By Ibuchukwu Ezike
Enugu State was one of the states created in Nigeria in August 1991, by the former Military President General Ibrahim Babangida. It was carved out of the old Anambra state arising from the gross agitations and cries of marginalisation by the Wawa people in the hands of their brothers, the ‘’Ijekoebe” people who, today, make up the present Anambra state.

The old Enugu state was made up of the three core Wawa zones of Abakaliki, Enugu and Nsukka. The joy that heralded the creation of Enugu state was huge. Wawans went agog celebrating the new state till dawn. In 1996, Abakaliki was carved out of the old Enugu state to join the Afikpo area of old Abia state to form the present Ebonyi state.

At first, it was like the problems of the Wawa people alleged to have been largely created by the ‘’Ijekoebes” had been resolved. Unfortunately, even under the old Enugu state, the situation actually went sour and ugly such that I had to construct an article entitled, “Enugu state: A curse or blessing,” which was published in
the defunct SUNRAY Newspapers, Port-Harcourt.

In the said article, after I holistically looked at the dilapidating conditions under which an own Wawa state and government lived, concluded that the genuine reasons for which my people rose to demand for an own state was a hope dashed.

Dr. Okweselieze Nwodo, a medical doctor by training, was the governor of the state then.

The struggles of the Nigerian people for the return of Nigeria to democracy after the criminal annulment of the June 12, 1993, Presidential elections won by Chief MKO Abiola, and led by the civil rights and pro-democracy community, finally culminated in the return of the baton to the civilians in 1999.

Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, another medical doctor, emerged the governor of the “unlucky” state, who promised them heaven and earth.  Rather,  the administration  sacked over 10, 000 workers of Wawa origin from the civil service without reasons and recourse to the rule of law and due process. He was always supported by the the  state House of Assembly.

It was also during the period that the nine electoral wards stolen by Aku, Ukehe and Igbo Omaba communities of Igbo-Etiti LGA from the nine smaller communities of Ohebe-Dim, Diogbe, Ikolo, Ochima, Umunko, Udueme, Onyohor, Idoha and Umuna in collaboration with INEC was perfected and despite an obvious court’s ruling on the matter in favour of the nine communities, the injustice was not redressed.

When workers were illegally disengaged by Nnamani regime, these workers in alliance with the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka and few courageous politicians led by Chief Jim Nwobodo challenged the action.

The workers led by Comrade Osmond Ugwu won the matter at the court but were not reinstated nor were their salary arrears paid by the administration. In 2007, the depressed Enugu citizens looked up to God for a saviour.

However, Chime’s coming into office as the governor of the state clearly demonstrated that the state is not as lucky as many thought. Since he assumed office, abuse of the rule of law and due process, repression and violation of the rights of the citizens, including workers, have become the style of his.

Among the latest    victims of the regime’s highhandedness, are comrades Osmond Ugwu, the leader of Enugu Workers Forum and Chair, CLO, Enugu state, Raphael Elobuike,  Festus Ozoeze and others. These men are currently remanded at the Enugu prisons.

Their only crime is that they demanded that the national minimum wage law respected all over the country, be obeyed in their state. Whereas Ugwu and Elobuike are charged for attempted murder and remanded in the prisons without justifications, Ozoeze was a victim of a tribunal set up to try citizens who dared protested the senseless increment in the pump price of fuel on January 1, this year by the Federal government.

Lately, the state government has denied involvement in the travails of Ugwu and his comrades, but, however, failed to explain to the people why the State Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice appeared in the matter.

Chime’s appearance in Media Link programme of Radio Nigeria, Enugu, where he openly declared Ugwu his only enemy in the state, why the Chief Security Officer, CSO to the Governor participated in the arrest of Ugwu and Elobuike in October, 2011, why the governor played host to the national labour leaders in the aftermath of the crisis,  what transpired at the Lion Building between him and those leaders which made them (the labour leaders) not to visit Ugwu and Elobuike in the prisons etc.

Worse-still, mass unemployment, absence of houses for the people, collapse of the educational sector, including high cost, poor water supply, lack of attention to agriculture and manufacturing to create jobs and endemic monumental corruption among others have agglutinated to deal brutal blows on the unsuspecting Wawa people.

The questions which keep pondering the minds of the Wawas now are; is our state a curse or blessing? Do we have a justification in agitating for a state and government of our own and when will our messiah arrive and these man-made hardship quench?

*Ezike is the Executive Director, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO).