Chidi Peters
Over the years, Mburubu, a community in Nkanu East LGA of Enugu State has suffered negligence and abandonment. The community remains one of the food baskets of the State. It’s ranked as one of the largest producers of palm oil produce, garri, cassava, yam and timber; a largely agrarian community, yet with many of its sons and daughters thriving in different spheres across the globe.
Despite Governor Ugwuanyi’s ambiguous yet bogus promises and programmes, total lack pf infrastructure is evidence in the rural areas of Nkanu East in Enugu State, particularly Mburubu and the relevance of poverty has increased because they cannot move their produce to the urban for sale because of the terrible state of their roads and absolute late of government presence.
The lack of infrastructure becomes obvious when travelling from Nara – Mburubu – Nomeh Nkereffi, either by foot, okada or vehicle, a common experience is a terrible clay and muddy roads, very slippery and dangerous. Other sights are rusty iron bridges and handmade bamboo bridges annually done by the villagers to enable them to access the homes. The iron bridges were constructed during the civil war for military exigencies. Yearly, the bridges are damaged, the roads unmotorable and abandoned by the government. It takes only individual efforts to fix the bridges and roads for the dwellers.
Rural areas of Nkanu East in Enugu State are regarded as lethargy, low income and low productivity. Government is virtually concerned with urban development and urban renewal programmes to the neglect of the rural areas.
This problem is primarily due to the government non-sustainable policy action towards rural transformation, which is responsible for the poor state of affairs among rural dwellers in Nkanu East.
The Ugwuanyi administration seems unperturbed with this malady of rural underdevelopment of Nkanu East.
The first impression about the nature of the suffering of the people of Mburubu in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State is the deplorable condition of the road linking the community with the neighbouring communities of Nara, Nkereffi, Nomeh and Odumah. A distance of two kilometres lasts for about 30 minutes to navigate. It is hard to access the community due to the erosions, mud everywhere, gullies filled with water, a small stream without a bridge cutting across the road; where there are bridges, they are iron rusty bridges constructed during the war for military exigencies.
The community has a well-organized traditional institution with the popular Nkwo Market which is fortnightly filled to the brim by visitors from the State and beyond for commercial activities, yet is unfamiliar with social amenities.
The community is dominated by farmers who produce crops like yam, cassava, palm oil, groundnut, rice and beans in commercial quantities. But they lack encouragement from the government in terms of access roads for the transportation of these products to various markets.
The vehicle conveying these reporters only managed through the many deep hollows, making the journey farther than it really was. This speaks much about the deplorable condition of the road, which residents said is difficult to ply during the rainy season.
With its proximity to the Enugu capital territory, there is no government presence in the community. Residents groan of neglect by successive governments of the State, yearning for amenities that guarantee better living.
Mburubu Community is under Nkanu East Local Government of Enugu State. It is about 30 minutes drive from the State Capital territory, 15 minutes detour from the Nigeria Law School Agbani and the prestigious Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
In the wake of the colonial era, Mburubu served as epicentre of economic activities, the following were located in the community: Mburubu Native Court Prison yard, Rest House (Guest House), Health Center (Dispensary), Trauma Center where people afflicted with leprosy diseases were treated and has the only Primary School with Teachers quarters. Unfortunately, all these are abandoned and have gone into obscurity.
A visit to the only primary school in the community revealed the existence of old two dilapidated structures used as classrooms. The school which lacks facilities also has one of the classroom blocks in dire straits with the entire building having no windows and doors.
Except for the primary school which was built 71 years ago, and reroofed 11 years ago, residents cannot boast of any social amenity. Residents, through communal efforts, pooled resources together and built the only secondary schools and handed the same over to the government, yet the roofs are blown off, students study under the rain and harsh environment, and the government is being nonchalance about the plight of the future generation.
Additionally, the construction of the only health centre was sponsored by the community women. Again, the government has never offered any medical equipment or personnel. Of course, the toll on the community is unbearable. The absence of healthcare facilities affects women most. Some of them face difficulties during labour. The situation of the community is lamentable. The only thing the community gets is the polio vaccine, aside from that nothing else. Therefore, it wouldn’t be out of place if it is posited that the community is without a healthcare centre.
The government has neglected the community in terms of the provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities including potable water, electricity, schools, hospitals, good road, security and fertilizer for farmers.
The poor government attention and lack of development in the community are decrying. The community has been neglected for many years. Even though amenities are also not adequate in some communities, the situation in Mburubu is far worse.
Several complaints of the community to their elected leaders have not been entertained. It is painful to say that promises are usually made during the election period, but nothing is usually seen thereafter. They ignore the community and their problems.
Mburubu community should be accorded its right of place in terms of infrastructural development.
