The President-General of Umuchukwu Community in Orumba South Area, Anambra State, Mr. Emeka Adinchezor has asked Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo and security agencies to take decisive action to stem the rising tension in the community, ANAMBRA PEOPLE reports.
Adinchezor made the call while addressing Journalists on Tuesday in Awka.
Umuchukwu Community has been in the news when members staged a protest to Government House Awka during which they brandished placards showing their grievances.
Adinchezor said, in recent months some sections of Umuchukwu Community had resorted to using the outlawed name of the town for publications of burial posters, banners and other public notices.
According to him, such actions were intended to ignite crisis if not checked.
He said: “Before, we used to answer Nkerehi, but after a religious crusade we held in our community about 16 years ago, we resolved to change our name to Umuchukwu.
“The process eventually led the state government to conduct referendum for us in April 2007 which resulted in the adoption of Umuchukwu as our new name.
“Regrettably, some people despite the fact that Umuchukwu is already gazetted and recognized by successive administrations, still address the community as Nkerehi,” he said.
“Some write the old name in burial posters, banners and other inscriptions positioned for public viewing, and the perpetrators even go about boasting in town that nothing would happen to them”, he said.
The Community leader said if urgent action is not taken by Government and security agencies, the situation might snowball to full blown communal crisis.
Adinchezor told Journalists that the some members of the community had officially protested to Governor Soludo during our recent protest to the government house which the Chief of Staff received us on behalf of the governor.
He said he is using this medium to appeal once again to the state government to stop listening to those calling themselves Nkerehi Community because their actions could result to crisis if not checked.
Mr Ernest Ezeajughi, Chief of Staff to Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra had during the protest advised Umuchukwu people on the need for peace in the community.
He said regrettably that some people were promoting acts capable of slowing down development in their communities and warned that government would not fold arms to watch such people.
Ezeajughi said, in the case of Umuchukwu/Nkerehi the matter shall be referred to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs for treatment.
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