Onneh: Anambra Community Called Small London 

Raymond Ozoji, Awka

Onneh is one of the communities in Orumba-south local government area of Anambra state. The community fondly called small London is said to be a place where God lives because of the peace and tranquil environment that have provided ample opportunities for rapid growth and development. Though in the interiors of the hinterlands, Onneh prides itself as an oil-rich agrarian community yet to be explored for commercial purposes by successive governments in Anambra state. The community which has borders with Aguluezechukwu, Ogboji, Ajali and some others  houses a prestigious university called Peter University Onneh owned by the Catholic Church.

Onneh had been a forlorned child since the creation of Anambra state until Governor Willie Obiano beamed his searchlights on the community and Onneh became another place Governor Obiano built an ‘airport’. The people of Onneh both home and abroad had lamented during Eze-Akunne’s Foundation Annual Charity Programme for the elderly, physically challenged, widows, less-privileged and school children, how the community lacked social amenities for many years until the incumbent state governor found Onneh and placed it on the frontburner of his administration. Eze-Akunne’s charity programme for the downtrodden which was held recently in Onneh was indeed a time to show and demonstrate unusual kindness and generosity to old people, exceptional school children and some others. It was a time to show that God really lives in Onneh as beneficiaries of the programme had smiles on their faces because Eze-Akunne Foundation has persistently continued to dole out goodies to the people of Onneh for the past 20 years.

Indeed, it is not out of place to say that Governor Willie Obiano built another airport in Onneh because according to Nze Vincent Nwankwo the founder Eze-Akunne Foundation, only Obiano remembered Onneh after years of political alienation and infrastructural problems. Nwankwo said, “Onneh is a small London because Obiano remembered us. We never expected or imagined what is happening in Onneh right now. We now have security and many amenities from government. We have borehole water facilities, tarred roads, schools and other infrastructures from government. In fact, Obiano gave us everything that makes Onneh a small London. Obiano really tried for our community.  But like Oliver Twist, we still appeal to the governor to help us provide drainages to channel water properly to avoid erosions in our community.”

Nwankwo who extolled the achievements of Governor Willie Obiano in Onneh, also tasked Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the incoming governor to take after his predecessor in accelerating development in Onneh and the entire state, stressing that he believes very strongly in the abilities and capabilities of the erudite professor to meet the expectations of Ndi-Anambra as soon as he assumes office later in the year. Eze-Akunne however gave bags of rice and cash to widows and the indigents while pupils with outstanding performances from the two primary schools in Onneh got cash prizes and about eight elderly persons got N50,00.00 each for their upkeeps. Moreso, the Director-General Eze-Akunne Foundation Mr. Anthony Izunna Nwafor said Onneh is a palm-oil, cassava and tomato  producing community. He said the people of Onneh are very hospitable and peaceful but commended Governor Willie Obiano for remembering the community. According to him, Obiano constructed Aguluezechukwu-Peter University road for the community and also extended his N20 million Community-Choose-Your-Project Scheme to the community.

The Director-General Eze-Akunne Foundation recalled how Governor Obiano saved the people of Onneh from perennial flooding. He said in the past, when it rained people do not return home due to lack of access roads but according to him, Governor Willie Obiano helped the community construct Peter University-Onneh road which was how they began to return home even in the rainy seasons, adding that apart from Governor Obiano, no other governor had the slightest idea if Onneh existed or was part of Anambra state. Although he mentioned Achina-Onneh-Agbudu road as another problem confronting Onneh, he expressed optimism that the incoming governor would pay priority attention to it and some other infrastructural problems in the community while thanking Nze Vincent Nwankwo Eze-Akunne for his genuine philanthropy and magnanimity to the downtrodden and less-privileged in Onneh and beyond.