By Nna Anulumadu
In a bid to sustain peace and tranquility that Nimo Community is known for, the leaders and community members of the town, last Saturday, May 27, held a town hall meeting that clarified issues surrounding the ownership and sale of Owa land.
The traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Maxi Ike Oliobi, the Owelle of Nimo, thanked the organisers of the town hall meeting in his speech, describing the gathering as necessary in order to address issues that may put the peace of the town into jeopardy. He commended the indigenes of Nimo, especially those in diaspora, for supporting and financing the Hall project at Egwe Egwe Civic Centre.
In a special way, he thanked Chief Ekenenna Okafor — Omabu
(President General, Nimo Town Development Union), for his initiative and efforts towards bringing the people of the town together for a common cause.
The traditional prime minister of the town (Onowu), Justice Godwin Ononiba (Rtd), narrating the history and ownership of Owa land, revealed that the said land was a communal property of the citizens of Nimo that was acquired by conquest and bequeathed to the people of Nimo more than 200 years ago for holding and farming portions of it in trust.
“Over the years, most Nimo families farmed on portions of this land and held same in trust for the community. There was never a time Nimo community assigned any portion of the said land to anyone”, he explained.
Also, disclosing how plotting and selling of Owa land began, a member of the community Chief Peter Afuba ( SAN), said the move to develop Owa land started during the tenure of the previous Owelle of Nimo, Igwe Okafor-Agilo.
“The community at a General Assembly meeting gave approval for the planning and mapping of the Owa-land for development. A committee comprising of representatives from all quarters of Nimo was originally set up to actualize this mandate. This initiative became dormant for some time due to a lack of funds. However, about three years ago under a new leadership, a new committee was reconstituted and given the mandate to develop Owa-land. This committee is headed by me (Chief P. A. Afuba) and includes members from all quarters of Nimo. We the members of this committee carved out a portion of the Owa-land and had it renamed as Obodo-Oma. We have been working tirelessly to actualize the dreams of Ndi Nimo. This committee has consulted Nimo General assembly at every stage of the development to date, apprising the community of what was going on and seeking approval for the next phase of the project,” Afuba explained.
He maintained that leaders of Nimo community remained focused on serving the people to the best of their ability, adding that Nimo remained a peace loving town
‘We intend to keep it that way under our watch”, he stated.
The meeting later included a question and answer session.
