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| Prince Nwafor Oji Awala |
Time has dated when all that really mattered to the people of Eleme, one of the 250 ethnic nationalities that were brought together to constitute the state of Nigeria, was the progress of their land. They pushed for her economic growth and social glory to the envy of neighbouring communities.
Today, Nigeria is 61 years old as an independent state and the celebration is in the air, marking when the Union Jack was lowered around Nigeria while the green-while-green was hoisted to herald the birth of a new independent state of Nigeria on October 1, 1960.
Eleme, a distinctive ethnic group that was then in the Port Harcourt Province of Eastern Nigeria was among the 250 ethnic nationalities that were brought together to constitute the state of Nigeria.
Eleme fought and won administrative autonomy that took them out of Khana County Council in 1959, a battle in which leaders of Eleme put in tremendous energy, time and resources; re-establishing their own distinct cultural identity which had come under serious threat with the infrequent attachment of the area to larger and faraway cultural and administrative areas from one time to the other.
In a petition by the chiefs and people of Eleme to Lt. Col Chukwuemeka Ojukwu in 1966 to ask for Eleme Division, they said, the people had “suffered oppression, suppression and repressions in both political and social maters and denied political representations, appointment to Board memberships and scholarship awards.”
Under administrators with less educational background like our present crop of political leaders, Eleme County Council which was created by the Eastern Regional Government in 1959, under the Chairmanship of Chief Israel Oluka, saw to the establishment of Ogale, Aleto, Onne, Ebubu, Alode, Eteo and Akpajo primary schools.
Time has dated how Eleme was re-annexed with other ethnic people for administrative purposes.
After many protestations, petitions and demands by the people of Eleme, Eleme Local Government Area was created by the General Sani Abacha regime on 4th December, 1996.
This had seemed to have assuaged the people of Eleme, who once again regained political autonomy over themselves and their land.
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| Map of Eleme |
The new local government status would not only ensure that the people of Eleme run their own affairs by themselves, the creation also guaranteed the representation of the people in elected offices, particularly at the local government and state levels. And as providence would have it an Eleme son was elected to the state House of Assembly in the person of Marcus Ejii Nle. Another Eleme son, Princeley Emeka Chujor was elected Chairman of the Local Government and Chief Precious Ngelale was nominated Minister of the Federal Republic while Chief Olaka Nwogu was elected member House of Representatives. With what looked like a firm representation, Eleme looked set to find its place in the Nigeria State.
As Nigeria marks 61 years as an independent state today, it would appear that the Eleme distinct status has been lost in the journey. Can it be justifiably said that Eleme voice is being heard in Nigeria? Has the LGA and her communities, despite playing host to the biggest free trade zone in Africa (the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone), the biggest oil refinery in Africa, and one of the biggest fertilizer industries in the world (Indorama), in addition to scores of smaller industries in the oil and gas as well as marine industries, received its own fair share of the “national cake”?
How about the unity that her forebears leveraged on to bring about early development in education? Can Eleme still boast of that? Does her contribution to the Nigeria economy equate her economic and infrastructural development?
TO BE CONT…
Written by: Prince Nwafor Oji Awala