Prolonged communal clashes between the Itsekiri people of Ogidigben, Warri South Local Government area in Delta State and the Ijaw of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region is said to be responsible for
the inability of the Federal Government to commence work on the Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP)The $16 billion GRIP project is known to be one of the largest Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in West Africa. The project which is situated in Ogidigben in Delta State is sitting on 2,560 hectares of land.
The government has over the years had difficulty in addressing the communal dispute between the Itsekiri of Delta State and the Ijaw militants mostly of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Bayelsa State to commence building of the project as the two ethnic groups equally lay claims of ownership to the piece of land allocated for the project.
For the second time, completed arrangement for the ground breaking ceremony of the GRIP
was botched at the last minute.
Few week ago, the rescheduled date for the ceremony which was billed to take place on November 14 was again cancelled abruptly, raising more anxiety, confusion and frustration from the major stakeholders who are mostly International Oil Companies (IOCs) on whether the project would commence at all.
Aside the growing concern of the participating companies, is the tension the postponements have caused among the warring groups.
A terse statement issued in Abuja on November 13 and signed by Dr. Jamila Shu’ara the Permanent Secretary of Petroleum Resources Ministry, noted that the minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke explained that the decision to cancel the event was taken after consultations with the Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.
The reason for the cancellation was ‘unresolved disputes among host communities.’
As expected, he promised that a new date would be communicated to investors and the public as soon as possible.
But the new twist into the crises that emerged is the ultimatum given by the Itsekiri leaders on President Goodluck Jonathan and the Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to resign their positions as President of the Nigeria and governor of the state respectively for their inability to address the rift between the communities and stop the Ijaw ex militant and warlord ‘Tompolo’ from threatening to scuttle government’s efforts to commence the project as scheduled.
The Itsekiri in a statement issued on Friday November 14, the date slated for the project after awaiting in vain demanded the resignation of President Jonathan and Governor Uduaghan for their inability to curtail “rampaging ex-militants” who seized the Delta waterways and prevented the much-awaited ground breaking.
The Ijaw leader, Pa J.O.S. Ayomike according to reports insisted that: “It is the responsibility of every sitting president and governor to ensure that they are not cowed by threats; otherwise all manner of groups will rise to overpower the government and if President Jonathan couldn’t curtail the ex-militants whom they claimed the president had spent billions of public fund in rehabilitating, then he is not fit to rule Nigeria because, he is easily frightened by a “threat from Tompolo.”
Historically ours
Giving details of where Ogidigben is situated in the EPZ map, Itsekiri leaders said that the closest Ijaw enclave which lies to the south is Yokiri and it is about 14km from Ogidigben, adding that the only town which lies to the North of Ogidigben is Kpokpo.
“Between Kpokpo and Ogidigben are other Itsekiri villages like Madangho, Ajudaigbo and others. It is this Kpokpo that even has no geographical contiguity with Ogidigben that the Ijaw of Gbaramatu are using as bridge-head to lay claim of ownership to certain parcel of land earmarked for the EPZ just as the Ijaw of Ogulagha are using Yokiri too,” they said.
Citing a court judgement on the ownership of Kpokpo, the Itsekiri leader said that Kpokpo is an Itsekiri settlement owned by the Ugborodo community and its ownership has been settled judicially in suit Nos MCC/4/71: Godspower Okoturoh (of Ugborodo) Vs Ogbaburo (of Ijaw) and MCC/37/71: Godspower Okoturoh (of Ugborodo) Vs Burutu (Ijaw) as belonging to the Ugborodo people.
The Itsekiri leader stated that the Ijaw of Gbaramatu, wholly live on lands owned by the Itsekiri people of Omadino and Ugborodo communities as customary tenants as pronounced over the years by a competent court.
They affirmed that “Okerenghigho” (now called “Okerenkoko” by the Ijaw) on which the Marine Dockyard and the Maritime University is built is on Omadino (Itsekiri) land.
According to him, if a President keeps on succumbing to threats by his own people and he cannot curtail them, then he has goofed and should resign as it is done elsewhere in the world,” Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, a formidable group of national and Diaspora groups of Itsekiri leaders said in a statement.
Governor Uduaghan is from the Itsekiri tribe, while President Jonathan is an Ijaw from Bayelsa State, the only 100% Ijaw State in Nigeria.
Specifically, the leaders said that Ijaw ex-militants have demystified Governor Uduaghan who, according to them, had boasted in the media that no one can stop the President’s scheduled flag-off of the multibillion dollar project.
The leaders said that they are surprised over the failure of President Jonathan to handle the ground breaking due to the threat from Ijaw militants mostly of Gbaramatu Kingdom.
Rising from its emergency meeting, the group headed by Ayomike, a historian, said it is unfortunate that Jonathan didn’t heed their warning to ignore “baseless” threats of war, rather, he “pitched his tent with his Ijaw warlords and did the wrong thing.”
In a statement the Itsekiri leaders said the Itsekiri people, Nigerians and indeed the world now know that President Jonathan is pursuing an Ijaw agenda.
“This agenda is to exterminate the Itsekiri in their God-given land but we will resist it and we will never be intimidated by threats of war and genocide against our people .
“We have repeatedly called on our Ijaw brothers, including President Jonathan, to build bridges across ethnic divides not only in the Niger Delta but in Nigeria. But alas, he has by this action joined the Ijaw militants in building fences among the ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta and Nigeria. And time will tell the outcome,” the statement said.
According to Pa Ayomike, “Itsekiri as a nation is protected by the British crown, and so we will go to the international court and push for secession.”
Intimidated president
He said “Jonathan has been intimidated by the “militants” and he is dancing to their tunes; that’s why the flag-off was stalled otherwise the Ijaws have no basis for this agitation.
To further buttress their point, they cited the case of 1962 where the Itsekiri people of Omadino in suit No. W/30/1962: Chief E.E Sillo & 2 Ors Vs James Uluba & 2 Ors sued for possession of title to Okerenghigho, rents and injunction and judgement delivered on October 3, 1969 which was in favour of Itsekiri people of Omadino.
They also held that Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom and Tompolo’s abode, is in Ugborodo (Itsekiri land). According to them, the Ijaw settled there with the permission of the Itsekiri people of Ugborodo citing the case in suit No. W/124/76: Babine Ereku & 3 Ors (members of Ugborodo) Vs Osuke Akonu & Ors, adding however that they are surprised at how a customary tenant overnight turned around and began to lay claim to the land of his landlord
Jonathan is fair
President Jonathan had on Monday, November 17 noted with regret the unneccessary controversy and acrimony trailing the postponement of the ground-breaking ceremony for the Gas Revolution Industrial Park at Ogidigben in the Warri South West Local Government Area which would lead to attack on his person and the office he occupies.
Jonathan in statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said: “President Jonathan is deeply saddened by the very unjust, uncharitable and unwarranted accusations of nepotism and partisanship that have been made against him in the wake of the postponement.”
Abati maintained that “the president is particularly dismayed by the unseemly resort to the abusive denigration of his personal integrity and the whipping up of divisive ethnic sentiments by parties to the totally needless communal disagreement that resulted in the decision to reschedule the ground-breaking event.”
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