By Dennis Agbo

ENUGU- FIVE million naira development fund, a grant that was given to every autonomous community in Enugu State for execution of priority development project, is now a cause of disaffection and acrimony in Oduma Achara community, Aninri Local Government Area of the state.

•Leaders of Oduma-Achara in accountability meeting.

A section of the community had protested that their traditional ruler, HRH Igwe Murphy Chukwu and the President-General of the community, Chief Pius Ani diverted the money and failed to use it for roads project which they said was what the community agreed to utilise the money on.

But the traditional ruler, the President-General and some members of the community said their priority project was rural electrification, since the community has never had electricity from Adam.

The part of the community loyal to the traditional ruler maintains that electricity project is listed as priority and most essential development project for the community in state government’s Visit Every Community, VEC, programme.

Igwe Chukwu said that the first phase of the electricity project which involved drawing of high tension cables and installation of 50KVA transformers was executed with the first tranche of N5 million development fund, made available to every autonomous community by the state government.

Igwe Chukwu, who gave account of how the development fund was expended within the past one year, said that the town union invited bids from three electrical contractors, out of which it chose the contractor with the lowest bid since they had limited fund.

In the community accountability meeting which involved tour of the project sites, the traditional ruler also pointed out how personal funds by members of the community such as himself and the President-General were used to construct culverts in the community.

“We have had other projects in the community like the market project, construction of culverts, heath center project in 2012 when I was 10 years on the throne and the health centre came with power generating set and borehole,” Chukwu said.

The community also showcased its market project which most of the shops have been allocated to members of the community for commercial activities.

“We still have some balance of money and materials and the next stage is to step down the electricity. Upon the receipt of the N5 million from the state government, a separate account was dedicated for the money. A six-man committee that cut across all the clans of the community was inaugurated for the purposes of executing whatever project  was agreed upon by the community.

“The community through a well attended meeting agreed to buy electric poles and wires for the purpose of electrifying the community as they considered that as the most pressing need which the amount could afford,” Igwe Chukwu said.

President-General of the community, Mr. Pius Ani, while responding to allegation of fraud against him and the traditional ruler, said that there was never a time the Igwe and his council shared the VEC fund.

“We only use it for electrification as was agreed. We have account book for the community that has no alteration. The town union at no time embezzled the community development fund. Every kobo of the VEC fund was judiciously utilised as approved.

“We want the community to help us approve the next phase of the project which is stepping down the electricity project,” said Ani.

Women leader of the Oduma-Achara community, Ezinne Cecilia Uwakwe said that majority of the community chose electrification of the community because the community had never had electricity.

“Government said it will give N10 million to every community but what we got was N5 million for now, same as other communities in the state. I am a woman leader and we have seen the statement of account ,“ Mrs. Uwakwe said.

A youth leader, Sergius Njoku said one of the conditions for accessing the development fund was peaceful coexistence in the community. “We have other projects to execute such as grading of roads and construction of schools, but as you can see, we are still working on electricity,” he stated.

However, another woman leader in the community, Mrs. Felicia Ashi insisted that the community preferred road project because of the community’s bad terrain in rainy season. “I was surprised to see our men doing the roads with shovels and diggers, I think the money was embezzled,” she alleged.