…CALLS ON OKOWA TO RESETTLE DIEBIRI PEOPLE BEFORE SETTLING OGBE-IJOH, ALADJA BOUNDARY DISPUTE

Honourable Frank Pokun is the councilor of  Diebiri ward in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State. In this interview with FRANCIS SADHERE at REFORMER office in Warri, Hon. Pokun talks about how his community was sacked by the Aladja people, how they were driven away from their ancestral home since 1995, how the Delta State Government has refused to resettle them and many other interesting stories about how their people were treated like aliens in their own country. Excerpt:

Please introduce yourself to us.

My name is Hon. Frank Pokun. I am the councilor of representing Diebiri ward in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

Hon. Frank Pokun.

Tell us why you are here today?

In May 25, 1995, Diebiri community was sacked by our neighbours, the Aladja people, in a fight that does not concern us. Their fight was between Ogbe-Ijoh, but because they felt that we are Ijaw people they decided to sack our community to spite Ogbe-Ijoh people who are also Ijaws. Since then the people of Deibiri kingdom are scattered all over the place without any hope of going back to their ancestral home. The issue is that Aladja, Ogbe-Ijoh, Diebiri and Ovwian are neighbors. The problem we have is that there was a land dispute between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja but the Diebiri people were not involved in the land dispute. But at that time, there was transfer of aggression from the Aladja people to Diebiri community. So, for the fact that the Ogbe-Ijoh people are Ijaws and Diebiri people are Ijaws too, the Aladja people who are Urhobos, felt that they can transfer their aggression on us.

Ever since the genocide, we have written several letters to successive governors and also to the present governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa without any positive action. But we were surprised to hear that he has set up a commission of inquiry to settle the land dispute between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja people. We are using this medium to appeal to the state government to first of all talk about the resettlement of Diebiri kingdom before talking about the land dispute between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja. Today, the Ogbe-Ijoh people and the Aladja people are living in their ancestral homes while we are sacked from ours.

With due respect to the state government, for the fact that some of us are in government, our people are accusing us of selling our birthright because they feel we are playing politics with the resettlement of Deibiri community and if the government does not do anything about it, they may be forced to seek self help, which I think will not be too good. Diebiri is a Clan of its own. These are people who signed a treaty with the British Government in March 30th, 1893. These are people that are recognized by the British Government. However, we have our offshoot of over 28 communities. The Batan community alone produces over 40,000 barrels of oil per day. We also have other oil producing communities in Deibiri kingdom that produce oil.

To be honest with you and with due respect to the state governor, the government is not doing anything about the issue. As I speak with now the government has not made any moves to discuss the Diebiri issue with our people with a view to resolving that matter.

Hon. Frank Pokun.

So what is going to be your next line of action?

The truth of the matter is that Diebiri situation is a sympathetic one in the sense that we have been displaced from our community for the past twenty one years. The fact is that there is a report available to us where we were told by some of our young men who went to the community that the Aladja people have already encroached on our land. So we are calling on the state government to be proactive so that this issue should not degenerate to another crisis. As I speak with you, the leadership of Diebiri kingdom has met with our people and it is becoming very difficult to control our youths because they felt that they no longer have confidence on us. They are now singing and beating the drums of war. So that is the level that the matter is going to now. So, we are calling on the state government to intervene in this matter and stop it from degenerating into a full blown crisis, considering the volatile nature of the Niger Delta region and the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.

Please tell us some of issues on ground. You people have been on exile for the past 21 years now, tell us what you have been doing all these years to address these issues.

The Diebiri people are law abiding and peace loving people. We have written several letters to successive governments to no avail. As at 1995, the then sole administrator of the state, Ibrahim Kefa attention was drawn to the incident and he paid a visit to the community. Right there and then he made a public declaration that the Delta state Government will rebuild Diebiri community. At that time too, they brought some relief material to the people of the community. After some time there was an attempt for the Diebiri people to go back to their community, but again, they were attacked. There are video clips to that effect that I can show you. After that, we have written several letters to successive state governments but they have not given us the right attention since then.

Have you tried taking the matter to the courts?

We have not because we felt that the state governor is the chief security officer of the state responsible for the safety of lives and property, according to the 1999 constitution as amended. So because of this fact, it will be very difficult for us to approach the court and get justice. Every right thinking governor ensures the safety and security of his people and it beats our imagination that that up till now nothing is been done. To us, we think that government is playing politics with this serious matter and that is why they are not paying attention to it. Come to think of it, if you have a headache and you decide to take panadol for it, you will only succeed in suppressing the headache but not what caused the headache. But if you go to the laboratory and do a test, you will get the solution to the headache and solve it permanently. That is where we find ourselves today. The Panel of inquiry set up by the state government, is just reacting to the symptoms without looking at the root cause of the problem. As I have said before, the Diebiri people are neutral and remain neutral in this crisis between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja people. It is not as if the Diebiri people were part of the land dispute, but there was a transfer of aggression from the Aladja people and we were sacked. So, the state government should first of all talk about the resettlement of the Diebiri people before talking about any panel of inquiry. Come to think of it, how could someone in an Internally Displaced Camp for the past twenty one years, come to talk about boundary adjustment with the state government? Today, one of the reasons why the panel was set up, was to discuss how to demarcate the boundary between Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja and between Warri south West and Udu local government area and all that. But in doing this they are neglecting some people who have been displaced from their ancestral home for the past 21 years. Our point is this, let the state government resettle us back to our ancestral land because it is their duty to do that. For the past one week I have been discussing with my people and there is a proper consultation on ground and if not for the leadership of Diebiri community and the call Okowa made, the youths are drumming songs of war and things would have got out of hand. I would not want the state government to see that the leadership of the Diebiri are not working. We are working and we will want the state government to play their role as well.

What is happening now is setting a very bad precedent because for the past 21 years we have been calling on the state government to come to our aid and resettle us but all to no avail. In less than three months, the state government has set up a panel of enquiry on the Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja crisis because the people took up arms. What is the message that the state government is sending to the Diebiri people? Indirectly they are telling us to go and carry arms before they will listen to us and from the look of things right now that is where we are going to. As a leader, I am a non-violence practitioner and I would not want to encourage violence. But the truth of the matter is that it is the duty of the state government to take us back to our ancestral home because it is our constitutional right. But if he is not doing this, what is he telling his citizen. He is telling them to seek self-help.

This is the third panel of enquiry that has been set up by the successive government since we were displaced – 1995, 2005 and 2016. This enquiry set up to handle the issue of Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja is like adding insults to injury because Diebiri community was not covered in the terms of reference. So what is the government telling us? Prior to the setting up of this panel of enquiry, I have written series of letters to the state governor concerning our plight. It’s annoying to see that the state government is only interested in settling the Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja people, leaving the people of Diebiri to their fate. If the panel of enquiry set up by the government had included Diebiri community, at least we will say the government is a bit sincere. But in this case they are telling us out rightly that the people of Diebiri should get violent. I am a sitting councilor and like I said early, I am not encouraging violence, but the truth of the matter is that when a man is pushed to the wall he will be forced to fight back. As I speak to you right now the Diebiri people are like dead people and even our ancestors are not happy with us. Diebiri community is a community that signed a treaty with the British government and recognized by the British government. Diebiri is a city state. We have our own territory that we do control even before the name Nigeria came to be. The whole thing is embarrassing because right now our children are asking us questions. They are asking us where Diebiri community is located and we cannot show them our land because of what the government is doing to us today. What the state government failed to know, is though they might have their military might and the Aladja people may find themselves in government and all that, one day our children will rise up and fight for their land. And what do you think will happen when that time comes? The government is only concerned about the oil that is flowing from our community and nothing else. We are contributing immensely to the economy of the country. Diebiri community has over 34 oil wells and we produce over 40,000 barrels of oil per day. We have over seven communities that produce oil. The Batan people alone provide over 40,000 barrels of oil per day. We have other communities who are producing oil as well.

There was an incident that took place in 2009. There was a pipeline vandalism in Batan field. The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan invited us to a security meeting asking us to provide those that committed the crime. Right there and then, we asked him if we were the ones responsible for protecting the pipelines. Why are you so interested in this oil? We have been sacked for the past twenty one years and the government is not doing anything about it but when you hear that one pipeline vandalism is taking place somewhere you will now invite us to produce the people that committed the crime. Is it our duty to protect the pipelines? It is like the Federal and state governments are only interested in our oil and nothing else. When it comes to oil issues they will respond in less than 24 hours with a quick respond. But they are not interested in the displacement of their citizens. I do not think this is what they practice in US, UK, and other parts of the world. Let me tell you the reason why we refused to carry up arms to fight our course. We refused to take up arms against the government because at the end of the day we are still going to sit in a round table to discuss the issue. Martin Lurther Kings said, attack the forces of evil and not the person doing evil. If at the long run we decide to take up arms, we are doing that because the government has failed to do what they are supposed to do. So we want the government to be proactive and come up with permanent solutions to this issue so as to avoid any break down of law and order.

Let the government come and rebuild our community. Let him call for an emergency meeting to meet with the leaders of Diebiri and think of how we will be resettled. As I speak to you, the land in questioned has been already been encroached on by the Aladja people. Do you want us to fold our arms and keep quiet? We are not going to end this matter here, if the state government refused to do something. We will take up the matter to the Federal Government. If the Federal Government refused to act, we will take the matter to the International Community because what happened in 1995 was pure genocide and an ethnic cleansing. This is the area we want the government to look at. If the Aladja people can do this to us and go scot free, then tomorrow another set of people will do the same thing and this will not be too good for our democracy. It will get to a point where we will take the state government to court because we will accuse the state government of working with the Aladja people to eliminate us. We are convinced that the present day government is working with them, with due respect to the state government. We believe that maybe it’s because they have a lot of people in government that is why the government is treating this matter the way it is treating it today. But let me tell you something, in Martin Luther King six principles, he said the universe is on the side of justice. The fact is that truth will always remain truth. If you like bury in the ground or throw it in the sea, one day it will come out. So we are calling on the state government to do the needful before this thing degenerates to a full blown crisis.

Thank you.