Umuahia — The Ikwuano Good Governance and Human Rights Project (IGGHRP), a civil society organization, has formally written to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, alleging that certain areas of Ikwuano Local Government Area have been deliberately excluded from their constitutional rights and developmental initiatives within the Umuahia Capital Territory and Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA).
In a statement titled ‘RE: EXCLUSION OF PORTIONS OF IKWUANO LG FROM UMUAHIA CAPITAL TERRITORY DEVELOPMENT,’ the Executive Director of IGGHRP, Mr. Tony Icheku, argued that what previously appeared to be “an oversight by previous negligent administration appears to have transformed into a deliberate and intentional administrative exclusion and relegation of these portions of Ikwuano LGA from developmental projections of UCDA.”
Icheku further stated that by excluding communities such as Ndoro, Umugbalu, Amawom, and Umudike – areas known for their high population density – from both recent road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects and the newly introduced Green Shuttle Bus Service routes, the Otti-led administration seems to have “keyed into the mistake of previous negligent administrations.”
He highlighted the presence of several crucial institutions within these Ikwuano portions of the Umuahia Capital Territory, including the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU), the National Roots Crop Research Institute (NRCRI), a campus of the Abia State University, Government College, Umuahia, alongside numerous secondary and primary schools and medical facilities.
Icheku appealed to Governor Otti to rectify past errors and integrate these communities into his “usual speedy interventions in spreading socio-economic development to all books and crannies of Abia State.”
The letter, dated March 2, 2025, also noted the absence of an “Oboro – Isigate route” within the Green Shuttle Bus Services, despite other routes like Ubakala – Isigate and Isigate to Tower. It underscored that the area from Methodist High School (coming from Ndoro) falls within the Umuahia Capital Territory, boasting fast-growing population clusters that could generate revenue for the bus project.
The IGGHRP expressed appreciation for the Governor’s interventions in previously abandoned inter and intra-community road networks across Ikwuano LGA, but reiterated their call for inclusive development. The statement was carbon-copied to key officials, including Hon Boniface Isienye of the Abia State House of Assembly and several state commissioners.
