Good news from Awo Kingdom
• As royal father excites clan with infrastructure
By VICTOR AMADI
Saturday, November 21, 2009

•Ugbele health centre PHOTO: THE SUN PUBLISHING

Living index

These are indeed, good times for people of Awo Mbieri ancient kingdom, Imo State. Their traditional ruler, HRH Eze Dr. Emma Umez-Eronini, is shocking them with development. Indeed, the royal father, in his plan to transform the kingdom, has embarked on many development projects.

Close to four decades now, Eze Umez-Eronini has been in the forefront of his community’s rapid development, especially in the area of education, basic social amenities, agriculture, infrastructural set-ups, health, and security. Indeed, long before the lot fell on him to become the Eze, he found delight and joy in elevating the status of his people, economically and socially.

The Eze had, in the year 2006, established and commissioned the Ugbele Health Centre. This has been functioning effectively ever since, rendering primary health care to the people of Awo Mbieri.

Also, he, along with his cousin, Chief C.A.C Eronini, built and commissioned the Awo Mbieri Water Project, which supplies 75,000 gallons of water to the Awo Mbieri community.
In August 2004, Eze Umez-Eronini also built for the Awo Mbieri Vigilante Group, a three-bedroom bungalow office. Not long ago too, he built a 78-seater modern library for the community, complete with computer sets, relevant text books, novels of world known authors, leading dictionaries, encyclopedia, maps, journals, etc.

In late 2007, the Eze single-handed started building the three-kilometre major road in Awo Mbieri with concrete paved stones. The project, which is a beauty to behold, has just been completed. The Imo State Governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, is expected to commission it soon.
However, a surprise came to many people in 2008 when Eze Umez-Eronini suddenly took ill and was flown abroad, for treatment. For the entire nine months he was away, it was gathered, he gave instructions that the road project should not stop. And that accounted for why it was finished in a record time.

Currently, he is pioneering the ongoing agro industrial project for palm processing by the Oganihu Women of Awo Mbieri kingdom, ably spearheaded by a former Head of Service in Imo State, Chief (Mrs.) Ijeoma Umez-Eronini.

Recently, the president of Oganihu Women of Awo, Mrs. Uzoamaka Nkechi J. was asked to comment on HRH Eze Umez-Eronini and she had this to say: “Our Eze has made us proud as we are now the envy of other communities. As members of Oganihu, we now see ourselves lucky to have married into this kingdom.”

Continuing, the president also said: “Each time our Eze is sleeping, he is thinking of Awo Mbieri and what he can do to better our living conditions. And now we hear he is discussing with Americans to come and establish a number of industries in Awo.”

The Oganihu leader may not be far from the truth after all. Four months ago, an international body, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), honoured HRH Eze Emma Umez-Eronini and his wife, with the prestigious LULAC membership, thus, making him the first African to be so honoured.

The presentation was made inside the Ugbele Palace, in Awo Mbieri by the International Relations Chairman of LULAC, Dr John David Arnold, an American, who flew into Nigeria from Puerto Rico, immediately the 2009 convention was concluded.

In his presentation speech, Arnold said: “LULAC acknowledges your humanitarian and philanthropic services at elevating and improving the lot of the poor in Awo Mbieri kingdom. It is remarkable that most of the infrastructure and basic needs provided have had to gulp your personal resources to achieve”.

Sources close to Ugbele palace revealed the Eze also used the occasion to woo the LULAC envoy, having expressed his readiness to partner American organizations towards a realizable industrialization of Awo Mbieri land.

In his own assessment of Eze Umez-Eronini, the President General of Awo Mbieri Progressive Union, Mr. J.N.J Ewurum said: “Our Eze is a remarkable personality. If he has any problem, it is on how to develop and transform Awo into a modern city and make it an industrial base. His style of rulership is simply unique and worthy of praise. We should be grateful to God for his life in our midst.”

Eze Umez-Eronini is a British-trained medical doctor. He is the founder and Proprietor of Umezurike Specialist Hospital, Owerri, Imo State. Between 1986 and 1992, the Ibrahim Babangida administration appointed him Chairman, Management Board of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. Under him, the institution witnessed a lot of rapid development and growth. In October 2007, 15 years after vacating the office, he was honoured by the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria with the award of “the best Chairman UNTH has ever had.”
The Awo monarch retired from medical practice in 2001 and in 2003, mounted the throne of his forefathers.

Eze Emma Emez-Eronini told Saturday Sun: “The truth is that government cannot do it alone to carry the burden of developing society. It has never happened anywhere. The task of nation building is a collective responsibility by all classes of citizens.”

When asked about his perceived style of rulership, the Duruaku III Ugbele of Awo ancient kingdom said: “What you may call style is obviously when you show regard for your subjects and carry them along in your plans. A kingdom has crumbled when the ruler is despotic, harsh, dictatorial, and incorrigible. In this community, I am blessed with great men and women of ideas, and of diversified professions. So, what I can always do for my people with my personal resources, I don’t look back before I do it. Yet, I still call these worthy sons and daughters of Awo from time to time, to rapport with them in brainstorming sessions, on what they can do also. Our housewives in this kingdom have been very responsive and supportive too. They have an organization body known as ‘Oganihu’.

“Our youths are able-bodied, obedient and hardworking. And collectively we march on. They all have been very supportive in putting down their hard-earned money, energy, time, material and human resources for meaningful developments.”

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