Women of Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State numbering over 1000 on Wednesday besieged the Anambra State Government House, Awka, in protest against their traditional ruler, Igwe Max Ike Oliobi, and the leadership of the community’s town union.
The women accused the community
During the Anambra State government house on a protest, the protesters begged the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo to intervene in the matter, threatening to embark on Naked protest against the community leadership if his intervention failed.
They bore placards with various inscriptions such as ‘the current leadership of Nimo Town Union Development must go’, ‘Nimo Town Union Leadership is our subject therefore has no right to sell or negotiate our land’, among others, calling on the state government to end the activities of the traditional ruler and the town union executive, who they said have grabbed a sizeable part of their land.
Leader of the protesters, Mrs. Ifeoma Ezeozue said: “We are against the way and manner their ancestral farm lands are being sold out indiscriminately, without future consideration.
“The leaders of the community are turning her into their personal property. They are also using security personnel to harass and intimidate anybody, especially, the youths that spoke against their order.
“Nimo ancestral farm lands are being sold out indiscriminately without our notice. We no longer go to farm because, there is no more land to farm. They want to force us into prostitution.
“They have declared sit-at-home in Nimo community, because, we now wake up everyday and stay idle at home without any engagement. Farming is one of our major source of livelihood in the area.
“So, our coming here today, in front of the State Government House, is to register our vulnerable conditions before the Governor to help us address the problem. We want peace in Nimo community.”
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu who addressed the protesting women on behalf of the governor appealed to them to remain calm, assuring them that the government under Prof Soludo will address their demands without delay.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Community has described the women who protested against the monarch of the town, Igwe Max Ike Oliobi, and others at the Government House, Awka, as hirelings of a few renegades of the area.
As a consequence, the Nimo Town Development Union (NTDU) has apologized to the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, for the embarrassment and inconveniences such a class of people must have caused him during the protest.
NUTDU also enjoined the public to ignore whatever claims the dissident group may have signposted as their grievances, describing them as disgruntled elements who had milked the community’s commonwealth dry over the years.
Reacting to the development on Thursday in a statement signed by the
National Publicity Secretary, Nimo Town Development Union
(NTNTD), Comrade Clems Ebele Ezedinachi, the community disowned the protesters, saying “90 percent of the protesters are not indigenous people of Nimo, they were all bought by those People who never wish NIMO well.The good people of Nimo are solidly behind their elected leadership.”
The community’s statement read in part, “The attention of Nimo Town Development Union (NTDU) has been drawn to the protest last Wednesday at Government House, Awka, by a few disgruntled elements from the town alleging high handedness by the leadership of the town and sale of community land.
“We wish to let it be known that those behind the protest are a few elements in the town who are disappointed that the administration of Nimo affairs is no longer business as usual. It is a known fact in our society that anyone stopped from using a source to milk the commonwealth usually fights back.
“We wish to state that nothing happens in Nimo without it being discussed and approved by the apex decision making body of the town known as the Nimo General Assembly. Attendance of the meeting is open to every Nimo person and decisions take there are binding on all.
“But what we have today is a situation where a few elements who never attend meetings have recruited some ignorant youths to cause confusion in the town while clandestinely pushing their private and nefarious agenda. Thus they are today trying to bring back the hands of the clock by stopping development in the town and thus making a nuisance of themselves.”
Continuing, (NTDU) said, “We wish to put in on record that our traditional ruler has no involvement in the sale of any land. The Anambra State Law has clearly stipulated the duties of the palace and the town union and so has it been in Nimo.
“The Nimo General Assembly approved the plotting and selling of portions of Owa Land years ago which is being implemented now and headed by a committee of competent individuals. Monies realized from the sales are to be channeled into developing the town, of which the ongoing Civic Centre is the first beneficiary. But these disgruntled elements would rather want a communal land to be shared individually for them to probably use the proceeds to fund their passions.
“It is a fact that youth restiveness is now the norm in many communities where they have become a law unto themselves and dictating to people who build houses how much to pay them. This is injurious to government’s clarion call for people to return home and develop the state,” the community leadership said.
