By the way, Otu-Ocha is a coinage by white foreigners who had colonized our people just as they did other Nigerians elsewhere. Its original name was Otu-Oche, meaning beach owned by Oche, an Umueri man who managed canoes at the riverside (of Omabala River also renamed Anambra River by
the same Europeans for ease of pronunciation). Otu in local parlance denotes “beach” or “riverside”.
This is why there are such phrases as Otu- Onitsha (meaning Onitsha Riverside), Otu-Nsugbe meaning that part of Nsugbe where Anambra (or more accurately Omabala River passes through Nsugbe).
To immortalize Oche (this first man to settle in Otu-Ocha),Umueri people named one of the primary schools in the community “Oche Primary School”.
This long backgrounding has become necessary to enable an “outsider” to properly understand the circumstances surrounding the Umueri man/woman; his/her tribulations in
the hands of his/her neighbours (especially Aguleri) and Umueri’s contributions to Omabala area in particular and Anambra State and indeed Nigeria as a whole.
One of the greatest puzzles of all times is the relationship which has existed from the distant past between Umueri and her next-door neighbor, Aguleri. To use the age-old phraseology, Umueri and Aguleri people live side by side, but this physical closeness has not engendered unity, love or understanding among people from these two communities.
The two communities had a long history of friendship, inter-marriages and business partnerships. They embraced Christianity a pretty long time ago – the Anglican Church arrived Umueri in 1904, while the Catholic denomination established presence in Aguleri about the same time.
In spite of all factors which should have reconciled the Umuerians with the Agulerians, there has been no love lost between the two communities. The longest-lasting land
dispute in Nigeria that has traversed the lower, Appeal and Supreme Courts, and even at a time, was
heard at the Privy Council in London, United Kingdom, is the Umueri-Aguleri Land case. Though the Supreme Court adjudicated on this matter in 1984 with a judgment that neither Umueri nor Aguleri could prove EXCLUSIVE ownership of Otu-Ocha land, and therefore urged each of the two
communities to go back and continue to operate where she had held sway while collecting rent from stranger- elements, peace has continued to elude these two communities. Apart
from their 1964 war, they fought in 1995 (this was actually an invasion of Umueri by Aguleri) and 1999.
An integral aspect of the Supreme Court’s 1984 judgment, namely the call on the National Boundaries Commission to urgently demarcate boundaries between Umueri and Aguleri with a view to preventing further hostilities, is yet to be effected 32 solid years after!
That explains why the two communities have resorted to
“self-help” – fighting, maiming, burning and murdering
themselves in a bid to acquire more land out of Otu-Ocha and
its environs. The memories of the Umueri-Aguleri crisis of
1995 and 1999 are still evergreen in our minds.
Could the Federal and Anambra State Governments urgently
intervene and save Umueri and Aguleri from another session
of bloodshed? This question has become imperative against
the backdrop of an aggressive acquisition policy being
executed by Aguleri community, using the position of their
son, Chief Willie Obiano, the sitting governor of Anambra
State to best advantage.
Umueri community believes that Governor Willie Obiano is
partial in more respects than one: shortly after his
assumption of office in 2014, he ordered the payment of a
joint compensation to Umueri and Aguleri communities to
legitimize his government’s illegal acquisition of Aguakor
land (which exclusively belongs to Umueri), a bait which
Umueri has continued to shun. Not having any stake, Aguleri
community expectedly collected what the government referred
to as its share of that compensation.
As if this was not enough humiliation, the Anambra State
Cargo Airport Project sited in Umueri by ex-Governor Peter
Obi (CON) when he was in power, surprisingly had
“Aguleri” added to its name on the day Obiano flagged it
off on February 23, 2015. On that day , he (Governor
Obiano), to the chagrin of those present, ordered that an
Aguleri monarch, Augustine Eze break the kolanut on Umueri
soil when several prominent Umueri sons, including the
traditional Prime Minister (Onowu Umueri), Chief Mike
Ekweonu, were there in flesh and blood.
Still not done, His Excellency, Governor Obiano ordered that
the written Address prepared by Umueri would not be read by
the Chairman of Umueri Caretaker Committee (of Umueri
General Assembly), Comrade Chike Odili. To make matters
worse, Governor Obiano compelled a prominent Umueri son to
perform the odd job of confiscating copies of that address
so that no journalist would report anything about Umueri.
That was the mother of all humiliations!
On Thursday, April 14, 2016, the governor tried to re-enact
such naivety as the above-mentioned at the opening of
Onitsha Shoprite Mall when he asked the Obosi traditional
ruler Igwe Iweka to break the Kolanut on Onitsha soil, and
heavens were let loose. Onitsha citizens present, simply
snatched the Kolanut from Igwe Iweka, saying they would not
tolerate such sacrilege on Onitsha Ado Land.
Back to the humiliation of Umueri: Governor Willie Obiano
has changed the name of the Local Education Authority at
Anambra East Local Government Area, Otu-Ocha to Anambra
State Universal Education Board, Aguleri. This was effected
by the Chairman of Anambra State Universal Basic Education
Board (ASUBEB), Chief Olisa Emeka (popularly called Okosisi)
and an Aguleri man who was planted at the Office on purpose.
He is Prof. John C. Onuorah. Governor Obiano ordered him to
ensure Umueri is insulted and extinguished from the records
of the Board.
Our Lady’s Catholic Church-owned Madonna Secondary School,
Umueri, surprisingly has an Aguleri address in the records
of Anambra State Education Ministry.
Worse still, during the registration done by the National
Identity Management Commission (NIMC), all addresses bearing
Umueri were deliberately changed to Aguleri to give the
wrong impression that the whole of Otu-Ocha belongs to
Aguleri. The series of petitions written to the Security
Agencies – Department of State Security (DSS), Police and
the National Identity Management Commission by Umueri to
this effect, is yet to yield the desired dividend.
It is noteworthy that all efforts made by Umueri people to
pay Governor Obiano a courtesy call were rebuffed by His
Excellency. Similarly, all petitions written by Umueri
people against the various indignities meted out to them
were cast overboard by the governor and his Chief of Staff,
Prof. Joe Asike. This shows that the clamp-down on Umueri is
a deliberate and carefully planned policy of Gov. Obiano and
his Aguleri community.
It is feared that the last straw which will break the
camel’s back is the recent relocation to Aguleri of the
St. Gabriel Anglican Church’s Bishop’s Court meant to be
sited on the over 200-plot land donated by Umueri.
Authoritative sources say the governor gave Bishop Johnson
Ekwe a whooping sum of Five Hundred Million Naira to build a
befitting house in his Nenwe community in Enugu State as
well as erect the Bishop’s Court in Aguleri.
Pray, where else is a Bishop’s court sited in another
community than where the Cathedral (and Diocesan
Headquarters) is domiciled? What facility of the Aguleri
Catholic Diocese, is sited in Umueri? The Monastery which
was mooted previously to be sited in Umueri by the Catholic
Church was vehemently opposed by Aguleri people who killed
the idea with unparalled immediacy.
Why has Umueri become the Guinea Pig of Aguleri? Why should
a highly placed cleric of the status of a Bishop (Bishop
Johnson Ekwe), Bishop of Niger West Diocese allow himself to
be used to annex, humiliate, degrade and desecrate Umueri?
One only hopes that the top echelon of the Anglican Church
from the Eastern part of Nigeria, namely, Most Rev.
Christian Efobi (Arch Bishop, Province of Niger and Bishop
of Aguata Diocese); Rt. Rev. Ephraim Ikeakor (Bishop of
Amichi Diocese); Rt. Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala (Bishop of
Nnewi Diocese); Rt. Rev.
Alexander Ibezim, Ph.D (Bishop of Awka Diocese); Rt. Rev.
Ralph Okeke (Bishop of Ihiala Diocese); Rt. Rev. Samuel
Ezeofor (Bishop of Ogbaru Diocese); Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke
(Bishop of Mbamili Diocese) and Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo Ph.D
(Bishop of Niger Diocese), will properly advise the Primate
of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev.
Nicholas Okoh to order the return of the Diocese of Niger
West’s Bishop’s Court to its rightful place, Umueri.
In addition, the member of the House of Representatives
(representing Anambra East and West Local Government Areas),
Hon. Tony Nwoye should call on the National Boundaries
Commission to urgently demarcate the boundaries between
Aguleri and Umueri while the Chief Executive Officer of
National Identity Management Commission should order a
review of the registration exercise which his agency carried
out in Aguleri and Umueri communities with a view to
righting the wrongs meted out to Umueri.
A stitch in time saves nine!
Edoziuno Egboka writes from Umueri
Grand Conspiracy Against Umueri By Edoziuno Egboka
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Rating:
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