TOWN UNION MEETING OF 25TH JULY 2010

TOWN UNION EMERGENCY / GENERAL MEETING

The meeting was held at Amankwo Ndiagu Primary School Hall on 25^th July 2010

Opening prayer was said by Engr. Anigbo at about 12.25pm. The secretary read the past minutes and motion for adoption was moved by Mr. Eva Ogwu, seconded by Mr. John Onwuama

            The president made an opening remark said he apologized for starting the meeting behind schedule and that he called the emergency meeting because of the problems between some groups/individuals in Amankwo Ndiagu he said everybody should be objective and avoid repetition so that we do not waste our precious time.

           The secretary briefed the house on the meeting attended with the governor and the stake holder’s workshop which the town union also attended with the state Community and Social Development Project (C.S.D.P). He said the Town Union was represented by the Secretary and the vice President at the meetings. The president was not in the country during the meetings. The secretary said the major highlight of the meeting with the governor was on the authority of the town union in supervising all projects that is being executed in his community and the security matter. (Detailed report of the meeting with the governor is contained on our website – www.amankwo-oghe.blogspot.com). The stake holder’s workshop was to validate the information recorded against the community in the C.S.D.P community development evaluation, which the government is being used to assign projects to communities in the state.

 Constitution    

Engr Ejike briefed the house on the constitution and said that the first phase will be completed and presented to the house by the next meeting.          

 Rural electrification project.

Hon councilor, Facestus Magbo, briefed the house on how the state rural electrification came to survey the community to ascertain what is required for the electrification of the community. He said the project officers were taken round the community by the president and himself and that the expenses incurred in entertaining the officers were paid by the president.

The president also informed us that a water borehole project, to be financed by a federal government agency, will soon commence in Amankwo Ndiagu. He has finished every negotiation with the concerned agency and he is hopeful they will start work before December 2010.

The Vice president represented the town Union at the Igwe in council meeting held on 17^th July 2010. He attended the meting to honour an invitation from the Igwe in council who invited the president & secretary to their meeting.  He said the essence of the invitation was for the town union to brief them (Igwe and the chiefs) on the developmental projects that are going on in the community. The vice president did as they requested. He said the Igwe in council requested for the executives to be attending their meetings at least once in every two months. Also Hon. Facestus Magbo and Engr. Anigbo were also present at the meeting and interacted with the chiefs. The chiefs were happy.

AOB

The Hon. Councilor encouraged every body to be very serious in this town union issue. He praised the effort of the executives and other people that has been putting selfless effort including their personal money to ensure that the activities the town union is going even beyond expectations. He said he is hopeful that very soon people will start benefiting and those who will wake up then may be too late. He urged the president to complete the election into the vacant positions and register the town union so that we can have access to any benefit from the government.

CRISES IN AMANKWO NDIAGU

After the normal monthly meting of the town union, those that have problems in Amankwo Ndiagu were called in.

 Opening prayer was said by Ozor Okwesili

The president addressed the house and asked the vice president to brief the people on the meeting the town Union had with his Excellency, the Governor of Enugu state, which he did and with a little support from Engr Anigbo. He told them that the government in power has placed every organization in the community under the town union and that every directive in all aspect including developmental projects and security should come from town union

          The president told them about the distress calls he received from Igwe on their problems that prompted him to summon his town union members to this emergency meeting. The chief actors in the problem were called to tell us what they know about the problems. The major problem was between the Neighbourhood watch and the former vigilante and one Mr. Chinedu whom they claim to be disobeying the security rules and threatening people with his gun

Chief Godwin Onuoha spoke on behalf of the Neighbourhood watch. He said it was not chiefs but the Neighbourhood watch that locked the violators to the police station. According to him, the problem was that those members of the old vigilante lead by Mr. Francis Ezeh, their Chairman and Secretary, Ignatius Egwu were opposed to the new security out fit, the Neighbourhood watch. Chief Godwin Onuoha said the new security outfit was duly registered in the year 2009, with that of their counterpart in Amankwo Imezi, to replace the former security outfit, The Vigilante. The major problem was that the old Vigilante sensitizes people not to pay the agreed security levy of N50 per person, from where they get fund to finance their activities. This has resulted in non payment of the allowance for some months now. It was based on this that they arrested some of the defaulters and they were compelled to pay the agreed security levy at the police station. He accused the Igwe, H.R.H Igwe C.C Obueke of being part of their problems. According to him, the Igwe initially opposed their registration and when they succeeded in registering, he has not been in support. One of the opponents Mr. Evaristus Chiaha went, in the night, and removed the sign post of the Neighbourhood watch, but he was caught by the traces of blood from the injury he sustained during the process.

Another problem is that of Mr. Chinedu Igboeme, Chinedu’s problem was that he continues to move in the night, even when the Neighbourhood has issued the order that people should go in as from 10pm and that he moves with gun challenging the authority of the Neighbourhood. Chinedu was taken to the police and was charged for the offences at the magistrate court at Aguobuowa. His gun was also retained by the police. Chinedu’s chief said he has earlier called on Mr. Chinedu and ask him to go with him and plead with the chiefs so that they can settle the case but Mr. Chinedu refused.

    Mr. Ignatius Egwu spoke on half of the old vigilante. He said the other group after the inauguration of the chiefs 2004 told them that they should be having their meetings at Amankwo Ndiagu instead of going to the Igwe’s palace at Amankwo Imezi. This they did not agree. He said it was after the inauguration of the new chiefs that they form another security outfit, now called the Neighbourhood, which their own group was opposed to. He said the most annoying thing is that this other group, the Neighbourhood; impose illegal levies amounting to various sums like N1, 000, N500 etc. that their group never did anything like that. 

Chinedu Igboeme

Chinedu said he is a hunter and he was surprise when neighbour hood came to his house with police and they took his gun away and was invited. He later went to the station and bailed himself. He said he was charged to the magistrate court for terrorizing the vigilante. Hearing on his case will come up by August. Chinedu said he has taken his case to a shrine

Other people’s reactions

Mr. Samuel Ikwuezeagu

 He told us that he tried to settle the problem between the two security outfits to the extent that when some people where detained, he went to the police station, pleaded and bailed them he thought that was the final settlement and that he was surprised that the case continued. On Chinedu’s case, he equally tried to mediate but could no longer continue when Chinedu took his case to shrine.

           Mr. Christian said he is the interim chairman of the youths after the former executives were dissolved. He said after they have inquired on what the comm. were doing that their people agreed to be paying N50 monthly, per person for the security. On the issue of chinedu he said he was aware and he has tried his best to settle the case. Both Christian and Sam said they removed hands from Chinedu’s case when he went to the shrine.

      After hearing from the people, the town union went out for a brief deliberations and came back to give the following rulings on all the parties.

        The town Union president, speaking on behalf of the town union, told the chiefs in Amankwo Ndiagu that we have observed that they do not respect the Igwe. He made them to realize that their non attendance of Igwe in Council meetings at the Iowa’s palace is as good as saying that they are no more chiefs. He therefore advice them not to absent themselves from the Igwe in council meetings any more.

    On the issue of security the neighborhood is the recognized security agent in the community. No more vigilantes. Anybody who is interested to become a neighborhood member should apply through his chief to the town union. The payment of levy should stand suspended for now till the town Union decides on that. The president pleaded with the Neighbourhood to continue their work selflessly for the moment, just like the town union is working without anything. Chief Godwin Onuoha who is presently the leader of the Neighbourhood is to relinquish his post to another person that is not a chief. The issue of the Neighbourhood should not be mixed up with chieftaincy issues.

He equally said that any chief who has not given us 3 representatives should do so immediately as the town union can no longer entertain any other case from any ward/wards except if the 3 representatives from the ward/wards are represented in the town union.

       Chinedu should withdraw his case from the shrine after which he will meet his chief and they will go and beg the chiefs in Amankwo Ndiagu. The chiefs were asked to help Chinedu to get his gun from the police and withdraw his charges from the court, since we view his actions as a mere stubbornness. There was no established case of robbery and people testify that he is a hunter. On the other hand Chinedu was serious warned to use his gun for the hunting purposes only and never expose it to the public, so that it will not be a means of harassing/intimidating others

         After the president’s speech, people expressed their joy. However, Mr. Chinedu rose and said his gun must be returned to the shrine. On that note Mr. Chinedu was cautioned seriously to do as stipulated within 3 weeks. In expression of joy, one Ozo Sandi gave us money for two carton of beer. The money was used immediately to buy the drinks and it was taken right there. The Town union thanked him for his generosity.

      Motion for adjournment was said by Eva Ogwu and seconded by Mr. Igboekwu Closing prayer was said by Mr. Ignatius Egwu at about 3.30pm.