The Ebonyi Welfare Association, an umbrella body of indigenes of Ebonyi State resident in Anambra state, has rejected the new street designated Abakaliki Street, after the previous one was renamed by the Anambra state government two months ago. The renaming of former Abakaliki Street in Awka, Anambra State, to Club Street has sparked a major row between the Anambra and Ebonyi governments, causing the Ebonyi State Assembly to threaten renaming all monuments in the state, named after Anambra if the decision was not reversed.
Although the Anambra state government had explained that it changed the name to depict the activities going in the street, saying that it had designated another choice street as Abakaliki Street, this move has also been rejected by Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra.
The group led by Chief Cletus Nwofia, in a press briefing on Friday, said, “We will not accept any other street other than the one we registered and have been paying renewal for, since 2003.”
The group raised alarm over threat to the lives of their members by unknown persons, over their refusal to accept the decision of the Anambra state government to name another street in Awka after Abakaliki.
Nwofia said some individuals have been coming to him to issue all manner of threats, asking him to accept government decision on the renaming of Abakaliki Street.
The group also distanced itself from a group identified as Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra, who were said to have commended Governor Willie Obiano for renaming the street and mapping out another street to be named after Abakaliki.
“The faceless group does not emanate from us as a group. Those faceless people are not from Ebonyi state and the names mentioned did not reflect the membership of this association and have no right to speak for Ebonyi people.
“We the registered association of Ebonyians in Anambra State want to state categorically that we stand by the resolutions of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly which mandated the Anambra state government to restore the status quo by renaming the street to what it was before.
“For now, the matter is beyond what we can handle. Our state governor and state assembly have taken over the matter and we shall abide by whatever comes out of it. We tried on our own to settle the matter amicably here in Anambra State but were not given attention by the state government.”
The group said they are not ready to accept another street in the state to be named Abakaliki Street, adding that Anambra State government has consistently made efforts to take the street away from them.
“We are not ready to accept that. We are standing on the position of the state government that the decision be reversed. Anambra state government should either allow the status quo to remain or take away the street from us.
“The street was registered in 2003 and all the documents pertaining to the registration are with us and we have been maintaining the street, yet they are not satisfied. They have made several attempts to take away the street from us.
“When Prof Dora Akunyili died, they made attempt to name the Street after Akunyili and we insisted and the second attempt was by one Hon. Ebere Onyekwelu who removed our sign post and put his. This is the third time this is happening. We are aware that Governor Obiano is not fully briefed on this issue. We are appealing to him to reverse the decision in the interest of peace.
“We know the governor as a peace loving governor and that was why all Ebonyians stood behind him in his second term bid. During the last election, we met with him at the governor’s lodge and gave him our support. We are well organized in this state. We don’t want anything to jeopardise our relationship with Anambra state government,” they said.
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