URHOBO YOUTHS CALLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF REPORT ON OGBE-IJOH/ALADJA CRISIS
NELSON AGBAJOR/OKIES VEEKY
Delta State Government has been called upon to implement the report of the Panel of Enquiry on the disputed land issue between Aladja, Udu Local Government Atea and Ogbe-Ijoh, Warri South-West Local Government Area to bring the age-long lingering crisis to an end.
This call was made by Mr. Louis Anidi and Com. Kelly Umukoro president and secretary respectively of Youth wing of the Urhobo Progress Union, they expressed strong hope that if Dr. Okowa implements the report, it would bring the incessant crises that have claimed several lives to an end.
According to them, “we use this opportunity to advise the government to do the needful because they know the truth, they have gone to the Nigerian Boundary Commission and what is left now is to implement the panel’s report.”
They added, “we are a peace-loving people, you remember sometime ago, we gave Ijaw people a 21-day ultimatum to leave our area, but Ijaw Youth Council( IYC) waded in, we met and had a discussion. That ultimatum was called off. Urhobo youths want peace, we are accommodating, but we won’t be fooled this time around to allow anybody play politics with the issue.“
They noted that they are using this opportunity to advise the Delta State Government to take bold and decisive steps to put to rest the lingering crisis and avoidable bloodletting.
They further added, “we are advising the government to take the bold step and decide the boundary. They’ve already done enquiries and they have the report.”
Responding to a question, Com. Umukoro dismissed rumours of crack in the body, adding that they would wipe out cultism and other security challenges in Urhobo communities in collaboration with security agencies.
Com. Umukoro spoke further, “there’s no disunity in Urhobo, but we still need to do more to perfect our ways of doing things so that we can have better achievement as a nation. We have to bring all youths together so that people won’t be talking left, right and centre and as the youth president.”
He added, “the issue of cultism is not peculiar to Urhobo nation, it is a national crisis. I believe people need to be educated on this vice. We will do everything necessary to ensure that Urhobo youths are properly educated on the dangers of the problem.”
