By Ikechukwu Amaechi
“Penultimate Saturday, a young man was kidnapped in broad daylight at a market square in a community in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area. His people went to report it at Ahiazu police headquarters at Afor-Oru but there was no policeman. It is that bad. They had to go to Owerri, the state capital.
But that was mere formality. In the five days the young man was in captivity, no policeman showed up. It is too much of a risk for them. That is how bad things are. The people simply had to do the needful – that is, pay millions of naira in ransom to secure the release of their loved one and move on with their lives. Case closed!
Mbaise that used to be the most peaceful, violence-free part of Alaigbo has, inexplicably, become a theatre of war.
That has far-reaching consequences. Those in the diaspora, who hitherto love coming home, no longer have the urge. Diaspora remittances are drying up. Most projects in the communities are executed through communal efforts as it is the case in this instance.
Volunteerism is the mantra ensconced in the “onye aghala nwanne ya” philosophy. All that is in jeopardy.
So, the youths must be careful. Burning down police stations for whatever reason is counterproductive. Mbaise cannot afford a rule by the mob.
In the first place, the government does not care. If MGF did not intervene, the Ezinihitte Divisional Police Station would not have been rebuilt. It is a shame that the Aboh Mbaise police station was burnt down for a second time following its reconstruction by stakeholders.
Whatever cause the youths are fighting, destroying facilities made available by those who are providing their time and skills for the common good rather than for financial benefit is tantamount to cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.
The only way to appreciate MGF’s volunteerism is to protect these legacy projects.”
Mbaise Global Foundation: An exemplar in volunteerism
