By Zik Gbemre
The subject matter, which we had raised severally some few months back, is simply an advocacy and agitation for the need to re-establish the Truth; no matter how bitter and uncomfortable that Truth is, and correct a mistake that was made in the past, so as to project and protect the overall interest of, not only all and sundry, but also for posterity sake.
Once again, the primary and only objective of this advocacy and agitation is for us as a people of Delta State, to correct this huge mistake, and right the wrong that was ignorantly, or willfully done by the “military political actors” in Government at that time. Let it be reiterated here that Asaba was wrongly made the Capital of Delta Province, which was originally known as Warri Province – this remains the bitter truth that needs to be reversed.
Again, this agitation and advocacy, has nothing to do with “partisan politics”, neither is it an affair of any political party nor affiliated with the interest of any political party. In other words, it has nothing to do with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressive Congress (APC), or any of the political parties in the country.
This agitation is not meant to sow any seed of discord or division amongst the ethnic nationalities in the State, but rather it is aimed at “strengthening” the Unity amongst Deltans in Delta State. Let us be honest with ourselves, no reasonable person from Delta State that should be pleased with the choice of Asaba being made the Provincial Capital of Delta State. It was an oppression of the voiceless people of Delta Central and Delta South, simply because of the Ibrahim Badamosi Bagangida’s Factor – who wanted to please his In-laws in Asaba back then where his wife came from. The question now is, should we be frightened and not bold enough to accept the Truth, say the bitter Truth and correct this wrong?
That bitter truth, is the undeniable fact that the Two Provinces in Nigeria’s pre-independence days, which were in the Midwest region and were created from Western region, were the Benin and Warri Provinces. Then Midwest became Edo and Delta. And the entire Delta Province of today, was named after Warri Province with its colonial headquarters. But with the creation of Delta State, the Warri Province was shortchanged to Asaba, which was not part of the Warri Province, was now made the provincial capital of Delta State. But that does not deny the fact that Delta is the new name of Warri Province.
To those who are saying that this is a difficult and impossible mission because it has been a long time the State was created with that capital, and those who are of the view that events have overtaken the said relocation, and that it is a sensitive issue that can be likened to flogging a dead horse; well we beg to differ. These persons should be reminded that, Lagos main land was once adopted as the official capital of Nigeria in 1914, after the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates. But it was until 1991 that the nation’s capital was moved to Abuja. That is how many years in-between? Did events overtake that from happening? What then makes some people think that events have overtaken the said relocation of Delta State capital from Asaba to Warri, which is just some years now? It is also the same way the June 12 imbroglio lasted for years until the current administration did the needful by honouring that memory and reclaiming that lost glory to now become the nation’s official Democracy day. The same process that was used to reclaim the lost June 12, is all that is required now to carry out the relocation of the Delta State capital from Asaba to Warri. It is not like we are asking for a new State to be created here. We are simply stating the truth of what needs to be done, based on prevailing historical evidence.
To those who are arguing that Warri does not have the space or what it takes to be made the State Capital because of some of the society ills evident in the city, it might interest them to know that when Delta State was created and Asaba suspiciously and unfortunately made its capital, the Delta State Government House apartments were structured PortaCabins then, which were used by the then Military Administrations and even Governor Felix Ibru. Even some of the Ministries then were managing within the said facility and makeshift rooms. Asaba then was nothing but a small town. But today, that has changed simply because the place was wrongly made the State’s capital. But even at that, some of the public infrastructure like the Asaba Airport, are practically being utilized more by the South- Easterners in Onitsha – leaving those in Delta Central and Delta South, which are where the urban population is more, out of the picture. Again, virtually all the societal ills being argued are equally prevalent in Asaba. So, it is not like Asaba is devoid of these things, this includes the issue of insecurity which is a national problem, as well as the drug abuse and “yahoo-yahoo”.
Also, what makes a Government House is the character and competency of the person occupying the Seat/House, it is not by how ‘big the structure of the House is. The all-powerful White House in Washington DC of the US is just a moderate White building, but those who occupied, and still occupying that Seat/House, have not only succeeded in entrenching sustainable all-round development for its citizenry, they have also wielded, and still wields global power and influence. So, that mindset of having big structures in the name of Government House, is nothing but wastes of public funds. To make matters worse, they have filled up the so-called Government House with irrelevant Portfolios and Offices that are just there doing nothing – all in the name of creating “jobs for the boys” to compensate those that helped bring them into office. Why won’t they find it difficult to regularly pay the basic salaries of government workers as at when due, when they are more interested in their private pockets. So, the problem is not how they will be able to turn Warri into a befitting State capital, it is about them first addressing this mistake, then Warri on its own will develop to the degree we see Asaba today and even much more because the city of Warri, is considered by the International Community as a “major hub of petroleum activities and businesses in the Southern Nigeria” (check Wikipedia). Even when Asaba was made the State capital, there was no radio house there then. They were using the Warri Radio back then.
The fight for Social Justice, peace and freedom is never an easy one, and a difficult task. But it is always achievable. It is a peaceful and genuine movement that often times, seeks to address societal anomalies which many may be too afraid to delve into. When the Apartheid in South Africa was an issue, many thought back then that it was not going to be possible to be addressed. But today that is history, and we have the likes of Nelson Mandela and Others to make reference to, as some of those whose sacrifices made it happen. But when they were agitating for it back then, many thought they were mad, or that it was impossible to achieve. The same way it is with this relocation of Delta State capital issue bothering on social justice and freedom. It is only cowards and people who shy away from the truth, that are usually antagonistic on such issues of social change. Everybody wants freedom, peace and social justice, but not many are ready to stand for the bitter Truth and pay the price to fight for it. And it cannot be gotten on a platter of gold.
Warri, which was the Colonial Capital of the then Warri Province, remains the most appropriate and most suitable city-area for the Capital of Delta State. We cannot hide or deny the truth permanently. The Truth, no matter how long it will take, will eventually explode someday. What we are simply advocating for is that the Delta State Capital should be relocated from Asaba to its rightful place – Warri, being the Colonial Headquarters of the old Warri Province, which was later changed to Delta Province.
We urge the Politicians from the Delta South and Delta Central to courageously and fearlessly “correct this wrong”. Shying away from correcting this wrong, and living in shame and denial is unpatriotic and unfaithful. Unless the present-day Politicians from the Delta South and Delta Central want to pretentiously live in denial and cowardice. But they should also ask themselves why they should continue living in denial and cowardice? Why can’t they be bold to fight legally for social justice, and correct this painful denial?
I am therefore calling on Deltans who are not afraid to stand for the bitter truth, to join this advocacy of the truth and take this demand to the relevant National Assembly Authorities to legislate and make a proclamation for the relocation of the capital of Delta State from Asaba to Warri. It is not too late to correct this injustice. If the Federal Capital of Nigeria was moved from Lagos mainland to Abuja, then we do not see why the Delta State Capital cannot be moved from Asaba to Warri. We cannot enjoy peace and freedom if people are not willing to fight for such freedom and peace on the platform of truth. It is only truth that will bring sustainable freedom and peace.
Zik Gbemre
July 15, 2019.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
