New Alioma autonomous community: Effium indigenes urges Gov.Nwifuru to reverse decision
From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakiliki
The indigenes of Effium community in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi state yesterday urged the state governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru to reverse his steps towards the creation of Alioma autonomous community in Effium in Ohaukwu local government area of the state.
The Effium people further called on the elders of Izzi indigenes where the governor hails from to guild their son properly, stressing that land has never in the history of mankind been ceded to strangers.
This was contained in a statement issued on Friday by the President general of Effium community, Dr James Agena and was made available to journalists in Abakiliki the state capital.
The group who also called on their youths to be calm and patient, insisted on challenging the demarcation and ceding of about 6.8 million square metres section of Effium land to her warring neighbour (Ezza) in court.
“Yesterday, the governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru came to Effium and made a pronouncement that some parts of Effium land has been ceded to strangers.
“His coming yesterday to Effium was not welcomed. We did not welcome him to the event, that is why we boycotted his visit to our land. His decision was not welcomed.
“Therefore, we are going to employ every legal means to resist it. We are going to stop him from executing the decision and his order. We are going to resist it with all our effort and might.
“It is never heard anywhere in any part of the world where the land that belongs to the indigenes will be forcefully taken from them and given to strangers that lived in that land.
“So, it is uncalled for. Except he is forcefully taken the land that was given to us by God, that was left for us by our ancestors to the strangers.
“What he did was evidently clear that he is using his power to collect what belongs to us and that we are going to resist with every sense of it.
“We are going to resist it to the later. There is a saying that he who goes to equity must come with clean hands.
“If he is going to mediate in this crisis, he must come with clean hands. He should be fair and just.
“But his decision is unfair, unjust and there is nothing like equity in his action. For that reason, we are going to resist it. We the Effium people will not allow it to stand.
“We are calling on the international community to come to our aid because the governor is using his power to collect from us what was given to us by God and Effium people will never allow it.
“We want the governor to get this message. It is never done anywhere. We want the governor to hear it. Effium people will never allow it to stand.
“He should go back to the drawing board and reconsider his decision. We are equally calling on the elders of Izzi to call their son to order to reconsider his decision on this matter.
“It is uncalled for and it can never bring peace in Effium land. It will rather aggravate the crisis.
“This is not how to make peace. This is bringing more flames into the burning fire. We have also continued to reiterate that anything short from the implementation of the recommendation of the peace committee headed by the Emiritus Bishop Okoro is totally not acceptable to the people of Effium”, the statement read in parts.
They however noted that the report of the committee which arose with the recent decision of ceding some portions of Effium land were biased and unfair, owing to the fact that the chairman of the committee is an in-laws to Ezza people.
“We can never accept the report of the committee chaired by Franklyn Ogbuewu who is an inlaw to the Ezza people, hence, he is an interest party in the crisis in Effium. He is biased, unfair and unjust in his decisions,” the statement further read.
Governor Nwifuru has on Thursday announced the creation of Alioma autonomous community with 6.8 million square metres, carved out from earlier Effium land. END//
