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Economy
THE GOVERNMENT AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT: NKPORO IN PERSPECTIVE
By: Michael Daniels
Upon every effort the Federal Government is making to hook the interior parts of the country to the central government or make them feel belong by taking the government to the rural places, which brought about the stratification of government up to the LGA level, yet, the rural areas are seeming to be farther separated from the government of today. Instead of the gap between the government and the rural areas to be disintegrating (more and more), it is widening rather; the dividends of democracy are minimally given to the rural places. This bubbles out many questions for the government, and its officials to answer.
What has become the works of the government? What is the essence of establishing the various levels of governments? All the yearly budgets of the government what are they meant for? Where are they being spent in? Furthermore, are the rural areas not a party to the budget? If the answer to the last question is in the negative, why is it that each government comes and goes while the rural areas do not notice it despite that the rural areas and their inhabitants remained the people that voted them into power or that it is the ground on which the politicians rigged themselves into power (should they argue no one voted for them) respectively. It is a good saying that, “Thou shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treaded out the corn…that he that plowed should plow in hope; and that he that threshed in hope should be partaker of his hope (1Cor. 9:9-10). This is the standard God has set from the foundation of the world “… and, the labourer is worthy of his reward ….” (1Tim. 5: 18).
And people, when voting in any election always have this in mind that the person they are voting for will use his office to lift the ugly state of their community and transform their standard of living. Unfortunately for them, the politicians once elected disassociate themselves from the electorates and would at most compensate their faithful cronies with dinner party and weekend refreshment, and yet leave the communities they stood on and carried out their campaigns unattended. Some go to the level of diverting the fund given to them to develop the rural areas into their private purse. What an absurdity!
Rural development should be the highest goal of any government to curb the surging migration to the urban places from the former.
What I saw in my resent visit to one of the communities in South-East is the intumescences of this episode. At the Motor Park of this community in Abia North was a woman with five children who are within the age of 9-2yrs; and their luggage, who was stranded on how to get the next vehicles to continue their journey which they started at Item, a neighbouring village in Bende LGA of the State. The women accosted and asked me if she could get a vehicle there to Afikpo in Ebonyi State, to go to Akwa-Ibom, her real destination.
Being not sure, I directed her to some men nearby who I perceived were working in the Motor Park. As she inquired from them they told her there was none because of the bad state of the road i.e. that the road is not motor able unless she would go by bike (Okada). Moreover, to get the bike, out of tens of bikes parking there, who could sail the rough, road was talk of war. The two Okada men that agreed at last to carry them to Osso-Nkporo Junction of the road where Ebonyi and Abia State through Nkporo have common boundary charged her N800.00. The fare would have been N300.00 for all of them by car if the road is motor able. However, I was confounded as I began to ponder over this! Does it mean Abia state road stops at Nkporo or that Nkporo is a terminus city? More clearly, should it be that one at Nkporo is cut off from the world at Ebonyi State, and beyond or that one in Abia State have no access to Ebonyi State through Nkporo, the closest and easiest route for the people of Ebonyi in Abia State and Nigeria at large if the road is useable unlike the Enugu State road the Ebonyians are currently taking? This is incredible! That a community or State in Nigeria is not connected to its immediate neighbouring state is quite unbelievable!
Poor road networks entail many things: economic jeopardy; impediment on freedom of movement and association; community development hazard etc. And these very things are visible in this very community in question (I believe it is also traceable in any other community that is faced with this same problem). Interestingly, the day I was in this community was their market day, (Ahia Eke) “Eke Market” in particular. I then took the same opportunity to visit the market at Etitiama Autonomous Community of Nkporo, a stone-throw from the Motor Park, and I discovered that 30 cups of gari which was rampant in the market is N200.00 i.e. roughly N6.00 per cup as against N20.00 it is in some towns—yet they have a better cup for the measurement. Another thing was that the gari was going begging in the market because there were no buyers except people from the community. The same is the fate of other commodities like yam, fruit and other farm produce. I conclude had it been there are good roads linking the area to the surrounding communities, towns, councils and States, people would have been coming from the cities to the villages to buy those items and take them to the towns. Or that the villagers would hand been taking those commodities to the towns where they could sell them better and get more reward for their labour. And much food would have been in the towns for the teaming masses. But even when they think of this, the expenses they might undergo due to the bad road could scare them away. And when the village produces food more than they can consume, and would not dispose the excess to the towns, the food, no doubt, would be a waste—and a waste of the economy.
Nevertheless, just opposite the Etitiama Ultra Modern Daily Market as its sign board reads depicting the vision they have for the look-up stalls market (in the nearest future) was a Etitiama Community Primary School. Inside the Primary School that was established in 1957 by the community and which (the school) has graduated many elites of the community who are currently in many walks of life, were feeble structures, Out of seven blocks in the school compound, five were built by the community “and each has three classrooms per block” while two of the blocks with two partitions each were built by the government. Again out of the seven blocks, only three (one government and two community built blocks) are sound while another two of the community built structures have dangerous cracks on the wall that run it vertically making the classroom risky to be stayed in for classes by the pupil because of its near-to-collapse state. Yet, the last two (one government and one community built block) are thoroughly damaged. Though they are still on their foundations, their roofs are dilapidated and the surrounding areas over grown by grass. In fact, they have become abandoned property and constituted to what give the school an unpleasant and a sordid look. Looking at the state of the school one would wonder, should this be the school that has equipped some of the politicians, academicians, capitalist etc in the community and in different levels of government and some other professions? Has the government of Ohafia LGA or any person that has access to it ever seen the state of this school structures? If yes the state of the school might have been uplifted unless the person or the government has no conscience. It is encouraging to state here that either UBE or its like had renovated two blocks in this same school, but the very ones in question are still rubbles.
The present condition of the school structures calls for justice, if the school could speak, it would have been beckoning on those who had been empowered in it as they are driving across it daily in their jeeps and living in fine mansions, to consider their actions, and even on the government whose purse is being enriched by its fruits. Anyway, by what I sew on the fence of the primary school, it (the fence) was built by different sets of elementary six pupils who were passing out of the school in their final year. Think about it! Elementary six Pupils are building school fence in a village school. Where do they get the money from? It is an extra levy on the parents that are struggling to make two ends meet. I can see the free education the government has declared is not truly free. They parents are paying for it in the other way round, and even more. If the parents were not the source of the funds, the children might have been forced to go for, manual labour to get the money. And if it is so, what a child abuse! And I hope no government official had been coming for the commissioning of such a project when it is completed. If anyone has been coming for it, it is shamelessness on his part. I pray the government should wake up and look into this. Meanwhile, I am of the opinion that the government should come up and rebuild our schools both primary and secondary schools to make education more interesting, comfortable and enjoyable to our wards and children—the physical appearance of our learning institutions needs to be very attractive to the eyes, first.
Dilapidated Community & Government built structure in Etitiama Primary School Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
However, the community being very ambitious, industrious and zealous to provide for itself what the government has denied from it succeeded in installing electricity in the community which was commissioned in 1990 by Cdr. Amadi Ikwechehor, former Sole Administrator of Imo State where the community belong to then—a notice board on the electric transformer of this community revealed this. The dirty side of this good news is that due to the unsteady nature of the electric light most of the times, or the total failure of the NEPA to give light for good number of days, thieves usurped the chance, sneaked in and made away with the electric cables at the out skirt of the community up to a long distance the community has not been able to reinstall for some years now. Now, this has left on the people a double jeopardy or has piled up its woes: no road networks to travel freely to see what is going on in the country or for other people even vendors to come to them; no electric light to power on their radio or television to hear news or have access to the Internet—the people in the rural areas could not boldly point out what the Federal Government’s policies are . They are just like a besieged city. They are left in dark! When shall this end? These people as I can see have their final hope now on the government to rescue them. In fact by their precedent so far, they deserve government’s attention. Every tangible project there, both completed and on-going ones are community financed projects particularly by its different age grades. In addition to the above mentioned projects built by some age grades, their standard Motor Park; a two -storey conference hall, etc were also built by an age grade, each. Among the basic amenities provided to the community through its age grade is a hospital block though it is not functioning. And right at the hospital site, a philanthropist in the person of Chief MAO from Ohafia came and built for it (the community) a giant hospital compared with what the Chinedu Age Grade had erected. This character is worthy of emulation! And the community, lacking what is enough to show appreciation to Chief MAO, appeal to God to reward him accordingly, and at the same time call on other Nigerians who have concern for rural development to imitate him. The new on going block for the hospital contains 15 partitions beside 2 extra large rooms and a large central hall. It is roofed with aluminum roof. The windows are sliding glass windows all through. a
Hospital built at the Chinedu Age Grade Hospital site by a philanthropist Chief MAO Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
Also in sight at the Etitiama Community was a Community bank one of its sons Chief Ude Egwu Nkele (Mosco), now late, was building for it. The bank had already approached completion. The building had been raised, fenced and painted. It was left at furnishing. Also, if any of the financial institutions in the country could come and take over the bank and operate it, the community would equally be happy. A functional bank in the community will relief the people the burden of carrying money around or travelling out to bank in the town or else where. Another interesting site to behold in this community is a recreation center built by the youth of the community under the aegis of Etitiama Nkporo Youth Association (ENYA). This is situated at the strategic area of the community. The Youth in addition bought a commuter bus for its Council of Chiefs i.e. to Etitiama Council of Chiefs However, the major project according to them, that is commenced by the government from the late 70s or early 80s which is still going on and has not assumed any shape till now is a pipe-borne water project. The Nkporo community, especially its Ndi Elu ward that lied south-west of the community is faced with serious problem as long as water is concern. The only stream in the region which serves the entire Nkporo community find its way out of Nkporo town through the north-west as it runs, from east to the northern side of Nkporo serving only the Etiti ward and Ndi Agbor ward of Nkporo—these people can just take a cup and open the backyard door to fetch water from the River to a visitor if the person requests for water. Notwithstanding, the whole Nkporo town needs a good drinkable water. But it takes those at Ndi Elu more than one and half hour to go and fetch water from a place the river made a pass near their area. As an alternative, some of the people at Ndi Elu who are too separated from the river move a bit westward and southward to a spring where they use cup to fill their cans from a pothole spring, to fetch water.
Okpo Nkuma Spring at Etitiama West, a second major sources of drinking water beside the River, to the people of Etitiama Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
However, the water problem at Ndi Elu attracted the sitting of the water tank in their vicinity. Hence, this raised the taste of the people that soon they would be relieved from this monstrosity, water scarcity and contaminated water, (where any is available). But all to no avail, the whole thing fell like pack of cards. The project did not go beyond the establishment of the water plant right at the riverside at Obofia though they complained the water-pumping machine was incapable of pushing water from the plant to the water reservoir at Mission Hill, Etitiama, Ndi Elu, many miles away. And this marked the end of the project. Later, in the 90s, the government came back and carried away the water-pumping machine with a promise to exchange it with a bigger one that could do the job. Till now, it (the government) is yet to come back with the bigger machine. Thus an attempt in 2003 during Chief Orji Uzor Kalu’s administration to continue the water project was so huge that they succeeded in finishing all but a second water reservoir with no water pipe connecting it to the plant, and abandoned it again. The second water tank was close to Etitiama Satellite Town unlike the first that is at the community’s ancient city. When they (the workers) returned after a long period of abandoning the water project to carry their remaining equipment to make their final exit, the Youth was irritated and resisted them and ceased the equipment (a power generating plant (leister) with which they were welding the tank) from them.
The second water reservoir
Now, it is the turn of Chief T. A. Orji, the current Abia State Governor to register his presence in the water project. Immediately he took the throne, as if he wanted to use the water to say “Thank you people of Nkporo for voting me into power,” fresh work started on the water project. Now, it was the laying of the water pipes from the reservoir to the plant. Good a thing, they replaced the 1980 ceramic pipes with a plastic one. And at the early stage, work was going on seriously but now the workers are no more in sight while the laying of the pipes is not yet a success. (I was able to trace the pipe line to at least, the waterside where it is running to meet the plant, there are still some dislocations) Hence, speculations are high among the people if the project has seen its usual moribund; if the contractor has entered into the thin air following his predecessors’ pattern who started it, or if the government has played its normal politics, and yet whether the water project has been left again to wait for the next government. Besides, the people never wish any of the above imaginations to be the fate of the project they constantly yearn to see as fait accompli: rather, they pray to the government of chief T. A. Orji who has worn the shoes and understood where it pinches them most and thrusts himself forward to give them a relief, to continue the good work he had begun and also accomplish it. In fact the people have profound gratitude for him if he could give them water in no distant time. Nevertheless, Etitiama Autonomous community, the seat of development in Nkporo and the assumed capital city of the entire Nkporo community has a profound joy and great thanks for her son, a councilor Hon. Obasi Iro and to the government over a health clinic center it inherited from the government through the office of the Councilor. The Clinic centre was built at the town square of the Etitiama Community i.e. in the ancient city.
The Landscape of Nkporo/ Demography
However, Nkporo is a town with eight communities. It is delineated into three wards as already mentioned above. Two communities, Amurie and Etkitiama are at Ndi Elu Ward; while three wards namely, Elughu, Obofia and Ndi Nko are at Etiti Ward; besides, the next three, Agbaja, Okwoko and Ukwa are at Ndi Agbor Ward. Etitiama happens to be at the center of Nkporo. It (Nkporo) is bounded by Item in the south-west, Abiriba in the south and Ohafia in the south-east. At its eastern and northern boundaries are Idda and Afikpo in Ebonyi State. From Item in Bende LGA to Etitiama Motor Park through Amurie Nkporo is a state government road and it is N150.00 by bike. And from Abiriba (junction) through Etitiama is N150.00 to the Etitiama Park. The road passes through Ndi Agbor Nkporo and runs down to Afikop in Ebonyi State; meanwhile, it is a federal road. Again, from Ohafia or Oroni junction (a junction that joins Ohafia, Ida and Nkporo) through Elughu Nkporo, to Etitiama Motor Park is LGA’s road. It is also N150.00 by bike. From Elughu, one can also make a touch to the federal road at Ndi Nko junction through Obofia before he starts going to Ndi Agbor from where he will burst to Afikpo, Ebonyi State. Out of the roads that link up Nkporo, only the State Government and LGA roads are usable, currently. The former is tarred while the latter is graded. But the major and longer road (more than 40 miles) which is the federal’s that holds the economy and development of Nkporo is badly spoilt and cries for justice. Nkporo has a branch of its Motor Park at #83 Item Road, Aba, from where one can get a direct transport from Aba to Nkporo. As earlier stated, one can enter Nkporo through Item, Abiriba, Ohafia or Afikpo and Idda—Nkporo is a town with many routes. Apparently, Nkporo has a vast fertile land for commercial agriculture. The land is good for planting yams, cassava, maize, melon, fluted pumpkins and vegetable. Beside these, the Ndi Agbor part of Nkporo has enough succulent ground for rice cultivations which is a second major occupation of the people in the area. Palm trees also thrive in every part of the town. In addition to the palm trees that scatter all over the places, there is Nkporo Palm Plantation at Osso. A third major occupation of the people of Nkporo is palm oil processing. But they have a problem with this! They use the most primitive method of palm oil processing to extract the oil from its other components; and therefore needs government assistance in securing more modest equipment for palm oil processing to enable them provide enough red oil (cooking oil) for the nation. However, going to the south-eastward i.e. part of Amurie, Etitiama and Elughu respectively is hilly and rocky. At Ugwu Agbala, Etitiama South, is a (white) sandy soil for building constructions. It covers a large space of land that it serves the whole region (Ohafia LGA) for building, from generation to generation. But coming northward the hill fluctuates until it reaches Ugwu Orji, Etitiama, from where it keeps a steady fall until it forms a plain at a place called Ezeaja where Etitiama built its secondary school Etitiama High School, former Etitiama Girls High school. The plain flows westward from Ezeaja-Etitama until it encroached into Amurie. This very area, Amurie has taken as its new development site. From the place they first situated when they first came into Nkporo, they are building towards this area. Also, this area of Etitiama towards the south-west of Amurie, very close to the boundary of Ohafia and Bende LGA through Amurie, is savannah in nature. Unlike the south-east of Nkporo even the Ezeaja-Etitiama east and south which are always a thick forest zone. And from Ezeaja that over looks Etitiama ancient home on a hill towards the north, the plain and savannah gently disappear and translate into an always-green and low-tree bush and finally into the hill Etitiama ancient city is sitting. Etitiama is adjacent to Amurie at the western region or their houses back each other. It takes a nativity of the either to know the boundary. And from there Etitiama builds towards the east to meet Elughu and Obohia. But a hill and a river stopped Etitiama from making in roads into the above two, respectively. Meanwhile, the hill Etitiama ancient city is locating on begins a gradual slope again after it has reached its crescendo at Ogwo Orji Square where the huge Iroko tree (Ogwo Orji) that is older or as old as the city, which the free, is the symbol and natural sign board of Etitiama—the tree greats you from after once you make an entry into any of the high lands especially the “Ugwu Orji” at Etitiama south or from its equivalent at Amurie. The falling of the hill from “Ogwo Orji Square” comes to a total fall at Etitiama Motor Park in Etitiama west and runs to the east through Ezeaja Road that takes one from Etitiama Park to Elughu Nkporo, about hundred poles away. This is also the border of Etitiama ancient city. Behind the road towards the south is the ancient city and from the road towards the north is the Etitiama satellite town. The Etitiama satellite town is a vast plain land and savannah in form, too, occupying the remaining part of Etitiama. It can be dubbed ‘Etitiama North’ though it ends up in the far west. From Etitiama Motor Park or Civic Center, it runs eastward to the river ‘Ironyi Ndi Orji.’ The river is named after the compound ‘Ndi Orji Imokwe’ or its road ‘Ndi Ndi new layout or Obohia Road, Etitiama’ the very and first road that begins Etitiama satellite town from Ezeaja Road, about five poles from the town’s Civic Centre. (This is the same road chief Marcus Kalu Okoronkwo, ‘the cake for generations’, parked into from Ndi Okerima compound in the ancient city of Etitiama.) However, from the point it made contact with the river, it left the river immediately and went upwards from east to north, yet keeping a boundary with Obofia, it maintaines its north-east flow until it made another contact with Nkporo Central (GRA) or Nkporo Secretariat in the north east. Moreover, with the boundary it maintaines with Nkporo Secretariat, it went westward through the north to touch Agbaja Nkporo in the north-west. And from Agbaja, it runs westward to meet Amurie Nkporo again in the south-west. But this south-west area of Nkporo is forestry and s ome places prone to fire consumption. Agbaja equally lies on a plain. In fact the land of Nkporo is good for airport, stadium, industries, civic centers, high rise buildings and every other establishment that requires a plain land. The soil texture of Ndi Elu is more course than that of Ndi Agbor which is clayey and muddy—the area is swampy during rainy season. Right in Nkporo are four secondary schools, two at Ndi Elu, one at Elughu (Etitiward) and one at Nkporo Central. Almost all the communities have primary school each.
Religion
Two prominent religions practiced in the town are Christianity which is in the majority, about 95%, and ‘Egbele,’ a traditional religion which is even withering away from the community: only about 5% of the people are faithful to it. The ruling churches in the town are Presbyterian Church, Assemblies of God Church, the Apostolic Church, and Roman Catholic. Many others like Mountain Of Fire, Deeper Life, etc are fighting to have root. Nkporo is a serene place! The people are very industrious and capitalist in character. The desire for higher education and wealth, make them to leave their community to the cities all over the country and some to Over Seas. To develop their communities is their highest goal that is why once they make money they come back home to invest it. They invest their wealth both under individual, age grade and community levels. They are sociable and always go in groups both at home and in any town they may find themselves. Anyone makes it a point of duty to come home at least all the festive periods in the year. Easter, August ending (time for the community’s New Yam Festival), and Xmas are always the most grooving seasons in the community. People associate, eat and drink freely in this community without fear of the evil one. It is not that an evil man could not be traced among the people since a bad egg is always found among the good ones, but it could be one out of every one thousand. Civilization has chased them into oblivion in the community. And any that exists does so at his detriment. In fact, he is a bad person only because the public might not have identified him. There is peace, order and security in the land enforced by the Nigeria Police Force whose station is sitting at Etitiama. The police are very accessible. In addition to the security situation, there is also Community vigilante Group. Beside the Police is the Nigerian Civil Service Defense Corps (NCDSC) whose office is also at Etitiama. Nkporo is very hospitable and plays host to some outsiders some people from Enugu/Anambra, Ebonyi and Ohafia live and do their business in Nkporo. Some sell building materials while some fix themselves in any other vocations of their choice like teaching, rice cultivation etc. Many more work in the Local Government. There is no house problem in the community and house rent is equally heart warming. The people give a warm welcome to any person that wants to live with them in as much as the person is not a dissident. And their land is open for sale to any interested buyer who is out for development, and once the person could follow the communities building plan. Nkporo, in the nearest future is a tourist zone and centre of commerce. It has Calabar and Akwa Ibom on the neighborhood through Ohafia beside Ebonyi State. Hence, there are many outlets from Nkporo to other states. There are many lock-up stalls in all the markets in Nkporo. As a result, whatever that is not produced in the community is a good market in Nkporo. Because of this many are in the village buying and selling; However, though many of the people from the community are in the towns, yet, those that have travelled out are seriously warming up to come back, live and do their business in the community having discovered the hidden treasure in their locality. They received the greatest challenge from their people who have lived many years in the cities even in Lagos and yet without any achievement but came back home and started doing well— many of them have built houses while in the village. Nevertheless, Nkporo community needs the support of the three levels of governments who have a hand in the community to make its dreams a reality, and therefore call on them and philanthropists and NGO’s together with foreign bodies to come and put hands together to build this new Nigerian nation in the East. Obviously, making contact with friends and relatives and business associates in any part of the world from Nkporo and through GSM is quite accessible with any network. And for improvement, Celtel has seen a vision of the upcoming Nkporo City came and mounted its mast at Etitiama. Hence, the network is leading in the town among others. The onus is now upon other communication networks to come and upgrade their network services in the area too, just like Celtel.
PICTURES & VIDEOS
By: Michael Daniels
Upon every effort the Federal Government is making to hook the interior parts of the country to the central government or make them feel belong by taking the government to the rural places, which brought about the stratification of government up to the LGA level, yet, the rural areas are seeming to be farther separated from the government of today. Instead of the gap between the government and the rural areas to be disintegrating (more and more), it is widening rather; the dividends of democracy are minimally given to the rural places. This bubbles out many questions for the government, and its officials to answer.
What has become the works of the government? What is the essence of establishing the various levels of governments? All the yearly budgets of the government what are they meant for? Where are they being spent in? Furthermore, are the rural areas not a party to the budget? If the answer to the last question is in the negative, why is it that each government comes and goes while the rural areas do not notice it despite that the rural areas and their inhabitants remained the people that voted them into power or that it is the ground on which the politicians rigged themselves into power (should they argue no one voted for them) respectively. It is a good saying that, “Thou shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treaded out the corn…that he that plowed should plow in hope; and that he that threshed in hope should be partaker of his hope (1Cor. 9:9-10). This is the standard God has set from the foundation of the world “… and, the labourer is worthy of his reward ….” (1Tim. 5: 18).
And people, when voting in any election always have this in mind that the person they are voting for will use his office to lift the ugly state of their community and transform their standard of living. Unfortunately for them, the politicians once elected disassociate themselves from the electorates and would at most compensate their faithful cronies with dinner party and weekend refreshment, and yet leave the communities they stood on and carried out their campaigns unattended. Some go to the level of diverting the fund given to them to develop the rural areas into their private purse. What an absurdity!
Rural development should be the highest goal of any government to curb the surging migration to the urban places from the former.
What I saw in my resent visit to one of the communities in South-East is the intumescences of this episode. At the Motor Park of this community in Abia North was a woman with five children who are within the age of 9-2yrs; and their luggage, who was stranded on how to get the next vehicles to continue their journey which they started at Item, a neighbouring village in Bende LGA of the State. The women accosted and asked me if she could get a vehicle there to Afikpo in Ebonyi State, to go to Akwa-Ibom, her real destination.
Being not sure, I directed her to some men nearby who I perceived were working in the Motor Park. As she inquired from them they told her there was none because of the bad state of the road i.e. that the road is not motor able unless she would go by bike (Okada). Moreover, to get the bike, out of tens of bikes parking there, who could sail the rough, road was talk of war. The two Okada men that agreed at last to carry them to Osso-Nkporo Junction of the road where Ebonyi and Abia State through Nkporo have common boundary charged her N800.00. The fare would have been N300.00 for all of them by car if the road is motor able. However, I was confounded as I began to ponder over this! Does it mean Abia state road stops at Nkporo or that Nkporo is a terminus city? More clearly, should it be that one at Nkporo is cut off from the world at Ebonyi State, and beyond or that one in Abia State have no access to Ebonyi State through Nkporo, the closest and easiest route for the people of Ebonyi in Abia State and Nigeria at large if the road is useable unlike the Enugu State road the Ebonyians are currently taking? This is incredible! That a community or State in Nigeria is not connected to its immediate neighbouring state is quite unbelievable!
Poor road networks entail many things: economic jeopardy; impediment on freedom of movement and association; community development hazard etc. And these very things are visible in this very community in question (I believe it is also traceable in any other community that is faced with this same problem). Interestingly, the day I was in this community was their market day, (Ahia Eke) “Eke Market” in particular. I then took the same opportunity to visit the market at Etitiama Autonomous Community of Nkporo, a stone-throw from the Motor Park, and I discovered that 30 cups of gari which was rampant in the market is N200.00 i.e. roughly N6.00 per cup as against N20.00 it is in some towns—yet they have a better cup for the measurement. Another thing was that the gari was going begging in the market because there were no buyers except people from the community. The same is the fate of other commodities like yam, fruit and other farm produce. I conclude had it been there are good roads linking the area to the surrounding communities, towns, councils and States, people would have been coming from the cities to the villages to buy those items and take them to the towns. Or that the villagers would hand been taking those commodities to the towns where they could sell them better and get more reward for their labour. And much food would have been in the towns for the teaming masses. But even when they think of this, the expenses they might undergo due to the bad road could scare them away. And when the village produces food more than they can consume, and would not dispose the excess to the towns, the food, no doubt, would be a waste—and a waste of the economy.
Nevertheless, just opposite the Etitiama Ultra Modern Daily Market as its sign board reads depicting the vision they have for the look-up stalls market (in the nearest future) was a Etitiama Community Primary School. Inside the Primary School that was established in 1957 by the community and which (the school) has graduated many elites of the community who are currently in many walks of life, were feeble structures, Out of seven blocks in the school compound, five were built by the community “and each has three classrooms per block” while two of the blocks with two partitions each were built by the government. Again out of the seven blocks, only three (one government and two community built blocks) are sound while another two of the community built structures have dangerous cracks on the wall that run it vertically making the classroom risky to be stayed in for classes by the pupil because of its near-to-collapse state. Yet, the last two (one government and one community built block) are thoroughly damaged. Though they are still on their foundations, their roofs are dilapidated and the surrounding areas over grown by grass. In fact, they have become abandoned property and constituted to what give the school an unpleasant and a sordid look. Looking at the state of the school one would wonder, should this be the school that has equipped some of the politicians, academicians, capitalist etc in the community and in different levels of government and some other professions? Has the government of Ohafia LGA or any person that has access to it ever seen the state of this school structures? If yes the state of the school might have been uplifted unless the person or the government has no conscience. It is encouraging to state here that either UBE or its like had renovated two blocks in this same school, but the very ones in question are still rubbles.
The present condition of the school structures calls for justice, if the school could speak, it would have been beckoning on those who had been empowered in it as they are driving across it daily in their jeeps and living in fine mansions, to consider their actions, and even on the government whose purse is being enriched by its fruits. Anyway, by what I sew on the fence of the primary school, it (the fence) was built by different sets of elementary six pupils who were passing out of the school in their final year. Think about it! Elementary six Pupils are building school fence in a village school. Where do they get the money from? It is an extra levy on the parents that are struggling to make two ends meet. I can see the free education the government has declared is not truly free. They parents are paying for it in the other way round, and even more. If the parents were not the source of the funds, the children might have been forced to go for, manual labour to get the money. And if it is so, what a child abuse! And I hope no government official had been coming for the commissioning of such a project when it is completed. If anyone has been coming for it, it is shamelessness on his part. I pray the government should wake up and look into this. Meanwhile, I am of the opinion that the government should come up and rebuild our schools both primary and secondary schools to make education more interesting, comfortable and enjoyable to our wards and children—the physical appearance of our learning institutions needs to be very attractive to the eyes, first.
Dilapidated Community & Government built structure in Etitiama Primary School Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
However, the community being very ambitious, industrious and zealous to provide for itself what the government has denied from it succeeded in installing electricity in the community which was commissioned in 1990 by Cdr. Amadi Ikwechehor, former Sole Administrator of Imo State where the community belong to then—a notice board on the electric transformer of this community revealed this. The dirty side of this good news is that due to the unsteady nature of the electric light most of the times, or the total failure of the NEPA to give light for good number of days, thieves usurped the chance, sneaked in and made away with the electric cables at the out skirt of the community up to a long distance the community has not been able to reinstall for some years now. Now, this has left on the people a double jeopardy or has piled up its woes: no road networks to travel freely to see what is going on in the country or for other people even vendors to come to them; no electric light to power on their radio or television to hear news or have access to the Internet—the people in the rural areas could not boldly point out what the Federal Government’s policies are . They are just like a besieged city. They are left in dark! When shall this end? These people as I can see have their final hope now on the government to rescue them. In fact by their precedent so far, they deserve government’s attention. Every tangible project there, both completed and on-going ones are community financed projects particularly by its different age grades. In addition to the above mentioned projects built by some age grades, their standard Motor Park; a two -storey conference hall, etc were also built by an age grade, each. Among the basic amenities provided to the community through its age grade is a hospital block though it is not functioning. And right at the hospital site, a philanthropist in the person of Chief MAO from Ohafia came and built for it (the community) a giant hospital compared with what the Chinedu Age Grade had erected. This character is worthy of emulation! And the community, lacking what is enough to show appreciation to Chief MAO, appeal to God to reward him accordingly, and at the same time call on other Nigerians who have concern for rural development to imitate him. The new on going block for the hospital contains 15 partitions beside 2 extra large rooms and a large central hall. It is roofed with aluminum roof. The windows are sliding glass windows all through. a
Hospital built at the Chinedu Age Grade Hospital site by a philanthropist Chief MAO Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
Also in sight at the Etitiama Community was a Community bank one of its sons Chief Ude Egwu Nkele (Mosco), now late, was building for it. The bank had already approached completion. The building had been raised, fenced and painted. It was left at furnishing. Also, if any of the financial institutions in the country could come and take over the bank and operate it, the community would equally be happy. A functional bank in the community will relief the people the burden of carrying money around or travelling out to bank in the town or else where. Another interesting site to behold in this community is a recreation center built by the youth of the community under the aegis of Etitiama Nkporo Youth Association (ENYA). This is situated at the strategic area of the community. The Youth in addition bought a commuter bus for its Council of Chiefs i.e. to Etitiama Council of Chiefs However, the major project according to them, that is commenced by the government from the late 70s or early 80s which is still going on and has not assumed any shape till now is a pipe-borne water project. The Nkporo community, especially its Ndi Elu ward that lied south-west of the community is faced with serious problem as long as water is concern. The only stream in the region which serves the entire Nkporo community find its way out of Nkporo town through the north-west as it runs, from east to the northern side of Nkporo serving only the Etiti ward and Ndi Agbor ward of Nkporo—these people can just take a cup and open the backyard door to fetch water from the River to a visitor if the person requests for water. Notwithstanding, the whole Nkporo town needs a good drinkable water. But it takes those at Ndi Elu more than one and half hour to go and fetch water from a place the river made a pass near their area. As an alternative, some of the people at Ndi Elu who are too separated from the river move a bit westward and southward to a spring where they use cup to fill their cans from a pothole spring, to fetch water.
Okpo Nkuma Spring at Etitiama West, a second major sources of drinking water beside the River, to the people of Etitiama Pix By: Anya De Nyasca
However, the water problem at Ndi Elu attracted the sitting of the water tank in their vicinity. Hence, this raised the taste of the people that soon they would be relieved from this monstrosity, water scarcity and contaminated water, (where any is available). But all to no avail, the whole thing fell like pack of cards. The project did not go beyond the establishment of the water plant right at the riverside at Obofia though they complained the water-pumping machine was incapable of pushing water from the plant to the water reservoir at Mission Hill, Etitiama, Ndi Elu, many miles away. And this marked the end of the project. Later, in the 90s, the government came back and carried away the water-pumping machine with a promise to exchange it with a bigger one that could do the job. Till now, it (the government) is yet to come back with the bigger machine. Thus an attempt in 2003 during Chief Orji Uzor Kalu’s administration to continue the water project was so huge that they succeeded in finishing all but a second water reservoir with no water pipe connecting it to the plant, and abandoned it again. The second water tank was close to Etitiama Satellite Town unlike the first that is at the community’s ancient city. When they (the workers) returned after a long period of abandoning the water project to carry their remaining equipment to make their final exit, the Youth was irritated and resisted them and ceased the equipment (a power generating plant (leister) with which they were welding the tank) from them.
The second water reservoir
Now, it is the turn of Chief T. A. Orji, the current Abia State Governor to register his presence in the water project. Immediately he took the throne, as if he wanted to use the water to say “Thank you people of Nkporo for voting me into power,” fresh work started on the water project. Now, it was the laying of the water pipes from the reservoir to the plant. Good a thing, they replaced the 1980 ceramic pipes with a plastic one. And at the early stage, work was going on seriously but now the workers are no more in sight while the laying of the pipes is not yet a success. (I was able to trace the pipe line to at least, the waterside where it is running to meet the plant, there are still some dislocations) Hence, speculations are high among the people if the project has seen its usual moribund; if the contractor has entered into the thin air following his predecessors’ pattern who started it, or if the government has played its normal politics, and yet whether the water project has been left again to wait for the next government. Besides, the people never wish any of the above imaginations to be the fate of the project they constantly yearn to see as fait accompli: rather, they pray to the government of chief T. A. Orji who has worn the shoes and understood where it pinches them most and thrusts himself forward to give them a relief, to continue the good work he had begun and also accomplish it. In fact the people have profound gratitude for him if he could give them water in no distant time. Nevertheless, Etitiama Autonomous community, the seat of development in Nkporo and the assumed capital city of the entire Nkporo community has a profound joy and great thanks for her son, a councilor Hon. Obasi Iro and to the government over a health clinic center it inherited from the government through the office of the Councilor. The Clinic centre was built at the town square of the Etitiama Community i.e. in the ancient city.
The Landscape of Nkporo/ Demography
However, Nkporo is a town with eight communities. It is delineated into three wards as already mentioned above. Two communities, Amurie and Etkitiama are at Ndi Elu Ward; while three wards namely, Elughu, Obofia and Ndi Nko are at Etiti Ward; besides, the next three, Agbaja, Okwoko and Ukwa are at Ndi Agbor Ward. Etitiama happens to be at the center of Nkporo. It (Nkporo) is bounded by Item in the south-west, Abiriba in the south and Ohafia in the south-east. At its eastern and northern boundaries are Idda and Afikpo in Ebonyi State. From Item in Bende LGA to Etitiama Motor Park through Amurie Nkporo is a state government road and it is N150.00 by bike. And from Abiriba (junction) through Etitiama is N150.00 to the Etitiama Park. The road passes through Ndi Agbor Nkporo and runs down to Afikop in Ebonyi State; meanwhile, it is a federal road. Again, from Ohafia or Oroni junction (a junction that joins Ohafia, Ida and Nkporo) through Elughu Nkporo, to Etitiama Motor Park is LGA’s road. It is also N150.00 by bike. From Elughu, one can also make a touch to the federal road at Ndi Nko junction through Obofia before he starts going to Ndi Agbor from where he will burst to Afikpo, Ebonyi State. Out of the roads that link up Nkporo, only the State Government and LGA roads are usable, currently. The former is tarred while the latter is graded. But the major and longer road (more than 40 miles) which is the federal’s that holds the economy and development of Nkporo is badly spoilt and cries for justice. Nkporo has a branch of its Motor Park at #83 Item Road, Aba, from where one can get a direct transport from Aba to Nkporo. As earlier stated, one can enter Nkporo through Item, Abiriba, Ohafia or Afikpo and Idda—Nkporo is a town with many routes. Apparently, Nkporo has a vast fertile land for commercial agriculture. The land is good for planting yams, cassava, maize, melon, fluted pumpkins and vegetable. Beside these, the Ndi Agbor part of Nkporo has enough succulent ground for rice cultivations which is a second major occupation of the people in the area. Palm trees also thrive in every part of the town. In addition to the palm trees that scatter all over the places, there is Nkporo Palm Plantation at Osso. A third major occupation of the people of Nkporo is palm oil processing. But they have a problem with this! They use the most primitive method of palm oil processing to extract the oil from its other components; and therefore needs government assistance in securing more modest equipment for palm oil processing to enable them provide enough red oil (cooking oil) for the nation. However, going to the south-eastward i.e. part of Amurie, Etitiama and Elughu respectively is hilly and rocky. At Ugwu Agbala, Etitiama South, is a (white) sandy soil for building constructions. It covers a large space of land that it serves the whole region (Ohafia LGA) for building, from generation to generation. But coming northward the hill fluctuates until it reaches Ugwu Orji, Etitiama, from where it keeps a steady fall until it forms a plain at a place called Ezeaja where Etitiama built its secondary school Etitiama High School, former Etitiama Girls High school. The plain flows westward from Ezeaja-Etitama until it encroached into Amurie. This very area, Amurie has taken as its new development site. From the place they first situated when they first came into Nkporo, they are building towards this area. Also, this area of Etitiama towards the south-west of Amurie, very close to the boundary of Ohafia and Bende LGA through Amurie, is savannah in nature. Unlike the south-east of Nkporo even the Ezeaja-Etitiama east and south which are always a thick forest zone. And from Ezeaja that over looks Etitiama ancient home on a hill towards the north, the plain and savannah gently disappear and translate into an always-green and low-tree bush and finally into the hill Etitiama ancient city is sitting. Etitiama is adjacent to Amurie at the western region or their houses back each other. It takes a nativity of the either to know the boundary. And from there Etitiama builds towards the east to meet Elughu and Obohia. But a hill and a river stopped Etitiama from making in roads into the above two, respectively. Meanwhile, the hill Etitiama ancient city is locating on begins a gradual slope again after it has reached its crescendo at Ogwo Orji Square where the huge Iroko tree (Ogwo Orji) that is older or as old as the city, which the free, is the symbol and natural sign board of Etitiama—the tree greats you from after once you make an entry into any of the high lands especially the “Ugwu Orji” at Etitiama south or from its equivalent at Amurie. The falling of the hill from “Ogwo Orji Square” comes to a total fall at Etitiama Motor Park in Etitiama west and runs to the east through Ezeaja Road that takes one from Etitiama Park to Elughu Nkporo, about hundred poles away. This is also the border of Etitiama ancient city. Behind the road towards the south is the ancient city and from the road towards the north is the Etitiama satellite town. The Etitiama satellite town is a vast plain land and savannah in form, too, occupying the remaining part of Etitiama. It can be dubbed ‘Etitiama North’ though it ends up in the far west. From Etitiama Motor Park or Civic Center, it runs eastward to the river ‘Ironyi Ndi Orji.’ The river is named after the compound ‘Ndi Orji Imokwe’ or its road ‘Ndi Ndi new layout or Obohia Road, Etitiama’ the very and first road that begins Etitiama satellite town from Ezeaja Road, about five poles from the town’s Civic Centre. (This is the same road chief Marcus Kalu Okoronkwo, ‘the cake for generations’, parked into from Ndi Okerima compound in the ancient city of Etitiama.) However, from the point it made contact with the river, it left the river immediately and went upwards from east to north, yet keeping a boundary with Obofia, it maintaines its north-east flow until it made another contact with Nkporo Central (GRA) or Nkporo Secretariat in the north east. Moreover, with the boundary it maintaines with Nkporo Secretariat, it went westward through the north to touch Agbaja Nkporo in the north-west. And from Agbaja, it runs westward to meet Amurie Nkporo again in the south-west. But this south-west area of Nkporo is forestry and s ome places prone to fire consumption. Agbaja equally lies on a plain. In fact the land of Nkporo is good for airport, stadium, industries, civic centers, high rise buildings and every other establishment that requires a plain land. The soil texture of Ndi Elu is more course than that of Ndi Agbor which is clayey and muddy—the area is swampy during rainy season. Right in Nkporo are four secondary schools, two at Ndi Elu, one at Elughu (Etitiward) and one at Nkporo Central. Almost all the communities have primary school each.
Religion
Two prominent religions practiced in the town are Christianity which is in the majority, about 95%, and ‘Egbele,’ a traditional religion which is even withering away from the community: only about 5% of the people are faithful to it. The ruling churches in the town are Presbyterian Church, Assemblies of God Church, the Apostolic Church, and Roman Catholic. Many others like Mountain Of Fire, Deeper Life, etc are fighting to have root. Nkporo is a serene place! The people are very industrious and capitalist in character. The desire for higher education and wealth, make them to leave their community to the cities all over the country and some to Over Seas. To develop their communities is their highest goal that is why once they make money they come back home to invest it. They invest their wealth both under individual, age grade and community levels. They are sociable and always go in groups both at home and in any town they may find themselves. Anyone makes it a point of duty to come home at least all the festive periods in the year. Easter, August ending (time for the community’s New Yam Festival), and Xmas are always the most grooving seasons in the community. People associate, eat and drink freely in this community without fear of the evil one. It is not that an evil man could not be traced among the people since a bad egg is always found among the good ones, but it could be one out of every one thousand. Civilization has chased them into oblivion in the community. And any that exists does so at his detriment. In fact, he is a bad person only because the public might not have identified him. There is peace, order and security in the land enforced by the Nigeria Police Force whose station is sitting at Etitiama. The police are very accessible. In addition to the security situation, there is also Community vigilante Group. Beside the Police is the Nigerian Civil Service Defense Corps (NCDSC) whose office is also at Etitiama. Nkporo is very hospitable and plays host to some outsiders some people from Enugu/Anambra, Ebonyi and Ohafia live and do their business in Nkporo. Some sell building materials while some fix themselves in any other vocations of their choice like teaching, rice cultivation etc. Many more work in the Local Government. There is no house problem in the community and house rent is equally heart warming. The people give a warm welcome to any person that wants to live with them in as much as the person is not a dissident. And their land is open for sale to any interested buyer who is out for development, and once the person could follow the communities building plan. Nkporo, in the nearest future is a tourist zone and centre of commerce. It has Calabar and Akwa Ibom on the neighborhood through Ohafia beside Ebonyi State. Hence, there are many outlets from Nkporo to other states. There are many lock-up stalls in all the markets in Nkporo. As a result, whatever that is not produced in the community is a good market in Nkporo. Because of this many are in the village buying and selling; However, though many of the people from the community are in the towns, yet, those that have travelled out are seriously warming up to come back, live and do their business in the community having discovered the hidden treasure in their locality. They received the greatest challenge from their people who have lived many years in the cities even in Lagos and yet without any achievement but came back home and started doing well— many of them have built houses while in the village. Nevertheless, Nkporo community needs the support of the three levels of governments who have a hand in the community to make its dreams a reality, and therefore call on them and philanthropists and NGO’s together with foreign bodies to come and put hands together to build this new Nigerian nation in the East. Obviously, making contact with friends and relatives and business associates in any part of the world from Nkporo and through GSM is quite accessible with any network. And for improvement, Celtel has seen a vision of the upcoming Nkporo City came and mounted its mast at Etitiama. Hence, the network is leading in the town among others. The onus is now upon other communication networks to come and upgrade their network services in the area too, just like Celtel.
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