Council of Knights in Anglican Communion, Mgbakwu Archdeaconry, and Ofemmili Archdeaconry, both in Awka North local government area, Awka Diocese, Anambra state yesterday sent a Save Our Souls (SOS) call to the Anambra state Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to as a matter of urgent public important come to the rescue of people of Awka North local government area with tarred roads as they have been cut off from the rest of the state.
The council of knights literally wept as they trekked miles and others who could afford it spent about N2, 000 on motorcycle known as Okada to be able to attend their Bi-monthly council of knights meeting at Urum community from Awba –Ofemili and other communities in the two Archdeaconry in Awka North.
The lamented that as schools have resumed that it was hell for teachers in the rural communities to get to their destinations and once it rains they would not attend to their pupils and students which according to them is a disservice to the future leaders who have been marginalized in almost everything infrastructure.
The communities that formed the Mgbakwu and Ofemmili Archdeaconries are Amanuke, Awba-Ofemmili, Mgbakwu , Isu-Aniocha and Urum, as well as Ugbene, Ugbenu , Ebenebe ,Achalla and Amansea.
Addressing the media on the outcome of their meeting after their Church service at Christ Anglican Church, Urum , chairman of the Council of the Joint Council of knights, Sir Emmanuel Enemuo lamented the state of all the roads in Awka North council area and appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to come to their rescue.
He said three vehicles are stuck at Awba Ofemili road because it was impassable and Isu-Aniocha-Urum-Amanuke road is unthinkable too as well as Mgbakwu-Ebenebe road and Amanuke –Ugbene road . He further said other roads like Ugbene-Ugbenu road and Achalla-Urum –Amanuke road as well as isu-Aniocha –Urum –Amanuke road have all been totally impassable and needed urgent attention by the government.
Sir Enemuo who is from Holy Trinity Anglican Church Amanuke made a passionate plea to the state Government to save Awka North from imminent catastrophe awaiting to happen as a result of the collapse of some vital roads leading to the communities.
In Sir Enemuo’s words ,”we the people of Awka North have contributed immensely in voting in an APGA candidate to be governor. Are the people of Awka North not from the state? None of the roads that lead to Amanuke and Urum is motorable. The same is applicable to the roads from Ugbene to Amanuke and from Achalla to Ugbene as well as Achalla to Urum to Amanuke even that of Awba –Ofemmili had two cars if not more by now stuck their for days now as I speak to you because no vehicle can enter that community now or go out. Everybody is trapped and we need urgent government intervention. I am appealing to Governor Obiano to as a mater of urgency intervene and save us this agony of a people’’, he noted.
Earlier, immediate former commissioner for Agriculture in Governor Peter Obi’s administration and a member of council of knights , Chief Sir Godson Ezenagu , (Ochendo Mgbakwu) who was mandated to speak on their behalf, pleaded on the Local and state government to come to their rescue and make the roads motorable.
He even wondered why the community that is about 10 kilometers away from the capital territory Awka cannot boost of good roads at this point in time and passionately appealed to Obiano, who he described as action Governor to come to judgment on the demands of his people.
Chief Ezenagu said, “after church service today, we observed that some of visitors who came to worship with us here in Urum Christ Anglican Church found it difficult to drive on the bad roads, as many of them parked their cars at the neighbouring communities and climbed bike to come down to Urum and people from Awba-Ofemili said they paid almost 2,000 naira to get to this place, the same local government.”
On her own part, Lady Angelina Okechi from St. Paul’s Anglican Church Awba-Ofemmili said their community has suffered neglect and abandonment because of the bad roads as they have bee cut off from other communities and the state at large appealing for intervention from relevant quarters as they are still part of Anambra state.
Okechi said , “our people is known with farming and our major challenge here is that we don’t have good roads to transport our crops to Awka and other cities. No road is motorable. Is only motorcycle that we use to convey our goods and we spent so much because of the bad roads. We are begging the state government to come and help us and make the roads in our various communities motorable”, she pleaded.
She said she is hopeful that since the Governor’s one major point is agriculture and having promised to link roads to communities for accessibility of farmers and their buyers , that the Governor will remember Awka North roads soonest.
She said she is hopeful that since the Governor’s one major point is agriculture and having promised to link roads to communities for accessibility of farmers and their buyers , that the Governor will remember Awka North roads soonest.
They had earlier prayed for the Obiano administration to be committed and dedicated to the wishes of the people for grater gain of the state and detractors to allow his administration concentrate in giving the state democratic dividend but encouraged him to ensure supervisory roles are not played with to avoid shoddy projects that would not stand the test of time and diversion of public resources is curtailed.
Another Member, Sir Dr Felix Nnanwube of Holy Trinity Anglican Church Amanuke in an interview was optimistic that Governor Willie Obiano will not disappoint the people of Awka North with the plea as he is a listening Governor even predicting that before the end of the year that Obiano will answer the appeal from Awka North people. He called for prayers for the Governor to enable him succeed and remember to give hope to the people of Awka North abandoned for long in the scheme of things.
