Igbokenyi Community cries out to Obiano over biting poverty and neglect

www.odogwublog.com reports that a media guru and Philanthropist , Mr Godwin Ezeemo yesterday donated One Million  naira (N1, 000,000)

to the Igbokenyi Community, Anambra West local government area of Anambra state to buy a speed boat to leverage the transport challenges.

Ezeemo who is the Progressive Peoples’ Alliance (PPA) Leader in Anambra state was on a sensitization visit to the community and it appears that was in a life time visit by a man of his status. Ezeemo was on the invitation of a local Church, St Mary’s Anglican church as facilitated by an indigene of the community who is a music lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr. Sir. Nnamdi Onuorah-Oguno (KSC), who made some startling revelation on how they were marginalized, having been cheated by nature.

Ezeemo appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to come to the rescue of the people adding, “even if it is a narrow bridge let him construct it for accessibility to the community to help them evacuate their farm produce and get connected to the world outside”.

The donation of N1 million for the procurement of the boat set their minds aglow as they sang in chorus thus, “the God had come to us in the likeness of a man”. We want other good spirited individuals and Anambra state government to come over to Mesopotamian and help us”

Earlier, the Parish priest of St Mary’s Anglican Church, Rev. Victor Ogbalu listed the problems confronting the church adding, “Transportation has been a nightmare, we are in dire need of a big engine boat to aid the transportation needs of the church since our major movement is on water.

He said the community is dissatisfied with the spate of poverty ravaging Igbokenyi community including lack of access road, water, hospital and power supply, and called for government intervention before they die.

Narrating their ordeal to Ezeemo, Rev Ogbalu said,  “when we heard that a philanthropist and industrialist would be coming to dine and wine with us, on the invitation of a local church, St Mary’s Anglican church here, those of us who come home periodically because of the topography of our community that is part of our sufferings, had to come down”.

“I pity for our august visitor for trekking the distance after alighting from the boat because no vehicle had ever entered our community since creation”.

 “So we don’t talk of vehicles here and most people who were born in this community have not seen a car or any vehicle since they were born. If you doubt what I am telling you, just go round the town and if you see any vehicle I will give you N10,000 on the spot”

“We see vehicles when we leave our community for other towns. We do park our vehicles in the neighbouring communities, I parked mine at Illah, Delta State and had to board the speed boat which cost me N300 to get to my Igbokenyi community in Anambra State. The problem is that we live in an Island”.

According to him, “one day a tipper either by omission or commission had to find itself into our community, it was celebrated, while the people were trying to evacuate the tipper from our community where it was stocked in mud, residents who heard of the entrance of the vehicle rushed to see and touch it for the first time in their life”.

Apart  from not having access roads he added, “again we don’t have any portable drinking water, people drink from the River Niger, there is no borehole, why they survive the River Niger water is that they believe is medicinal, they don’t die as a result of the diarrhea or other water born diseases and there is no hospital, no power supply, litre of fuel here under normal circumstance is N200 and there is no network”.

“Power supply is a nightmare, those who can afford the small generating set, the one they call “I pass my neighbour” are very few here and the cost of a. There is no network here and hospital. You pray that if you are sick let it be minor if not you have to be transported out of the community to a place like Asaba, Delta State Capital where you have hospitals”.

Contributing, a community leader, Hon. Okolo Paul said, that they were marginalized Igala speaking community with the River Niger as the only source of water supply adding, “there is no hospital, bore hole and NEPA light here since we were born.