Water is very important in the lives of community members, and the availability of clean water contributes to the health of any society.
However, many communities in the Southeast do not have access to clean, potable, and safe water. This is why the Igbo Council of Europe (ICE) has mapped a plan to provide water to communities in Igboland that are in dire need of it.
Consequently, the ICE has mobilized human and material resources to change the situation and provide safe water to vulnerable communities in Igboland. It disclosed recently that it has already commissioned borehole projects and plans to do more in the region.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Independent, Chief George C E Enyoazu, the President General (PG) of ICE, said that the organization was established to influence state government to fast-track development in the Southeast region of Nigeria in the bid to stem the tide of Igbo people leaving their region to others places in search of greener pastures.
“We are concerned about the huge capital flight involved as a result of Igbos conducting their businesses in other parts outside Igboland thereby developing those areas. Many Igbo people who live in other parts of Nigeria visit the region mostly during festivities. Other Igbo diasporans outside Nigeria similarly not only visit the region during festivities but spend most of the funds they bring in other parts of Nigeria to the disadvantage of Igboland,” he stated.
Enyoazu said that the council believed that if development is brought to Igboland, it will stem the tide of Igbo people leaving their region for other places. He said the council produced a pamphlet with the title “African Tiger” to draw attention to the economic situation in Igboland.
“We envision a situation whereby the Igbo economy will be the most sophisticated in Africa. We want to be like Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates. We thought that if the governors in the region work dispassionately, people will not leave the region and other Nigerians will instead come to Igboland to live and do business,” he asserted.
The PG of ICE said that in order to practicalize the belief of the council, it chose to act in a critical area in the well-being of the rural Igbo people; which is clean, potable, and safe water.
“Many areas in Igboland have streams that have been polluted and the water not fit for consumption. The United Nations statistics show more than four million die of waterborne diseases every year and most of these deaths are in sub-Saharan Africa.
“We thought that development is possible by tasking ourselves and providing potable water to rural communities in Igboland. We are drilling a water borehole in Amaifeke in Orlu LGA of Imo State; we are drilling another one in Umualoma Uvuru, Aboh Mbaise in Imo State and another one in Amaokwe Item, Bende, Abia State. We had earlier commissioned one in Nise, Awka South, Anambra State” he disclosed.
He said that the quality of the boreholes is higher than the quality prescribed by World Health Organization (WHO), adding that the council is determined to provide potable water to more rural communities in Igboland. He said that the people who are drilling the boreholes are expert geologists with many years of experience.
Enyoazu disclosed that ICE members contribute funds and also accept donations from members of the public to fund the construction of the boreholes. He added that the council intends to construct more boreholes in other rural communities in Igboland.
He asserted that the council believes that it is doing something that is worthwhile and impacting positively on the lives of the people in Southeast Nigeria.
Speaking on the criteria the council uses in choosing communities to site its water projects, its spokesperson, Prince Ubochi, C. Ubochi, said that communities submit applications giving reasons why they deserve assistance adding that the council conducts investigations and depending on the availability of funds, moves to deserving community and replicates the project.
He disclosed that each project costs between N8 and N12 million to execute and called on the state governments and other organizations in the region to partner with ICE to provide water to communities in the region.
According to Ubochi, “Our aim is to provide water to communities in Igboland and we are calling other entities to collaborate with us in the critical task of giving water to our communities which are in dire need of potable water.”
Ubochi who is also a Traditional Prime Minister in Imo State, appealed to well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters to pick an aspect of human necessity that they can attract to Igboland as a show of love and give back to their beloved homeland. He expressed delight in what Igboland will become if Igbo home and Diaspora put all hands on deck, contribute their quota, and work towards the development of Alaigbo.
Ikechi Nzeako
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