By Chimaobi Nwaiwu

NNEWI—TWENTY-FOUR years after the creation of Orumba North and Orumba South local governments from old Orumba Local Government, the people of Akpu in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State are still kicking against their alleged malicious exclusion from Orumba North LGA, where they said “they not only rightly belong, but should also be the rightful headquarters of the local government area.”

The community had, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to come to its aid by helping to take it back to Orumba North as they are currently in exile from their land by being in Orumba South Council Area.

The community had been protesting, calling on successive Federal and state governments to correct the alleged injustice done to them since 1991 when the new councils were created by reversing its alleged “malicious removal from Orumba North Local Government Area,” which was about 10 kilometres away from Akpu.

The people of the area last week started fasting and praying to God to answer their age-long prayers for reversing their exclusion from Orumba North by touching the minds of the appropriate authorities in the present administration to revisit the creation of the LGA with a view of including them in Orumba North.

Addressing newsmen after their prayer session, Prince Anthony Nwafor called on President Muhammadu Buhari to revisit the circumstances that led to their removal from Orumba North, with a view to reversing it.

Nwafor said that “no son or daughter of Akpu community is happy and will ever be happy in their current local government, not because they are maltreated, but because they have been indirectly sent on exile from their land while making their alleged tenant their landlord and therefore, want to go home.”

He said that to worsen their pathetic situation, they had not been allowed to put any sign board in any Akpu village because it is embarrassing to those behind their exclusion, since visitors will ask questions on the rationale behind the action. “The reason the new administration should address this ugly treatment is that anti- corruption war should not be restricted to financial issues, our shabby treatment has pushed Nigeria to the dark ages, where human rights were abused unabated, and should not be allowed to continue.

“Akpu and Ajalli communities live on one geographical land mass and are so mixed up that one cannot delineate their boundaries, so one of the communities should not be in a different local government area.

He listed St. Dominic’s  Saviour Seminary, Akpu owned   by the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Community Primary School Akpu, Lawmacco Investments, Agba Ventures as popular institutions and business places that have not been allowed to mount their sign-boards so that they would not bear Akpu, although in the community, those who were removing their sign-boards were afraid of answering some embarrassing questions .

Also, in his contribution, the former Special Adviser to former Anambra State governor, Dr. Chinweoke Mbadinuju on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Chief Alex Okoli appealed to the President Buhari to investigate the circumstances leading to the merging of Akpu with the Orumba South council area, instead of Orumba North where they rightly belonged.

Okoli said “corruption is not only stealing, embezzling and siphoning money entrusted to one’s care, using one’s position to get an undue favour against the interest of others is also corruption and must not be accepted.”