Ebonyi Community Appeals for more classrooms, as pupils graduate in primary 3

From Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki

Stakeholders of Ipfeigwe in Igbeagu autonomous community, Izzi LGA of Ebonyi state appealed to government for the provision of more classroom as their pupils now graduate in primary three. Speaking during the official handover of school project at Nkaleke and Ogbodo Ipfeigwe, the zonal leader, Chief Ogbonnia Nwiboko appreciated the immediate past senator representing Ebonyi North zone, Dr Sam Ominyi Egwu for remembering the people and added that despite their numerical strength that Ipfeigwe has been neglected by Ebonyi state government.

Chief Nwiboko who noted that the area earlier characterized by boundary rift has witnessed total peace and appealed to the state governor, Rt Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, state and other national assembly members representing the area to expedite action to ensure that the two sister states of Ebonyi and Cross River have a clear boundary as to ward off resurgence of communal war in the future. The zonal leader recounted that the area has no standard school and other social amenities that made lives easy for the people and eulogized Dr Egwu for building the first primary school for the villages after over five years of cease fire in the boundary area. He appealed to Ebonyi state ministry of education to deploy qualified teachers and writing materials to the pupils while urging the Education Commissioner to capture schools in the area in the new state budget for renovations and additional school block rooms.

Recall that Ipfeigwe Igbeagu shared boundary with Ukele of Yala in Cross River state and was affected by the inter state boundary skirmish that claimed lives and destruction of property worths billions of naira between 2005-2008. Following the peace accord signed by the two states, the village leaders called on Ebonyi state government to provide the people with social amenities as they're cut off in the scheme of things in their state.

Earlier, a stakeholder and the project facilitator, Mr Idike Vincent Idike commended senator Sam Egwu for building the school blocks for his people and described the gesture as the biggest gift for the pupils as it has helped in returning the war displaced children back to school and made learning closer to those who trek to over eleven miles to the nearest primary school in the community. He asserted that Ipfeigwe produced over one million votes in the recently held general election and called on the senator representing Ebonyi North zone, Barr Onyekachi Nwebonyi, and member representing Abakaliki/Izzi federal constituency,Hon Emmanuel Uguru to intervene in ensuring that the National Boundary Commission,NBC permanently address their boundary challenge.

Idike who applauded the newly elected national assembly members representing the zone for the steps taken since their assumption of office bemoaned high level of neglect to the boundary area. "We are appealing to the state governor and our national assembly members to expedite action in resolving the boundary issue, because our people have been badly neglected for decades. "Our leaders should approach NBC for them to present result so that we know where we belong; the area is due for autonomous community with over twenty villages so that our people will feel sense of humanity. "We've suffered alot for more than eighty years now and this is the first federal government projects attracted by Senator Sam Egwu despite our populace, His Excellency, the governor should know that there are his subjects who are neither Ebonyi nor Cross River because of the way the area is neglected.

He added, "Our people trek for over ten miles to cast their vote even when nobody will remember them after election, and we are appealing to our representatives and the governor to advance a move as to compel NBC to submit their investigational report to the president so that the boundary will be called. he said Lending their voices, the Town Union president of Igbeagu autonomous community, Mr Clement Eze, Nkaleke village head,Chief Ogbonna Nwogodo, and Mr Simon Ogah, acting headmaster of Nkaleke primary school thanked the facilitator and Dr Egwu and prayed government to expand the school to primary six for the interest of the pupils.