because they do not have shops.

“There are also shops for electrical materials dealers while other building material dealers would be accommodated as time goes on”.

On the choice of the location the chairman said it was mainly because of its proximity to the express road and enough space for business activities.

According to him all the building materials dealers in Amawbia and Kenyatta would have their goods and their vehicles accommodated.

Said he: “The market is designed in such a way that all vehicles would be parked at the back of the market to avoid blockage and create enough spaces for the iron Rod dealers to drop their goods without blocking each other.

“We also have provision for a large warehouse in case anybody wants to store his goods. It is an international market we will provide all the necessary things needed for the traders to operate freely,” explained Agbo.

ýýThe Chairman, however , noted that the was a clog in the wheel of progress.

According to him a conflict of interests reared its head up as the landlords of the shops at Kenyatta and Amawbia streets were forming association to sabotaging the effort and the good intentions of the Local government by feeding the traders with false information on why they should not relocate.

“These landlords are doing this for their own selfish interest because of the fear of imminent loss of revenue they receive from the traders. They should know that Amawbia Street was never built as a market and they cause a lot of problems to motorists among many other challenges”, he stressed.

September 11, 2015
Committee to avert land crisis in Anambra

A community in Anambra State has found a way to end crises resulting from the sale of its land.

Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area used to peaceful until some residents started selling land indiscriminately, resulting in crises.

But the traditional ruler Igwe Peter Ezenwa (Eze Okpoko I), his chiefs and the town union have set up a committee to regulate land use and sale, hoping it will contain the bad blood generated by land conflicts.

The General Assembly of the community met first on April 6, under the aegis of Oba Patriotic Union (OPU), while the second and third joint meetings were held on May 20 and 19 June.

The new committee by the community which was inaugurated at the weekend is led by Chief Vincent A.O. Obi.

In recent times, however, due to population explosion and urbanization, land has become a scarce commodity in Oba.

The LUSAC chair, Chief Vincent Obi, popularly called (Akamba) in the area, said, ”Oba town which has existed from time immemorial has also known peace, progress and brotherhood and would want the same conditions to prevail from generation to generation.”

The surge in indiscriminate and illegal sales of land and flagrant abuse of traditional procedures for community land disposal were becoming an order of the day for youths they refer to social drop outs in the community.

As a result, the community waded in, with committee to curb the menace that nearly torn the community into shreds.

According to the code of conduct for all land deals in Oba community; “That Individuals or Kindreds who have Personal or Communal Lands have rights to sell their bonafide property, provided that the President General of the town mandatorily appends his signature to the Agreement or Assignment before the sale can be consummated and forwarded to the Ministry of Lands for Title Deeds”

“That the Ministry of Lands shall be informed to dishonor any application for a Title Deed which does not bear the signature of The President General”

“That the Ichie/Chief of the village and designated members of the village where the sale is about to and/or has taken place shall attest that the land is/was in their village and that the seller is a citizen of the village and is the bonafide owner of the land”

“That any person or persons who indulge in secret land deals and transactions would be punished by the Oba traditional laws and customs until they return to sanity”

It was signed by Igwe Peter Ezenwa, the president General of the town union, Ifeatu A. Uzowulu, Clifford M. Enendu and Chief Vincent A.O. Obi.

September 11, 2015