Thus, many parts of the world have embraced the unification of the two separate families in marriage, leadership and governance, yet in Nkanu land, it is the same old story. The Amadus have refused to tow the path of other civilized world. Instead, they have continued to subject the Umuodes to perpetual social, political and economic slavery.
The Umuodes in Enugu State have never had so nice until the administration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani between 1999 and 2007 when political offices were distributed evenly among the two families in Nkanu land without prejudice. The economic and political empowerment then engendered relative peace in Nkanu land. The Amadus and Umuodes lived in harmony within the said period and we took the advantage of this peaceful atmosphere to inter-marry. I could have wished that those past good days will come back again.
Let us start with the political activities in Nkanu West local government area between 1999 and 2008 when people of kind heart had their say on who becomes what in the politics of Nkanu land. It was Amadus at the head and the Umuodes as the deputy. The last opportunity we had was the regime of Hon. Nnaemeka Nnamani as the Chairman and Chief Augustine Nwodo as the Deputy. At the expiration of their tenure, the table turned against us, the Umuodes. Barrister Ekene Okenwa was imposed on Nkanu West local government by Chief Mrs. Ifeoma Nwobodo. She used the then Chairman to sell all the commonwealth that belong to Agbani. The administration managed to give the Umuodes one Supervisor in the name of Hon Ifeanyi Nneji out of so many political offices that existed in the council.
The Supervisor who was assigned to Works Department was never allowed to supervise or execute any job until their tenure expired. The worst of it all was that he was denied his severance allowance at the expiration of his tenure while the Amadus collected theirs. His crime was that he is of Umuode extraction.
This crude marginalization is still applicable in all the appointments of Administrators of Development Centre in Enugu East Senatorial zone (Nkanu clan/land). All the Administrators are the Amadus, courtesy of the “Madam on Top”, Ifeoma Nwobodo. As it is now, Hon. Afam Okereke who took over power from Barrister Ekene Okenwa as Chairman of Nkanu West LG seems to have been directed not to have anything to do with the Umuodes in terms of appointment of Supervisors, Special Assistants and Executive Assistants etc. We are regrettably forced to believe that old things are yet to pass away in Nkanu land.
Is it not surprising that Nkanu people instead of rejoicing with Professor Barth Nnaji on his appointment as a Federal Minister decided to criticize the said appointment because he is of Umuode extraction. The “Madam on Top” never rested until Prof Nnaji was removed from office. Even then, she vowed that if an Amadu man from Nkanu is not qualified to replace the outsted Minister, the slot must go to her motherland. Behold , it worked as she planned it. The Professor Chinedu Nebo from her Udi local government. The question is how long will this “Madam on Top” continue to remind us of what they said we are?
This brings me to the current unfortunate impeachment plot against the Enugu State Deputy Governor, Mr. Sunday Onyebuchi, also of Umuode extraction. To the knowledge of everybody, Mr. Onyebuchi is an elected Deputy Governor with the peoples’ mandate. He is also generally believed to be very loyal and obedient to his master. Even Governor Chime had acknowledged this publicly on several occasions. But, unfortunately, Mr. Onyebuchi is the only Deputy Governor in the entire country who has operated from his personal residence for years now simply because his official residence had been under endless renovation
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It is also on record that Mr. Onyebuchi is the only Deputy Governor in Nigeria that is not accorded recognition as the leader of his political party (PDP) in his senatorial zone. Rather, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, an appointee and not elected public officer, is the leader of the party in Enugu East senatorial zone. Yet Mr. Onyebuchi remained calm and loyal to the government he is part of.
It is also very disturbing that Mr. Onyebuchi was not allowed to nominate even the Councillor of his Ward as the present occupant of the seat was nominated by the “Madam on Top” without any consideration to the number two citizen in the state.
The bottom line of Mr. Onyebuchi’s impeachment travails is also simply because he is the only because as Umuode born, he dares not aspire to any elective office, worst of all when the “Madam on Top” is interested in it.
All the constitutional rights and privileges due to the Deputy Governor were denied because he is of Umuode extraction who must be suppressed like his other kinsmen that have continued to suffer in their own fatherland simply because they are regarded as slaves and outcasts.
Given the flimsy reasons given for the current impeachment move against the Deputy Governor, it is now clear to everybody that it is purely intended to ensure that an Umuode man does not occupy Nkanu land’s senatorial seat. Instead, it shouid go to an Agbaja (Udi woman) married to Nkanu land whether she is still in the marriage or not. That way, Chime and hiss sister will be in the Senate if he succeeds in snatching the Enugu West seat from the Deputy Senate President.
The current onslaught against Onyebuchi may also be to clear the way for the “Madam on Top” to take over his Office in order to enjoy the constitutional immunity that will give her protection against the onslaught of anti-graft agencies before whom several petitions were said to have been lodged against the monumental sleaze in Enugu State. But the “Madam at the Top” should remember the story of Moses and the Promised Land in the Bible.
Conversely, the impeachment move against Mr. Onyebuchi is therefore a welcome development as it has opened the eyes of the common Nkanu man, both the Amadus and the Umuodes to the agenda of the “Madam at the Top” who is aspiring to represent all of us in the Senate. We must stand up and say no to this evil machination against us in this age of global political and economic equality.
The ordeals of denied opportunities suffered by our great grand fathers in the hands of the Amadus should not be allowed to befall us again. God forbid! Not when the overwhelming majority of Amadus frown at this man’s inhumanity to man, and only some power mongers and die-hard apartheid supporters are manipulating the people with the base sentiments to their own advantage.
If the aim of a leader is to facilitate development, interact with and impact on the lives of the people they claim to lead, what has Nkanu people benefited from the “Madam on Top” since she assumed political leadership of our zone against the Deputy Governor whom God elevated to lead his people? What has Nkanu land benefited from this perpetual subjugation of SundayOnyebuchi by an over-ambitious “Madam at the Top” whose only desire is to continually feathering her own nest, even if means sacking a Governor’s wife? There is God o!!!!!
Aninjoku writes from Enugu
