By Clement Udegbe

“The paradox of our time in history is that we have more degrees but less sense, more titles but less respect, more knowledge but less judgment, more experts yet more problems, more medicine but less wellness.” —– George Carlin.

THE demand for autonomous communities will never stop, especially in Imo State, the more they create the more attractive it becomes for the agitators to ask for more and we are gradually atomicized into such tiny pieces of people, that do not qualify for an autonomous  community properly so called.

In the South East geo-political zone, the estimated population of the states are Imo, 4.8 Million; Anambra, 3.8 Million; Enugu, 3.8 Million; Abia 3.5 Million, and Ebonyi, 3.5 Million, and these should be higher for the respective states  when we receive the up-dated figures from the National Population Commission.

Ebonyi and Anambra has modest autonomous communities of 139, and 177 respectively, Enugu, 203; Abia 300, while Imo has the highest number of 670 Autonomous Communities, and Traditional Rulers. The result is confusion, as politics, greed, and unbridled desire for power lead to all kinds of squabbles over who becomes the Eze when one dies, or who will be able to fund the creation of an autonomous community, thus,  the people unwittingly, played into the hands of politicians, and their rich cronies.

Today, we have many who want to first receive the staff of office as Traditional Rulers, before they start looking around to find a community they will rule. They plant intrigues, deceptions, dissensions, rebellions, and disunity in the old kingdom,in order to achieve their purposes-to break the kingdom and become Eze.

Respect for culture and tradition, in older kingdoms are thrown over board, character and integrity of those who want to become Eze, matter only but a little, no pedigree, no conscience, as corruption in the government offices and the legislature climb on top themselves , dividing the whole place into tiny structures that will not be able to stand any pressure from politicians or criminals.

What is happening in Imo and Abia States in the name of creation of Autonomous Communities is becoming a travesty. While Abia has worked on it as it seems, by pegging the creation of autonomous communities, Imo is struggling with it, because of politics of a new innovation of His Excellency, called the Community Development Council, CDC, followed by Community Government Council or CGC, complicated by his new foray with the APC, with its many implications.

In Imo, we have the four tiers of government, namely, the Federal, State, Local Government, and Community Development Centre.

Ordinarily, this innovation is plausible, as it  should bring governance to the real grass roots, but the questions of funding, and budgeting for such structures not provided for in the constitution, the pressure it foists on the dwindling funds and fortunes of the state in the face of low price of oil, and fall in revenue from the Federal Government, its negative impacts on the constitutionally backed Local Government Administration, make it necessary that Imo should revisit and reconsider pegging the creation of Autonomous Communities.

I sympathise with those who want to be High Chief, Low Chief, Double Chiefs, JPs, etc, but I do not agree that every titled person, or friend of the Governor, must become an Eze  or Traditional Ruler . If that is allowed, very soon, all the hamlets, streets, and roads in Imo will become Autonomous Communities.

Those who have succeeded to build good houses, and own a few cars, will convert their kindreds into Autonomous Communities, and install themselves as Eze, or Igwe of their fathers houses ! This is why decimation of Imo with the current abuse of the creation of Autonomous Communities must stop.

IMO  State Autonomous Community Law NO 1 of 2012 Volume 36, gazette officially on the in,2012, prescribes the conditions for the approval of Autonomous Communities. Some of the requirements include that “the EZE has been educated up to at least the School Certificate level or its equivalent”; The recognition of a person as the EZE or the withdrawal of such recognition shall be published in the Government Official Gazette;

The Governor  at any time after the date of publication in the Official Gazette of the recognition of an EZE of an autonomous community shall issue a certificate of recognition to the EZE. Furthermore, under the law establishing  the CGC, a community must have the following minimum requirements to be recognized as an autonomous community:Five thousand population or more; Administrative block of not less than 10 rooms;

Community hall; Market; School(at least primary school;Church/Churches. Fact is many of the Autonomous Communities created from 1999, do not qualify, but politics, and corruption, will not let them be merged, for a better structure and administration of the state.

In order to harmonise some of the anomalies in the creation of Autonomous Communities, government set up a Panel on autonomous communities and traditional rulers headed by Hon Justice T.E.Chuemeka Chikeka  in 2013, to ascertain whether all the autonomous communities in IMO State were ab initio qualified to be given autonomous status in accordance with the law that was in force when they were created.

The Panel was further charged by the Governor to identify all traditional rulers who have been recognised but were not qualified to be recognised in accordance with the relevant law, as well as identify all traditional rulers who have been involved in or committed acts which are incompatible with their status as monarchs.

Governor Okorocha also charged the Panel to make recommendations which in the opinion of the Panel will enhance the effectiveness of the autonomous communities and the traditional institution in IMO State. The Panels were asked to submit their findings within three months.

The panel has since submitted its report, but we are yet to read or hear about the White paper on their findings and recommendations, perhaps in order to allow  the use of that report for political gains and nothing more. Now that he has secured his second term, let the panel report be released, and implemented to stop the continued decimation of Imo State.