Ugwuoba town, which is a gateway into Enugu State, most times is construed to be in Anambra for those who don't know the difference as the town is bordered with Amansea, a border town on the fringes of Anambra and Enugu.
Ugwuoba is bounded by Amansea to the West, Oji River urban on the East, Ozzu Ndiukwuenu and Agbalaenyi to the South and Obinofia Ndiagu to the North. Ugwuoba is however a border town on the bank of Oji River in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria.
Ugwuoba is made up of seventeen (17) villages, which includes: Upata, Okwe, Agungwu, Aguabosi, Mkpagu, Eziachi, Okpuno, Ude, Egbeagu, Agolo, Obinagu, Efulu, Ogbudu, Umualu, Agungwu-ogboo, Umuonwu and Aniocha. The Ojinator and Dodo community is an extension of Okwe.
Ugwuoba is known for its arable land and enormous agricultural potentials. The town is known for its gas reserves within the gas-rich Anambra Basin, South Eastern Nigeria, but it's unfortunate that government after government in Enugu state failed to seek for formidable partnership with the town to explore the potentials of the town, for reasons best known to them.
Ugwuoba also boasts of clay deposits that could serve as effective Zinc ion adsorbent. A town rich in its cultural and social life activities should be a beehive of social, commercial and economic actitivies, but unfortunately, the reverse is the case.
The town is home to Akukwa field in the OPL 907 area, which was first drilled by Shell in 1938–1939. Thereafter, the gas field recorded further successful drills by Shell-BP in 1955 and 1956. But has been abandoned for reasons best known to government authorities.
Unfortunately, research has shown that because of dilapidated infrastructure indigenes of the town most times come to Anambra for their social, economic and even political activities as most of them vote in Anambra on election day. The question about which state is Ugwuoba Town in becomes expedient because there are no good internal road network,no functional hospital, no good school, no police station or even outpost, no TV or Radio station, no proper medical equipments in the health centre in the town,no good market built by government, no good water infrastructure, apart from the river surrounding the community, no youth empowerment schemes present to assist the youths to develop their talents.
It's unfortunate to say the least, that no indigene of the town from 1992 till date has been either appointed or elected into any position either as governor, deputy governor, or even secretary to the Enugu state government, even when there are qualified sons and daughters of Ugwuoba who fits into these positions. Till date, no son or daughter of Ugwuoba has been appointed into an state or federal commission, no minister, no speaker, no House of Assembly member no chief of staff
No recognition of traditional rulers (igwe's, ozo's, chief), no customary court, no motor park, no roundabout about built the by government.
Not even a morgue was built by the government. Is that not an unfortunate situation?
To think of it, Gariki was destroyed, and nothing has been done about it up till this moment. I am constrained to ask again
Which state does ugwuoba belong to?
Why is Ugwuoba not having these amenities?
Ugwuoba should take note of any son or daughter of the soil that will want to defend this complaint on behalf of the government of Enugu state , as an enemy of the town and a saboteur to the town, who will inturn be seen as been responsible for all the amenities lacking in the town. Ugwuoba needs to either be recognized or we seek for ways to pull out from the state with our enormous resources, we can't continue playing the second fiddle in Enugu politics of get away come closer. There is need for the present government to look into the points raised and look for ways to partner with the town, for the growth and development of the state. With the recent policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the transition from the use of fuel to CNG, the state government can key into it by adopting measures for better partnership and the growth of the town and community. Ugwuoba deserves better in Enugu and now is the time to change the old narratives.
Chief O.Z Ubah, an indigene of Ugwuoba writes from Porthacourt, Rivers State