Nigeria Must End Tribalism To Develop- Ochiogu

By Julie Sylvia,Onitsha

The President General, PG, Ogbaru Relief (Main) market, Ogbaru Local Government Area, Anambra State, Chief Ndubisi Ochiogu, Wednesday, disclosed that tribalism was bane of Nigeria underdevelopment, stating that until Nigerians see their fellow Nigerians as their brothers’ keepers, the discrimination that resulted in underdevelopment will continue.

Exempting Anambra State from tribalism, he said that Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo was only focused on how to better the welfare of the people stating that tribalism has made Nigeria to be stagnant.

“Nigeria is not moving forward because of tribalism, everything has professionals who know how to do it, when leadership is entrusted on somebody who knows nothing about it, it can never move forward.
Anybody who is in Anambra state and sees how things are going and still talk negatively of this administration is not a responsible human being.

” Now Gov.Soludo has named Anambra airport after Prof. Chinua Achebe, I am aware that before I came into the world, it is Idemili that always has the highest number of votes, if you watch, you will see that there is nobody who did not read Chinua Achebe’s book, “Things Fall Apart”, every Igbo knows that Chinua Achebe did his best for Ndi Igbo, all Nigerians know that Achebe did his best for the betterment of Nigeria.

“I don’t see Nigeria leadership as a brotherly thing, if it were a brotherly thing, there is no way votes could be given to the person who did not get more votes instead of the person who everybody knows that won the election and will do much better, like in Anambra state where votes are given to the right person and we have seen how he is doing it.

Commending Governor Soludo for his rapid infrastructural development of the State, he stated that, “Since I came into the world, this Okpoko community has not gained anything from the government. Since it was named New Heaven without the face of the new haven, it is since the emergence of Gov Soludo and his road construction, cleaning of drainages around Okpoko, that the face of Okpoko changed, bearing the new name, New Heaven, it is being called.”

Continuing he hinted that, “I was born in 1973 and will be 50 years by December this year, so Nigeria is older than I, I was among those who bought dollar at either 14 naira in 1993 which I lost because it later came down, it is that same dollar that is one thousand and something now, things are not going well.

” Soludo is doing well, look at Ogbodoukwu road, we are also planning to put our fence normal by beautifying our fence with painting and designing it as it was done at Awka, let us come together and support our working governor on the betterment of our state, previously market leaders and commissioners collected government money and embezzled them but today you pay into government account.

“”Today we traders are in competition on who will pay in the highest money into the government account, things spoil from the top, if the government officials collected money and paid into government account, the money will be used for the state, if the commissioner holds us for non payment of government levies, we hold the line chairmen and secretaries, so with this everybody would pay his dues to the government,” he further explained.

He praised the President General of Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, Chief Humphrey Anuna, adding that, “Since ASMATA PG started going round on Mondays to check opening of markets, you can see that markets open on Mondays with prayers and clean ups but for a week now, it has some changes, a casualty issue, the chairman of Mgbuka Amazu market was abducted, there is no way security will be 100 oer cent in a state or country.

“What we will be talking about is to have security, you know that whenever there is security, some people do feel cheated, they feel cheated because there is no way your brother will be detained and you feel happy, last week on television, a house member stood up and pleaded on the release of Nnamdi Kanu, that if he is released, insecurity will stop, is there anybody who does not know that insecurity in Anambra state today is as a result of detention of Nnamdi Kanu which was caused by the Federal Government.

“That is the tribalism we are talking about, we all see on televisions where those with gun were being escorted, why must it be like that?
Nnamdi kanu did not order for killing of anybody, Nnamdi Kanu was the reason why security was in the Southeast before, I believe that if he comes out of detention, the insecurity will stop.

“Like in this Ogbaru market, there was robbery in 2018, 2019 but since 2021, I was here, is there any robbery or shop breaking, there are people who have all it takes, Nnamdi Kanu has it, that makes it when he talks, people surrender.

People in Ogbaru market know that if you rob, you would be caught. Soludo later pleaded for Nnamdi Kanu to be handed over to him on surety, Soludo has done all he will do for Anambra state by asking for surety of Kanu, If the FG wants peace, let them hand over Kanu to soludo for insecurity to stop,” posited.

On IPOB’s lamentation that if anything bad is done, it will be labelled that it is IPOB that is responsible he said “Why it is like that is that Kanu did not hand over to anybody, Emma powerful, spokesman also said that the sit at home should stop, nodody heard that, everybody is claiming this and that, which resulted in crime.

On his achievements,he said that he did not naturally stay without doing something (project), adding that he always thinks about what to do in Ogbaru market for the market to be the best in the state, adding that the market is in Okpoko where vthey have serious mosquitoes bites, flying all over the market.

“I fumigate the market as a whole, the insecticide for snakes and scorpion is also among, I had spread it for two months now, I just waited for now, I started it this rainy season because flooding comes with snakes and scorpions and all sorts of reptiles, I will start again by the middle of this month because we are entering dry season, I spread it on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, three tines everyweek for two months.

” I did it so that if any oneventers into this market, it will not survive, this is the first time in the history of Ogbaru market, with each carton #30000, #40000 and #60000, each, there are some traders who support me financially because people are happy about that, I also started it due to people don’t stay for Monday prayers because of mosquitoe bite, everybody is now happy to stay inside the market doing his busines without mosquitoes’ bites, there is one of our Patrons, Nnamdi Ezesinachi, Naddis, who supported with #100,000, San dallas #50,000, others #30,000 respectively.

“All the poles at Aba park have solar light, I did these because there is report of robbery, pick pockets, hand bag snatching etc, because there is light inside the market, people do their businesses till 8’oclock especially women who stay at Odigbo section, my security men also report that they don’t see faces of people at that late hours, and the criminals took the advantage to mess up and ran away through the gutter,” he explained.

On the flood menace at the Sakomori drainage he disclosed that, “FERMA said that they will come by October ending to November to start the gulley repair work, we start now to be calling them and be reminding them.

Also on dues he said, “We are in 2023, have finished with 2022.
I thank Ogbaru traders for their support to me, we are on 2023 stallage, and appealing to them to make sure everybody pays his/her money to avoid coming with taskforce for the money.

On conveniences completion he said that, “The toilet is still with the government, I am waiting for their approval to continue or wait, because I constructed the toilet for ogbaru market, I showed and explained to Special Adviser to Governor Soludo on Trade and Market SA, last two weeks he came here, which the papers are on his table and even told him that director of market should be contacted because he is aware, so I believe that after thorough checking, he will tell me to start again,” he posited.

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