By EgwuAgha Amarachukwu Abakaliki
Ebonyi state Governor, Chief David Umahi, has said no court can stop the government from creating or reducing the number of autonomous communities in the state. Umahi made this statement in Abakaliki, while receiving some delegation of Ezillo youths protesting his declaration to grant autonomous community to Ezza–Ezillo community. According to him, “such court ruling if obtainable was taken due to a particular circumstance as he did not need any consultation to create an autonomous community”.
By EgwuAgha Amarachukwu “Such decision would however be taken with legislation as traditional rulers and elders of communities would complain if we go back to the old-traditional mode of creating autonomous communities”. He advice the elders to always seek suggestions from the youth but must not necessarily implement it, warning that the youth must not determine what would happen in the community despite their conscious nature. “
Th e youths should not determine what would happen to other segments of the society when fi ghting for their rights as I can circle a house and pronounce it an autonomous community. “People who go to court over the granting of autonomous community to a set of people should prove how such decisions would inconvenience them or aff ect their peaceful coexistence”.
Umahi stressed that his government would not go back on the decision of the people for autonomous community. “We should however state that government would not reverse the decision taken on granting the Ezza-Ezillo people and autonomous community despite the opposition by the youths”. Youth leader of Ezillo community Mr Ikechukwu Eze, noted that granting of such autonomous community to the By Ajibola Abayomi Lagos Ezza-Ezillo community was unacceptable to the youths. “
Th e creation of such autonomous community would be detrimental to the welfare of Ezillo community as our geographical, economic and social well-being would be altered. “It would also be a catalyst to create more crises in the whole Ishiellu Local Government Area (LGA) and other areas in the state where Ezza people are residing”. He noted that the governor had earlier promised not to create the autonomous community but the youths were surprised that the governor made an ‘a vaultface’ and declared the autonomy
