THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS BY THE OVIM WOMEN

“It was on a Saturday in 1935, the day was dry and dusty by the looks of the hazy weather one could imagine it was on the December noon that the Ovim community league was formed on the outskirts of Amaokwe Obayi Ovim then called Umuekempi under the shed of the then famous uzii tree by the Ovim delegates who trekked to and fro Oghighe for the formation of a union of all the Isuikwuato people which ended in fiasco”. See the book titled “short history of Ovim Community League” by Isaac E. Duruoha 1975 at pages 56. For the records, those founding fathers of the union were Mr. D.O. Okoronkwo, Dr. E. N. Ukpabi, Mr. Pliny A. I. Egbe, Chief Oji Eberebe, Mr. H. O. Ugoji, Mr. J. C. Achara and Mr. I. E. Duruoha who are all now late.

After the formation of the Union, the aforementioned spearheaded a lot of developmental projects such as schools, roads, markets, among other things. However for purposes of this occasion, I would wish to dwell on the role our women have played and are still playing in the development of this great community called Ovum Inachi Enyi or Ovim.

Though not in order of their importance, I will first mention NDI-NNE, Ndinyom Ovum who are the mothers resident in Ovim both old and young and these women constitute the back bone of some of the projects in Ovim with the supply of labour and among them is Ndi Oje Ngwa which can simply be referred to as the women task force who maintain law and order in the community without which no development can take place.

There is also the Ovim Women Improvement Association (OWIA) which is mostly made up of married working-class literate and self-employed Ovim women. This Union has initiated and completed so many projects in Ovim some of which are found in our schools.

It is the same OWIA that took the bull by the horn by taking steps to establish a modern skills and entrepreneurship training Institute in Ovim and went further to engage a limited liability company to run the said Institute which was aborted as a result of the uncooperative attitude of the management staff of the said company notwithstanding the efforts made by the immediate past leadership of this Association then ably led by Mrs. Ihuoma Ifokwe and the current president of the Association who was then the treasurer and my humble self who was then the Association's Legal adviser and it will be worthy to mention that most of the equipment needed for the running of this great Institute which has been acclaimed to be the best in Abia State were put in place through the efforts of both the said past and present leadership now headed by the Association's indomitable president in the person of Ugoeze (lady) Victoria Chigbu who at the moment is the most visible and functional Ugoeze in the entire ovim community.

I pray that our sons and daughters who have the desire to help our teaming youth and our retired but not tired sons and daughters to engage themselves in useful businesses should see that this Institute shall not only continue to function but also shall get to its optimal capacity as the Institute was designed to accommodate all types of legitimate business ventures.

I wish to call on the new OCL president-general who has shown great desire to develop Ovum to continue to take steps to do whatever that is within his powers, using his known business acumen, to assist the OWIA as far as this project is concerned as well as in any other project(s) these our highly industrious and virtues women may wish to delve into in the near future as I sincerely welcome you all to this home coming more so having survived the deadly Covid 19 and the economic hardship that trailed it, not forgetting the cashless policy that is now staring us in the face.

Long Live OCL

Long Live OWIU

HIGH CHIEF (BARR) CHINYERE ONYEBUCHI

(Ugwumba Ovum)

Palace Secretary to

HRH Eze Obioha Nkere Ugoji (Phd) Econs.

Former National Legal Adviser/ Secretary-General Ovim Community League (OCL)