Ulunya Ovoko is among the Igboano communities where Enugu State University of Medical and Allied Sciences (SUMAS) is situated. The community that celebrated hosting the university currently faces extinction following flooding due to poor drainage systems of the medical university as well as an alleged road diversion which would have provided the permanent solution to their current nightmare. Their ordeal is the focus of this report by Ben Aroh.
Ulunya Ovoko is an agrarian community with about five thousand inhabitants. When THE WHISTLER visited the community, located behind the State University of Medical and Allied Sciences (SUMAS), it was a mixed feeling as students were seen moving about with their academic activities while the natives anticipate havocs ahead of the rainy season.
Bernard Odo has a hostel at the community. He said, “We hurriedly built some houses when this university started. The investment is worth it. Lands used to be very cheap here, but this university has appreciated our lands.”
Odo’s happiness is not equitably shared by the downside inhabitants of Ulunya Ovoko. The natives have been counting their losses due to flooding.
Aloysius Ezeugwu, aka Across, is the youth leader of the community. For him, the university has brought both good and ugly impulses to his people. He said, “The water channels from SUMAS are directed to our village. The flood has rendered one of our mothers homeless. Last year, flood submerged her house at night, causing the entire building to collapse. Once it begins to rain, we stay on the edge. Water gets even into people’s bedrooms. Some have lost all their livestock due to the flood.
“I am a farmer. We only farm because we don’t have any other place to cultivate. After plantation, flood sweeps everything away. The emerging ecological disasters are our main problems. We are crying bitterly. We need drainages on our road to properly channel these water arteries.”
Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ugwuanyi is a victim. He said, “During rainy seasons, this place will become an ocean. There was a night I woke and was almost overrun by flood inside my bedroom. Our heart is not at rest ahead of this rainy season.”
Aloysius Okoro is the chief priest of a deity in the community. He said he has been begging the gods to send people to rescue his community from the flood. According to him, “Hon Celestine Asogwa, a former LG chairman of Igboeze South LGA, constructed culverts and graded our road, but they have been washed away. We are happy over the university, but without rechanneling this water, there is danger.
“Even the students are at risk. The road requires drainage systems and culverts. We urge Gov Peter Mbah to continue where ex-Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi stopped by constructing the road from that university to Orba, which passes through Ulunya.”
Janneth Asogwa almost lost her son to the flood last two years. She said, “It would have killed my son, but for the intervention of God. The wall collapsed, and fell beside where he was sleeping. It missed him narrowly.”
Esther Asogwa is another victim. She said, “The flood destroyed my goats and chickens, and also my three houses. It almost killed my late husband when the wall collapsed. My food storage was destroyed. We are being chased out of our ancestral home.”
Hon Celestine Asogwa is a former council chairman of Igboeze South LGA. He constructed the road during his era as chairman. He could only grade the road with some culverts, but after the elapse of his tenure, the drainages and culverts on the road collapsed.
Asogwa said, “This is the road that former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was to construct to link the university. It was unfortunately transferred to another side, putting our side in everlasting danger. I believe in God’s time. The front of my house is under threat. Our road is Trunk A. The entire water from the campus passes here. At times, our place becomes flooded, and there is no rainfall down here. We are the water harvesting village, equivalent of a dam. I have gone to Mr Jimoh, a philanthropist, at Ibagwa. He promised to assist us. But he said after he finishes the one he is doing at Ihunowerre.
“Ahead of this rainy season, there is anxiety in our place. We have started opening some blocked gutters. But there is nothing we can do without the government support. By right, LGA authorities should help. The immediate past chairman of Igboeze South LGA would have assisted us, unfortunately the LG grader is not functional.”
One Amandi, from Ovoko, said he mobilised his people to the Enugu State Government House to report the ecological problem. According to him, “We took this matter to the Government House. We told former Gov Ugwuanyi about our plight, but he was unable to solve the problem before his tenure elapsed.”
Striking revelation
A visit to the inception of the road leading through Ulunya community from the medical university reveals another cause of the flooding. There is a road constructed at stone-base. The spot it was V-curved marks where the flooding to Ulunya community gathers momentum.
A native, Dr Innocent Nkwo, said, “This is the road that was meant to pass through Ulunya with drainage systems. It was diverted. That was the beginning of our ordeals. And there is nothing we can do.”
The road measures about four kilometres. Its signpost shows that it was awarded by the federal government, and attracted by Hon Pat Asadu, who represented Igbo South/Nsukka Federal Constituency from 2007 to 2023 at the House of Representatives. The signpost reads, “Construction of access road with surface dressing/drainage from Igboano Specialist Hospital to Ovoko-Orba Road, Enugu State.” The construction is under the auspices of the National Institute of Construction Technology and Management, Uromi, and awarded to Ojideo-Ligne Engineering Company Limited, under the care of Rt Hon Dr Patrick Oziokoja Asadu. Efforts to get the position of Asadu yielded no results as he did not respond to mails sent to his official email address and messages sent to his phone number.
When THE WHISTLER contacted the National Institute of Construction Technology, a lady replied that she would look into the matter, and promised to get back to our reporter. In her words, “I will call you to get the information.” The photos of the road were sent to her, and she responded, “Please I am sorry, I have not seen the schedule offer to discuss with.”
Tell your Senator to complete it, the contractor advises
The contractor that handled the work is Ojideo-Ligne Engineering Company Limited, with the office address at Freedom Street, Wuse II, Abuja. Information from ng.check.com indicates that the construction company was incorporated in Warri, Nigeria, with registration number 889550, and registered on 27th May, 2010.
When our correspondent called the telephone number of the company, a man identified through Trucaller as Innocent Idewele answered. He admitted working for the company that handled it, and offered his pieces of advice on the way forward.
Idewele, who is reported by online platforms as the managing director of the company, said, “I know what you are talking about. That road was constructed up to stone-base, and the drainage was done. With the money that was allocated to the budget then, the extent we went was where they asked us to stop. Hon Asadu promised to put more money in the budget, which did not come true.
“What you people should do is to discuss with the new member of the House or the new senator so that they can put the budget for its completion. It should be tagged budget for the completion of the access road from Igboano Specialist Hospital to Ovoko-Orba road.”
On the allegation of being diverted, the engineer said, “There is something you people should understand. It was Hon Asadu’s input into the budget. He has the right to direct it wherever he wants. I think he had a way in getting it through a committee. It was not a constituency project per say. Some time they demand what a member needs, whether cash or projects. Asadu was an extra-ordinary person, and maybe your senator can try to complete it. The stone-base has been done, remaining the surfacing.”
We are not aware – varsity
The vice chancellor of SUMAS, Prof Chukwuma Ogbonnaya, was not around when our correspondent visited the university. He however did not respond to calls or messages sent to his phone. When we called a number on the university’s website, a lady answered, and claimed it was a wrong number. Meanwhile, a staff member who does not want to be mentioned claimed the university authorities never got a report about the flooding.
Enugu works commissioner proffers solution
Engr Gerald Otiji is the commissioner for works, Enugu State. He said, “Have the natives written to notify the university authorities? They have to do that, and it should be the first step. After oral discussions, they can write them and may copy us at the state ministry of works so that they know there is a third party into the matter. The written document should refer to the oral discussions. It will make SUMAS more proactive. If they don’t react after some few weeks, because the rainy season is about to set in, the community should write a reminder, and copy us as well. They will appreciate that the cordial approach was adopted as good hosts.”
This report was published with the support of Civic Media Lab.
