Alioma: Plaudits To Gov. Nwifuru As He Crushes Apartheid in Effium.
For over three decades, a generational cabal turned the old Effium community in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State into a slave colony wherein the Nigerian Constitution was not allowed to operate. A thick wall of segregation was erected between Effium indigenes of Ezza Ezekuna extraction (Ezza Effium) and the Effium indigenes of Orring extraction (Uffiom). While the forebears of Ezza Effium migrated from Onueke in Ezza South LGA of Ebonyi State, the Uffiom migrated from Ukele in Yala LGA of Crossriver State. The Uffiom seemingly hacked into the establishment in Ebonyi State; and the Ebonyi establishment factored the segregation into state policies managing same with radical partiality calculated to decimate and vitiate the Ezza Effium people.
For instance, Ezza Effium produced the first traditional ruler of "Effium clan"(as autonomous communities were known by then). That was Chief Ekuma Omaka who was verifiably recognized by the government of Eastern Region through a certificate of recognition dated September 1, 1960. When Chief Ekuma Omaka died, Chief Leonard Agena of Uffiom succeeded him. Chief Leonard Agena was the first Uffiom man under the sun to become a traditional ruler. In fact, the Uffiom could not even boast of a Warrant Chief before Chief Leonard Agena succeeded Chief Ekuma Omaka in line with the rotation order between the two major families in the old Effium.
When Chief Leonard Agena passed, the traditional stool rotation order of Effium community was violated with the approval of Dr. Samuel Egwu's administration. Thenceforth, the Effium indigenes of Ezza Ezekuna extraction were radically excluded from contesting or voting in traditional stool elections. The establishment in Ebonyi State equally refused to either activate the traditional stools of the three autonomous communities created for Ezza Effium people by the old Anambra State Edict No. 9 of 1976 or create new communities for them on the infantile reason that the Ezza Effium have language and cultural affinities with Ezza Ezekuna people in Onueke. The hypocrisy of this snag was exposed when the same Egwu administration who denied Ezza Effium these royal opportunities created an autonomous community for Amuda people in Ezza North LGA and inaugurated their traditional ruler even when the Amuda shared language and cultural affinities with the Uffiom, Okpoto and Ntezi in Ebonyi State; and Ukele in Yala LGA of Crossriver State! Above all, communities in Ngbo and Izhia clans which had language and cultural affinities were cumulatively proliferated into 15 communities and their respective traditional rulers were inaugurated by the same administration!
Thereafter, the same establishment proceeded against the provisions of both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act to discard geographical demarcation of electoral wards and polling units boundaries just to vitiate the voting strength of the Ezza Effium. Through that policy, Uffiom people were spread like lotion over three electoral wards while the Ezza Effium people were squeezed into two wards. The criminality of having boundaries of electoral wards and polling units on air was exposed by the recent transformation of voting points to polling units: The three electoral wards of Uffiom people have a total of 29 polling units; while the two electoral wards of Ezza Effium people have a total of 66 polling units!
Effium community was more of a slave colony on apartheid enclave. Effium communal war which has lasted for over four years was foisted on the community by the promoters of this apartheid system. Over 5000 lives and property worth trillions of naira were destroyed by this war.
Unlike previous administrations in Ebonyi State, Ebonyi Peoples' Charter of Needs administration led by Builder Francis Nwifuru has demonstrated a rare political will, courage and commitment to constitutionalism by rising up to crush the apartheid system in the now defunct and old Effium community. On Thursday, May 8 2025, Builder Francis Nwifuru gave accent to Law 004 of Ebonyi State. Pursuant to the law, Nwifuru proceeded to create Alioma, Ezekuna-Alioma, Ijem Ekerigwe and Effium autonomous communities. He equally initiated the delineation of the geogragpical boundaries of all the five autonomous communities, five electoral wards and 95 polling units in the defunct old Effium community in line with the provisions of both the Constitution and the Electoral Law. The construction of a new road was flagged off to demarcate Alioma and Ezekuna-Alioma communities/wards from the rest of the old Effium community.
Governor Nwifuru is hereby encouraged to ensure proper demarcation of the boundaries of each of the newly-created communities as well as wards with roads and other imperishable landmarks. Given historical antecedents, the Alioma boundaries with Ukwagba Ngbo ought to be clearly defined with a concrete road too. The roles of Izhii and Ngbo clans in sheltering Effium war refugees are commendable; and they are expected to go further by discouraging their respective guests from opposing Ebonyi State Government's peace efforts. Those making the rounds in media houses and "narrating their history from the middle" are hereby admonished to allow the Nigerian Constitution prevail over their sundry private ambitions to own slave colonies as it is foolhardy for migrant Crossriverians to claim superior indigenship over Ebonyians in Ebonyi land.
Governor Francis Nwifuru deserves commendations for crushing apartheid and restoring peace in Effium, nay Ebonyi State.