BY ANAYO OKOLI

UMUAHIA — OHUOHIA OBI-IBERE community in Ikwuano Council Area of Abia State by all standards qualifies as a typical government neglected rural community. It lacks virtually all public amenities. The only road to the agrarian community is in a horrible state. In fact, on a rainy day nobody dares leave the community to any other part of the state, unless the person wants to be trapped on the way.

Though the contract for the road was given to Niger Delta Development Community sometime in the past, the contractor did less than two kilometers and abandoned the road. So a trip to this community is almost a journey to hell, especially during rainy season.

The only visible government presence in the community whose indigenes are mainly based in Gabon, in Central Africa, is a secondary school, Ambassador’s Model College, which was attracted to the rural community by Chief Sam Onuigbo, now the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, when he served in the American Embassy in Nigeria.

Granted that it is now a State Government owed school, much is still required to upgrade it. Though it is located less than 50 kilometres from Umuahia, the Abia State capital, but due to the deplorable condition of the road, a journey from Umuahia to Obuohia Obi-Ibere takes over three hours to make.

This has dire economic consequences on the people as the farmers from the area no longer convey their farm produce to Umuahia and surrounding communities to sell and make money. Ask a commercial driver that you are going to Ibere, and he will give an exorbitant bill as his transport fare and brazenly tell you that if you are not ready to pay you forget it. You can’t blame him because any vehicle that takes a trip on the road suffers collosal wear and tear.

Because of abject neglect the community suffers, members of Youth Corps who accept to serve there are adored and highly cherished by the community. They are loved and treated very well. In fact, it is said that the rural women in the community usually provide with food stuff they use. Besides, in appreciating them, Chief Sam Onuigbo organizes sendoff and welcome get together for each batch of Corps members that serve in the community and welcomes new ones to the community.

According to residents of the community, the corp members were treated this way to encourgae them to remain in the community and serve “because once you are posted here it is like you are cut off from the rest of the world. So we try as much as we can to make them feel at home and be happy and help to teach our children in this school”.

For Chief Sam Onuigbo, whose efforts brought the school to the community around 2001, it is paramount that the youth corp memebers who serve in the community feel accepted, loved and cared for. According to him, the zeal to establish the school was fired by the quest to ensure that children from the community acquire education in a less painful condition unlike what he suffered during his time.

He said the establishemnt of the school has helped to “ammeliorate the pains of our people who used to trek very long distances in their quest to acquire education”. For both the corp memebrs and the management of the NYSC in the State the gesture of the community is a welcome development and an encouragement for corp members to remain in the community and feel accepted.