By 
Mr. Tony Onyenweaku, the President General, Azueke Ibeku Autonomous Community in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, has raised alarm over the activities of members of the Ndume Otuka Development Union Federated (NDUF), alleging that they have vandalized Ahiaeke Primary and Secondary School and planning to lay claim on the newly retrofitted Ahiaeke Health Center.
According to him, the same people who have continued to superitend the Ahiaeke Primary School which has been in dlapidated state for years are also laying claim to the ownership of the health centre, Ahiaeke market, wondering why these individuals outside Azueke Ibeku Autonomous Community, derive joy in superintending what is happening in another community.
While conducting newsmen round the newly retrofitted Ahiaeke Health Center and the dilapidated Ahiaeke Primary and Secondary School, on Friday, Mr Onyenweaku stated that autonomous communities have been created by the Abia State Government to ensure each community concentrate and pursue policies and programs that would attract development.
He noted that after the retrofitting of the Health Centre, the entire community appreciated the good work of Governor Alex Otti and vowed to protect this critical infrastructure that is rendering essential services to the community but decried that it was incongruous for a group under the guise of any union to jump a line to start dictating what happens in another autonomous community.
“There was an upgrade, which impressed each and every one of us. During the upgrade, we found out that some persons, or some groups, were organising themselves as if the health center is theirs. The health center, like I have always told them, is a public property, but it is located or situated within my autonomous community, Azueke.The people who are going about claiming the health center, or claim the administration of the health center, is Ndume Otuka Development Union Federated (NDUF),
“I have always told whoever that cares to listen, that I don’t even know what use the NDUF is, because they are simply the reason why the primary school in my community is so dilapidated. They formed the whole board of governors, they are the ones organizing it and one cannot pinpoint anything good that is coming out of their management of the school.
“When there are distant villages coming to administer, or superintend over a property, a government infrastructure, that is in another community, it is always difficult, but they still have these facilities or infrastructure in their own community, why don’t they focus on handling theirs and leave ours for us?
“All we are telling them is that we will not allow them take this health center, destroy it the same way they have destroyed our school, the same way they have destroyed our market, the same way they are trying to destroy every other thing that is built within the community, with a name that they claim was registered at the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, which I don’t know if it’s in existence. We have told them point blank that we will not allow it because we are out to protect every government infrastructure within our community.
“Azueke Autonomous Community is recognized by the government. We have our own traditional ruler, traditional council and every other thing. Just the same way with Mbaocha and Ndume. So, if you call yourself NDU, that’s all your business. Go and handle your members. Your members belong to age grade. Which has nothing to do with the administration of an autonomous community like Azueke.
Speaking on efforts made by the Community to ensure the NDUF does not control what happens in the health centre, Onyenweaku said he has briefed the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Enoch Ogbonnaya Uche of the development at the health center, adding that he has also reported the matter to the Police.
He informed that the last time he visited the Police over the issue, the Police Area Commander in charge of the area advised all parties to maintain status and stressed the need for everyone to mind their autonomous community.
Onyenweaku emphasized that despite the directive from the Police, NDUF has continued to lay serious claim on the health centre, revealing that Azueke community has resolved to go to court to challenge the activities of these group and also ask for the interpretation of the autonomy status granted them around 2001. He stated that this group has continued to disregard the authority of the traditional ruler of Azueke Ibeku Autonomous Community.
“We have gone to the police, we are getting ready to go to court so that the court will tell us the status of an autonomous community. Those people from the autonomous community are the ones who are fighting the traditional ruler. So we are ready, able, and capable to withstand whatever. We are an autonomous community and it’s a creation of the government.”
Onyenweaku appealed to the Abia State Government to call this group formenting trouble in Azueke community to order, emphasising the need to make them understand that autonomous communities have been created and that all should mind their own autonomous community.
According to him, government created autonomous communities for development to get down to the grassroots. and lamented why a group without a traditional ruler would want to be a clog in the wheels of development through their attitude of running everything in the community aground.
Onyenweaku also used the opportunity to appeal to the Abia State Government to provide security at the health centre, insisting that the workers at the facility, need security as they work 24 hours. He equally decried the dilapidated state of Infrastructure at the Ahiaeke primary and secondary school, stressing the importance of protecting the infrastructure in the school.
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