Abia Government Owes Me 3.5m Pounds –Eze Ikonne

 His Imperial Majesty, Eze Isaac Ajuonu Ikonne, Enyi 1 of Aba, as he is widely known, is one of the foremost traditional rulers in Abia State. Having ascended the throne over 40 years ago, Eze Ikonne, who is the former chairman of Abia State Traditional Rul­ers’ Council and ex-Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Council of Ndi Eze, has seen it all, as a monarch.

In this interview, Eze Ikonne x-rayed Ni­geria at 54 and Abia State at 23 and gave his verdict on both. He also spoke on why he took the Abia State Government to court over a four million Pounds debt and why traditional rulers should not be involved in politics.

Excerpts:

Nigeria celebrated her 54th indepen­dence anniversary recently. Could you make comparison between now and the First Republic?

In the 60s, our political leaders led the coun­try with truth and the fear of God. There was no corruption, as we have it today. Although churches were not as many as they are today, crime was at its lowest ebb. By then, gov­ernment cared for the governed; whatever money that was earmarked for any project was judiciously utilised but the same can not be said of government of today. We do not know where they are coming from, as they no longer tell those they govern the truth. The present federal administration, I must tell you, is trying its best except in the South-east where much of what it had done has not been felt. This could be seen in all the federal roads in the South-east that are in bad condition. But elsewhere, the present government is trying more than pre­vious ones. To tell you the truth, President Goodluck Jonathan remains the best president Nigeria has had because of what he has been doing to transform the country.

However, I advise President Jonathan to cancel all the road contracts in the South-east given to non-performing contractors and give fresh contracts to those who would deliver because the South-east is lagging behind in so many areas. We deserve a better treatment because we love the president and will continue to support him. I know that roads in the South-east are bad but those in Abia are worse. So, I am appealing to President Jonathan with tears in my eyes to, as matter of urgency, come to the aid of Abia and Aba in particular because resi­dents can no longer access communities in their neighbouring states because of bad roads. I am not talking to the president only as a traditional ruler but as a statesman because I was among the two traditional rulers, who were picked from each state then when the foundation of Abuja was laid. The late HRH (Eze) Onu Egwunwoke and I were the only two traditional rulers, who represented old Imo State at the foundation laying ceremony.

We were told that you sold the parcels of land on which Ariaria International Market was built to government. Is that true?

Yes, that’s true. There was a time in Aba when the bucket system was in vogue in human waste disposal through conservancy services. At that time, it should be around 1962 or 1963, where to dispose human waste became a prob­lem in Aba. Government of the day began to look for a suitable site for that purpose. By then, I was a land agent and some government officials came to my office in Aba and inquired if I had large acres of land they would buy for the purposes of disposing human waste. I told them I had and we reached an agreement and I sold to them the six acres of land I had at the present Ariaria Market at the cost of four mil­lion pounds and that was where human wastes were dumped before the Nigeria civil war broke out. Government at that time paid me 500, 000 pounds while the balance had not been paid me up till this moment. After sometime, in 1976, to be precise, a major market in Aba, the Ekeoha market was gutted by fire and the state government then wanted to relocate the market and they chose Ariaria where the market was later relocated. Despite the fact that government still owed me, when they wanted to relocate the market to the place, they did not tell me. What they did was to buy the adjourning lands in the area, which is up to 200 acres and used it to build the market. After waiting for a long time and government was not forthcoming in pay­ing me, I dragged the Abia State Government to court, seeking the court’s intervention for that money to be paid me.

Abia was 23 in August this year. How do you assess it in terms of development?

Abia is lagging behind among the states in the whole country today, with equally the worst network of roads and if you come down to the state, Aba roads are the worse. However, if I’m to assess or rate those that have governed Imo then, down to Abia since its creation, I think the late Chief Sam Mbakwe should come first, then followed by Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu. At my age, I cannot tell lies. These two men touched the lives of the people of the state, mostly through massive roads reconstruction and rehabilitation,which is the major problem the people of the state, particularly Aba, have. Anybody that did this, has done it all for the people. When we were still in Imo State, Mbakwe, for instance, despite the fact he was in another party, cried to the Federal Government, which led to him being called the ‘Weeping Governor,’and the government at the centre actually helped him out. But he also did internal roads in the state but the problem was that his administration did not last. After him, then came Orji Uzor Kalu, who began from where Mbakwe stopped. Kalu built so many roads in Aba some of which are, Umule, Umuocham, Abayi, Ayaba Umueze, Cemetery and Osusu roads. Within the metropolis, it was Orji Uzor Kalu that built all the roads that are off East Street, including Obohia, Ohanku, Ibadan roads, Unity, off Ngwa Road, and the Ngwa Road exit that connects the city centre with Ogbor Hill together with the bridge, which people on their own named after him. He equally rebuilt the New Umuahia Road, popularly known as Ururuka Road, which linked Aba and Umuahia. There are so many other roads Orji Uzor Kalu built in Aba and the state as a whole, which I cannot name here that has made me to rate him the best governor of the state. Although the present government under Governor Theo­dore Orji has tried to erect some office blocks in Umuahia, none has being built in Aba, except the storey building at the High Court complex. Something should be done in Aba because the city is the commercial hub of not only Nigeria but Africa as a whole. Aba should be the pride of Abia State but because of bad roads, it’s not taking its rightful place in the scheme of things. The residents of the city are suffering daily. Look at Port Harcourt Road that used to be the pride of the city. It has collapsed beyond re­demption. There is nothing that is being done in Aba presently to enhance commerce for which the town is noted. Those who are administering the city and the state in general have not done anything in this direction. Despite the fact that there are many notable markets in the city, busi­nesses are no longer moving the way they used to because the enabling environment is not there any more. This is so due largely to fact that state government has taken over the markets, which hitherto were in the hands of local governments. If we want these markets to flourish once again and traders reap the fruit, these markets should be handed over to local governments and roads within and outside the city fixed. The matter is made worse by not having elected officials at the council level. Appointment of officials of this third-tier of government has made develop­ment in the council areas, including markets difficult. Because these officials are not elected, they are not accountable to the people and as such, funds allocated to them are not used for the purpose for which they were meant. Many, who had nothing doing before, when they are appointed chairmen of local governments, be­come rich over night, allocations given to them, they can not account for. The local governments in Abia don’t even help the government and the people by grading roads. We don’t know what they do with the allocations, given to them every month.

What’s your assessment of National As­sembly members from Abia State?

If there are people elected to represent Abia State at the NASS? Some of us don’t know. The people should be made to elect those who would represent them by themselves. This idea of a few individuals, selecting all sorts of people to represent the masses has not helped matters in Abia State. Instead of good representation, what is thriving in Abia today is the pull-him down syndrome; how to run another person down, gossips everywhere and that is what they have used to bring enemity among some politi­cians in the state.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the so-called representatives of the people had ever summoned any meeting that included traditional rulers and asked them what their problems are and find a way to tackle them. All they do is, as election is approaching, they would insult the people’s sensibilities by buying all sorts of trash in the name of youths empowerment; they would only do the so-called empowerment when elections are around the corner. This is not so in the North. There, the representatives of the people know their problems and strive to solve them. They interact with their people always but in Abia, you only see your representative when election is near and he comes to seek for re-election. Everybody is now jostling to be re-elected, even those that had not done any­thing. Everybody should pray to God because nobody knows the shape next year’s elec­tion will take; what the youths who had been marginalised over the years will do. Already the people of Aba Federal Constituency have said it that nobody who is not from the area will represent them again, both at Abia State House of Assembly and House of Representatives because they have not had quality representation all this while.

What’s your reaction to the recent rancour among traditional rulers in the state over governorship zoning?

Traditional rulers are supposed to be involved in partisan politics, no matter what. I am the first traditional ruler in Abia State; you can check this out in the Edict. In fact, I was given staff of office by the government of old Imo State. Apart from the late traditional ruler of Afikpo, HRH (Eze) Dr. Akanu Ibiam, no other traditional ruler received staff of office in the old Imo State before me. Indeed, I was supposed to have been given staff of office first before Dr. Ibiam but the military governor then had to beg me for Ibiam to be given first be­cause he was made chairman of the traditional rulers’ council. Since then, I have been just in what I do and say. I have never done things on sentiments and that was why, after I successfully mediated into the Izombe chieftaincy crisis, the late Governor Mbakwe gave me Justice of Peace (JP) title. We were four traditional rulers, including the late Eshi of Nkwerre who were appointed by the late Governor Mbakwe to look into the crisis and I was the chairman. Having said this, I want to put it straight that no traditional ruler has the power to stop another from summoning meeting of traditional rulers within his area to discuss the common interest of their subjects. I have been Chairman, Abia State Traditional Rulers Council and Chairman, South East Traditional Rulers Council as well. There was no time we stopped any traditional ruler from summoning meeting of fellow traditional rulers. So, it is absolutely wrong for any tradi­tional ruler to have said so.

Should traditional rulers be involved in politics to the point of routing for a particular candidate during election?

This is a very good question. Traditional rulers don’t and should not be involved in partisan politics. Traditional ruler should, as the father of all, remain in their palace and receive politicians, who come to pay him homage. Traditional rulers are not supposed to be going to houses of politicians; else they lose their neu­trality and respect. A traditional ruler, who does that is not supposed to be a traditional ruler. It is unfortunate that some traditional rulers have left their main roles in the society to chase shadows because of politics. Look at what is happening in the state today between the former governor of the state, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and his succes­sor; Governor Theodore Orji and traditional rulers are keeping quiet, leaving their fatherly role to be involved in petty politics. If it were when I was the Chairman of the Traditional Rulers’ council, I would have for long settled that rift between the two men. After all, both men worked together for eight years. It was Orji Uzor Kalu, who brought out T.A Orji to succeed him in office. As I said earlier, if the problem had happened when I was the state Chairman of the Traditional Rulers’ Council, I would have settled the matter but instead of doing that, those at the helm of affairs at the Council today are stoking the problem and it is not supposed to be so. If I were still the chairman, I could have gone to beg Kalu. I could have told him that this is your political son you brought up, whether he is your senior or not is immaterial. The verbal war between the two men and their supporters on the pages of newspapers give me great con­cern. It does not happen like this in other states and it does not speak well of Abia; something should be done about it. Come to think of it, most of those who write everyday on the pages of newspapers, calling Kalu names are not do­ing that because of their love for Governor Orji or Abia State but because of what they can get from the governor and this must be stopped in the interest of Abia State.

There was a time traders at Ariaria mar­ket burnt down your palace. What was the mattet?

It was a time when timber dealers were still at the Ariaria market. Heavy duty trucks by then used to carry timber and other building materi­als through the road (Faulks), which passes in front of my palace to Ariaria market. It got to a point that a portion of the road very close to my palace and some other portions got bad and the traders said it was because the Brotherhood of Cross and Star Church I built in front of my palace was causing the problem; that I used it for money making.

So, one day, all the traders in Ariaria came to my palace and set it ablaze, including the church and attempted to kill me but I was saved by God. After the incident, government set up a panel of inquiry and after its sitting, the panel came out with the report that my church, whose branches are all over the world, had nothing whatsoever to do with the problems the trad­ers believed they were encountering with the road or any other problem for that matter. The government of the day also set up another body, which assessed the damage done to my palace and recommended that I should be paid N17.5 milion for the destroyed buildings and vehicles in the palace and then another N9.5 milion for the burnt church. Government accepted these recommendations but up till now, I have not received a single kobo from government. I had to sell property I had elsewhere to be able to rebuild my palace and the church.