By Clifford Agugoesi
I begin this narrative by stating clearly that Ezerioha Road was surreptitiously renamed to Alhaji Tijani Road(and Google Maps gave in) because of the power of conspiracy narration, or what has come to be known as fake news in contemporary times. I have no issue with Google, but going forward, it is instructive the company demonstrates a high degree of introspection before settling for an enduring perspective on its now famous Google Maps! A search engine created on September 4, 1998, cannot and will not rewrite Ihiteowerri history in a hurry, no matter the input of conspiracy theorists. Never.
On reading the story credited to a hybrid medium, titled: Ochasiato Decries Negligence of Ezerioha Road, Collapsed Urasi Uzubi Bridge, published on June 24, 2025, just two months before the famous Ihiteowerri Day, my perception of the medium that did the story, as a source of real, factual and authentic information on business developments, suffered modification. And, rightly so.
My first take, after reading that story, was that it was an account largely sponsored by those bent on road infrastructure diversion for hate reasons. I am old enough, as a proud indigene of Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom, to come to this harmless conclusion. What the story spinners did not realize, was that they had played into the hands of real and or imagined detractors of the ancient kingdom. Road infrastructure diversion for hate reasons is a serious issue that can have significant impacts on communities and individuals, and how and why the hybrid medium appeared not to grasp this fact defies logic. This rejoinder is coming not because the report was highlighted with aerial sections of the completed Mgbidi-Orlu Road, because Mgbidi-Orlu Road is the authentic name of the road referenced.
Neither is it coming because “Community leaders and business owners along one of the oldest inter-local government roads from Orlu main town, the Ezerioha Road have continued to decry the negligence of the reconstruction of the road by all previous administrations including the present government of Senator Hope Uzodinma,” because this is a statement of fact.
It was this paragraph of the story that I found highly repugnant. It reads in part: “Findings … showed that the Ezerioha Road currently in bad state, traversed from Nkwito Junction in Amaifeke to Okwuabala-Ihioma, Ogberuru, Obibi, Amanator-Ihiteowerri, Isi-Ihiteowerri to Urasi Uzubi Bridge (which is currently collapsed) to Obodoukwu and Urualla in Ideato North LGA of Imo State.”
For the avoidance of doubt, Ezerioha Road, which spans a distance of about 15 kilometres, begins at Nkwoito junction, adjacent to the Nigerian Red Cross Society, and traverses Amaifeke to Okwuabala-Ihioma, Ogberuru, Obibi, Amanator-Ihiteowerri, Ihiteowerri to Ezerioha Bridge on Urasi River separating Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom from Akwa-Ihedi in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, south east, Nigeria.
The story continues: “Citizens of Ochasiato and business operators along the road say the road remains one of the busiest roads in terms of socio-economic relations between Orlu and Ideato-North LGAs of Imo State and also major parts of Anambra State communities, but due to the bad state of the road which had not been repaired for over 20 years, coupled with the collapsed connecting Isi-Ihiteowerri/Uzubi Bridge, there is no more business activities on the entire stretch.
They are therefore calling on the State Governor and Commissioner of Works to come to their aids for the revival of their socioeconomic lives in Ochasiato communities.
Only recently, communities along the stretch called on the governor for the reconstruction of the failed bridge, saying all their business activities have collapsed due to the failed Uzubi bridge connecting Ochasiato and Ideato-North communities. It would be recalls that the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma said recently on the completed Mgbidi-Orlu Road that “Whether in Orlu Zone, Okigwe Zone, or Owerri Zone, the mission of opening up Imo State for robust commercial activity is one we are pursuing with a holistic and unified approach. No part of our dear State will be left behind in this journey toward economic renewal.
“In that spirit, we have just completed the dualisation of the 13.5-kilometre Mgbidi–Omuma–Okporo Road—a key arterial route now reimagined as a modern dual carriageway. Equipped with drainage infrastructure and solar-powered street lighting, this road not only enhances vehicular mobility but also reinstates safety, visibility, and round-the-clock access.
“The result is a clear revival of commercial life along this route. Traders, transporters, and residents alike are now experiencing the economic ripple effects – new opportunities, growing markets, and a brighter outlook for local enterprise.”
In all intents and purposes, the erroneous report appears to authenticate the diversion of Ezerioha Road to Amanator, Isi-Ihiteowerri, and subsequently, to Urasi-Uzubi. Please, again, I remind the conspiracy theorists that Ezerioha Road runs from Amaifeke to the Urasi River leading to Akwa-Ihedi courtesy of Ezerioha Bridge. Urasi-Uzubi is not the same as the Urasi River separating Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom from Akwa-Ihedi. The hybrid medium’s conspiracy narrative, to say the least, is deceptive and utterly misleading. The story has thwarted the authentic road course, and whether the medium is the bona fide author of this contraption or it is the hireling of another author, I make bold at this point to reiterate the point this deception is unacceptable to now and future generations of the Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom.
Ezerioha Road History
Until 1954, when Akwa Ihedi left Orsu Alammiri, the employer of the canoe that was bringing Akwa Ihedi people for meetings at Ezerioha’s Palace or the Orsu Alammiri headquarters at Apatala, Ama Unamma, at Okwuabala-Ihioma, where Dr. Uzoma’s Hospital used to be, was pseudo-engineer Emejuru Ezenwabachiri, of blessed memory. Anyone who cares may go and verify this fact.
The gentleman who was handling transportation under the Orsu County Council was Mathias Adiruo, also of blessed memory, whose family today are in Obinugwu autonomous community, that used to be one of the three villages in old Ihiteowerri.
There is no where in Anambra Government Gazette anyone would read the name Akwa Ifedi, as typical Anambrarians(Ndi Anambra) would pronounce such names. Instead, what one would see is Akwa-Ihedi, consonant to its Orsu Alammiri origins.
I am happy the erroneous story mentioned the name-Ochasi-Ato. How did the name Ochasi-Ato come into being? One would liken it to ANIOMA in Delta State., which is not the name of a town but an acronym. Ochasi-Ato was the brainchild of an indigen of Ihiteowerri, the late Chief Mathias Obidiaso(City Father) created as a way of unifying Ogberuru, Obibi and Ihiteowerri communities then, during the First Orsu County Council elections. Although the enclave has given birth to many autonomous communities, Ochasi-Ato refuses to go, not minding the attempts but history murderers to rename it Ochasi.
I have decided not to be dropping names in this rejoinder, not out of cowardice, but because, we do not want to reopen old wounds and generate unnecessary bad blood. Suffice it to add that some influential self-acclaimed traditional rulers in Old Ihiteowerri are believed to be sponsoring these conspiracy narratives to obliterate Ezerioha Road from the World Map, including Google Map. There have been insinuations that contracts to fix Ezerioha Road in the past, awarded to the same powerful and influential politicians, by former governments in Imo State, were diverted for hate reasons. But, this can only endure when ungoldy people are in government.
Ihiteowerri people in general and Ezerioha family in particular, deserve compensation for that road. Why? Because, Igwe Ezerioha single-handedly built that road. Under normal circumstance, Ezerioha Road is supposed to be a Federal Road, because it links Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom in Imo State with Akwa-Ihedi in Anambra State. Governors Hope Odidika Uzodinma of Imo State and Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State should rise above politics and make a strong case for Ezerioha Road to be prioritized in the 2026 National Budget. Igwe Nwizu Ezerioha II, Obi XVII of Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom and Clan Head of Orsu Alammiri was commonly referred to as ‘’the strongman of the East.” Why would he suddenly be ridiculed after his manifold contributions to the stability of the former Eastern House of Chiefs and the Nigerian polity? To allow this to happen to such an iconic figure is to commit travesty of history.
One last word for Google: Send your operatives to pay a visit to Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom and get facts by yourselves and not commit travesty of history by relying on half-truths and lies, engineered by those who want to get back to Ihiteowerri people and her royalty, for real or perceived deprivations of the past. Igwe James Ujunmadu David Nwizu Ezerioha, Ezeahurunanya II, Ezerioha IV, Obi XIX of Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom and other well meaning traditional rulers and people of that enclave look forward to receiving you. Paying that visit would afford you the opportunity of correcting the infraction you may have inadvertently committed against the town and its people by surplanting Ezerioha Road with Alhaji Tijani Road, that, at best, is a distraction to the people and royalty of Ihiteowerri Ancient Kingdom, and, at worse, an insult to the people and their kingdom.
- Editor’s Note: This rebuttal benefitted immensely from the input of many kinsmen of mine including but not limited to Chief Stephen Emejuru(Ochimba).
- Agugoesi, a Lagos-based journalist and public affairs analyst, could be reached on: cliffordagugoesi@gmail.com
