After more than 35 yrs I found myself in the company of the numerous inhabitants of the area of the town that used and after these years still make use of
this stream in 'hard times'.In the morning; scores of youths with all sorts of carts and vehicles trooping down to all the routs of this 'poor but blessed' stream or do we call it river? mostly to fetch water.However, many also come to wash their wares and wears in any point they consider 'their lower part' of the stream. There is a standard and almost a permanent cash wash point by the left bank while heading to Awgu. There are builders and commercial water suppliers who come down with their tankers and motor pumps most of them dropped almost inside the stream emitting chocking smokes in the air and dropping petroleum in the
stream to the great dismay of the poor women and youths that come to fetch water.
There are also numerous ugwu-avia residents who dredge the stream not out of patriotism but to sell the sand to house builders; this is a new tendency
that I just discovered.
In the evening you would find people who just take a walk down there to curious around the stream. You would also find a lot of young lovers at all the
track ways that run along and around the stream areas stretching from the left bank to almost beyond the college (the secondary school)levels.
The picture that got me so alarmed was seeing couples of young boys sitting under shrubs and some 'edjokwu'; some sober moods and some in high
moods.My blood jumped as I thought from my European prejudiced culture/mind 'that GAY is alive here' and that homosexuals abound my beloved Nenwe despite the Nigerian pretense and denial of that human phenomenon , however,after some scrutiny and sniffing I came to realize that GAY was really alive there but the smoking 'GAY',IGBOO.WE-WE,OKPOKO-ENYI. These my GUYS were not (probably) GAYS but 'okpoko-enyi' smoking partners.
It might interest you to know that as reported by some of the fellows :some of the taboos and diffidence
on our Mgbowo neighbors and brothers are been broken as some beautiful youths from there also stream/stroll to the stream area to meet their counterparts or partners certainly not searching for fetch water alone anyway.After all these (social economic etc) activities around the Omoo Stream In Nenwe one question must be asked and answered:when will that stream seize to be the main source of WATER and DISEASE supplies to our people?
