By the Bank of Nworie
April 1, 2008 by 
Che Oyimnatumba
Written By Che Oyinatumba
She was the source of life in Owerri. Quenching the thirst and caressing the weary body of the countless visitors. She was the source of pride to the indigenes. Last time I visited her, she was dead. I stood at her bank, afraid to step in and take a deserved cleansing after my long sojourn. Nworie, is the most popular stream in Owerri. I hope Otamiri, will agree.
A visit to the Egbeada Estate end of Nworie, will give you a bird view of the environmental state of Imo State, whose governor, Chief Ikedi Ohakim, won Thisday Newspaper’s 2008 best governor in the environment category award. I read of the award and questioned the award and reception of 2008 award in the heart of 2008, more also most of the governor awardees are facing election tribunals over their questionable victories.
Apart from a section of Nworie where Inaga (commercial motor bike) and cars have turned into a washing garage, nothing flows. The other end has a big pipe belching industrial waste into the stream. This pipe comes from Industrial Estate a few kilometres away on Owerri –Onitsha road running through the Assemblies of God, Anglican and Deeper Life Churches. The most productive industry in this industrial estate is Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), producers of Coca-cola. Attempt to get a staff of NBC to comment on their means of waste disposal met brick wall.
Another part of Nworie that suffers untold hardship is the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) through Holy Ghost Secondary School to Fuwason at Hospital/Orlu Road Junction. This stretch of Nworie, is full of weed and snakes slowly in her quest to find Imo River and finally Atlantic Occasion. The water used for washing corpse at FMC and other embalmment chemicals are washed into Nworie. The dead Fuwason while at its peak of production contributed to the death of Nwaorie. Another sorry site is at the Umezurike end of Nworie, especially by the entrance to Friend of Jesus Global Mission. Despite the culvert painted green and white, the putrefying aroma oozing out, is enough to equip a chemical war head.
Most of the gutters in Owerri metropolis terminate at Nworie. A few finds its way to Otamiri on Owerri-Aba Road. These gutters are no longer flowing. From Fire Service through Wetheral to Okigwe Road; Douglas by Mbise Road; Bank Road to Modotel Hotel ( entrance to Government House by NTA-Library and the other end Garden Park );Ajoku by Old Stadium turning left towards Ama JK and the tributary streets in Owerri nchi ise, the sorry state of the pure water and refuse filled gutters are the same. Even the high-brawl Ikenegbu, Aladinma and Works layout are not better off. They are stagnant with greenish water, breeding nothing but mosquitoes and constituting health hazard to the people of Imo state.
An inaga rider I engaged in a chat, whimsically said that since the governor is painting Owerri green and white, the gutters didn’t want to be left out. Hence algae and bacterium are having a field day, making mess of the Clean and Green revolution of the new face of Imo. The proponent of this concept, should look beyond the face of Imo and stare at her feet, maybe they will discover the vectors that are rubbishing the face. A beautiful face with leprous feet is still an outcast in the comity of beauty pageant.
The government should dredge Nworie. In the 80s and early 90s, this stream was a refreshing source of drinking water and a recreation centre. The dredging of Nworie, will arrest the perennial scarcity of water in Owerri. It will also reposition Imo as a destination spot for tourists and provide relaxation spots for the customers of the teeming hotels mushrooming everywhere in Owerri. A dredged Nworie, will allow the gutters to flow freely and stop flooding of the town. The little showers of the past week buttress this, as Hospital/Orlu Road junction was impassable, despite it being a few yards to Nworie. Need I to remind his Excellency that a clean environment is a panacea to a healthy citizenry?
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