COSMAS CHUKWU, Enugu
Two pressure groups, Greater Awgu Leadership Forum Nigeria (GALF) and Greater Awgu Media Professionals (GAMP) have agreed to close ranks and lead the movement for the socio-political and economic development of Awgu.
Awgu is made up of Awgu, Oji-River and Aninri local government areas within the Enugu West Senatorial District of Enugu State.
The two associations, rising from a meeting hosted by the President of GALF, Chief Benson Orah at his country home in Adu-Achi, Oji-River local government area, recently, resolved to jointly pursue their objectives under the aegis of Greater Awgu Movement.
In a joint resolution endorsed by Chief Orah and the Chairman of GAMP, Comr Regis Anukwuoji on behalf of their respective associations, and witnessed by the former Presidential candidate of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Engr. Martin Onovo, the new pressure group vowed to lead a formidable movement to sensitize and galvanize sons and daughters of the area in all fields of human endeavours for a focused development of the three local government areas.
The joint resolution regretted lack of unity, cohesion and developmental backwardness suffered by the people hence the relegation of the area, also known as old Awgu Division, in the scheme of things with respect to the political and socio-economic development of Enugu State in general.
The statement noted that the new partnership, Greater Awgu Movement, was a first step towards bringing the people together.
They resolved to organize “Greater Awgu Economic and Security Summit” in the second quarter of 2026 to fashion out a roadmap for the development of the area.
The new movement agreed to engage in extensive consultations with the people of the area in different works of life, including academia, technocrats, business and the political class, towards the success of the summit, which is aimed at generating ideas and solutions to common developmental challenges affecting the three LGAs.
The Greater Awgu Movement applauded the Enugu state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah for his giant developmental strides and governance inclusion in all parts of the state.
Earlier in his remarks, Chief Benson Orah, President of the Greater Awgu Leadership Forum Nigeria and “the Pillar of Greater Awgu movement” thanked the governor for the Awgu Games village he promised to rebuild for Sports Festivals, the University of Agriculture that would have a campus at Oji-River, the Awgu College of Nursing among many other schools, health and cluster systems of agriculture in rural areas.
He stated that Greater Awgu Movement would mobilize the people of the area to key into the polices and programmes of the government of the day to attract more development to Greater Awgu.
He said that what the people of Greater Awgu need as of today is cohesion, sincerity and coming together as a group and working with the government of Gov Mbah, whom he said has the capacity to change the business environment in the area.
Orah said the Greater Awgu people have a lot of tourism sites in almost all the communities among other mineral resources that can contribute strongly to the economic development of the state if developed.
Chief Orah stressed the need to work with selfless persons who have the genuine interest of Greater Awgu at heart.
He said, “Never trust a man who has not seen money or power before because you can only judge the true character of somebody who has seen money and power and still remains steadfast to his or her values. I’m ready to support you 100 percent.
“What is important to me is honesty and transparency.”
On his part, the Chairman of Greater Awgu Media professionals, Comr. Anukwuoji, explained that the objective of the movement was to bring every group in Greater Awgu together to redirect the thinking of the people to work as a team which would be more beneficial to the people than working as an individual.
He said that the group had carried out a research of what the challenges of the people are, where they are lacking and where they have some advantages and discovered that the people need to work as a team and support the government to draw development to the area.
He also stated that the Economic and Security Summit being planned would attract major stakeholders in a roundtable discussion and come up with the best solutions to the challenges.
Speaking at the historic event, Engr. Martin Onovo told the movement to count the meeting as one of her achievements.
He expressed solidarity with the movement noting the need for the people of Greater Awgu to start meeting in order to begin to address the issues of cohesion and sincerity of purpose which he identified as major challenges facing the people.
“Journalists are supposed to educate us, but if you don’t know you won’t be able to do that. So this meeting is the very foundational step critical to our development.
“Our challenge started with Constituency delineation. Before 1919, Awgu was in Okigwe. Awgu division was created in 1919 alongside Udi division and Nsukka division.
“That’s the line the Catholic Church followed in the creation of the Diocese. Catholic followed the right delineation structure and if it was followed politically, it would have been Awgu, Udi and Nsukka Senatorial districts today.
“Local government reform of 1975 created a problem where things are shared based on local government areas. They gave us (old Awgu Division): Awgu LGA and Oji-River LGA, and later added Aninri LGA making it three.
Out of 17 LGAs we have only three which puts us in less than 16.63 percent of the state instead of 33 percent we used to have under Awgu Division,” he argued.
The former NCP Presidential candidate who hails from Nnenwe in Aninri local government area, commended GAMP for the beautiful ideas it has for the Greater Awgu renaissance.
“Your coming together is good and your ideas are good. This problem is big but we will take it gently so that we don’t make mistake.
“Having Chief Orah as partner is a big advantage. He believes that anything can be done.
“Let’s know that there are people that started this struggle before us… Remove selfishness and embrace value system which is the opposite, because if it comes in the whole project will be ruined.
“If it becomes good for Greater Awgu all of us will be Great.”
The meeting resolved to set up a joint technical committee to work for the realization of the economic and security summit.
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