Nsukka Today

The Oduma Community in Aninri local government area of Enugu State is set to dare the state government as it insists on conferring chieftaincy title on Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and others.

The State government recently placed an embargo on the conferment of chieftaincy titles on individuals in the state.

The people of Oduma in Enugu West Senatorial District had planned to honour their representative in the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu for facilitating the construction of the N12 billion Nenwe-Oduma-Uburu road before the order was announced.

The road project, which was flagged off in November 2013 has reached an advanced stage and the people of the area who had been experiencing nightmares passing through the road now heaving a sigh of relief.

The contract for the 26 kilometers road running from Nenwe through Oduma in Enugu State to Uburu in Ebonyi State was approved and awarded to SETRACO by the Federal Executive Council on November 14, 2012.

Impressed by the role played by the Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu in making the long desired road project a reality, the community unanimously resolved to appreciate him with a chieftaincy title.

Also selected for conferment of chieftaincy titles at the reception slated for Saturday, April. 19, 2014 at Oduma are the Minister of Works, Arc. Mike Onolememen, Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Senator Ayogu Eze and Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Works, Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi.

But while the community was making arrangement for the event, the state government through the Ministry of Chieftaincy Matters announced the suspension of conferment of chieftaincy titles by traditional rulers in the state with effect from April 7, 2014.

The letter dated April 7, 2014 with reference number MCM/CM/98/T/203 addressed to all recognized traditional rulers in the state and signed by Ibe Nnamani on behalf of the Commissioner, directed traditional rulers in the state not to confer chieftaincy title on any individual between April 7 and December 31, this year.

But a member of the organizing committee for the event, Chief Johnson Orji told reporters in Enugu yesterday that the community would go ahead with its plan to honour the selected personalities, who had since been notified and have mobilized their friends and well-wishers for the ceremony.

“The entire Oduma community made up of several villages has been planning this reception for Senator Ekweremadu since last year for making it possible in our lifetime what we never imagined could be possible.

Many administrations in the state from military to the present democratic regime had come with promises during campaign, but always reneged on the promises after election. This is due majorly to the very difficult topography of the Nenwe and Oduma once described by Governor Sullivan Chime as an impossible terrain, but this has been made possible by our son, Chief Ekweremadu,” Chief Orji said.

There are speculations that the event was earlier approved by the State Government when traditional rulers from Oduma sought government’s approval, but the government latter decided to suspend the conferment when the identity of the recipients were made public.

Sources said that the action of the government might not be unconnected with the current face-off between Governor Chime and members of the National Assembly from the state over their re-election bid in 2015.

Culled: The SUN