The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Delta

  • ‘Delta oil-bearing communities unhappy with Okowa over DESOPADEC’

    ‘Delta oil-bearing communities unhappy with Okowa over DESOPADEC’

    Sandys Omadeli-Uvwoh is a member of the EPZ committee which is to oversee peace process in the Deep Sea Project in the disputed land between the Itsekiris and the Ijaws in Delta State. In this interview with reporters in Benin City, Sandys said the fracas over the naming of the project was unnecessary. Osagie Otabor was there  

    You are a member of the EPZ committee. The siting of the project has been a source of problem between the Itsekiris and the Ijaws. Why has it been so?

    It was not properly managed. That shouldn’t have brought any disagreement between the Itsekiris and the Ijaws because there has been a land case for the past 39 years. The case was started in 1976 and the Ugborodo won. When the Ijaws went on appeal, the appeal court reversed the case to the lower court and the Ugborodo went to the Supreme Court. Right from when the first judgment was delivered, there was no crisis over the land. We maintained the peace. Now that the EPZ project is sited there, what would have happened is to determine how to manage the economic gains. It is a question of coming together on how to manage the project. Based on the lower court judgment, Ugborodo people are the landlord while the other people are customary tenants. Whichever way, we are all impacted as far the project is concern. That should not have brought up drums of war. The problem is not the land, it is how each ethnic group will benefit from the economic gains They are already doing the clearing. Itsekiris are doing their part of the clearing while the Ijaws are doing theirs. There is no fight.

    EPZ issue was one of the problems of Jonathan’s administration based on which community it should be named after. What is your stand?

    I didn’t see it as a problem but rather they brought in ethnicity. If Jonathan’s administration was serious, what they should have done is to look at the legality of the whole issue. We went to court in 1976 over this land. If this issue has been on for over 39 years and there was no fight, it shows you that the problem is not the land but the major issue bringing uprising is the financial benefits in terms of employment, contracts and other benefits. The Itsekiris and the Ijaws should reach sharing formula with other impacted communities so that everybody will benefit from it so that peace will be maintained.

    Ayiri recently secure a court injunction which some Ugborodo chieftains saw as a hindrance to peace process…

    I don’t see Ayiri as a troublemaker the way he is being painted. Ayiri’s stand is that Ugborodo people own the land. The matter is in court. Ayiri’s position is that it should not be named Gbaramatu in the first place. He has been against it. He has been publishing articles in favor of Ugborodo. When they were signing the memorandum for understanding, he said he was not part of it and that he would go to court.

    He has every right to go to court. He is an interested party. I supported his court processes. Ayiri is stopping the naming of the Deep Seaport after any community until the Supreme Court decides on who owns the land. He has gotten ruling from the lower court and that should not cause any problem because the ruling was not in favour of any of the parties involved. My Ijaw brothers should wait for the Supreme Court decision and for now let us think of how to make the environment peaceful for the investor and the government will have confidence in all the parties.

    Do you think going to court will solve the problem?

    Ayiri did not sue the Gbaramatu people. He sued the Federal Government and all the agencies surrounding the EPZ to stop them from naming the project after any community to avert chaos. Anybody going to court wants peace and is a law abiding citizen.

      A spokesman for the Ijaws said the naming of the project has been concluded. 

    It has not been concluded. The Ugborodo people have not said they are not the owner of the land while the Ijaws are saying they are the owner.  If Ayiri had said the Ijaws should not be given anything, that is when I think it would bring problem.

    What is the way forward as the Ijaws and Itsekiris have always fought wars? Will this not bring another war?

    I will not go to war when I know that I am the legitimate owner of the property and also when the matter is in court. I do not think this will bring war. The case in hand is like the biblical case solved by King Solomon over the ownership of a child. If the Ijaw believes that they own the land, they should wait for the Supreme Court to decide.  The suggestion is that there should be a broad interface committee that embraces all stakeholders whether you are landlord or customary tenants. The immediate issue is surface benefit of what is on ground. It can be settled by both parties reaching a compromised. They should use the formula used for bush clearing to determine other benefits until Supreme Court determines the owner of the land. They are doing clearing there and nobody is fighting each other.

    Chairman of the EPZ committee has taken a decision on the issue. Why are you opposing him?

    I am not opposing him but I am entitled to my opinion based on my experience and my age. The issue on ground is not about being educated with many degrees. When Ayiri was writing and putting paid advert, nobody called him to order. Now that he has gone to court, they are making noise over it. In law, you don’t sleep over your rights because he wants peace. He has done the right thing as a civilized Itsekiris man by going to court instead of going to war as a committed patriotic son of Ugborodo. And he is taking after his maternal great grandfather, Olueh, who stood against late Chief Dore Numa over Ugborodo land. Any committed patriotic sons of Ugborodo should be proud of Chief Ayiri. That last meeting we held over this issue, Ayiri was invited and when he stated his own side of the story, he said he would consult his lawyers. The chairman was in court the day the injunction was granted that the place should not be named after any community. When you look at Ayiri’s case, nothing has been done. If the Supreme Court decides to rule in favour of Ugborodo, will the chairman now say sorry, the place has been named after Gbaramatu or the ruling of the Supreme Court has no value because an agreement has been reached? Nobody should bring sentiments. The matter is in court and nobody should beat drums of war. The Itsekiris/Ijaw crisis was not based on ownership of land. The origin of that crisis started with bunkering. It was bunkering that sparked the war before local government issue came up. The whole fighting was based on bunkering.

    An Ijaw chieftain has said that the present DESOPADEC bill presented by Okowa will created crisis among oil producing communities.

    Okrika is a friend and I have regard for him. Even if what Okrika is trying to say is right but he should not be the one because he started the illegality as pioneer chairman of DESOPADEC that Okowa is trying to legalize. He aided them because he was a pioneer chairman of DESOPADEC. I was a member of the host communities who fought for the establishment of DESOPADEC. We made Okrika our leader. Every ethnic nationality contributed to press for the 13 percent. The purpose is to douse tension in the oil communities. What Obasanjo agreed was for each oil producing community to get according to what is produced from their areas. This was to enable the communities protect their areas. That will put the communities to check pipeline vandalisation and bunkering. We felt we must be the ones to be appointed. We asked Okrika to be the chairman and he instead abandoned us and connived with the government to do what Okowa is trying to legalize. For Okirika to be shouting now means he is seeking relevance. He wants the government to negotiate with him. He is not shouting on behalf of the oil producing communities.

      How would the change in the bill bring about crisis?

    What Uduaghan tried to do was in line with the original concept which was for each ethnic nationality to have their person. People felt Uduaghan did not attempt to effect the changes during his eight years in office and wanted to bring it in in the dying days of his administration. Right now, what Okowa is trying to do is to legalize the illegalities they have been practicing. Okrika started the illegality. As far as I am concern, we will go to court. We are not going to fight. If they pass the law and it is not okay with the people, we will fight it in court.

    Are the Itsekiris okay with the bill as proposed?

    Not at all; unless you are not from oil producing areas. If the bill is passed, DESOPADEC will become government agency that takes care of every part of the state and no longer that of the oil producing communities. Okowa can decide to use 60 percent of the money to develop any area he likes. The bill is anti-oil producing communities. They should not pass that bill. All the oil producing communities in the country should come together and take RMFC to court or a commission should be set up for the oil producing communities. They should demand that the 13 percent should be given to the host communities directly and not through the State Governments. House of Assembly members from oil producing communities should not pass that bill. By doing that, the government should ask those oil companies whom they acquired land from in 1970 before the Warri crisis.

     

  • Ahead of National Sports Festival: RIVERS, DELTA, OTHERS SWOOP ON BAYELSA ATHLETES

    Ahead of National Sports Festival: RIVERS, DELTA, OTHERS SWOOP ON BAYELSA ATHLETES

    There are strong indications that about 85 per cent of Bayelsa State’s active athletes are on the verge of dumping the  Sports Council to other states in the Niger Delta region following years of neglect.

    The athletes are under intense pressure with to port to mouth-watering Rivers , Delta, Lagos and Oyo states.

    Chairman of Bayelsa State Sports Council Coaches Association, Augustine Odumo raised the alarm, saying, the trend where athletes are lost to other states is a major reason Bayelsa State has been lagging behind at national sports festivals. The state has struggled to maintain or slump from the medals table.

    “We have also found ourselves wanting in the traditional sport where there has been comparative advantage,” Odumo said.

    “The coaches association said the only option to arresting the embarrassing situation is to set up a ‘Technical Committee’ to ascertain the 484 athletes and place them accordingly in order of merit in the contract employment of the council.

    “They are also recommending the review of the staff strength of the sports council and replace those that have retired or disengaged from service with most of the performing athletes.

    The coaches fear that if the 484 athletes are snatched, the sports council would be affected drastically . They noted that the drafting of the Supervising Commissioner for Sports Development,  Collins Cocodia to sanitise the sports industry was timely.

  • Two policemen injured in Delta NURTW crisis

    … 44 suspects arrested

    Two policemen have been injured following the mayhem that trailed change of leadership by the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Uwvie Chapter in Delta State,
    The State Police Public Relations Officer DSP Tina Kalu in statement made available to The Nation on Saturday said the violence which characterised the emergence of Ariyor Francis as Chairman informed the deployment of policemen to the area.
    Kalu said a police team was mobilized to the scene but was attacked by protesters at Jakpa junction leading to the shooting of an Assistant Superintendent of police (ASP) in the buttocks.
    Part of the statement reads, ‘ On 29/7/2015 at about 0700hr, the Area Commander, Warri received information that following the change of leadership by the National Union of Road Transport workers Union (NURTW) Uvwie chapter, leading to the emergence of one Ariyor Francis ‘m’ as chairman, pockets of violent protests erupted in the area.
    ” Based on the report, patrol teams were quickly mobilized to the scene, and at Jakpa junction, the protesters shot at the policemen, as a result of which an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) was hit on his buttocks by a bullet from one of the protesters. The victim was rushed to central Hospital Warri for treatment. ” Later, the police re-enforced and trailed the protesters to Agofure Motor Park on NPA –DSC express way Warri where the said protesters had gathered to cause more crisis and destruction and arrested forty-four (44) male suspects. Some of the protesters also on the same date at about 1140hrs attacked policemen on duty at Dofect motor park Effurun, shooting sporadically into the air and in the process, a police sergeant was hit by stray bullet on his right elbow. The injured policeman was rushed to Nigeria Navy Hospital Effurun for treatment.”
    Kalu said the team following reinforcement trailed the protesters to Agofure Motors along NPA-DSC expressway where they had gathered to cause more crisis.
    The police image maker said some of the protesters on the same date attacked another policeman in Effurun on guard duty at Dofecgt Motors sustaining gunshot injuries in his right elbow.
    Kalu said normalcy has been restored.
    The police, she said, arrested forty four protesters were arrested in connection with the violence.
    Kalu said the injured policemen have been rushed to Warri Central Hospital and Nigeria Navy Hospital respectively.
    She warned members of the public to respect the laws of the land and refrain from taking laws into their hands

  • Suspected pipeline vandals nabbed in Delta

    The Ughelli Pipeline Surveillance Vigilante team in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State have arrested three suspected vandals in connection with oil pipeline explosion at Ighwrenene community.

    The ring leader is still at large. A source, who spoke with our reporter on the ground of anonymity, said after the arrest of the suspects, they were handed over to the Joint Task Force, JTF, 222 Battalion, Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli.

    The source added that  one of the suspects confessed to the crime and gave useful information.

    It was gathered that the suspects were apprehended at Affiesere community in the early hours of last Thursday by after an ambush was laid for them.

    All efforts made to get the reaction of the Commanding Officer of the 222 Battalion, Agbarha-Otor, Lt. Col. Mathew Oyekola failed.

  • Delta targets 50,000 jobs in four years

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has set a 50,000 direct jobs milestone for his administration in the next four years.

    Okowa, according to a statement by his media team, said he aims to achieve the lofty targets through its  empowerment programmes, tagged ‘Prosperity for all Deltans’.

    The governor spoke on Tuesday when the National Working Committee of the PDP in the Southsouth led by its Chairman, Dr Cairo Ojougboh paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Asaba.

  • Delta poll: ‘INEC frustrating inspection’

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Sapele in the Delta State House of Assembly,  Felix Anirah, has said Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials ara frustrating the inspection of electoral materials.

    The APC candidate sued the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and Speaker of the House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya, at the Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the state capital.

    He is challenging the declaration of Igbuya as the winner of the election.

    The tribunal Chairman,  Justice A.  A.  I.  Banjoko, granted an order on July 8, for a joint inspection of the ballot boxes and ballot papers used in the ward/polling units in the  constituency.

    The court directed a recount of the votes of the first petitioner/applicant and the first defendant/respondent, following a motion on notice filed by the counsel to the petitioner, Ikhide Ehighelua, on July 6.

    Addressing reporters at the INEC office in Sapele, counsel to the petitioner, represented by Bukola Asema, frowned at the attempt by an INEC official to frustrate the petitioners’ right to inspect the electoral materials, as ordered by the court.

    She said: “We all agreed to meet here at INEC office in Sapele by 9am this morning (yesterday). However, we have been waiting since. Now, it is 3pm and the EO is yet to come. This is a clear case of breach of the court’s order, which directed that all the parties should be in INEC office by 9am on July 21 and 22 for a joint inspection.”

  • ‘Multinationals must have HQ in Delta’

    The Delta State Government has said it will ensure that multinationals operating in the state no longer take their headquarters to other states.

    The government said it premised its plan on the need for such big companies to create more jobs for youths and ensure that the residents and the government reap full economic benefits from such companies.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Community Development, Eric Omare, spoke yesterday in Bomadi, Bomadi Local Government Area, on the government’s plan to empower youths.

    The governor’s aide said the Ifeanyi Okowa administration would encourage entrepreneurship among the residents, especially the youth.

    Omare, who is also the spokesman of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), noted that although past administrations might not have examined how companies operating the state ran their offices, it would no longer be business as usual for those with headquarters outside their areas of operation.

    He said the new government’s policy is aimed at fostering a bond between the companies and their host communities.

    Omare urged the youth in the host communities to key into the empowerment programmes of the Okowa administration.

    He said: “The state government is embarking on raising entrepreneurs and ensuring a conducive environment for companies to operate. I urge you to key into the empowerment programmes of the state government.”

    A former militant leader, Mr. Francis Muturu (aka General Aboy) and the chairman of Bomadi community, Stephen Muturu, described Okowa as a lover of the Ijaw.

    They pledged their support for his administration.

     

  • Bomb scare in Delta

    There was pandemonium during the weekend in Asaba, Delta State following the discovery of an object suspected to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the entrance of the country home of a top management staff of the Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR), Mr Anthony Konwea.

    The object which was discovered at about 6.30pm on Saturday, was a parcel in paper wrappings held together by a blue-strip men’s tie. It also had some electrical connections.

    The discovery caused fear among the residents of the area who maintained a safe distance from it until was detonated.
    But Delta State Police Command spokesman, Celestina Kalu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police dismissed the claim that the object was an IED, noting that the strange object was “just a trash tied in a black polytene bag’.

    She said people have become more alert about strange objects around their neighborhoods, following series of security tips by the police.

  • Delta to recover govt vehicles from ex-officials Delta to recover govt vehicles from ex-officials

    Delta State Transport Commissioner Vincent Uduaghan yesterday pledged to recover government vehicles from former political office holders and their cronies.

    The commissioner alleged that some of the vehicles had either had their number plates changed or their engine numbers tampered with.

    He said the Ifeanyi Okowa administration would bring sanity to governance.

    Uduaghan expressed his readiness to reactivate the State Urban Mass Transit Scheme, in line with the government’s policy on transportation.

    He said: “Immediate steps must be taken to address all issues affecting the scheme.”

    The commissioner, who inspected government buses, heavy duty trucks and towing vans bought by the previous administration, noted that it was sad that the vehicles were not functional.

    According to him, for the Okowa administration to make impact in the Transport sector, certain steps would be taken to address the setbacks in the system for the improvement of the scheme and benefit of Deltans.

    Uduaghan said most of the operators of the scheme were not keeping to the contractual agreement they signed with the government.

    The commissioner noted that their attitude would not be allowed to continue, to save the scheme and boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    He frowned at the traffic situation in urban areas, adding that it emanated from indiscipline among road users.

  • APC: Okowa part of Delta financial crisis

    APC: Okowa part of Delta financial crisis

    The governor of Delta state, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, was very much a very important part of the system that had in the last 16 years worked to put the state in the path of its current economic crisis, the All Progressives’ Party (APC) has alleged.

    The APC, in a statement issued by its Media Adviser in Delta state, Dr Martins Mukoro, warned the people of the state not to get carried away by the governor’s recent alarm over the huge indebtedness currently borne by the state, describing it as mere “playing to the gallery”.

    The party described as embarrassing and an  insult to the sensibility of Deltans , Dr Okowa’s attempt to ‘shed crocodile tears’ over the huge debt profile of the state  totalling over 600 billion naira, which his  predecessor left behind.

    According to the party, Okowa was merely setting the stage by crying wolf to divert attention and in order to lay the foundation for him to go borrowing more money, thereby plunging the state into a deeper financial disaster.

    The APC recalled having earlier forewarned Deltans, during the  campaigns,  that Okowa represents NO CHANGE but more of the SAME of PDP’s 16 years of mis- rule.

    “From Gov Okowa’s days as Commissioner, multiple times under Gov Ibori to his days as the Secretary to the  Government under Gov Uduaghan  that accumulated these debts , he has no moral excuse to attempt to distance himself as if he was an onlooker or bystander while the  state was being wrecked!

    “Okowa was not an on- looker but a key participant and a major co-conspirator in wrecking the finances and Economy of Delta State and he is in no position to rescue Delta from the mess created by him and the past Pdp Administrations.

    “If indeed Gov Okowa insist he has been an on-looker and truly expect deltans to believe he was not party to the financial rot, let him immediately and urgently institute a panel to probe the huge debt overhang in order to unearth how it was accumulated and who were the beneficiaries of the massive plundering of our commonwealth! Until then, Gov Okowa can’t pull wool over our eyes”, the statement added.

    The party urged all Deltans to brace up for the change that has been delayed and be ready to  seize the opportunity of the expected re-run that may soon be ordered by the ongoing elections tribunal to support the APC at all levels to effect the desired change that will bring relief,  a breath of fresh air and freedom from a political dynasty of corruption in Delta State, the statement ended.