- By Ifeanyi Emmanuel
When I hear some Nigerians shouting get your PVC let’s vote them out, I laugh at them. I’m not saying your PVC can’t do the magic but is that all we need? My message is centred on Igbo-land, but that doesn’t mean the evil I’ll discuss here only happens in Igbo-land.
However, I’m talking about it because it concerns me and because we should be above such nonsense political stratagems at the time and age.
Take your time, think? Even with your PVC, who are you voting for? Any credible person? Do you have alternatives to those they present to you or do you just choose between lesser evil and small evil?
Have you bothered to ask yourselves why those criminal politicians make most rural areas in our land uninhabitable for educated and sound minds?
The answer is simple. They want you all to vacate the political spaces at the ward level. When you vacate those spaces, they’ll plant their cronies at various ward levels of different mega political parties and it is these ward and LGA level political party exco that help decide who takes the ticket to contest and represent you.
I’ve written several stories that show that Political Leaders in our Zone, the South East through their elites conspiracy, have deliberately left our zone underdeveloped for reasons best known to them before. However, today, I believe I now know those reasons because it’s now crystal clear.
Is it not shocking that the development of the South East Zone notwithstanding its smaller landmass is not commensurate with the true culture of Ndigbo (Igbo People) and the gigantic human resources available in all our states? Igbos develop everywhere they go, but their land remain underdeveloped, why? Believe me whatever politics touches, it destroys!
Take your minds back. Think! Have you not noticed that most emerging suburbs that recovered fully from the destructions of the 1967-1970 Civil War that wreaked havoc on us have been taken backwards not by decision-makers at Abuja but by the ones at Awka, Owerri, Enugu, Abakiliki and Umuahia.
Some of those towns that recovered fully as of the early 80s and were almost turning into mega townships have remained stagnant in development through deliberate destruction of the LG system by Governors, forcing most booming towns to be deserted as a result of rural-urban migration.
Some believe that the demoralizing postwar conditions in Igboland (Alaigbo) provided the push toward a global diaspora that continues to this day which now makes it possible that the Igbo man can now be found in their hundreds of thousands in all parts of Nigeria and the world.
On a closer look, one will discover that such belief that relies on postwar conditions as the reason for excessive movement of Ndigbo outside their land has failed to update their stand with current realities of several decades of underperformance and administrative recklessness by some South-East Governors and National Assembly Members has left Alaigbo underdeveloped to their gain.
How many educated persons from Uzo-Uwani are willing to stay at Umulokpa even though it’s the LGA Headquarters? How many educated persons from Ukwa West can comfortably reside at Okeikpe, one of the worst LGA headquarters in South East? How many educated and sound persons can take Okwe as their area of residence despite it being Onuimo LGA Headquarters? Tell me someone who’s educated and wants to succeed that will comfortably reside in Anaku, Headquarters of Ayamelum LGA of Anambra State? What about residing at Ezzamgbo, the headquarters of Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State?
With due respect for all the LGAs listed here, it doesn’t mean they’re the most underdeveloped, but a means of giving examples that the majority of our LGA headquarters are nothing to write home about. Even Local Government Chairmen don’t even reside in their LGA headquarters. They all have beautiful houses in the capital cities of our various states. Councillors can’t even spend a night in their wards.
With a total landmass of 29,362 Square Kilometers (29,362 km2) shared by its five states: Enugu State: 7,161 Square Kilometers (7,161 km2), Abia State: 6,320 Square Kilometers (6,320 km2), Ebonyi State 5,935 Square Kilometers (5,935 km2), Imo State, 5,530 Square Kilometers (5,530 km2) and Anambra State: 4,416 Square Kilometers(4,416km2), the South East is Nigeria’s smallest geo-political by landmass.
So with five states, a total area of 29,362 Square Kilometers, 15 Senatorial Districts, 43 Federal Constituencies and 95 Local Government Areas, the South East is still struggling to extend development beyond the capital cities of her five states. If you think some people are not benefiting from such unprecedented underdevelopment then you need to check yourself again. They simply like it they love it because it frustrates the educated out of communities living them with few they can manipulate.
There is absolutely no way one can say there would not be rural areas, of course not. There must be rural areas, but there is a big difference between a rural area and an abandoned area. Most of the communities and towns we describe as rural are actually abandoned places with nothing that makes life worth living.
Anambra State has 21 LGAs namely:Aguata, Awka North, Awka South,Anambra East, Anambra West, Anaocha, Ayamelum, Dunukofia, Ekwusigo, Idemili North, Idemili South, Ihiala, Njikoka, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba North, Orumba South and Oyi.
However, only five (Onitsha South, Onitsha North, Awka North, Awka South and Nnewi North) can be described as developed. It is important to state that Awka South and Nnewi North cannot be described as fully developed. The rest have some suburbs and more rural areas.
Imo has 27 local government areas which include: Aboh Mbaise, Ahiazu Mbaise, Ehime Mbano, Ezinihitte Mbaise, Ideato North, Ideato South, Ihitte/Uboma, Ikeduru, Isiala Mbano, Isu, Mbaitoli, Ngor Okpala, Njaba, Nkwerre, Nwangele, Obowo, Oguta, Ohaji/Egbema, Okigwe, Onuimo, Orlu, Orsu, Oru East, Oru West, Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and Owerri West.
Out of these 27 LGAs in Imo State, only Owerri Municipal, Owerri North and Owerri West are developed LGAs within Imo State. Inasmuch as Orlu, Okigwe and Mbaitoli are currently breathing airs of development, they are still far from development. Other LGAs coming up are Oru West, Aboh Mbaise, and Ideato North, but all are individual efforts with zero government presence.
Enugu State consists of 17 Local Government Areas like Aninri, Awgu, Enugu East, Enugu North, Enugu South, Ezeagu, Igbo Etiti, Igbo Eze North, Igbo Eze South, Isi Uzo, Nkanu East, Nkanu West, Nsukka, Oji River, Udenu, Udi and Uzo-Uwani.
It is also very unfortunate that out of the 17 LGAs, Enugu’s development is currently stranded in only three (Enugu North, Enugu East and Enugu South LGAs), while places like Udi, Awgu, Udenu and Nsukka LGAs are struggling to get a glimpse of what suburbs should look like.
In Abia State, the story is much more pathetic considering her strategic location. Abia consists of 17 Local Government Areas like Aba North, Aba South, Arochukwu, Bende, Ikwuano, Isiala Ngwa North, Isiala Ngwa South, Isuikwuato, Obi Ngwa, Ohafia, Osisioma Ngwa, Ugwunagbo, Ukwa East, Ukwa West, Umuahia North, Umuahia South and Umu Nneochi.
It is however unfortunate that development still terminates in three LGAs while four others are fighting seriously to join. The three most developed LGAs are Aba North, Aba South and Umuahia North. Umuahia South, Ikwuano, Osisioma and Obingwa LGAs are currently struggling to develop due to their proximity with Umuahia Metropolis (Umuahia North) and Aba Metropolis (Aba North and Aba South).
Ebonyi State which is the youngest and fastest developing state in the South East has 13 Local Government Areas. They are Abakaliki, Afikpo North, Afikpo South (Edda), Ebonyi, Ezza North, Ezza South, Ikwo, Ishielu, Ivo, Izzi, Ohaozara, Ohaukwu and Onicha.
Just like other parts of the South East, the real developed part remains only the capital which has Ezza South LGA, Abakiliki LGA, Ebonyi LGA and Ishielu LGA within, with development limited to Abakiliki and Ebonyi LGA. However, Afikpo Town and Onueke Town are suburbs yearning for more attention.
These politicians are very smart and clever. You see, in those cities where they’ve rounded everyone up, they’ll introduce an indiginization policy that’ll limit all those educated people they encircled in one place, thereby using some people from the indigenous owners (not their best) of the land as party leaders at the ward level to continue the oppression.
Speak all your grammars from Lekki to Victoria Island, ride all your beautiful cars from Wuse to Maitama, pray and fast from now till eternity, hungry illiterates are deciding who’ll represent you in your various localities. Political entrepreneurs have employed them and they’ll continue to be there because you can’t cope with the conditions down there.
To remedy this situation, some people must be willing to sacrifice. You can’t stay afar to tell who won a wrestling match. You need to get closer to know what’s happening. If this situation continues, our salvation will be like a paper tree that we’ll keep running around it to plug some seeds because nobody cares to climb it. Okirikiri ka anyi gana agba ukwu ose, anyi agaghi ariwuya enu.
I sincerely believe Abuja is not our major problem. Feel free to disagree with me. I’m willing to learn! Is it not embarrassing that Governors asking for state police cannot fund state fire service? See the embarrassing situation in Onitsha and Aba, two of our major commercial centres constantly ravaged by fire with no help.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel is a journalist, writes from Aba
