Umudike community,
Ikwuano Local Government
Area of Abia state over
the quest of a part of the
community to become
autonomous
Saturday Pilot gathered that
the new community, which
bears the name Umudike
Ukwu Autonomous
community, has elected its
traditional ruler, one Mazi
Ogechukwu Oriaku, who
they hope to present to the
state government through
Ikwuano Local Government
Authorities.
It was also gathered that
the move has created tension
in Umudike, which plays
host to some major Federal
Government institutions
including Michael Okpara
University of Agriculture
and National Roots and
Crops Research Institute.
However, some parts of
Umudike, said to be in the
majority have mounted
vehement opposition to autonomy being sought
by the people, claiming
that it was only one village,
Umuelele with a very small
population that wants to
break away. According to
them, the other villages of
Okwuta and Umuofor are
still intact and are resisting
the attempt by Umuelele to
break away.
They recalled that earlier
attempt by some leaders of
Umuelele to break away was
rebuffed by the Umudike
community and wondered
why some people from the
village went back to the issue.
A statement issued by
the Umudike Community
Welfare Association said
that any attempt to divide
Umudike would be “an
aberration in the annals of
the history of Umudike as a
people”. They said that the
three villages that make up
Umudike have “since creation
by God lived together as
one entity, without land
delineations”.
“Their habitats are
interwoven and they share
everything in common, such as schools, water borehole,
churches, markets, town
halls, and other amenities”,
he said and warned that
giving Umuelele autonomy
would bring discrimination
in the use of these amenities
which could ultimately
lead to quarrel among the villagers.
The statement signed by
Chairman and Secretary of
the association, Elder R. I.
Eze and Patrick Nwadinobi,
respectively, warned that
“Umudike people cannot
afford to be broken into any
fragmented units now.”