A group, under the umbrella of Concerned Owerri Indigenes, has petitioned
President Muhammadu Buhari accusing the Imo state governor, Owelle
Rochas Okorocha of victimising the indigenes of Owerri by demolishing
several buildings in the old Owerri city while nothing was being built.
In the petition, the group argued that the
governor’s intention to expand or turn
roads and streets in the old Owerri City
into dual carriageways is an act in bad
faith as the roads exist within indigenous
homesteads of Owerri people and were
duly captured in the Owerri Master Plan.
According to the petition, this is
tantamount to an attempt at uprooting
the indigenes from their ancestral
homesteads. The indigenes then vowed to
resist the destruction of their homesteads
with the last drop of their blood.
They therefore appealed to the president
to come to their aid by asking Governor
Okorocha to leave their ancestral market,
homeland and institutions intact and not
to destroy long standing cultural
heritages and structures that are part of their customs and traditions.
The petition which was signed by Fabian Ojiri CP (Rtd), president; Reginald
Edokwe Ebere, vice president and Corley Acholonu, secretary reads:
Our Dear President Buhari,
Balkanization of Owerri and the ill defined, unplanned and uncoordinated
urban renewal activities being carried out by Governor Rochas Okorocha
aimed at victimising the indigenes of Owerri
Sir, we, the Concerned Owerri Indigenes, with a deep sense of humility, most
respectfully use this medium to inform you about the victimization our people
in the hands of our elected Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha .
The Governor came into power because our people voted for him and
expressed their votes as a kind of protest against the non performance of the
last governor of the State having been assured by him that there would be
improvement in the lives of our people socially and economically. But today
Nde Owerri are facing very serious problems worse than they ever imagined.
After a failed attempt by our Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha to forcefully
acquire a very large parcel of land known in the Owerri master plan as Area
‘K’ for the setting up of some utopian projects during his first term in office,
and oblivious of the fact that there was a pending litigation, our governor has
not batted an eyelid in his efforts to dehumanize the Owerri people
Balkanization of Owerri
The Governor for reasons best known to him and without any form of
consultation with Nde Owerri, balkanized the ancient Owerri kingdom that has
existed for well over three centuries into five fragments he labeled as
autonomous communities. He went on to appoint four of his cronies
regardless of whether they are indigenes or not, as ‘Ezes’ for each of them,
thereby creating so much confusion in the land and apparently in a bid to
destroy the long existing kingdom and homogeneity of the Owerri people.
This creation of unnecessary autonomous communities was completely
unacceptable to our king, the paramount ruler of Nde Owerri, HRM, Eze E.E.
Njemanze, who as a result suffered a heart attack and soon thereafter died in
the month of June 2016.
Urban renewal activities
In planning Owerri as the capital of Imo State, the twin city approach was
adopted, as old Owerri and new Owerri. With the Post office as the centre, the
Owerri capital terriory extends over a 15 kilometer radius. The old Owerri City
covered the area of the then Owerri Urban Council and was within the first
two kilometer radius. By-pass ring roads were designed and provided for in
the Owerri master plan so as not to displace the indigenous inhabitants of
Owerri people from their homestead.
Regrettably, the Governor today, without any laid down plan undertakes
flights over the old city in helicopter and decides on what should be done.
The entire old Owerri city is a sorry sight to behold, looking more like a
construction site with demolitions here and there and buildings with duly
approved plans not being spared. Yet nothing is being built. All this is being
done out of malice, for, how does one explain the governor’s intention when
it is known that the rainy season is not the time for any serious construction
work.
Destruction of Mbari cultural centre
The people of Owerri are of the view that the destruction of the Mbari Cultural
Centre of Nde Owerri, and the subsequent allocation of same to private
individuals for the construction of a filling station in its place was done in bad
faith and in total disregard to the feelings of Nde Owerri.
Expansion of existing roads in old Owerri town
Your Excellency, our Governor’s intention to expand or turn roads and streets
in the old Owerri City into dual carriageways is an act in bad faith. These
roads exist within indigenous homesteads of Owerri people and were duly
captured in the Owerri master plan.
By attempting to further widen them in particular Douglas Road (which is
already dualised with drainages) and which is within indigenous homesteads
of Owerri people to further 10 dual carriageways is a wicked and devilish
intention, forensically calculated to ensure the destruction of the traditional
landscape of old Owerri town.
The Owerri town has long been developed and stretched to its elastic limits
and cannot accommodate further expansion in whatever form without causing
untold destruction of the highest magnitude. The wisdom in the creation of
new Owerri is to leave the Old Owerri town as it is, in order to preserve the
residence and homesteads of Nde Owerri and secondly, to hasten
infrastructural developments in the new Owerri.
We insist that any attempt to further expand the existing roads in old Owerri
beyond what was provided in the master plan will certainly tantamount to an
attempt at uprooting the indigenes from their ancestral homestead while the
graves of our forefathers will also not be spared.
It is worthy to note that at the inception of Imo state, during the remodeling
of the old Owerri, more than 40% of the residential homes and houses of the
indigenes of Owerri within their secluded place of abode was pulled down to
give way to wider and standard roads as they exist today. These existing
roads in the Owerri indigenes homesteads are standard as they are in all old
towns, including Lagos and Kano.
The new Owerri is five times larger than the old Owerri and has actually
developed with more land still available to accommodate further development.
One wonders why our Governor shouldn’t direct his expansion of roads, and
the building of markets to the new Owerri. The past governments of Imo
State concentrated more on developing the new Owerri, but the present
Governor Okorocha is trying to destroy the old Owerri under a hidden agenda
he calls ‘urban modernization’.
Your Excellency, the preservation of the identity of Nde Owerri is of
paramount importance and it is sacrosanct. We shall resist this wanton
destruction of the indigenes homesteads of Owerri with the very last drop of
the blood of our youths, men and women.
The international Owerri modern market ( known as SOMACHI)
In anticipation of the need for a much bigger and up to date market to
service the old city of Owerri, the idea of Owerri modern market on a space
more than five times the size of Ekeukwu Owerri market was conceived and
incorporated in the master plan of Owerri by the first civilian Governor of Imo
State late Chief Sam Mbakwe. Our Governor, in his usual characteristic way
of bastardising the master plan, has given out a portion of the ‘Somachi’
Market Land to shoprite for the building of shopping mall. What becomes of
the rest of the land is anybody’s guess. We suspect that the land will be put
to improper use.
The Government Trade Centre, Owerri
This is a Technical training institution in the fashion of a trade school located
in Old Owerri. A larger portion of the school land has been encroached upon
and allocated to favourable individuals to build shops and stores. Who owns
these shops and stores built on the school land is best known to the
Governor.
Owerri Relief Market
The only other market in the old city of Owerri is the Relief Market which was
built during the days of the then Military Governor of Imo State Navy
Commodore Amadi Ikwechegh. As the name connotes the market was set up
as a stop gap measure following a fire outbreak in Ekeukwu Owerri Market.
It is regrettable that rather than work towards the rebuilding or redesigning of
the underutilized Relief Market, the Governor’s focus is on the thriving
Ekeukwu Owerri Market just to spite Nde Owerri. It has come to our
knowledge that a portion of the public cemetery beside this relief market has
been converted into shops. May we ask again who re-allocated this part of
the cemetery and who owns these shops?
Compensatory plots at Arugo layout scheme
The Government of Imo State during the regime of Chief Achike Udenwa
earmarked an expanse of land within Owerri municipality as compensatory
plots to the indigenous people for the expansion of the homesteads, in
recognition of the sacrifice of the Owerri people in the provision of lands for
various development projects in the State.
This land is known as Arugo layout scheme, the formal release of the layout
to the people of Owerri was actualized by Governor Ikedi Ohakim. The
indigenes took time to develop a master plan for the land. However our
Governor Rochas Okorocha has moved his bulldozers into the layout under
construction.
Relocation of Ekeukwu Owerri market (OGWUMABIRI)
This market is our ancestral market and as it is today, the main market in
the old Owerri market. The market has been in existence even before the
advent of British rule in Nigeria. The expressed intention of the State
Governor to relocate the Ekeukwu Owerri Market even to another local
Government Area is not acceptable to Nde Owerri and all well meaning people
of the state.
We have made uncountable representations to the State Government to stop
the planned relocation of the Ekeukwu Owerri Market but all these entreaties
seem to have fallen on deaf ears. The Governor’s master stroke of trying to
pitch Nde Owerri against one another by balkanizing the kingdom has not
helped him as Nde Owerri are united in insisting that Ekeukwu Owerri Market
must not be tampered with.
Our mothers have publicly and peacefully demonstrated against the removal
of the Ekeukwu Owerri Market, the Owerri leaders of Thought, the Owerri
Community Assembly, the Eke- Na Okorie Traditional Council, the Owerri
Solidarity Club, Nde-Nwe Owerri, including Elder E.A.C Orji from the USA inter
alia, have all written in various newspapers, calling on the State Governor not
to remove the Ekeukwu Market (Ogwumabiri). We have said it for the
umpteenth time that any attempt to remove, relocate, or remodel the
Ekeukwu Owerri Market will definitely herald dire and horrific consequences as
it is deemed to be a sacrilege and an abomination.
Ancient and ancestral markets of the caliber of Ekeukwu Owerri Market
(Ogwumabiri) are never removed or relocated outside the original site in
Africa. ( Oba Market, Benin City, Balogun Market, Lagos, Ochanja Market,
Onitsha, Ogbete market in Enugu to mention but a few cannot and have not
been relocated) We do not object to the Governor going ahead to develop and
build other markets as provided in the master plan of Owerri or even at the
site where he thinks our Ekeukwu Owerri market should be relocated to. Such
markets if built elsewhere will go a long way to reduce the pressure on
Ekeukwu Owerri Market thereby decongesting it. This is our humble advice.
The people of Owerri have long ago attained maturity and are contented,
peaceful, and satisfied with their lives and at the same time aspire to be
better every day. It is a grievous mistake for any outsider to take these
salient qualities of the people of Owerri as weakness.
We have supported Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha right from the
inception of his administration in Imo State and will continue to support him
.The Governor has also been admitted into the prestigious Azuwuike Age
Grade of Owerri as a gesture of great honour. Our only prayer is for him to
leave our ancestral market, homeland and institutions intact and not to
destroy long standing cultural heritages and structures that are part of our
customs and traditions.
Your Excellency, we thank you greatly and urge you to stand up for us. May
God give you long life, good health and peace of mind to continue to lead this
great nation.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/08/buhari-save-us-gov-okorocha-owerri-indigenes-beg/

cc lalasticlala mynd44

Weak appeal. Has @Buhari saved Kaduna people whose homes are being demolished by El Rufai?

Your destiny lies in your hands... Enjoy the change

Lol has buhari save himself... Beremx over to you

They better cry to GOD to save them from what Beremx n co sold to them

They should shut up!

Has Buhari saved Nigeria from the Economic woes he got us in You don't count 7 before counting 1.
buhari is no saviour, you guys should store that in your skulls and enjoy the Change.

Okoroawusa's act is perfectly in line with the dullard's policies, which is to bring more sufferings to the masses. So appealing to Buhari is a waste of time.

Agbaworo come and defend Okoroawusa