Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, SSG of Delta State (m), Hon. Charlie Etseaghara, Warri South Chairman (left) and ACP Mohammed Mu’azu, Warri Area Commander, during the interactive session.

By Francis Sadhere

Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okow has promised to create the enabling environment for business to strive in the state, calling on investors who have left the state to come back.

Secretary to the Delta State Government, Hon. Ovie Agas gave this assurance in Warri yesterday during an interactive session with various parties involved in the age long dispute between Ogbe-Ijoh Warri kingdom and Agbarha Warri Kingdom over ownership tussle of the Ogbe-Ijoh Market.

Agas, who represented the Governor Okowa assured the warring parties that the state government was doing everything within its powers to ensure that private individuals are provided with the right environment to do business as government alone cannot give everybody jobs.

Governor Okowa therefore urged the various parties involved in the Ogbe-Ijoh market crisis to sheath their sword and embrace peace.

Agas disclosed that the state government will ensure the speedy completion of the market and take necessary steps to secure lives and property in the market.

Our correspondent reports that Hon. Agas and the Warri Area Commander, ACP Muhammed Mu’azu presided over the interactive session which was attended by various stakeholders in the market.

One after the other representatives of the Ogbe-Ijoh Warri kingdom, Agbarha Warri Kingdom and some traders in the market spoke on the remote and immediate causes of the recent security breach in the market.

After carefully listening to all sides, the SSG urged them to shun all forms of violence and toe the line of peace.

On the ownership tussle of the land, Agas pointed out that according to the 1978 Land Use Act, all land in the state belong to government, adding that the land in question belonged to the government and therefore sees no reason why they should be fighting over the land.

As a temporary solution to the crisis, the SSG ordered all parties involved in the crisis to stop further erection of any temporary or permanent structure in the market until state government take a decision on what to do.

Hon. Agas also directed that all forms of levies collected in the market should be stopped until government takes a permanent position on the matter.

He enjoined all parties to the dispute to maintain peace and abide by the memorandum of understanding earlier signed at the Warri, Area Commander’s Office.