By Chidi Nkwopara

If my immediate younger brother, Mazi Ambrose C. B. Nkwopara, did not invite me to accompany him to Umuoye, Imerienwe, Ngor Okpala local government area of Imo State, for the burial of his in-law, Margaret Nwaulari Manufor, Friday, December 2, 2016, this story would not have hit the news stands.

It was a smooth drive from Owerri to Ulakwo market, along the ever busy Owerri-Aba federal highway. That was the end of the jolly ride! Things automatically changed for the worse, as soon as we branched off the highway and headed towards Umuoye Imerienwe, through Upe and Umunam.

Community School, Umunam

While South East Voice complained bitterly about the long bumpy ride, some of the villagers that overheard the lamentation simply said: “You should thank your stars that you plied the road during the dry season. Only God knows what you would have said if you tried the trip during the rainy season”.

The villagers were very right. A very careful observation showed caked soil deposits at different sections of the road, a solid proof that the reddish brown road was hopelessly muddy throughout the rainy season.

Apart from the foregoing, over 85 percent of the entire stretch from Ulakwo to Umuoye Imerienwe is undulating and very rough. Possibly, the best way to describe the state of this road, during the rainy season is that “only a good and reliable canoe is welcome to Umuoye Imerienwe”.

If this is the sordid plight of Upe, Umunam and Umuoye Imerienwe people, then it is better to imagine what inhabitants of Amafor, Orisheze and Umuekwune communities that lie further in, have been passing through for decades!

There is no doubt that vehicles, especially those owned by the indigenes of the communities and a few commercial operators, but the major and fastest means of transport is “inaga”, commercial motorcycles.

Stories were told how the commercial motorcycle operators and their passengers ended up in the slippery, reddish pools of water along the road.

Chukwuma, a villager, said: “Falling into the muddy pools of water was far better than ending up in hospitals and the homes of local bone setters. I really doubt if government knows that people are living in Umuoye Imerienwe”.

When reminded that their brother, Dr. Theodore Ekechi, served as a member of Imo State Executive Council and a trusted ally of Governor Rochas Okorocha, the villager said: “Did the Governor give him a free hand to operate? From what has happened to Umuoye Imerienwe people, it is clear that the state government is interested in working in areas where the eyes of people can easily see”.

An aggrieved female villager that simply identified herself as Eunice, said: “A lot of beautification is currently going on in Owerri, ahead of the Christmas. Those returning home or passing through Owerri, will definitely be thinking that all is well with us all in Imo”.

Continuing, Eunice reasoned that the millions of Naira spent on the Christmas decorations could have paid for the paving of Ulakwo-Upe-Umunam-Umuoye-Amafor-Umuekwune road.

Another area that attracted South East Voice was the grossly dilapidated school buildings along this road. One of them is Community School, Umunam.

A woman, who was dressed in the usual White blouse and black skirt, reminiscent of Imo teachers, told South East Voice that “If what you are seeing is bad, then wait until you have visited schools that are further in.”

An attempt to get the views of the traditional ruler of Umunam, Eze Okoro Onyewuchi Geoffrey, was abortive as he was said to be away from home at the time of the visit.

It would be recalled that in a recent interview with Vanguard, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Dr. Anthony J. V. Obinna, described what is going on in the state as “impressionistic development”.

“There is no real development going on in Imo State. What we have here is impressionistic development. Things are only done where people, especially first timers will see and applaud the government, while things are really hopeless for the rural dwellers”, Archbishop Obinna said.

Take it or leave it, communities along Ulakwo-Upe-Umunam-Umuoye-Amafor-Umuekwune and Orisheze are suffering deeply from neglect. Whether the state government will come to their aid after this publication, remains anybody’s guess.