Osina Community, Imo State living in darkness for six years

www.odogwublog.com reports that Electricity remains one of the indices of human development as it offers wonderful and various sides of economic opportunities, enhances life and contributes in the reduction of stress for man. CYRIACUS NNAJI writes that this vital aspect of human development has been denied the people of Osina, a town in Ideato North LGA of Imo State, for six years after disconnecting their light because of road constructions.
Osina Town is located in Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State and known for her self-help developmental efforts made possible by the unity, zeal and love of her citizens to ensure the welfare and growth of thetown.
By the year 1980/81 Osina Town had already been connected to the national grid and at the same period got her own water; all these were powered by self-help programmes masterminded by great men and youth of the town; they pooled their resources together and with some connections they were able to bring development to the town.
Osina through the effort of Osina Youth Convention (now Osina Youth Club) funded the establishment of Osina Community Hospital which up till today remains a centre of excellence in the health sector in Imo State and beyond. It is not just popular because it was manned by Germans at itsinception, but it has ultra-modern laboratory equipment that are able to diagnose ailments and diseases of any type for quick treatment.
Also the only secondary school in the town, Secondary Commercial School Osina was built by the Ideal Social Club whose membership was mainly from the bourgeoisie classin the community.
The two main churches in the community, St Mary’s Catholic Church and St John’s Anglican Church individually has constructed a Seminary school in their separate denominations, making the town popular on the world map.
During New Yam festival which comes up in August of every year, the community grades the inner roads to ensure smooth movement by citizens, friends and well-wishers coming for the event.
However, this wonderful town of a wonderful people has been denied electricity supply for the past six years with no end in sight.
The problem was said to have begun immediately the present governor of the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, took over the mantle of power and embarked upon massive road constructions and dualisations especially the road that stretches from Orlu to Akokwa, the axis where Osina Town is located. That was when all the electric poles seen to obstruct the road work were all pulled down with hope of quick reinstallation, but six years down the line, it is one story after another.
Other communities which were affected by the disconnections have long reconnected their light, so why is that of Osina community so hard to be reconnected? Many have queried.
Anywhere you see anything light in Osina Town today, it is sourced from a generator whether big or small one. The people burn fuel which they have to buy at very exorbitant price anyway.
The cash office of the Power Company located in the town is under lock and key when The AUTHORITY visited the town and several poles and cables have fallen down, those that are still standing are covered by tree branches. While the transformers in the town have been cleaned up, vital components stolen or vandalized. The street light bulbs have also been damaged.
Economic lives in the town have collapsedwhile those who have no I-pass-my-neighbour generators go to other towns to charge their phone batteries if they must make communications through the telephone.
The members of the town are not only irked by the prolonged absence of light, they are mad that the governor of the state, who comes from a sister local government has not deemed it right to instruct the reconnection of the light to the national grid despite several visits to that effect.
But most saddening is the rumoured political angle to the whole light issue. Some community citizens who do not want their names mentioned claimed that many prominent members of the town who were not allowed to create autonomous communities out of the present Osina Town are sitting on the electricity issue when indeed they are in position to rectify the anomaly.
Many have even accused the Eze of the town of not doing much as he is the Secretary of, not just Imo State Council of Ndi Eze, but also that of the South East and a personal friend of the governor. More so now that the governor of the state prefers working with traditional rulers to workingwith local government council authorities. They argued that he is not utilizing his relationship with the governor optimally.
However, when leaders of the community visited the governor in his home town in Ideato South late last year to solicit his assistance towards the restoration of power in Osina, it was gathered that the governor answered that he was not in charge of power. Many of the delegates on that visit felt disappointed because they felt that a simple phone call from the governor to the power authorities in the zone would restore the light in a twinkle of an eye.
The AUTHORITY made frantic efforts to find out the truth from Power Company in charge of the zone, but to no avail.
As the Youth club in the town gathers for the annual Osina You Club (OYC) meeting, suggestions are being proffered for the club to table the  issue of light as number one in their agenda so as to restore light in Osina before the year runs out.