Nekede is a community located in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria and here are some key points about Nekede, our esteemed readers should know as compiled by ©️Princely Onyenwe – 9News Nigeria:
Geography and Location:
Nekede is situated approximately 10 kilometers southwest of Owerri, the capital city of Imo State.
Education:
Nekede is home to the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, one of the most prominent polytechnics in Nigeria.
Economy:
The community has a growing economy, driven by small-scale businesses, agriculture, and the presence of the polytechnic.
Culture:
Nekede has a rich cultural heritage, with the community celebrating various traditional festivals throughout the year.
Infrastructure:
The community has basic infrastructure, including roads, schools, healthcare facilities, and markets.
However, A capital city is the primary city or town of a country or region, serving as the seat of government, politics, and administration. Here are some key significance of a capital city:
Economic Significance:
- Business Hub: Capital cities are often the center of commerce, industry, and finance, attracting businesses, investments, and talent.
- Job Creation: Governments, international organizations, and businesses create jobs in capital cities, driving economic growth.
- Infrastructure Development: Capital cities typically have well-developed infrastructure, including transportation systems, utilities, and public services.
Political Significance:
- Seat of Government: Capital cities house the national or regional government, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
- Policy-Making: Capital cities are where key decisions are made, shaping the country’s or region’s future.
- Diplomatic Relations: Capital cities often host foreign embassies and diplomatic missions, facilitating international relations.
Cultural Significance:
- National Identity: Capital cities often reflect the country’s or region’s history, culture, and values.
- Tourism: Capital cities attract tourists, showcasing iconic landmarks, museums, and cultural events.
- Education: Capital cities are often home to prestigious universities, research institutions, and cultural centers.
Social Significance
- Urbanization: Capital cities are often the most populous urban areas, driving urbanization and modernization.
- Innovation: Capital cities can foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity, driving progress and development.
- Social Services: Capital cities typically have well-developed social services, including healthcare, education, and social welfare programs.
In summary, a capital city plays a vital role in a country’s or region’s economic, political, cultural, and social development, serving as a hub for governance, commerce, innovation, and culture.
Consequent upon this, Nekede community is a make up of the Owerri Capital city and on this therefore, there are a lot of enormous challenges surrounding the area on the effects of being among the closest communities in the state capital.
Such anomalous circumstances have eaten deep the fabrics of culture and tradition in the land. This came as a result of massive infrastructural developments and advancement of residents living in the areas.
Nekede has been affected by huge troops of stranger elements from all works of life. These stranger elements came from different traditional and political backgrounds and tribes and as such have deposited alot mixtures of communal relationship in Nekede.
Corruption and other forms of devastations synonymous with capital city may have in one way or the other ravaged the custom of the land of Nekede erroneously as one of the closest community in the state capital Owerri.
In all sincerity and good sense of judgement , 9News Nigeria reports that alot of naturalness and ambience are taken away from the originality of the traditional background and settings of Nekede as the writer scripted below:
It may interest our readers to note that Sir Henry Eke works at the office of the Civil Rights at the Great State of Texas USA. He is a Renowned Investigative Journalist, Philanthropist and Care Giver.
Sir Henry OTULE EKE lives in Austin Texas USA where he served as a retiree from Texas Government as a civil rights advocate and investigator. He is happily married to Lady Ify Eke and blessed with prosperous children. Henry Eke hails from Nekede in Owerri West Imo State NG.
His Article About Nekede Reads Thus:
If it has to be done all over again, l would have advised Owerri Elders to reject having Owerri as the Capital City of Imo State. It has not benefited Owerri people by any standard.
Its consequences are greater in negative outcomes than its positivity.
Bringing this discussion home, Nekede has lost it all…our way of life, ancestral farmlands, Otamiri River, a place that sustained fishing careers of many are polluted and discarded with reckless abandonment and many traditional and cultural recreational activities had gone to oblivion…very sad indeed.
Nekede lost it all to avaricious Governors that hid behind obnoxious Government policies to confiscate and stole Nekede farms and divided it amongst their cronies and left Nekede people empty handed. These Governors did these without empathy, conscience and concerns for Nekede people.
In some cases, my people were given pin drop of tokens just to steal our farmlands. With the economic prices paid by Nekede people through the confiscation of their lands, every successive lmo State Government remained undoubtedly very ungrateful to consider Nekede son or daughter for any high office like a deputy governorship position or Commissionership. Nekede settles for crumbs.
There was zero compensatory gratification on Nekede roads. In as much as Nekede remains a stone throw to the Douglas House, a Seat of the Government, our roads are impassable during rainy season. Few inches of Bridges along Nekede roads remain dead traps for the people that had volunteered and gave up their ancestral farmlands for academic institutions that continue to train renowned Engineers and other professionals. Nekede lost it all for a slice of crumbs that are left under the table for dogs to eat.
The Orlu governors were the culprits…they built roads and schools in their localities, but wilfully abandoned Nekede infrastructures to rot.
We lost everything…including our foods…no more Yam tuber and Cassava stem to be cultivated. No more “Ohia Eji, Ngolochu, Ohia Otukwuru, Ohia Mgbugbu near the bank of Otamiri River…no more clearing of Uzor Miri and Uzo Ubi. Everything gone to the wind!
No more ground for Ugu to grow and every Oha tree had been fallen. Families could no longer grind Cassava, bagged it and tied it with four strong “Icheku” poles until the Cassava is dried and ready to be fried. Before the Garri is finished, another bag is processed and is in place to be fried. My people looked fresh and well fed.
Now in the morning, families would get up …armed with rubber plates in their hands, line up to purchase already made Mama Put for Breakfast, Lunch and dinner without dignity to cooking and feeding their families. I bleed for Nekede. This life style is un-Nekede.
I bleed for my people…what do we have now? Proud Nekede families would go to Market to purchase already made God-knows what in wraps called Loi Loi in total disregard of the sanitary conditions where it is made and other condiments that they put in it to preserve its freshness. We eat and fall sick without knowing the origin of the sickness. We lost it all, folks.
Many of us have resorted to eating canned Chinese foods to associate their families with Westernization, but unknowingly feed on deadly poison that shuts down immune system…collapsing Kidneys, Lungs and hearts. We must do better.
Do yourself a favor…lgbo Foods of rice, Beans, Ukwa, Bitterleaf, Oha, Okra, Vegetables Soups are the best. Drink enough Water everyday. If you cannot afford bottled water, then boil it to separate dirty residue from it.
Beer and Soda (Minerals) are not Water. Cook Vegetables with Crawfish, Salt and Pepper with little fish and meat to boost your immune System. Stop ignoring fresh vegetables that you grow at your backyards.
We lost it all with Owerri as Capital. There is absolutely nothing to show for it”
Nekede has lost her way of life and my heart is bleeding for my ancestral homeland. We have lost it all.
Very piteous that we have sold every piece of land to the extent that our loved ones have no place to call their resting places when the Lord calls, except at the Parlour.
Families could not even gather together to reserve a plot or two for the burial of their loved ones. The land rush at Nekede was a stigmatization of people with craziness for affluence and without hardworking. People began to sell and resell properties of others without proper and adequate consultations.
Nekede became infested with unholy characteristics that were strange to Nekedeland.
Youths became infested with criminalities and introduced sacrilegious way of living that were fake and fraudulent to Nekede life style.
Youths began to introduce foreign words like gangs and Cultism. They began to inflict serious bodily injuries to others. In some instances, fatalities became very rampant, thereby torpedoing Nekede serenity into Police and Military enclaves.
Many saw their father’s hard works and retirement benefits went up in flames in the name of new imports of Cultism in Nekede…many of us in Diasporas were in shock and begain to reminisce if indeed Nekede was a place of our birth and residence. Unbelievable!
I have a lot in my mind, Nekede, but my heart is too heavy to continue.
You need to train yourself. I have only Secondary School education to train myself. Before the completion of my Secondary education, l was nurtured by my parents of blessed memories and my older siblings.
Growing up with my group at Nekede, we never knew the word, gang or cultism. We showed our strengths at the farmlands with our backs exposed to a scorching and radiating Sun that baked us like fermented bread.
My group returned home from school, but had to travel miles away to eat one’s food and after which a hoe was handed to you to display your strength.
At times, one would send home to fetch drinking water and was confronted to travel on a lonely farm path. Your body’s hairs stood attention at the any movement of Bush Lizard as the Lizard crawled on dried leaves. One ran like a wounded Antelope as if someone was after you. Such experiences were wiped away as Nekede has lost her way of life…l bleed for my homeland.
The lmo State Capital that is located at Owerri has done more harm than good to the psyche of Nde Nekede. If the Capital territory is to be re-located again, it shall be vehemently resisted with every drop of blood in me.
The most relevant question to ask at this point in time is…ls Nekede better off than she was when the Capital territory met her…in my opinion, it is worse, because we lost it all.
My heart bleeds…Ndewo nu!
Sir Chief Henry EUO Eke, Sr- Omereoha l of Nekede writes from Texas USA.
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