Village leaders lament marginalisation in Anambra community

Some village leaders at Amakor in Nanka community, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, have called on the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to quickly intervene to stop a breakdown of law and order in the community.

 

The Leaders, who addressed a press conference in Awka on Tuesday, lamented that they have been marginalized from the Nnaka community in various ways, including denial of the right to produce the Traditional Prime Minister of the community at a time when it is their turn, including being stopped from benefiting from government interventions.

 

The leadership of the village, Mr Daniel Ilo and Mr Walter Muoneme, who are the chairman and secretary of the community, respectively, alongside other members of the village, lamented the ill-treatment on them by the community leadership, headed by the traditional ruler and the President General of the community, Igwe Godwin Ezeilo and Mr. Ifeanyi Ezike respectively.

 

The village, in a letter addressed to Soludo and read to journalists by the assistant secretary of Amakor Njikoka Development Union (ANDU), Mr Patrick Okoli said, “We do humbly bring to your (Soludo’s) attention the sundry reprehensible acts being perpetrated by Igwe Godwin Ogochukwu Ezeilo (The Traditional Ruler of Nanka), Chief Koffi Ugochukwu Obijiofor, Nanka Patriotic Union (NPU), her President-General, Mr Ifeanyi Ezike and a few influential indigenes of Nanka against Amakor Village.

 

“We write for and on behalf of Amakor village Nanka, Orumba North LGA, under the auspices of the Amakor Njikoka Development Union (ANDU).

 

“Going by Nanka tradition/custom and the constitution of the Nanka Patriotic Union, rights, privileges, and responsibilities are shared and taken in order of seniority amongst the seven villages that make up Nanka town.”

 

The protesters said Amakor, in the order of seniority, is fourth, and with the Igweship stool having moved from Enugwu village, which is the second, to Ifite, which is the third, Amakor should have produced the traditional prime minister (Onowu).

 

“Some rich people in Nanka, who call the shots, railroaded Nanka Patriotic Union into shunning Amakor village and giving the Onowu to Chief Koffi Obijiofor, who is from the 5″ village – Umudala.”

 

The group said it has long gone to court and obtained a judgement against the community for what it referred to as a travesty, but the community has refused to budge, hence their call to Governor Soludo to intervene.

 

“We are a peace-loving village, and we do not want to be involved in communal crisis, that is why we are calling on Soludo to come to our aide now.

 

“We have other instances of marginalisation against us. The President General is threatening to remove a gate we spent N12 million to install in all the roads leading into our village, to safeguard ourselves from kidnappers and armed robbers.

 

“COVID-19 palliative donated to our village was diverted and sold, just as the improved palm and coconut seedlings, which the state government recently distributed to all the communities in the state, were denied Amakor people.

 

“We are calling on the governor to restrain the traditional ruler of nanka, Igwe Godwin Ezeilo, the president general of Nanka Patriotic Union, Mr, Ifeanyi Ezike, and Koffi Obijiofor who parades himself as Onowu to desist forthwith from such acts, and also return all rights of Amakor village.”

 

When Nigerian Tribune reached the president general of the community, Ifeanyi Ezike, he denied most of the allegations leveled against him and the monarch, describing ANDU as troublesome.

 

“We have not diverted any palliative meant for them. Their portion of every government largesse has always been given to them. The problem is that even in their own village, they have factions.

 

“I have been mandated by the commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Community Matters to resolve their matter, but they did not show up. As for the Onowu contest, they are still in court.

 

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