The Isi-Uzo Youth Congress (IYC) says it will resist any attempt to alienate its people from their Nkanu historical origin and as part of Enugu-East Zone of Enugu State.
Mr Thankgod Ogenyi, President of IYC, an umbrella body of all youths from Isi-Uzo Local Government Area (LGA), sounded the warning at a news conference on Tuesday in Enugu.
The news conference was held after a meeting of IYC which took place in Enugu on Dec. 20.
Ogenyi said that IYC condemned what it termed recent twisting of historical facts by some youths who claimed that Isi-Uzo was not historically and genealogically from Nkanu land and not part of Enugu East Senatorial Zone.
Ogenyi asserted that the people of Isi-Uzo hailed from Nike, Ama-Nkanu and Ibegwa Nike areas, all within Nkanu land historically and with localised items and landmarks existing till today to prove that.
He said: “We are here to correct the misinformation making the rounds in the social media that Isi-Uzo people are not part of Enugu East Senatorial zone and not part of Nkanu land.
“We the youths of Isi-Uzo have come to say that Isi-Uzo as a local government area has equal rights like the other five council areas within Enugu East Senatorial Zone, which is constitutionally recognised.
“The people of Isi-Uzo are fully members of Enugu East Senatorial Zone and have equal right to contest any position within the zone like other council areas in the zone.
“We, the Isi-Uzo people, are more Nkanu by origin than any self acclaimed Nkanu person. From historical facts, we have traces of people of Isi-Uzo coming from Nike, coming from Ama-Nkanu, Ibegwa and Oba.
“Some people are out in the public distorting historical facts and evidence against our people and we will not allow that to continue.
“They have the negative intention of pushing Isi-Uzo people out of Enugu East Senatorial Zone which is wicked and ungodly.
“So, we are part and parcel of the Enugu East Senatorial Zone and from Nkanu land.
“The council area, with a very large voting population, had helped our brothers in Nkanu land to produce former Governor of Enugu State, Dr Chimaroke Nnamani; Sen. Gilbert Nnaji; Sen. Ken Nnamani, Sen. Jim Nwobodo, among others’’.
He said that anyone excluding Isi-Uzo LGA from the scheme of things in Enugu East Senatorial Zone would be doing that at his own peril and should be “warned”.
The IYC boss lauded Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his purposeful, people-oriented and youth-oriented governance in the state.
“His Excellency, Gov. Ugwuanyi, has given youths a sense of belonging and platform to excel and contribute their quota to the development of the state by appointing them to various positions to serve and learn,” he said. (NAN)
