By Uzor Okolie
What’s going on in Idumuje Ugboko in Aniocha North Local Government of Delta State? I hear that some elements opposed to Prince Ned Nwoko building a university in Idumuje Ugboko (I never thought I would live to witness d day when indigenes of a rural community would oppose bringing development to their town out of grudge, spite and outright jealousy) are mobilising thugs and cultists to fight Prince Ned Nwoko for the crime of siting a university in Idumuje Ugboko! These elements led by names like Uchenna Nwoko Dibia, Nene Nwoko, Uche Aligbe, Azu Aligbe, Okey ifejoku, Okey Omezi, Sunday Banye, Ofiaju Nwoko, Willy Nwoko, Uche Ogbechie, the eldest son to the late Obi of the village, Prince Nonso Nwoko and a few other personalities, in my estimation have exposed their parochialism, hyper-myopia, small-mindedness, primitive social consciousness, diabolical inclination, anti-progress and anti-civilization predilection or tendency. We hear that this set of people, some of them ostensibly very educated people with national and international exposures are planning to ostracise or banish a Nigerian citizen from a community where his blood runs deep from the contemporary time to the beginning of consciousness and the founding of the community, and in Nigeria of 2017, where the constitution does not even allow the banishment of non-indigenes, and in an era long after Barack Obama, whose father was from Kenya had served two terms as President of America. I think the time these people spent in the universities or wherever they obtained the certificates they have in their cabinets have been woefully wasted. I recommend that these dinosaurs should be wrapped up and sent back 1000 years to the dark ages : a time when ignorance, superstition, and primitive minds held sway over humanity. But their crudeness, jealousy and bitterness will not absolve them of deserved blame and retribution should blood be shed in Idumuje Ugboko.
But sources close to the details of the problem in Idumuje Ugboko have assured that the so-called ostracism or banishment hullabaloo is nothing but a subterfuge or decoy from the above-mentioned persons to throw a smokescreen and cause confusion in order to escape four grave criminal charges they are facing around the time of the passing of Obi Albert Nwoko, a grand old monarch of 90 years who died mysteriously after he granted permission for land for the building of Star University in Idumuje Ugboko, which these afore-mentioned names opposed.
Currently a murder investigation is progressing rapidly and sources say the police are close to arresting & charging some of these people for the premeditated killing of the 90 year old well-loved monarch. Our sources say the police and most indigenes of Idumuje Ugboko are interested in knowing how come Prince Nonso Nwoko the erstwhile first-in-line to the throne had a ready Crown, different from the one his father used, just a few hours after his father died. Was he ready for the rapid-fire coronation because he, along with some of his cohorts mentioned above knew the hour Obi Albert Nwoko would die? Some well informed sources told us that a senior member of the Nwoko family who is now deceased, wrote a few years ago to warn that Prince Nonso Nwoko should, in order not bring curse upon the community, not assume the throne on the death of his father because it would go against the customs and traditions of the town which only recognises an Obi whose mother must be an indigene of Idumuje Ugboko. The fear of many observers now is that in desperation to become Obi, Prince Nonso Nwoko may have conspired with dark forces to set-up his 18 year old half-brother on possession charges which nearly wasted the innocent young prince. Equally swirling around these murder suspects is the grave charge of rape. It was widely reported at the time it happened that a 15 year old princess was brutally gang-raped right inside the hallowed palace by some of these people earlier mentioned, and they have been making desperate efforts to suppress the facts of the case from coming to light. But it is heartening to hear that the police are taking this rape case very seriously.
However, charges of
conspiracy, malicious damage and forgery have been successfully brought by the police against Prince Nonso Nwoko and some of the other suspects mentioned above. With these cases progressing at lightning speed against them, our sources say, Prince Nonso Nwoko and the other desperate suspects, feeling increasingly cornered, are splattering faeces in all directions in order to deflate attention from themselves. But so far, the authorities are not backing down, they are determined to root out the pretenders and murderers in the revered throne of Nwoko, and Prince Ned Nwoko, from sources close to him, is even more determined to build the Star University and bring progress and jobs to his beloved hometown.
On a final note, if Dangote can travel all the way from Kano to acquire hundreds of hectres in Lagos, where land has real value, for his refinery, if American President, Donald Trump can own hundreds of hectares of land across America and Europe for his golf courses, if Prof Pat Utomi can be granted thousands of hectares for his farm in Edo State, if Obasanjo Farms from far away Ogun State can be handed hundreds of hectares in Ogwashi Uku area , how come Prince Ned Nwoko has to fight for land to build a university in his hometown where land is very bountiful and more than enough for every man according to his needs? This is a very mysterious development and it has awaken the ghosts of an old question hovering like an ominous shadow around Prince Nonso Nwoko. And that big question is – is Prince Nonso Nwoko sane or does he need to pass a psychological evaluation before he can be admitted into the community of normal people?
Which sane person opposes a university in their hometown? What manner of man would that be?
As for me, for their stance against education and a university , sports and progress in Idumuje Ugboko, and for their crude and anachronistic discrimination on maternal and paternal heritage against persons in this time, age and place, I have nothing but plain rotten disgust for these persons.
