14/09/2023
UMUNZE AT WAR
Umunze, the headquarter of Orumba South Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria undeniably is at war with itself and delicately mangled between her sons who want to make money by all means through selling off, all common assets in the town and inept leadership at the peak.
The methodical, clandestine secret, shoddy selling of Umunze federal poultry, federal oil mill to faceless men by some get rich quick men of the town have left sour tastes in the mouths of the citizens. Even the NYSC national orientation camp all brought to the town by the first traditional ruler of the community, the late Abilikete of Umunze, Igwe Mathias Nwafor Ugochukwu OFR was believed to have been sold to Umunya town by a past present of Umunze Progressive Union (UPU). Nowhere perhaps is the war more evident today than the Nkwo Umunze market and jointly owned communal lands.
A daughter of Umuze working in one of the federal ministries, Mrs Faith Arinze Sibudu once got attention of the federal government to wall round the Nkwo Umunze market which she completed successfully. After this she pulled the federal government to further award contract for the construction of a bypass that will reduce to the barest minimum traffic hold ups at the market. The contractor awarded that contract came down to Umunze fully equipped and commenced work.
But this coincided with the time another son of Umunze, Chief Ben Oranusi – a onetime local government chairman of Orumba South LGA 1992 – 1993 – announced that he has been asked by the Anambra State government to build an Ultra modern market in Umunze under twenty five years lease of builder occupier basis. But for whatever it is worth Oranusi never told the investors he brought together to help him build the Ultra modern market, that it will revert to the hand of the Anambra State government after twenty five years. When the story broke out and the investors were looking for ways to convert the warehouses and stalls they have built into something else, the Igwe of the town Igwe P.N Eze who signed the government document for Oranusi denied he did not know the full content of the document. Thus you begin to wonder even if the Igwe is not lettered, his palace secretary usually read whatever the Igwe has to sign before he appends his signature on it; even if it is a bulky document as the Igwe has claimed.
However, in a telephone conversation we had with Ben Oranusi over the issue the other day, he claimed that the contract will be renewed after twenty five years and denied the issue of his investors developing cold feet because of the twenty five year clause. If his claim is true, then he is the owner of that market and has anyone who rents or buys a stall there in his pocket and can do with them at whim whatever he likes. This clearly raises the question of whether Nigeria is ripe for an individual to own a public market or whether there is anywhere across the world where a single individual owns a public ultra modern market. This will clearly result to anarchy. But the executive governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, a renowned economist no doubt will take clear headed decision on this issue.
Nevertheless Chief Ben Oranusi is yet to show the stuff he is made of. This is a man I do not know whether it was because of him that the word of the LORD of Host in Isaiah 2:4 rang out; “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”. I recall during the time he was the council chairman of Orumba South LGA 1992 – 1993 Oranusi had with the help of police and thugs taken away electric poles brought to Ihite, a neighboring town to Umunze, by the then Shehu Shagari government for the towns electrification and used the electric polls to energize his own side of Umunze town. Not until 1999 when a town union president of Ihite town, late Rev. Cannon Ndilika Elias Udeh who represented Ihite town as local government councilor at Orumba South LGA, visited the national rural electrification agency to restart the process of energizing his community- Ihite town. Rev. Cannon Udeh made it clear to his people that Oranusi have written Ihite off, having signed that Ihite has electricity already. So Rev Udeh had to start anew the process of energizing Ihite and was able to get new poles and other equipments used to step down electricity to that town today from the national grid.
Oranusi who do not know the way to peace and having been the local council chairman of Orumba South LGA 1992 -1993 knew perfectly well that the plan for the old Nkwo Umunze market and his ultra modern market are not the same. Still he decided to close the Nkwo market by brute force and shift the traders into his uncompleted ultra modern market bereft of any form of security. Uncompleted in the sense that save a few stalls, a line of warehouse and the abattoir which Oranusi claims to be the best of its kind around the world nothings else about the said ultra modern market have been built and he wants traders to go and stay in that sea of dust and risk losing their goods. And you will wonder does an abattoir an ultra modern market make.
The Igbo economy was built through apprenticeship. Whatever an Igbo man deals in, is his/her life blood, and to lose it is unthinkable. Imagine a married man with children suddenly losing his goods, who will take him on apprenticeship to start afresh again together with his added dependants. Added to this is the fact that the Nigerian economy is awash with excess liquidity, double digit high interest rate and bad monetary policy which have killed lots of businesses in the country.
All these may have informed the stout resistance the traders exhibited to save themselves from doom. Anybody who have seen the ultra modern market built in Ebonyi State by the past Umahi government at Abakaliki the state capital will laugh to derision at what Oranusi is trying to do at Umunze in the name of ultra modern market. If Anambra state do not have money to build an ultra modern market and needed an individual to build the market on its behalf under whatever terms of agreement, the government should have scouted for somebody with the financial muscle to do so. Those who have not experience hunger/starvation for any time in their lives may find it very difficult to understand when people are holding out from being pushed over the precipice. Oranusi still bristling with the military mentality of the Babangida junta when he was the council chairman of Orumba South LGA bared his fangs on the traders, throwing the leaders of the local butcher association into detention. Their chairman, Chief Okey Nwadike alleged that Oranusi even threatened him to choose between being kidnapped or been visited by the men of the unknown government. Armed with thugs Oranusi at night descended on the Nkwo Umunze market and carted away the corrugated iron roofs of the market; being roofs of the stalls paid for by the traders, to see if he can beat them into submission.
Suddenly the contractor building the Umunze road bypass was kidnapped and for over a month was not heard from. However when he eventually returned, the contract rounded up his road construction equipment and left. Unconfirmed reports had it that he was forced by his kidnappers to show to Mrs Faith Arinze Sibudu already finished roads from other part of the state as the one for Umunze, and Mrs Sibendu unsuspecting released the fund for the road network to the kidnappers. Weeks later, when Mrs Faith Arinze Sibudu came back to see the road by herself, she had a rude awakening. Nothing was done on the road bye-pass she had released the contract fund for and she openly cried at the market. Shortly after this event she died; apparently from heartbreak.
This was a woman who had the interest of her people at heart but was thwarted by the forces of darkness in Umunze.
Most agonizing and completely detestable is while the citizens are going through hell, the traditional ruler Igwe P.N Eze and his cabinet members literally look on. That is not the stuff of good and sincere leadership that Umunze deserves. And the question in this shameful scenario is; where is the Anambra state government when people suffer? Mr Willie Obiano created this problem and Prof. Chukwuma Soludo inherited it and what is the state government doing about their contract that have gone awry, that is what everybody will want to know.
We are not saying that Igwe P.N Eze of Umunze should carry arms and start chasing people about, no; but he should understand the agony of his people and stand with them. Years ago when a similar incident to this happened at Nnewi; Igwe Kenneth Orizu III of Nnewi stood by his people, and when the Anambra state government saw that the people were united in their demand and yearning they capitulated and did the right thing. But Igwe Promise N. Eze of Umunze who seem to have vested interest in the whole matter will not bow to reason. How can somebody sign a document he claims not to have read due to its bulkiness?
Recall a similar scenario that happened in 2004 when we were trying to attract a commercial bank to Umunze. Chief Emma Okeke – Ide Umunze, the Executive chairman of Orumba South LGA from 1999 worked assiduously to attract a commercial bank to Umunze. Chief Okeke brought together these banks to his office in Umunze and asked me to join them from my office, National vision Newspapers ltd. He showed the bank executives buildings they can rent, and from the Euphoria of the moment everybody present that day thought it was already a done deal.
But that was not to be, for as the days passed and I did not see anything on ground, I went to the council chairman and asked why; and he explained to me that Igwe P.N Eze vehemently disagreed accusing him of trying to destabilize his own business. “I helped enthrone you as the local government chairman and you now want to destroy my own business” Chief Okeke told me that was what Igwe P N Eze thundered at him. At this time Umunze had only one community bank owned by Igwe P.N Eze, therefore he thought a commercial bank in Umunze will rock his business.
However, when Chief Emma Okeke died suddenly in a ghastly motor accident in 2004, I decided to investigate Igwe P.N Eze’s Umunze community bank and unearthed a can of worms. Igwe P.N. Eze and his co- travelers – the five directors of his bank were owing the bank over N45 million for over ten years they have refused to paid back; and the bank was owing depositors over N120 million in debt; then the only money Umunze community bank has as deposit with a commercial bank was a paltry N15 million. When people come to the bank to withdraw their deposits, they will be asked to come back in two days time or a week after for their money. Every month Igwe P N Eze will hold a director’s meeting at the banks expense. After the monthly directors meeting, the five directors will be given twenty thousand naira each for transport by the bank that has already paid for their drinks and other refreshments. Then the bank after these still have to pay her workers their monthly salary. I took my findings to the Igwe and asked him to do something to save his bank from going under. But Igwe Promise Eze told me that his bank was very healthy, that central bank of Nigeria has visited and given them a clean bill of health and that if I write anything, he will sue me and my newspaper to court.
I dusted my report very well and sent it to Lagos for publication. Trust our publisher, Engr Joe Igbokwe – Agbalanze Nnewi to smell a good story when he sees one to publish that report as a front page in the National vision newspaper ltd.
When the story broke out, those who could, withdrew their money, and went to neighbouring communities with commercial banks to deposit their money, but hordes of people lost their money and I do not think they have been paid till now.
When he noticed the roiling of the Augean stable, Chief Obieli of Intercontinental Bank Plc came down to Umunze, bought land and built intercontinental bank office that today have changed into Access Bank Plc. Zenith bank Plc also came, bought land and build their office in Umunze. First Bank of Nigeria Plc was not left out as they also came, bought land and built their office at Umunze.
The building that used to house, the fallen Umunze community bank, the house of our own Theo-Jos - Akulueuno – is now being occupied by Fidelity Bank Plc, that today instead of one commercial bank, Umunze now has four commercial banks domiciled in her mist. This brings into reality what our publisher Engr Joe Igbokwe used to tell us during our editorial meetings at National Vision Newspaper Ltd, that we must help to further develop the South East of Nigeria through incisive reporting.
This bequeaths a good bequest to a worthy prince – Ide Umunze – Chief Emmanuel Okeke who died fighting for a noble cause. Also this further attests to the fact that Umunze is not a business but rather an enclave of human beings and who must be treated as such rather than as subjects money must be made out off.
Nation building is a grim task, but success can be achieved when we put the right moulded blocks into place. We must do the right thing for our communities and country for our wellbeing.
NWORAH MADUABUCHI CLEMENT
