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From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
As the dry season sets in, the people of Mgbom N’Achara autonomous community in Okposi, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, will heave a sigh of relief for, at least, they could manage to access their farmlands. They are predominantly subsistence farmers whose major produce include rice, yam, cassava, fruits and vegetables. A section of the community also engages in bee keeping.
But even in the dry season, this particular part of Ebonyi State is still difficult to access because of dearth of roads. The case is worsened because there are no culverts and bridges in some of the places to enable vehicles get to the remote farms and evacuate their farm produce. The implication is that their produce most times perish in the farms.
During the rainy season, accessing the Ovia, Okoani, Agu Onyeukwu, Agu Nkwo and Agu Avo, all major farming areas in Okposi, is usually a nightmare. Apart from streams that need culverts there, the major stream at Ogbugbama Ata Onuegu and Iyi-Akwa Nsi sometimes get ferocious and wash away farmers, who pass through the area.
A longer route that passes through Isinkwo-Enu-Ngene-Ojigwe-Enuogurugu is not any better. An old bailey bridge constructed at Ata Isinkwo River by the army over 54 years ago needs to be replaced.
President General of Mgbom N’Achara Development Union (MADU), Rev. Dr. Johnson Odii, told Daily Sun that the bridge was constructed by the Nigerian Army during civil war to enable them have access to other parts of the community and another section of Enugu State known as Okpanku in Aninri Local Government Area.
He said that his people who are mostly peasant farmers are usually cut off by the river which crosses its bank and overflows the bridge at the slightest rainfall and as a result called for government’s intervention over the people’s plight.
He said: “The shaky bridge in question connects people from Court Area, Okposi to Mgbom Central School, Oji Igwe village, another major market, where traders from different parts of Ebonyi State and even Enugu State usually come to buy some farm produce.
“To show the importance of the bridge, it also connects our people to Mgbom N’Achara Comprehensive Secondary School and another primary school in the same area. But to the dismay of everyone, once there is a heavy downpour, people will be cut off irrespective of the location that the persons may find themselves at that moment and they will remain there until the flood subsides which may likely take a day or more.”
Odii, who is also member, Board of Trustees of Assemblies of God, Nigeria, further said that the section of the community after the river is indispensable to the entire community owing to the fact that everybody’s farming activity takes place across the same bridge. According to him, the particular side of the river is thickly populated with six villages which include Enu Ngene, Enu Ogurugu, Ezuku Egbe, Ogbu Enu, Ohu Egu and Ohu Esu alongside vast arable farm land for the entire people of the area.
Odii further said: “If this old bridge collapses, all the people from these villages which I have mentioned will be cut off from the community unless with help of canoe and boat operators before they can access other parts of the state.
“Alternatively, they will cross to other parts of Enugu State with canoes which will cost a whole lot of money before such persons will get connected with the rest indigenes.”
The President General also explained that the bridge is somewhat motorable presently for those who have the courage and as a matter of urgency called for government’s intervention in the area.
“It is also narrow that it won’t accommodate either a human or other moving objects once a vehicle is passing and it was after we had noticed the dilapidating condition of the structure that the youths mobilized and carried out manual work there mainly for the maintenance of the bridge.
“Even around two years ago, I personally graded about three kilometers section of the same road that covers Central School and Oji Igwe village as my token of contribution to the development of the community,” the community leader explained.
He also added that the river had in the time past swept away about three persons who wanted to cross the bridge shortly after rainfall and thereby called on the government at all levels to come to their aid especially as most of their farming activities lie at the other side of the river.
“The construction work, if carried out shall equally boost the economic activities of the state and some of the schools which had been deserted by pupils and students because of fear will be revived,” he added.
A farmer from Isinkwo Village, Mrs. Nnenna Okoro, said that the great volume of water which was not contained by the bridge had invariably created other small outlets on her farms and thereby destroyed so many crops.
“All my crops were destroyed by the enormous water which had settled on my farms after Ata River had overflown its bank. The situation landed me into serious debt because the crops I cultivated with loan were damaged.
“The situation has actually stopped some persons from involving in farming activities because of fear. This is why I’m appealing for government’s intervention,” she said.
Vice chairman of Isinkwo Mgbom, Mr. Ogbonna Nwanja, said that many persons had left their pieces of land uncultivated because of lack of access road to the area and as a result requested for the construction of the major and other mini bridges across the community.
Nwanja lamented: “Many politicians have used these bridges and the surrounding roads as campaign promises on several occasions, but immediately they assumed power, no one remembers our community anymore.
“Another problem is that those pieces of land lying fallow are now providing habitat to some animals, rodents, insects and other organisms that destroy our crops regularly but if the access road could be provided, everyone will surely go back to the farms, both young and old.”
Nwanja further corroborated the information that the losses encountered in the farms as a result of the flood had landed many of their people into debts.
Our reporter gathered that the state of the roads and bridge has greatly affected the schools across the bridge. Children from Ndi Unuhu, especially Isinkwo and Onuegu, who were schooling at Mgbom Central School had abandoned there and changed to other schools.
In the same manner, students from Enugu Ngene axis of Obuegu Mgbom find it difficult to go to Mgbom N’Achara Comprehensive Secondary School, Obuegu, a distance of about 5km, especially during the rains. The school was established to bring education nearer to residents of the farming community. Instead, they prefer private schools in Court Area and beyond, that are possibly farther from their village.
Secretary General of Mgbom N’Achara Development Union, Mr. Odii Okereke, said that his people are no longer comfortable with the iron bridge at Ata Isinkwo River because it has become a big risk. He disclosed that the place has also become a haven for hoodlums who waylay innocent persons.
“Some politicians had before now brainwashed us, using the same bridge and the roads but till now, nothing has happened. I am equally advising some persons who ply the road to always thread with caution and also to be careful about the miscreants who rob people at that spot to steer clear from the community,” he said.
Disturbed by the plight of his people, particularly the peasant farmers, a philanthropist and businessman from the community, Chief John Onwe Johnson (Joscotec), has started intervening at one of the very bad spots by constructing a mini-bridge at the Iyi-Akwa Nsi. Daily Sun learnt that the multimillion-naira project was progressing before this year’s rains set in and work stopped at the site.
Onwe, who holds the title of Ozo Igbo Ndu 1 of Okposi, told us that it has not been easy funding the bridge project and other things he is doing for his people but said he would not relent. He noted that these are some of the amenities the government should provide to alleviate the suffering of the people.
Youths of the community were also mobilised for some remedial work on the roads. On August 15, when the whole place was impassable, the youths intervened at the Enu-Ngene axis. They felled trees and made wood from which they fixed a makeshift bridge.
Again, on Sunday, November 13, some young people from the community were mobilised by the councillor of Achara Ward, Ogbonnaya Ugwu (Spaco), and they packed sand and stones at some edges of the baily bridge that usually damaged exhaust pipes of vehicles.
Regardless, as the campaign for next year’s election gathers steam, the people said they were tired of being used and dumped by politicians. The leadership of the community, we gathered, may be working out an arrangement that would make their people vote for candidates that would attend to their plights. This may possibly lead to extracting written commitment from candidates.
