Onuimolites Are Better Off With The Name Onuimo

 

No right thinking Onuimolite will support the suggestion for us to change our Local government name to Okigwe West.

 I read with great dismay a piece making rounds on social media and was  written by one  Mr Obinna Duru from Ezelu Okwe. 

 Honestly, inasmuch as l will not blame him for his erroneous attempt to resurrect this issue, however, his write up reminds me of a popular adage that says "a man who was not there when a corpse was buried, if asked to exhume it will start from the leg. 

The misleading suggestion for us to  change the name of our LGA  from Onuimo to Okigwe West was raised during  the last Onuimo stakeholders' meeting and it was unanimously rejected.

 It was surprising to note that Mr Obinna Duru who bluntly refused to attend that meeting has decided to turn around and start raising the same issue all over again.

 It is obvious that once a bird is seen  dancing on a road, it is certain that there is a drummer. In this case, those that want to lure us to change our LGA name have ulterior motives. We know them and we will not succumb to their trap. Never!

fellow Onuimolites, there are salient facts that motivated Onuimolites who  were presence in that meeting to reject the unwise suggestion. 

 Sincerely speaking, the idea for us to answer Okigwe West is like a situation where countries are planning on how to explore the moon, suddenly an underdeveloped country passed a law directing her citizenry to get ready  to return to stone age ways of life. 

The moment we accept to answer Okigwe West, will automatically be the beginning of our retardation as a people. 

Few days ago, l read from the pages of national tabloid on how the House of Rep member representing the good people of Mbaitolu/Ikeduru Federal Constituency made strong case on the floor of the Green Chamber demanding for the creation of four local government areas from the present day Mbaitolu/Ikeduru Federal Constituency.

 To Mr Obinna Duru, be informed that the implication of your suggestion is that  while our counterparts from other local government areas are busy fighting for more LGAs, we should be  busy brainstorming on how to   change our LGA  name to Okigwe West. Tufia! Chukwu ama kwe. 

 Change of our LGA name from Onuimo to Okigwe West will do us more harm in the following ways:

1.  Onuimo is ripe enough as a local government to be divided into two local government areas (Onuimo South and Onuimo West). Let me make it abundantly clear that if by mistake or whatever it happens that accept to change it to Okigwe West, we will find it absolutely difficult to get another LGA for the people of Okwe, Umuna, Okwelle and Umuduru. The way we are now, there is hope that sooner or later another local government will be created for us.

2.  The name- Onuimo LGA is our identity. Mr Obinna Duru, Hope you are aware that our documents are now bearing Onuimo? If we change our LGA name to Okigwe West, it means our documents will be affected. And every Onuimolite will be embarking on the painful journey  to look for affidavits and other documents to authenticate such documents. 

3.  The name Onuimo LGA makes Onuimolites peculiar people. This is because  once it is being mentioned outside our state, people from another State will understand the state it belongs.

4.  The name Onuimo always reminds Onuimolites that they are brothers and sisters. It was a legacy carefully handed over to us by our founding fathers. Changing the name means tampering with the good idea of our founding fathers. 

5.  It's also true that the name- Onuimo was derived from lmo River. Imo River on the other hand empties into Atlantic Ocean specifically Gulf of Guinea. With this, there is hope that in future Onuimo will be a side attraction and navigational reference point and such make the the LGA  more popular.

6.  Accepting the name Okigwe West will make us to  retrogress politically, socially, physically and otherwise. As Onuimolites, every of our share from the State and federal governments will certainly gets to us but if we accept to answer Okigwe West, our shares from the state and federal governments could be mistakenly channeled to  Okigwe LGA.

7.  A person from Onuimo LGA is unarguably known as Onuimolite. How would a person from Okigwe West LGA be addressed? If we eventually make the mistake to answer Okigwe West, we will be swallowed by the four corners of Okigwe LGA.

 Let's bear in mind that:

1.  It's the Federal House of Assembly that can gives final approval for such a request. Again, it takes rigorous/lengthy Legislative arguments and otherwise before such a request can be approved. And debates for change of LGA name must at least take up to six months before approval could be granted, and  its headquarters could be moved to somewhere in Okigwe.

2.  We cannot be talking of change of name and at the same time be demanding for more local government areas. We should rather  borrow a leave from the people of Mbaitolu/Ikeduru who are presenting agitating for more local government areas.

3.  Once we change our LGA name from Onuimo to Okigwe West, it means we have sold out our beautiful identity.

 Conclusion: Some people have blindly said  "once we start bearing Okigwe West, it will automatically unite us with our brothers and sisters in Okigwe LGA". It's not true.

 An Onuimolite does not necessarily needs to  be reminded before he/she can understands that people of Okigwe LGA are his/her brothers and sisters. It's is a matter of mind and constant sensitization. 

Take a look on Orlu zone and you will definitely agree that Orlu zone is the most united zone in Imo State, yet it is only one local government that is bearing Orlu and that LGA is Orlu Local Government Area. 

Therefore it will be a waste of time and energy for us to start asking for change of our LGA name from Onuimo to Okigwe West LGA. It's better for us to maintain the status quo.

 Mr Maduka Ifeanyi

Writes from Ezelu Okwe, 

Onuimo LGA