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| Sullivan Chime And Chimaroke Nnamani |
The menace of Fulani Herdsmen has become really worrisome in Nigeria. It
is like a time bomb that soon will explode. Most worrisome is the
Government’s lackadaisical attitude towards finding a lasting solution.
The way it’s being handled, many of us are beginning to think that these
Herdsmen are spirits or they are stronger and bigger than the Nigerian
Government.
People may have different opinions as to the issues surrounding the
Fulani Herdsmen attack on the innocent people of Nimbo Community of
Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State. But I am out here to tell the world what I
believe. I am out here to state fearlessly my opinion on this issue.
And my opinion is that Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime, the past
Governors of Enugu State are responsible for the death of our brothers
in Nimbo! Believe it or not, that’s the fact.
Chimaroke came in and many people were hailing him ‘Ebeano, Ebeano!’
After so many years, I thought to myself… what did this man really do
for Enugu State? Is it the Ebeano Tunnel he built, or the ESUTH
permanent site he relocated to his compound in Agbani? Or the money he
embezzled leaving Enugu State poverty stricken? Questions unanswered.
People rated Sullivan as the best Governor when he was in power. Frankly
speaking, he did well in building roads within Enugu Metropolis,
especially the Abakpa Nike- Opi Junction By-Pass. But the truth is that
Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area is forgotten in Enugu State. Uzo –Uwani
was never suitable for any Government projects.
All over the Federation, people see Ebonyi State as being backward.
People see Ebonyi as the poorest State in Nigeria. But I can
categorically state here that Ebonyi State is 100% better than Enugu
State. There is no LGA in Ebonyi State without good access roads. There
is no Community in Ebonyi where there is not more than five boreholes
for the people to have access to clean and hygienic drinking water. I
have not entered any Community in Ebonyi State and didn’t see
electricity, neither have I ever got stuck in any community in EBonyi
State because of network connectivity.
The former Governor of Ebonyi State, Martin ELECHI was known to have
concentrated his developmental projects in the rural areas thereby
opening up his people to business and linking them to opportunities in
the town and also enhancing business transactions. The most remarkable
of all his projects were the 34 unity bridges which cut across all the
Local Government Areas of the state. This is because it helped unite
Communities which were practically cut off from each other as a result
of the collapse of the bridges built during the military regime. These
34 bridges of unity have also helped in the transportation of goods from
the rural areas to the markets in Abakaliki Metropolis and elsewhere.
This is exactly what the people of Uzo-Uwani, specifically Igbo-Ano DC
comprising of Ugbene-Ajima, Abbi, Nrobo and Nimbo, suffer.
These four communities that make up Igbo-Ano DC are better described as
forests. The then Enugu State Government did not know anywhere like
Igbo-Ano DC ever existed. This DC is the closest to Nsukka either
through Ugbene-Ajima or through Edem-Nrobo roads. The roads are better
described as footpaths! Nobody cared about them. Once you descend down
to Igbo-Ano D C, you are automatically cut off from the rest of the
world. There is no network connectivity. These people practically suffer
all manner of deprivation and perpetual neglect by the Enugu State
Government.
Now you may ask how Chimaroke and Sulivan came into the picture. This is it.
On that ill-fated day of attack, I learnt that many persons were
practically unable to make calls to the Security Agencies because there
is no network coverage. When the Police and other Security Agencies
finally responded, it was hours, hours and hours after my brother and
sisters have been butchered in cold blood. Why? There is no means of
communication, neither was there good access roads and we still say we
are part of Enugu State.
If Chimaroke had put aside his Ebeano chanting and ranting and cared
even a little about the plight of the people, I believe we may have
gotten a clean good access road from Nsukka to Opanda joining the
Ogurugu road which is by every measurement, shorter. If Sullivan had
during his tenure cared about my people, the Security agencies would
have acted more swiftly, the Security agencies, would have received
calls on time. If the lives of the people ever meant anything to the
Government, with respect to earlier attacks, a police station would have
been built, and well equipped and staffed to respond to such issues.
But even if you buy them cars, where will they drive them…? Drive them
in the air?
I know vividly that three roads lead to Uzo-Uwani from Nsukka. These
roads are the Ogurugu Road which was built during the military
administration and presently, it’s a death trap! The other two roads are
TTC-Ugbene-Nimbo Road and Edem-Nrobo-Abbi-Nimbo Road. Amongst these
three roads, the shortest to Nimbo is the TTC-Ugbene-Nimbo Road while
the longest is the Oogurugu Road. The shortest road takes about 30
minutes to Nimbo even in the bad state of the road and will take about
15 minutes if it is tarred. The longest route takes about 3 hours even
in its present state. I believe the State Governor, Ifeanyi UGWUANYI
must have taken this route on that day!
I know you will ask if the state government knew there will be an
attack. YES, THEY KNOW! There has been this history of attacks by Fulani
Herdsmen on the people of Nimbo and its two neighbouring communities,
Opanda and Ugbene Ajima.
Because I was terribly concerned about this, I wrote several letters to
MTN, AIRTEL, GLO AND even ETISALAT begging, pleading and requesting that
they should come to the assistance of my people. I volunteered to give
my land provided it is situated in the right place, free of charge! But
they never took me serious. They were more concerned about rubbish! They
think business is all about making money…MBA!
Haven been disappointed by these network providers, I headed to Enugu
State website to paste copies of my letters hoping they will look in
that direction but nothing was done about it. I tried using all avenues
to communicate the State Government but they were more concerned with
projects in Communities that has big politicians and influence. Right
now, I think, this is the right place to air my views on this issue.
We are suffering. My people are suffering. My people still go into the
forests to fetch water from the streams and the rocks. Chimaroke and
Sullivan never built a single bore hole for us. And it never mattered
because nobody was there to speak for us.
Our market men and women are constantly being robbed of their hard
earned moneys and people lose their lives along Nsukka-Ugbene and Nsukka
Nnrobo roads because Chimaroke was busy ranting EBEANO and Sullivan
cared less.
Our youths flee from the villages. Those who return from the cities do
not stay more than two days. Families and loved ones are cut off from
each other for years because there is no network connectivity in my
place. Old men and women are seen under the scorching sun struggling up
the hills just to get network signals to call and speak with their
children and loved ones. The worst is that many have sustained injuries
in the process, just to make calls. Business men and women detest our
place because there is no good road, no electricity, no good water…there
is just nothing. No Government presence, nothing.
If anything I have said above is wrong or disturbs you, feel free to
confront me. I speak with facts and I do not care how you see it or if
anyone is offended. Is it not also true that our pupils seat on bare
floors?
Did you also know that our children study in dilapidated buildings?
hmmm.. i guess you don’t know. This is total neglect! And as long as
those innocent people of Nimbo remain dead, I will always blame
CHIMAROKE NNAMANI and SULLIVAN CHIME!
This is a wakeup call. My people, it’s time to wake up for your right.
We have suffered enough. We are tired of this brainwashing that Enugu is
beautiful, Enugu is beautiful. It’s all lies. If you want to see the
true Enugu State, come to Uzo-Uwani LGA, come to Nimbo, come to
Ugbene-Ajima, come to Abbi, come to Nrobo. Visit our schools, visit our
streams, and don’t forget your phones. Come in your expensive cars, come
with plenty money and you will better stand a chance to tell the
stories yourself!
We must bring this to the notice of the State Government. Ugwuanyi must no follow the path of his predecessors.
We need;
Good Access roads
GSM Network Connectivity
Good and Hygienic Drinking Water
Electricity
And Security for our people.
All of the above were denied us for the past 100 years of Nigeria’s
existence. We have been neglected for the past sixteen years by our
former Governors, probably because they are not from Enugu North
Senatorial District or from Nsukka. But this time around, we must let
them know that Uzo-Uwani is one out of the 17 LGAs of Enugu State and as
result, we deserve to be treated just like other LGAs.
Chimaroke Nnamani and Sullivan Chime killed our brothers and sisters at Nimbo Community!
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