BEING A PRESS RELEASE JOINTLY HELD BY MGBOWO YOUTH PROGRESSIVE ORGANIZATION (MYPO) ABUJA BRANCH AND MGBOWO UNITED WELFARE ASSOCIATIO (MUWA) ON ENOUGH IS ENOUGH TO THE CONSPIRACY OF SEN. IKE EKWEREMADU AND HON. TOBY OKECHUKWU AGAINST MGBOWO COMMUNITY IN AWGU LGA OF ENUGU STATE.
A member of the National Assembly, be it a senator or a member of the Federal House of Representatives is saddled with the responsibility of making adequate legislation in line with the expectations of the people they represent.
But in the case of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president, representing Enugu West and Hon. Toby Okechukwu, representing Awgu, Aninri, Oji River Federal Constituency reverse is the case. They only represent their respective communities, and the duo have joined forces to marginalize and relegate a sensitive community like Mgbowo to the background.
Take for instance from 2003 Ekweremadu came on board as a senator representing Enugu West, is he not aware of the abandoned Federal Government Earth Dam that was sited in Mgbowo? A project that supposed to be a blessing, a source of livelihood is now causing loss of lives in the community because it is gradually constituting environmental hazard.
Ekweremadu hate Mgbowo community and the people with passion. Why? No one can tell. Even if he is dragging a woman with Mgbowo man, sidelining Mgbowo community from 2003 till date is unacceptable. Take a look at the 2017 budget; you will see a determined effort to reduce Mgbowo community to the lowest ebb. All attracted projects are either sited in Aninri, Ekweremadu community or in Ugbo, Toby Okechukwu’s community, why?
Mgbowo community is too big to be ignored by Ekweremadu and Toby. For your information, Mgbowo is a rallying point when it comes to civilization and political awareness. Mgbowo community as far back as 1919 built a community high school that took care of the entire Awgu Divisional Province and beyond at that time. In 1926 it was promoted to standard six status by the then Igwe of Mgbowo community popularly known as Ezenta Eze, whose great grandson Rev. K.C Eze is currently building De World University in Mgbowo town.
For your information, Ekweremadu and Toby cannot ignore a community that produced Monk Ulogu as far back as 1946, the first indigenous catholic priest in the present day Enugu state; he died as the first Black Abbot higher than late Rev. Fr. Tansi in the monastery. It is an insult to ignore a community that the person of Prof. D.M Ekpete, the first professor of soil science in the West Africa, a member of who is who in the world who was a commissioner in the old Anambra State.
It is an anathema to marginalize a community that produces the likes of Prof. Fabian Okechukwu Ukah, who died as the first black surgeon in 1996.
It is a slap on the faces of who is who in Mgbowo to sideline a community that gave birth to the likes of Rtd. Commodore A.E Oguguo, former military administrator of Imo state, former secretary of the provisional ruling council; late Amb. Mike Nnabugu Eze, former Nigerian Ambassador to Gambia; Dr. Udenta O. Udenta, a pro-democracy activist, a key member of the defunct Eastern Union Mandate and founding member and pioneer secretary of Alliance for Democracy (AD) that constituted the formation of today All Progressives Alliance (APC).
Enough is enough to these deliberate effort and mindless conspiracy by Ike Ekweremadu and Toby Okechuku against Mgbowo community just because they are privileged to occupy elective positions.
By the way what is the voting strength of Mpu and Aninri that all the projects worth billions of naira are located there without a consideration to a community like Mgbowo? Even the awarded Earth Dam Project in Mgbowo community which the foundation laying ceremony was conducted by the then minister of water resources Moutar Shagari has been abandoned which poses a very big threat to the community. Ekweremadu and his boy Toby prefer to attract new dam projects to their own communities, and so far six new earth dam projects has been completed in Aninri not excluding that of Ugbo.
On the issue of job allocation, Ekweremadu and Toby prefer to give juicy slots to the people of their communities, leaving the job of driver and motor repairs to few persons from Mgbowo. What an insult. All roads that lead to the various villages in Mgbowo are dilapidated. Mgbowo International Market at Aki-na-Ukwa junction, strategically positioned in Enugu Porthacourt express way, which supposed to be a commercial hub is crying for attention. Enough is enough.
For your information, in Enugu West Senatorial District, Awgu is the LGA with the highest polling units 212, and in Awgu, Mgbowo is the second largest community that is a ward in the rank of polling units.
Enough is enough to the neglect of Mgbowo by Ike Ekweremadu and Toby Okechukwu. Mgbowo community has done nothing to you to deserve these collectively persecution. We wish to state categorically that our next line of action is a march protest to the national assembly to further address our grievances.
Signed:
Humphrey Onyima
Acting Chairman, Mgbowo Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO Abuja Branch mandated by Mgbowo United Welfare Association (MUWA)
