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SOS to Governor Peter
Obi
By C. U. Nwankwo, Ufuma, Anambra State
Monday, May 12, 2008
The leadership qualities of Governor Obi were brought to
light immediately after his inauguration in Awka on Friday
March 17, 2006. Within those few months before the ill-motivated
leadership impeachment of November 11, Governor Obi traveled
round the length and breadth of the local governments and
towns in Anambra state including Ufuma town. What proved that
Governor Obi is a born leader is that in every town he visited,
he left behind the footprint of a patriot. Ufuma people are
grateful.
As a patriotic governor, I would like the governor to know
that there are many other crucial issues concerning Ufuma
town. Apart from being law abiding, Ufuma people are known
for their development-oriented spirit. In fact, the only things
Ufuma lacks are business tycoons, moneybag politicians and
top government functionaries. It is unfortunate that the past
governments denied Ufuma her rights because of this irrelevant
deficiency.
For instance, local government reforms were initiated by the
military regime in 1976. Same year, Orumba was carved out
from Aguata local government area. And, in accordance with
the local government reform guidelines, Ufuma, which is the
most central and equidistant to all other communities, was
chosen and made the local government headquarters. In order
to meet the challenges posed by government decision to locate
the headquarter in their town, Ufuma taxed its citizens through
donations, levies and manual labour to build the secretariat,
a magistrate court and a high court as well as donating many
hectares of land to the government.
As soon as these infrastructure were completed and handed
over to the government, those top government functionaries
and moneybag politicians who could not live to accept good
judgment unless it is in their favour, rose to protest against
government decisions to site the headquarters at Ufuma. In
spite of the pressure to change the decision, the then military
government remained unmoved. Instead of doing the wrong thing,
the military government decided to withdraw the Orumba local
government and merged it back with Aguata local government.
As if this inglorious denial of our right was not bad enough,
when Orumba was split into two local governments (North and
South) of in August 1991, Ajalli was chosen as the headquarter
of Orumba North instead of Ufuma where the necessary infrastructure
were already in place.
I want our governor to find out from government records the
authenticity of this write-up. Thereafter, to visit Ufuma
and see for himself these infrastructure and ensure they are
put into use for the benefit of the community.
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