SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH IS POSSIBLE IN AGUOBU & IWOLLO COMMUNITIES.
For more than 17 years “Iga bu no ohia, Igbo jiri ukwuta guchie mgbo”, has strived for a more just, prosperous and inclusive community where individuals can reach their full potential, umu-nna support one another, governments serve their people, and villages have access to finances and thrive.
A wealthy community of five villages that is rich in mind and spirit, with more than 20 farm settlements, natural water from the rock, and a beautiful landscape filled with good people of rich culture and heritage.
This stood the gift we inherited from our fathers.
Their goal was food production for personal needs and intercommunal trade. Times were hard, but they were resilient and fearless; they faced unwarranted and barbaric attacks which is a testimony that Aguobu-Iwollo will stand tall again and Iwollo Omashi United as one Nation under God.
As our forefathers strived for the need to scale their food production supply chain, they discovered how difficult it was to achieve these goals, without cultivating leaders, empowering youths, reinforcing institutions, and increasing access to quality education and information sharing.
Most of our Today’s elites in arts, science, and technology benefited from these strives of our fathers. Most of our elders still alive are all witnesses to that, and we know they did the best they could at that time with the little resource they had. This is because they worked as a team and united their force: Teamwork they say makes the dream work.
They suffered, and their labor brought the progress we enjoy today.
It then baffles me how today elites amongst us who benefited from the sweat of our fathers have decided not to give back to our community in a sustainable way (most especially in challenging times like this), in other to continue from where our fathers stopped.
Some are rather quick to take steps that will mar the community’s culture and heritage, steps that will mar our forefathers’ goals and objectives (which is the Agri-business supply chain), this however will adversely affect everybody including them in a long term.
As much as information is power, ignorance is not an excuse:
the ideals of good governance include the rule of law, Transparency, Accountability, INCLUSIVENESS, etc
How can FIAC/some of her selected members give consent to the mining of coal in Aguobu-Iwollo without the necessary stakeholders’ engagements or authorities being involved?
How can our people proceed with such a consent signing and documentation Without the three PGs /Town Union instituted by the Ministry of Rural Development, whom it’s their statutory duty to get all the necessary stakeholders whose interests are being protected to the decision-making table, it is also part of the Town Unions duty to endorse or not endorse such consent document.
If Owoloti and Iwollo central PGs are aware, then Aguobu-Iwollo is lost.
TRANSPARENCY and youth inclusion are paramount in modern economic leadership.
Are we not creating an avenue for the rich to keep getting richer while the poor tend to abject poverty?
Are we supposed to rejoice in discovering coal in our land without thinking of sustainable Impact which mirrors social and environmental profit/prosperity?
Are we supposed to jubilate and hand over our land to the government and some private company without thinking of an all-inclusive due process and documentation, without thinking if this is best for us at this time, without thinking of ways to pull back if it will not favor our people?
Should this not be a quest to enrich the lives of the people of the Iwollo communities while protecting their biggest asset which is our land that is rich in nutrients for Agriculture and the freshwater around it, which can be channeled towards unlimited useful actions including generating electricity, agriculture,..etc?
NOTE: 97% of the earth’s water is found in the oceans (which are too salty for drinking, growing crops, and most industrial uses except cooling), only 3% of the earth’s water is fresh and Aguobu & Iwollo is blessed to be part of this 3% of the world that has natural access to fresh drinking water for agriculture and other clean actions.
My people, are we not meant to prioritize and consider the lives and properties of the Iwollo communities before allowing our selfish interests to override us and take steps that enrich the government, and some “private/international companies” while impoverishing our people and her social environment?
The world is rewiring its economy and progress cannot be measured by just GDP alone in the new economy, but also by overall wellness, quality of life of human beings, and their social environment.
Global economic development has enhanced the quality of life and well-being of billions of people.
However, inequality is rising, conflict and insecurity are a constant concern, ecosystems are being degraded, resources are depleted and greenhouse gas levels are climbing. These trends are detrimental to communities, environments, businesses, and long-term economic prospects.
If some simple measures are taken to align the Iwollo’s economy with sustainable development, then it need not be this way.
I then ask Iwollo Communities, WHAT EXACTLY IS YOUR FOCUS???
a) Mining coal? which can deplete your resources and impoverish your environment, OR
b) Agriculture production supply chain and agro-allied businesses.. which will make our people flourish and wealthy again and is also in line with our forefathers’ goals and vision.
“Anyi a ga achilizi aka abuo nwunye na onu” ??
If mining can affect agriculture badly, and the natural water, then why endanger the people of Iwollo and her agro dreams??
Most countries and provinces have passed policies that prohibit mining natural resources ( ESPECIALLY COAL MINING) because it does more harm to the people and their environment than good.
Ever heard of the term “RESOURCE CURSE” ??
Coal mining can adversely affect Agricultural development, forest, irrigation damns, natural rivers, and groundwater around mining areas which Agro activities are dependent on.
Most countries are phasing out coal mining and its application, please see the following news links below
Our community yearns for good governance and sustainability in leadership affairs, both in Iwollo and Aguobu-Iwollo, youths who have access to the required pieces of information should be at the decision-making tables. And that should not be monetized, because whoever is suggesting monetization of a round table conversation like “FIAC” is bringing the “divide-and-rule” strategy, which is an attempt to exploit and impoverish the Iwollo communities. It should be a privilege to have illustrious sons and daughters of Iwollo communities bring their expertise and years of experience home “maka na onye no na ilo nolu onye no nu uno”, and vice versa.
It should be that every village or kindred/ebete should go home and bring a representative for equal representation in a round table conversation like FIAC.
Also, FIAC should stop interfering in the governance of Aguobu-Iwollo.
We have a government-established Executives; the Town Union to oversee developmental activities of the Autonomous, which is certified by the Enugu State Government. This is the only government that can run all-inclusive governance in Aguobu Iwollo and has been placed at the helm of community development by the Ministry of Rural Development: The Office of the Traditional Ruler of Aguobu-Iwollo has a different purpose or scope of work and it is null at the moment in Aguobu Iwollo, because, it is not occupied legally by any stakeholder of the community;
“If you’ll be called your excellency, then the process that put you in office must be excellent” – Peter Obi
Therefore, our local political leaders in FIAC should stop overriding the common interest of the Aguobu-Iwollo Autonomous Community or applying “divide-and-rule tactics” to the Iwollo communities. It is not a sustainable approach to leadership and will harm all of us. Most especially in our socio-economic environment.
Socioeconomic development is possible in Iwollo communities and this can be achieved through agricultural production and not the mining of coal that some of our stakeholders are proposing.
If we do not protect our assets which include land, water, clean air habitats, etc then we cannot produce when mining is done and gone.
Let us follow the footsteps of our forefathers, and ensure continuity by doing things differently but this time better than they did, in a more sustainable manner which is already part of our culture and heritage.
Sign;
Iwollo SDG’s Advocate