Why The Internal Blow That Left Nsukka Politically Sprawled is Unforgettable

By Wordshot Amaechi Ugwele

After listening to Dr. Hippolytus Chikwado Onah (Akpaka N’Eha) at the Adada General Assembly summit, at the Adada House in Nsukka, and heard the details of our journey from the old Enugu State with Abakaliki and how after Abakaliki left and only a big Nsukka and the smaller Enugu remained, and how they had manipulated the situation to divide the smaller zone into two, including chopping off Isi-Uzo to add to the smaller unit, to further deplete and humiliate us, by taking advantage of their sons being in government, I didn’t know whether I should cry or laugh.

But, I was ready to cry for this glaring and monumental injustice. I was ready to cry because of the betrayal of the Enugu brotherhood that was crassly violated by the Nwobodos of Nkanu. And, somehow, I was also ready to laugh because, as the Nwobodos took advantage of being in government to deal such a blow to Nsukka, as our own dear brother was also in government as the governor, he would simply use the opportunities available to him, as Nwobodos and co had also been availed, to at least level us up for our own 16 years, even as he could not totally undo what had been done.

This expectation wasn’t just mine alone as nearly everyone in Nsukka cultural zone had shared the same. In fact, I was prepared to swear with my whole life, after listening to Dr. Hippo, that Nsukka had finally been positioned by God to right the wrongs done her by the old Enugu. Isi-Uzo was Nsukka they turned Enugu. Isi-Uzo had been taken to undermine us. But, God in His infinite wisdom, had perfectly aligned providence and opportunity to clean our tears and deep. Isi-Uzo, now in Enugu East, was perfectly positioned to take the Nsukka slot that Chimaroke Nnamani had given with impunity to Sullivan Chime of the same old Enugu in 2007.

So, there had been a whole lot of justification for that, especially after the understanding that the third senatorial zone to replace Abakaliki, proposed as Enugu Central, which should be created from the remaining two, that is, Nsukka and Enugu, was scuppered by the subterfuge of Enugu people, led by Jim Nwobodo and Silas Iloh.

Under the agreement, each of the two surviving zones were to bring two local government areas (Nsukka: Igbo-Etiti and Uzo-Uwani, Enugu: Ezeagu and Udi) to form the third senatorial zone. But, not only that the smaller Enugu was divided into the two new zones, Enugu East and Enugu West, our own Isi-Uzo local government area, was removed from Nsukka to add to Enugu, to finally reduce and keep us where they thought we should belong.

In addition to Enugu getting two (2) senatorial zones, it got additional local governments after Aninri was created out of Awgu, and Nkanu was divided into Nkanu East and Nkanu West, just like Enugu local government area was carved up into Enugu North, Enugu South and Enugu East.

After all said and done, today while the bigger Nsukka has one (1) senatorial zone, Enugu has two (2). While Nsukka has six (6) local government areas, Enugu has eleven (11). Nsukka has three (3) House of Representatives members to Enugu’s five (5). Nsukka has eight (8) House of Assembly members while Enugu has sixteen (16). Just imagine the advantages these confer upon the smaller Enugu in terms of revenue, perks of office and power that the positions of double two-term governors of 16 years, the two senators, etc, bring to them. And when we have just a senator running around in Abuja like an orphan, two of their own can easily pool efforts to get things going for them.

While we can only use six (6) portions of the national revenue allocations to develop our larger space, in the local government areas, they have as much as eleven (11), which is nearly twice to ours. This also means that in each political cycle, as they are producing two former (2) senators to add to the list of prominent political figures and stakeholders in the state, with the benefits of their power and influence, we are miserably trailing with just one (1).

As we are producing three (3) former House of Reps, the Rt. Honourables, they are overwhelming us with eight (8). What about former local government chairmen? An experience I had when I had escorted a former Igbo-Etiti council chairman to a meeting of the former chairmen better illustrates our situation. To the few we had, those from Enugu were swarming everywhere. And when they shared their Christmas gift packs, Enugu understandably got the lion share. Meanwhile we would always produce more votes. This is our sad irony. And it is so because, at the end of every term, we are having six (6) joining the cadres of the ex Chairmen while they are flooding their ranks with eleven (11) members. So, the smaller Enugu has more stakeholders than the bigger Nsukka.

This has continued to amount to a serious debilitation in strategic politicking. This much Nkanu people knew when they openly taunted us with their song, that never would our strength surpass theirs. And all these were what those in the position, and had all the opportunities to at least minimally address knew, but chose to do what they did and want us to accept it as normal. No. It was in every way abnormal. And, it wasn’t even that they didn’t just want to help Nsukka. They rolled up their sleeves and trousers, opened their huge cash vaults and went all the way to put up their greatest political fight, not for, but against their father land, Nsukka; to stop her. And even when the people finally chose to take their destiny into their own hands, to literally fight bare handed, the determined spirit of subversion driving their brothers against them was revved up, and the did would be eventually brutally executed.

If this is not treachery, what is it? If this is not annoying, tell me what else should be more annoying to any real Nsukka man or woman today, especially after looking at what has been reduced of the Ogige Nsukka market. What our people did against our place wasn’t an error or mistake, but a deliberate, well marshalled and thoroughly executed plot lasting a long time, with uncompromising tenacity, to get a result with only one outcome, stopping Nsukka for Nkanu! And as it happened, the hope of Ndi Nsukka to level up the mountain of political disadvantages they were buried in, was defeated. Nsukka died at the very hands of some Nsukka people. This is what has left all of us in this deep hole where we are. If I am thus accused of taking the Nsukka issue beyond limits, did those who put us where we are not go beyond all limits, in dealing us their terrible blow? But, for sure, Nsukka’s resurrection by her own hands, is already underway.