Ugbene: Neglected Anambra Community

 Things have fallen apart in Ugbene community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State. At the moment, the residents are in deep agony for lack of social amenities. The sleepy community surrounded by Ezu River and few other smaller streams with its adorning thick forests cannot boast of any hospital, tarred roads, electricity, pipe borne water, a secondary school and every other facilities that support life. When this reporter visited the rusty village, he met their health centre under lock and key and overgrown by bushes because, according to the residents, “there were no medical staff and equipment in it.” A small health post which serves them has no medical facilities and only two nurses. It was also locked when the reporter visited there too but residents told him that the two nurses went for a burial ceremony. They further disclosed that there is only one bed in the Health Post for pregnant women to be delivered of their babies.
“It has only one bed. When I was delivered of my baby recently, I was still on the bed when another woman in labour was rushed in. That was few minutes after I put to bed. I had to leave the bed for her because of her condition” said Mrs Leticia Kenneth. Because of this, the residents told Oriental News that infant and maternal mortality is on the increase.
Entrance to Ugbene community is a nightmare. The roads are muddy and impassable. Save for the makeshift, hanging bridge constructed across their dreaded river by the men of the Nigerian Army from Onitsha barrack in 2013, crossing to the village by canoe used to be a terrifying experience as scores of people have lost their lives in several canoe capsizes.
The only source of drinking water to Ugbene is the Ezu River and the streams but they’re usually contaminated given the fact that a greater population of the residents defecate in the bush which the floods wash into the streams.
As if that were not enough, criminal activities, drug trafficking, teenage pregnancy and other social misdemeanours, according to the residents have taken centre stage.
But in all these, the major source of worry to Ugbene people is lack of functional school system. In this time and age, Ugbene community cannot boast of a secondary school; a sad situation which they claimed is the mother to their multifaceted problems.
The two separate structures which serve as Community and Central Primary Schools respectively have no equipment to support teaching and learning, and also lack enough teachers. In the duo, the reporter met classrooms without seats while the pupils were outside playing. Teachers told the reporter that their pupils sit on dusty floor to learn. They also do not have toilet facilities.
Regrettably, several pleas to the government to come to their rescue were futile. A woman leader, Mrs Elizabeth Nweke told Oriental News that absence of secondary school in her community has left sorrow in their land. According to her, many youths in the village now engage in several criminal activities, and some teenage schoolgirls now carry unwanted pregnancies as priceless ornament.
She explained that due to abject poverty sweeping across the land, most parents find it difficult to send their children to secondary schools in the urban centres which transport fare alone costs between N4,200 and N5,000. As a result, their children quit schooling after their primary education which she claimed is equally half-baked as they lacked qualified teachers. She further disclosed that there is increasing rate of child trafficking in the area as many housemaids’ seekers come to the community to “cart away their children to the urban centres.”
Elizabeth, a former Secretary, Ugbene Development Union (Women Wing), told Oriental News that concerted efforts by Ugbene women to erect a secondary school in 2004 hit the rock.
Hear her: “Our women were not happy about the hopeless situation of things in Ugbene. But we identified that lack of functional school system is the mother of the problems here. You know, education shapes the life of every people. You can’t believe that we do not have a secondary school. Even the primary school we have is in shambles. As a result, social vices have been on the increase. We decided that we have to salvage the situation since all pleas to the government for so many years were futile. So in 2001, we discussed the issue in our August meeting. So from there, we raised funds to erect a secondary school as lack of it has dealt a deadly, bellow-the-belt blow to the community. The town union gave us land to do that. The Assistant Chairlady and I went to Eke-Awka market and bought the building materials. But the project died as soon as it started due to several factors including lack of funds.”
“It is painful that we don’t have any social amenity here. No roads, safe drinking water, no electricity. Everything is just decayed here and we urgently need serious government intervention. You can’t believe that to get to Awka on okada, one pays about N1, 500. That’s if you see anyone that agrees to go” she lamented further.
A teacher in Central School, Mrs Joy Igweze, severally battled to stop tears from cascading down her cheeks as she lamented the social decay in Ugbene which she blamed on the rotten state of education. She regretted that she had been labelled an enemy for pleading with some parents to pay up their pupils’ school fees of N100.
Hear her: “The condition here is pathetic. Where do I start? Is it the teachers that work their way out of the community immediately they were posted or what? Here, we don’t have teachers in this primary school. This is because when teachers are posted, they immediately transfer to other schools in the urban centre because of bad, slippery road and absolute lack of other social amenities here. They say here is a slum. Even, most parents find it hard to pay their children’s school fees of N100 per pupil. Common N100! They don’t buy textbooks, writing materials and other necessary materials every school child should have. Sadly, when you confront any parent to pay up his or her child’s school fee of N100, you would be tagged his or her enemy. Again, they rarely sew school uniform for their children. Even when the uniform is torn and tattered, some of them still wear it like that. Common sandals they don’t have. Many of them come to school bare footed. Polythene bags serve many of them as school bag. In the school, we don’t have seats. The children sit on the dusty floor during class sessions. I think the major problem of this community is poverty, and they don’t have any interest in education. I don’t know whether it is because of their frequent annual losses in agriculture which is their major occupation. After borrowing money to embark on farming they find it hard to pay back. That’s why I was wondering where to start because everything has fallen apart.”
A community leader, Chief Christopher Nweke corroborated others but regretted that “the government has kicked Ugbene out of its developmental agenda” adding that “I have fallen victim to thieves who broke into my home several times and carted away valuables including large sum of money.”
A youth leader, Mr Okoye Emmanuel Ifesinachi said that his colleagues were willing to learn craft if the government can assist with the training and soft loan to support them, hinting that “since they don’t go to school and there is no job to do, crime automatically becomes the alternative.”
Also speaking, the President-General of Ugbene community, Mr Albert Ibe said that his administration is making concerted efforts to draw the attention of the government to the community, regretting that the absence of basic amenities in the area has caused untold hardship to his people. He also called on the governor, Chief Willie Obiano to extend his goodwill to the community.
When contacted on the telephone, the member representing Awka North in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Chief Hon. Boniface Okonkwo admitted knowledge of the ugly condition in Ugbene community but said he will personally table them before the governor, Chief Willie Obiano for immediate action.
“I am aware of the situation in Ugbene. I know that they do not have a secondary school because most of them are going to Ebenebe and other neighbouring communities. As their representative, I’ll do my best to ensure that all those things will be actualized this time around. In this 21st century, it is sad that a community in Anambra State does not have a functional school system and other social amenities. That situation has brought untold hardship to them but I will do something about that. This time around they supported and voted the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) during the last general election so I don’t see reasons why the government would not remember them. I’ll plead with the government to see if they can bring developmental projects to Ugbene. I’ll present the matter to the governor. It will be included in the next year’s budget.”
Credit: OBINNA ODOGWU of The Sun newspapers