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By Sunday Ani
Women from the Mgbara Community of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, yesterday, took to the streets to protest a proposed siting of the African Development Bank (AfDB) within their community.
The women, in their hundreds, stormed the streets of the area with placards, chanting songs that they reject the project. The immediate past youth president of the community, Mr Modrich Ajunwa said the women had the backing of the entire community.
“We, the people of Mgbara Egbema, Imo State, Nigeria, are protesting today to formally communicate our strong objection to, and rejection of any proposed project or development initiative associated with the AfDB within our community because the project has not received the genuine and collective acceptance of the people. We respectfully urge the AfDB to exercise caution and suspend any engagement or implementation of the proposed project in Mgbara Egbema, until concerns of the wider community have been properly addressed through an open, transparent and inclusive consultation process.
“We further appeal to the bank not to rely solely on representations made by individual political leaders, traditional authorities, community representatives or any other persons claiming to speak on behalf of Mgbara Egbema without verifiable evidence of broad community consent,” he said.
According to him, the future, ancestral heritage and common interests of an entire community cannot legitimately be decided behind closed doors by two individuals or a small group of persons.
“The proposed project has already become a source of serious disagreement, tension and division within the community. Rather than promoting development and unity, the circumstances surrounding the project are contributing to breach of peace and growing distrust among members of the community.
“We, therefore, believe that proceeding with the project under the present circumstances could further aggravate the situation and create consequences that would be contrary to the principles of sustainable development, community participation, peace-building and responsible development.
He said the women were not against development but could only welcome genuine development that respect the people, their land, their rights, their culture and their collective interests.
“To build a project, land is needed. Almost all of us here are farmers. When they take the land, they take our means of livelihood, so they must deal with members of the community directly.
“No development project should be imposed on a community or advanced through individuals whose positions do not reflect the freely expressed will of the majority of the people,” he said.
He said for the project to be accepted, the bank must take their protest seriously as a formal notice of the community’s objection to the proposed project.
“The AfDB must refrain from treating the endorsement of any individual or small group as the consent of the entire Mgbara Egbema community.
“The bank must conduct proper, transparent and inclusive consultations with the wider community before considering any further action, due to the growing tension and division that the proposed project is causing within the community,” he stressed.
He further said the AfDB must ensure that no project proceeds without meaningful consultation and demonstrable community acceptance.
“The African Development Bank should listen directly to the people of Mgbara Egbema rather than relying exclusively on representations made behind closed doors.
The future of Mgbara Egbema belongs to its people. It cannot be negotiated, surrendered or decided by two men on behalf of an entire community.
“We remain committed to peace and lawful dialogue but we will continue to stand firm for the protection of our community, our ancestral heritage and the collective interests of our people.
“We do not want to see our sons and men to engage in fights that may even result in avoidable tragedy,” he added.
