Background:
Amansiodo is the
fifth son of Oghe; Owe, Akama, Amankwo and Neke are his elder brother, while
Oyowho and Iwollo are his younger ones.
Conrad Anidiobi tried to explain how our Great Founder Oghe-Ezeagu
shared professions and trades to his children, while his ancestor
OyowhoNgamikop chose Traditional medicine and herbalism and was so blessed by
his father Oghe, my ancestor NsiodoAguludimegbegbeogu was more of a farmer and
less of a herbalist. Amankwo was more of
a hunter, a middle farmer and less of a herbalist. In a nutshell, all Oghe communities were
farmers, hunters and herbalists, the emphasis was a matter of degree not kind.
Amansiodo, Amankwo
and Akama share over Ninety percent of arable farm land in Oghe area. Thus, the large expanse of farmland lying
from Olo bounding with Ukwume, Adaba, around Rivers Adada and Duu bounding with
OkpoghoMbuta, Oghu, AmofiaAgu, Ohobo and Egede are generally referred to as
Agu-Oghe. This area mentioned belongs to
AmankwoAmansiodo and Akama. The land
area occupied by Amankwo and Amansiodo are substantially larger and can
accommodate the current Enugu and Onitsha townships unnoticed.
The Amansiodo Portion
Amansiodo has
three sons in order of seniority as Ihuonyia, Aboefi and Umudim. Ihuonyia secured autonomy in 2002 while the
other two still bear Amansiodo.
Providence, nature and fortune kept hidden treasures beneath Amansiodo
soil. In our further discussion, the two communities are mentioned side by side
since their lands were close together and hence the mineral deposit fields are
interwoven. Amansiodo/Ihuonyia mineral
field stretches from Ugwuetiti, through Ihuonyia to all the Amansiodo/Ihuonyia
traditional farm settlements of Ugwuede, Ayidor, Uyi, Mgbuta, Mkpuavu, AkpalataOgbolowagu,
Abaghuba, Ukop, Isimkpume, Ogudiani,Aligo and Rivers Adada and Duu, Awankwolo,
etc.
In addition to
the hidden treasures, there are bounties of attractive natural endowments
making the scenery and alluring tourist destination. The valleys, circle-like hills which provided
a natural fence to Ihuonyia city, through rivers, streams, cave and a lot of
springs compels a guest to find a domicile in this exquisite nature’s decoration.
It is on this
land of milk and honey that the adventurous Shell B.P. company petched in
1949. On arrival, they had meetings,
consultations, debates, quarrels and negotiations with Amansiodo leaders among
whom were: Late Alfred Nzekwe, NnaugwuOgbuenyi, OguekweOguanya,
Ozor-OkpokoObodoeze, Ozor-OkolioObodoagu, AniagbaOjide, Makalike, OzorOgueji,Ozo-Okolo,
etc.
Before oil was struck
in Oloibiri in 1956, the Shell had settled in UgwuetitiAmansiodo. This transnational oil company arrived
Amansiodo in 1949. Their mission was
exploration and eventual exploitation of oil or any other possible
mineral. This was obviously one of those
European imperial programmes in Nigeria.
Imperialism was demonstrated as a natural logic and extension of
capitalism. Capitalism after all, is the
private ownership of means of production distribution and exchange. Without denying that capitalism or its
potentials had her traces in Nigeria, prior to the arrival of the Whiteman, the
speed and quantum of capitalist activities in Europe were unprecedented.
Consequently, the
expansion of capitalism from Europe overflew into Africa, Asia, South America
and the Caribbean. This capture and
integration of other frontiers by capitalism of Europe with its corresponding
policy protection by Governments in Western Europe was termed imperialism.
The domination
and control of one African country by an European counterpart was known as colonialism. Though Imperialism was an elder brother of
colonialism in African, both were united and inseparable in policy and
practice. Both of them have subsisted in
various gabs and shades in the continent till date. One of the guiding principles of capitalism
or the so called ‘free market economy’ is profit maximization and minimal loss.
This principle
was fully observed in Amansiodo/Ihuonyia by Shell between 1949 and 1952, when
they left for Oloibiri. When the Company
came to Oghe in search of oil, their survey activities took them to all the
communities and out sketches in and around Oghe. However, they settled at Ugwuetiti and began
to erect residential and official structures the same year, haven observed
positive indication of the presence of their quest.
Vigorous economic
activities began in Amansiodo in 1949 and equivalent of the early coal mining activities
in Enugu in 1909. Ugwuetiti thus became
a centre of commercial activities in the entire Udi District. Opportunities for employment, both casual and
regular were provided. Many people from
Oghe among whom were, Edwin Machebe, Late Richard Ezeoha, and Late
CosmasChibueze were employed as staff of Shell.
Mr. Joe Obiekwe of Iwollo was employed by the Shell at this period. It may be necessary to mention that the
company’s presence in Amansiodo/Ihuonyia impacted positively on the Oghe
people. Many people were earning their living
from direct and indirect Shell economic ventures.
As was to be
confirmed by later Government and corporate groups’ presence in this area,
other minerals like coal, iron ore, lignite, columbite, gas, granite and others
are buried in Amansiodo/Ihuonyia soil as confirmed by Shell.
Consequently,
Gaspower Nig. Ltd. secured the Federal Government (OPL) Oil or Gas prospecting license
for Amansiodo/Ihuonyia oil field and that of Eha-Ndiagu in 2007. This company appease more serious in
Eha-Ndiagu thanAmansiodo/Ihuonyia.
However, people in the oil sector – watch feel that Enugu State
Government ought to have compelled quick and continuous action of the company.
EXPLORATION AND EXPLOITATION OF SOLID
MINERALS IN AMANSIODO/IHUONYIA
It was rightly
observed by African Scholars in development studies, that the first motive for
the Whiteman’s adventure in Africa was mainly the economic interest. The Colonial Government ensured the provision
of institutions of liberalism to justify the exploitation of the native
Africa. Though we attemptedto explain
capitalism and imperialism at the onset, but we shall give the technical
definition here before further discussion.
Solid foundation was therefore laid, for political, legal and spiritual
expressions of colonialism which invariably provided the social teeth of
imperialism. While colonialism is
summarized as domination and control of Nigeria by Britain, imperialism can be
described as business enterprise which began in one county but spreads in a
domineering manner to other countries.
In other words imperialism is capitalism beyond national
boundaries. However, the Webster’s
dictionary defined both colonialism and imperialism as hereunder. Colonialism is defined as ‘the policy of a
nation seeking to acquire, extend or retain oversea dependencies’ while
imperialism means ‘Government policy of developing foreign trade and exploiting
the raw materials of backward countries through the use of political and
military pressures, without necessary assuring direct political control of the
nations affected’. Shell BP is one of
such agents of imperialism, which was extended to our home
Amansiodo/Ihuonyia. The dominance of
Shell BP in the Nigerian oil sector is a historical phenomenon. This company can easily be assessed as one of
the most powerful transnational companies in the Nigerian oil sector.
Amansiodo belongs
to the mineral rich zone of Enugu State.
The Colonial explorers identified coal deposits in Ngwo in 1908 (Eze
1998, Anikwe 2009) same as Amansiodo 1994, Obimo and Ugwuoba 1950 – 1954, while
the presence of crude oil was speculated in both EhaNdiagu and Amansiodo
according to Shell report of the forties and fifties.
Before Shell PP
struck oil at Oloibiri in the present day Bayelsa State in 1956, they were
comfortably settled in Amansiodo at the natural trouris elevation as Ugwuetiti.
THE EXIT OF SHELL FROM AMANSIODO
The experts on
exploration were almost certain that crude oil could be found at Ugwuetiti
according to the reports of the geophysicist in their team. But about 1953-54 the company left Amansiodo
and went Southwards towards Owerri and later the Riverline areas or what we
refer to as Niger Delta today. When we
asked questions on the circumstances behind the quit of Shell, some Amansiodoindigenes
who saw it all, proffered uniformed and seemingly parochial reasons which
necessitated the departure of the company.
There was an
account based on primordial feeling and fetish belief that powerful Amansiodo
traditional doctors who did not want the Whitemen to seize their land, buried
some charms at the Ugwuetiti site which prevented the geophysicist from
identifying either the crude oil, gas or coal in addition to the regular
discomfort occasioned by bad spirits, which disturbed the resident workers at
the site. Their opinion was very popular
in Ezeagu Local Government Area particularly because Amansiodo was blessed with
the most effective traditional doctors at the time. However, the second account was narrated to
the writer by two Amansiodo indigenes who were recruited from the Ugwuetiti
site, trained and later retired by the Shell. Late Chief C. N. Chibueze and Engr.
Edwin Machebe dismissed the first account and explained the exit of shell on
two reasons.
First, that the
depth of the deposit from the surface was too far that the rig in vogue during
the period could not be used to exploit the oil and therefore they fled,
Machebe who gave this facts was an experienced field Engineer who worked with
Shell for both off-shore and on-shore drilling.
Chief Chibueze
was an administrative staff and gave a summary about Shell’s withdrawal as a
result of the Oloibiri successful exploration. According to Chibueze, the oil
at the Niger Delta region was almost at the surface in contradistinction with
the long depth of the Amansiodo/Ihuonyia experience. The Company which was prepared to maximize
profits at minimal expenditure, decided to leave Amansiodo for greener pasture
down South. Both of them described the
local beliefs as uninformed, unscientific invalid.
Late Mr. Richard
Ezeoha was one of the Amansiodo illustrious sons who was recruited and trained
by Shell. The trio remained successful
and influential in both Amansiodo and Ihuonyia autonomous communities. During our childhood days, all development
oriented stories and remarks were always punctuated with lamentations and
regrets of the departure of Shell, which explained out all failures,
backwardness and inaction of the despondent people. For them, if it was not for the wicked
traditional doctors of Amansiodo extraction, they would have been millionaires. Without apportioning blames on either the
commentators, the medicine-men or the Shell corporate staff all from Amansiodo,
let us take it further from there. We
may have been a lot luckier that the exploitation of the minerals is coming
just today.
The Niger Delta
region did not see the Oil Companies’ activities as a bed of roses. The people in the region are devastated by
oil spillage, their farmlands destroyed, the peasants impoverished and their
aged, weak, hopeless and dejected, while their youths are restive, violent,
militant and destructive. All
Governments in Nigeria, Federal, State and Local are now combating the efforts
of the planlessness and negligence of the oil companies in that region. Thanks to the Jonathan led Federal Government
of Nigeria that restored the dignity of persons and hope to the region by
people oriented policies.
The question is,
assuming Shell succeeded in the fifties in Amansiodo, what should have been the
fate of our people? Secondly, now that
something much better is coming through Professor Barth Nnaji Nigeria’s
arguably, most, effective and successful Minister of Power from 1960, what does
the future hold for the people of this blessed land?
PROFESSOR BARTH NNAJI TO THE RESCUE
Prof. Barth
Nnaji, the celebrated genus, who broke through in Robotics Engineering, is well
known Scholar and perfectionist. He was
consulting on power engineering and had an exemplary project in Aba, Abia State
from where he was consulting for many State Governments on power; including Enugu
State.
In 2010,
therefore, accompanied by then secondary to Enugu State Government, he came to
Amansiodo after preliminary discussions with Sir Ferdinand Anikwe on the
accessibility of the project site at Ugwuetiti, the nearest streams like Ivo at
Ihuonyia and River Duu and Adada.
Chief Anikwe led
the team to the site, Ivo and Duu. Prof.
Nnaji, Martin Ilo, the former SSG came with some expected financiers from
abroad. The team came, they saw and they
confirmed the possibility of river Duu for the maximal operation of the
project. They paid homage to the two
traditional rulers of Ihuonyia and Amansiodo Communities their Royal Highness,
Igwe Nicholas, E. Ilochi, EveeNge of Ihuonyia and Igwe C. C. OfforAguludimegbegbeogu
of Amansiodo.
When Prof. Nnaji
was the Minister of Power, he availed his useful experience to the Federal
Government and has led an opinion to establish the plant in Amansiodo/Ihuonyia
land.
It will be
recalled that the leaders of thought of both Communities sent Sir, Ferdinand
Anikwe to Prof. Nnaji Abuja for enquiries about the project in May, 2012.
After fruitful
discussions with Prof. Nnaji and Prof. P. O. Okeke, Sir, Anikwe returned the
message of hope and sincerity to Amansiodo/Ihuonyia leaders of thought that the
project was on course. Consequently,
Prof. P. O. Okeke the coal expert came with his team for an important
pre-implementation survey on 30th of July, 2012. From this period we were more confident.
ANOTHER POCKET OF EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT
When the foreign
Shell workers settled in Ugwuetiti, they provided a befitting environment for
white life and habitation. Fabricated
structures were arranged. There were
improvised street lights. The lights shone at nights throughout Oghe vicinity
and beyond. The light at Ugwuetiti was
felt at IsiokweAkama, UmanaIsigwu.
UgwudeleAmankwo – Ugwudinso Eke and other far places including, Ebe,
Olo, Egede and Affa mostly at night.
Other locations of similar experiences were in Ugwuoba and Enugu urban
where the presence of the Europeans had taken a firm root.
Thus,
Amansiodo/Ihuonyia Communities enjoyed short-lived modern facilities as
reported by late CosmasChibueze who served at the site. Water was piped from Ajali River to the Ugwuetiti
site. The social aspect of Shell’s
presence was understood more by the educated class than the casual
workers. Ball room dances and high class
parties were organized by the Shell staff in total alienation from the natives
except perhaps, the few educated girls from Oghe and other communities.
ChiekpoObodoagu
hails from Umuoniyo/Ihuonyia, he witnessed the Shell activities having worked
in the Company for a short spell of two
years, he regrets Shell’s departure from our soil. According to him there were visible signs of
development or modernization. Ugwuetitiwas
bubbling with economic and social activities to the benefit of Oghe people and
beyond.
However, to
demonstrate their capitalist policy, they not only disconnected the
water-pipes, but removed the fabricated buildings and other structures. By the time they left in 1952, Amansiodo
returned to her natural state leaving some slabs and guided holes where they carried
out their testing on both sites otherwise, the Federal Government could be
pressurized to change the license to a more active or richer Company to ensure speedy
exploration and later exploitation of gas in the zone. This singular activity will list Enugu State
among Oil/Gas Producing States of Nigerian Federation.
A PEED INTO THE FUTURE
Main
infrastructure Ltd. led by Prof. B. Nnaji has been shown some hectares of land
at AbagbubaAgu-Amansiodo/Ihuonyia to enable the Company site coal to power
plant in the area, and the negotiations are still ongoing.
Gaspower Nigeria
Ltd. has approached the people of Ihuonyia and Amansiodo communities indicating
their interest for a geo-technical survey in the mineral rich zone. Infact, a geo-technical survey had been
completed by an international geo-technical company. The result of this study commissioned by
Gaspower is yet awaited.
In 2008, Federal
Ministry of Mines and Power came close to Mr. Anonde’s house at Ugwuanyavery
close to the Igwuetiti Shell site. They
mounted an exploratory automated instrument and extracted a liquid substance
which later-on congealed and appeared like iron. Those government officials
confirmed that it was an iron ore. The
elderly Mr. Anonde who observed the entire activity, inquired from the
government officials what their mission was, and their reply, was that they
came from the Federal Government to find out from their soil minerals
beneficial to Amansiodo/Ihuonyia people and the government.
Sir Ferdinand Anikwe
was dispatched a third time in 2014 to enquire from Federal Ministry of Power,
what the Ministry’s latest plan for the site was. Sir Anikwe came back with another hopeful
message that a company would soon come to begin work at Amansiodo – Ihuonyia
specifically on Coal to PowerProgramme. He discussed with the following officials in
the Ministry.
a)
Prof. Chinedu Nebo, the Minister of Power
b) Dr.
G. Igali, Permanent Secretary
c)
Engr. Ekpo, Director of Coal to Power
d) Prof.
P. O. Okeke, Consultant on Coal
The community
leaders were fully briefed and were very enthusiastic to welcome Prof. P. O.
Okeke when he came on a study tour of the mineral zone in 2012.
Ready to welcome
him were, their Royal Highness Igwe Nicholas Ilochi, EveeNgeIhuonyia and Igwe
Charles C. OfforAguludimegbegbeogu of Amansiodo, Sir Ferdinand Anikwe, Permanent
Secretary in Enugu State Government, The Chairman of Ihuonyia Town Union Mr.
Emma Ofodile, The Prime Ministers of Ihuonyia and Amansiodo Chief Pious
AnikweOwaGburugburu and AnsalemChukwuemezie, Dr. J. B. C. Emenike, Profs.
Chidobem, Amujiogu and Ike Ndolo.
The two Communities
of Ihuonyia and Amansiodo are anxiously waiting for any or all of the companies
to begin something in the sites to kick start the much awaited economic and
social improvements in the area. These
programmes will boost the economy of Ezeagu Local Government, Enugu State and
beyond and surely alleviate poverty.
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Fuku Yama
Francis: The Origins of Political Order,
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Farmer Straus and
Giroux, U.S.A.
Meredith
Martin: The State of Africa. Free Press London, 2005
Aningo C.
C.: My Cry for Nigeria: A Challenge of
our Essence
New Generation Books,
Enugu, 2012.
Achebe
Chinua:Things Fall Apart, Heinemann, 1958.
Anikwe F: Public
Sector Management in Oghe, A Historical
Survey in Oghe
Writers Association. Vol./No.1 2013
