By Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba
Delta State governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring peace returns to warring communities in the state.
Okowa gave the assurance while receiving the report of the Judicial Panel of Enquiry into the disputed Okpe-Urhobo Forest Reserve from the Chairman of the Panel, Justice Tessy Diai, in Asaba.
He urged communities with land disputes to exercise restraint in their disagreements “as once lives are lost, they can’t be recovered”.
He said the government could only carry out development programmes when communities were peaceful.
The governor thanked the chairman and members of the panel for the great job they did and assured that the state government would study the report with a view to implementing the recommendations made by the panel.
“We must thank God for this day and we are glad that you finished your work and you did a very thorough job.
“Right from the beginning when the panel was constituted, we were sure that we had men with proven integrity in the panel.
“We are glad that you gave room to all manner and shades of opinion and that you also conducted public hearings.
“We are glad that a proper survey has been done because what we had before cannot truly be said to be a proper survey.
“We reassure you that as a government we will study the report very quickly and put the recommendations to use.
“We are confident in your recommendations and actions will be taken based on the findings of your recommendations as a panel.
“I thank the communities for allowing peace to reign during the period of the enquiry and I appeal to all warring parties to allow peace to reign as we study the report,” he said.
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