HISTORICAL
INFORMATION ON THE STUDY AREA.
Ohaukwu is one of the thirteen local government area
in Ebonyi state south East-Nigeria. It was created in 1989 out of the former
Ishielu local government council. The local
government is made up 19 major communities. The three major extractions that
make up Ohaukwu are Izhia, Ngbo, and Effium.
Some of the autonomous communities
that make up the entire Ohaukwu from the above three groups are Umuagara, Amaechi,
Amike, Ishielu Nsulakpa, all from Izhia, while Ngbo is make up of Ekwasi, Umuogudu
Akpu, Umuogudu Oshia, Okposhi Eheku, Okposhi Eshi, Amofia Enwezaka and Ukwagba
while Effium is made up of Umuezeokoha and Effium indigenes. Ohaukwu is
popularly known as the seat of the permanent site of the Ebonyi state
University found in the year 1999 by the first executive governor of Ebonyi
state Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu when he was the commissioner for Education under the
former military Governor of Ebonyi state-Rear Admiral Walter Feghabor.
The headquarters is located at the ancient land-Izhia.
The headquarters has been the seat of government since the pre- independence
years when the local government was known and addressed ad Ishielu county
council. The common language is Igbo language. According to the 2006 population
census figure, the local government has a total of 196, 337 people. The local
government is delineated politically into fifteen wards and each ward is represented
by an elected councilor for three years tenure.
Administratively, the council has a total of eight
departments namely,-Administration, finance and Accounts, works, Education, Agriculture,
Health Budget, Planning and research and procurement and supplies department.
Each department performs functions synonymous with their name.
However, the entire departments in the local
government are mutually interrelated. Each department is being supervised by
the head of department. The heads of departments are super-intended by a
political head called supervisory councilor. The supervisors are appointed by
the chairman usually, the chairman nominates the names of his supervisory
councilor while the elected councilor ratifies the appointment.
In the local government system, the executive chairman,
vice chairman, secretary and supervisory councilors form the executive arm of
government. They are being assisted by other political AIDS and career civil servants.
The elected councilors form the legislative arm of government. They make by-laws
and approve the local government appropriation bills. They are assisted by the clerk
of the House and other civil servants.
Major Economic Activities of the
People
The majority of the people of Ohaukwu are farmers.
They produce the following crops in commercial quantities – yam, cassava, maize,
palm oil and palm kernel. The local government has potential for Agro based
industries but, has not been fully utilized. A good percentage of the rural
populace are grossly engaged in livestock farming as they rear cattle, goat,
pig, sheep and poultry. Furthermore, good percentage of the population engages
in trading at various degrees both at medium high scale and petty trading. Few
of the population are civil servants. Most of the civil servants are police; teachers
and low ranking office messengers majority of the youths are engaged as farm labourers
using their hoe and cutlasses to work for people and earn their living.
However, we also have few doctors, lawyers’ engineers,
architects and technicians.
There are numerous dependants and unemployed masses struggling
on daily bases to make ends meet. Some of the unemployed youths have turned
into political jobbers. Politicians engage them during election and usually
abandon them after elections.
Economically; Ohaukwu Local Government has viable
market. Notable among them are Okwor Mgbo market where the best garri in South
East is sold. Lorries of garri and yam are loaded every five days at the market
at commercial quantities. Others are Eke Izhia, Idokpo, Effium market. All
these markets are patronized by buyers across the nation who come to buy various
commodities at commercial quantities. Apart from these big markets we have
other four (4) day market days such as the, Orie, Afor and Nkwor in four
communities in Izhia.
Ohaukwu also has animals market close to the local
government headquarters where trades both Igbo and Hausa buy all kinds of animal
such as horse, donkey, sheep and goat from northern Nigeria and deposit at the
market at commercial quantity and people come from far and near across the
nation to buy on daily basis. Banks are located across the Local Government.
Generally, the standard of living is very poor especially in the rural areas of
Ohaukwu Local Government Area. Very few persons lives above the poverty level.
Religious Life of the People
The major religion in Ohaukwu Local Government is
Christianity. The people are predominantly Christians because of their
encounter with the early Church missionaries in the 18th century.
However, few people still believe in African Traditional Religion. They still hold tenaciously to the religion of their
forefathers. Indeed, western education, civilization and Christian evangelism
are causing a decline of follower of the traditional religion.
Also, there is a small segment of Muslim worshippers.
This religion is alien to the indigenous people. The settlers among the Hausas
and Yorubas and very few indigenes who are their converts practice Islamic
religion.
Culture of the People
The people of Ohaukwu local
government Area has rich cultural heritage. Their language includes Mgbolizhia
for Izhia and Mbgo people, Effium Ntsu for Effium and Ezza dialect for Ezza
people. Their common language is Igbo.
The communities in Ohaukwu Local
Government are proud of their tradition and cultural heritage which include
Itukwe festival, Omebe and Ekpe masquerade, Ofie obodo and other festivals like
Iphori Ndiegu. All these cultural celebrations are often blended with warm hospitality
that earns the area a prominent place in the realm of respectability and
entertainment. Other dances that are popular are Igede which is danced only by
the few wealthy ones. Odabara and Ode-Aribo.
However some of the cultural dances
are gradually dying away.
Social Life of the People
The people of Ohaukwu Local Government Area are
socially inclined. All the communities are organized into chieftaincy stools.
Each community chief oversees the activities of the communities as traditional
rulers. There is also the presence of the age grades (Ndi Ogbo) they are the
security men of the community. They maintain law and order in the community.
They organize communal work in the rural link toads, market square and carry assignment
as may be directed by the traditional rule and his cabinet and the village.
Political Life of the people
Politically, Ohaukwu Local Government Area is a force to
reckon with in Ebonyi State politics and Nigeria at large. The Local Government
is the home of major political leaders of the state and the nation in general.
Sons and daughters of the Ohaukwu Local Government had occupied and are still presently
occupying various enviable political positions in the state and the national
level. They are regarded as the king makers. The Local Government upon the
creation of Ebonyi state has produced the first executive governor of the state in
the person of Dr. Sam Ominyi Egwu. It is the home of the former deputy governor
of Enugu state, late Dr. Icha Ituma. Ohaukwu is the home of the current assistant
national secretary of people’s Democratic Party (PDP) Bar. Onwe S. Onwe. The home
of the member of the supreme court Barr Obande Ogbuinya and the former minister
for Education Dr. Sam O. Egwu to mention but a few. Many of the sons and daughters
are currently occupying strategic political positions in the state level e.g
Barr. Ndubuisi Chibueze Agbo the commissioner for Education.
The Local Government has a total of 15 council wards represented
by 15 councilors.
The Local Government headquarters is situated at Izhia
though the smallest in terms of population and land mass but vary prominent in
the political and economic affairs. It is made up of only two 2 political wards
out of the 15 wards but currently produces the chairman of the council. The
commissioner for education and also produce a legislator at the state house of
assembly.
3.1.6 Educational life of the people
Ohaukwu local government houses most of the
educational institutions in Ebonyi state including the Ebonyi state university,
federal government girls college Izhia, school of Health Technology Ngbo, saint
Augustines seminary Izhia (Run by Catholic), two(2) pilot schools where
students are mandated to live in the boarding house. Ohaukwu has 124 primary
school total number of pupil as at July, 2013 is 41,334 it has 29 government
owned secondary school with 15, 145 students. Total number of school children
is 56,489 with over 3,020 staff strength. Ohaukwu has many private primary and
secondary schools including Wesley secondary school Izhia (run by Methodist) Anglican
secondary school (run by Anglican) to mention but a few. Ohaukwu local
government has produced many professors and doctors that constitute bulk of the
labour force in the Ebonyi State University and other educational institutions
across the country.
Economic Viability
Though, the people of Ohaukwu local government are not
generally rich, the local government is rich in mineral deposit many chipping
wells are deposited across the local government. These laterite wells are
located at Umuagara–Izhia, Amaechi, Ukwagba and Amofia and there is also large
deposits of kaolin clays, gypsum, limestone not yet tapped. The laterite wells
are controlled by foreign companies who pay royalties to the government.
SOURCES
OF FINANCE FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
According to Oguonu (2002), the revenue flows in the
local government area are:-
1. Statutory
revenue grants through the federation account and through the state joint
account
2. Project
grants and non statutory receipts from state government agencies
3. Internally
generated revenues namely:-
i. Taxes
and rates
ii. Licenses
and fees
iii. Earnings and sales
Similarly,
Nwankwo (2002) highlighted the following
Sources of Local Government Revenues:-
1. Imposition
of community rates and poll tax on cattle, horses, dogs and other livestock’s.
2. Payment
of licenses, permits, personal identification, registration of births, marriage
and court fires
3. Payment
of urinary, toilet, motor parks, cemeteries market, halls, transport services,
agriculture farms and schools built and maintained by the local government.
4. Statutory
allocations, grants-in-aids and state governments
5. Interest
and premium accruable to local government from investment of funds in public or
private economic interest
6. Money
which may be given to local government as gifts or grants by a public or private
company and philanthropists.
7. Money
that may be granted to the local government by another or paid to a local
government by a joint board.
8. Loans
from a government, a public corporation or private financial institutions.
Also, Ezeani (2006) summarized the sources of local
government finance into two sources. The external and internal sources. The
external sources include statutory allocation, grants and loans. While the
internal sources are rates, taxes, receipts, rents, investments and money derived
from fees.
SOURCES
OF FINANCE IN OHAUKWU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
Ohaukwu Local Government has both internal and
external sources of revenue.
The Internal Sources are
1. Rent for hire of council hall
2. Payment of licenses of business
premises
3. Payments for personal identifications
4. Sale of vehicles and motorcycle
tricycle emblems
5. Tickets sales in motor parks
7. Registration of marriages
8. Registration of birth, Taxes and rates
9. Other fees such as cemetery fees
10. Returns
from agricultural investments such as veterinary farm Izhia
External Sources of Funds
1. Statutory
allocation from federal government including VAT and Excess crude funds
2. Loans from financial institutions
3. State government grants for specific projects
and rewards
Inspite of the various sources of revenue for the for
the council, Ohaukwu Local Government depend largely on statutory allocation
from the federal government. It was observed that the internal sources of
revenue were not fully annexed. There is also a lot of malpractices in tax
mobilization and generation for the council.
Furthermore it was observed that about 90% of the
local government revenue comes from statutory allocation. This accounts for the
reliance of the local government on statutory allocations for the payment of
staff salaries. The council can not generate enough revenue to pay its salaries
worst still, the state government is not remitting to the local government
their share of revenue generated from the state. Also, the state government
sometimes deducts funds from the local government joint account to fund certain
projects. These unwholesome practices reduce the local government funds and
hence impair rural development.