Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo on Saturday visited Olumbanasa, in Anambra West Local Government Area of the State, in what is the first visit to the island community, by a sitting governor of the state. In his remarks, the governor declared that “there will be peace in Olumbanasa. There will be peace and there will be progress in Olumbanasa”, Soludo said. The visit according to Hon. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, Commissioner for Local Government in Anambra State, “signposts extension of development agenda of the Prof. Soludo led government, to forgotten parts of Anambra State”.
Olumbanasa in Anambra West local government is home to the Igala-speaking population of Anambra State. Still, it has been largely disserted because of their terrain and the ongoing violent crisis among the various villages. The community is only accessed by boat, across open waters of the River Niger, in a journey not less than one hour and twenty minutes across the open river. This journey is potentially risky considering the volatility of such long-distance movement on an open river with the possibility of breach of security by pirates or oil bunkering gangs, among others. These security concerns are at the core of why no former governor of the state has ever visited the community. Therefore, over the years, the community was left on its own and in consequence, they lacked all basic amenities and government presence, including not having a single tarred road.
In addition to the frequent communal crisis, the people also suffer from perennial flooding due to their proximity to the Niger River. The community which cannot be accessed by road from anywhere as it is surrounded by River Niger, can only be accessed by boat or by air, with an helicopter. Yet, getting to the community is only an open part of the problem, moving around within the community is another challenge as motorcycles and keke are the two only means of internal movement.
Governor Soludo’s visit, Hon. Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne who accompanied the governor to the community hinted, is expected to birth a safe holding center for the community during flooding, a healthcare centre that is not in existence in the community, pipe-borne water, a school, of which the only school in the community was destroyed during one of their many community conflicts and also electricity, which for the most part is a novelty for the community.
During the visit, the governor was also accompanied by the Commissioner for Public Utility, Hon. Julius Chukwuemeka, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Ernest Ezeajughi, Chinedu Nwoye, the governor’s Chief of Protocol, and Paul Nwosu, Commissioner for Information, among others.
He is a Technical Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano’s Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, whoonce was a Special Adviser to a former Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly. Ebuka is a second class upper division graduate of Political Science from University of Calabar, Calabar Nigeria and holds a Masters Degree in Political Science with specialization in Government and Development Studies, from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Nigeria
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