…I AM NOT THE PROBLEM OF UGBORODO – AYIRI
…HON. TONWE ABSENT FROM PEACE TALK AGAIN
BY FRANCIS SADHERE
THE Nigerian Navy has given the warring oil-rich Ugborodo Communities in Delta State a seven days ultimatum to end all hostilities capable of disrupting the Federal Government proposed $16billion Export Processing Zone (EPZ) project.
Commanding Officer, NNS Delta, Warri Naval Base, Navy Captain Musa Gemu, gave the warning Saturday 2nd August when he had a crucial meeting with elders, leaders and youths of Ugborodo communities at the base.
Gemu, who is the leader of the Security Peace Committee set up by the State Government to find lasting solution to the intractable crisis that has claimed several lives and property running into millions of naira, gave Chief Ayiri Emami, Chief Thomas Ereyitome and the Chief Priest of the community who are believed to be fueling the crisis, one last opportunity to go and resolve their differences.
The Commanding Officer ordered the trio to go and sit with their communities and come up with resolutions as to how they could resettle the displaced persons, bury the dead and release those that are in prison.
He said; “Now what we have decided is that we will give one last opportunity for you to go and sit down with your people and agree on what to do. Especially, Chief Ayiri, Chief Thomas, Hon. Tonwe, the Olajurin and the EPZ Chairman must go back and sit down. Let me point out here that it is only when the displaced persons come back to the community that you have the opportunity to sit down and begin to say that Mr. A. has offended me. We have been ordered not to arrest anybody until all the processes in the agreement are followed.”
The team leader with other members of the committee warned that government will not take kindly to act capable of hampering the project meant to benefit all and sundry.
He said; “We will give you people the last opportunity to call yourselves to order and ensure that everybody is present at the meeting. We will get the memorandum of understanding (GMoU) signed at Abuja across to all of you to furtherance our desire for peace.”
While calling on Ugoborodo people to embrace peace, Gemu said the Federal Government would not sit down and fold its hands and watch some group of people deny other Nigerians the right to live in their communities, warning that the Federal Government would not take that in any part of the country.
“What we want is that all those displaced persons must go back to their homes. You want to deprive somebody from not going to his community? We the Federal government cannot take that. So you have to embrace peace at all cost. You the youths, you have to embrace peace too. Enough is enough,” warned Gemu.
He expressed his displeasure over the absence of Hon. David Tonwe, one of the key actors believed to be fueling the crisis, noting that this was not the first time he had been absent from a crucial meeting even after inviting him personally.
Chairman Export Processing Zone (EPZ) at Escravos, Barrister Austin Oboregbeyi, however called for proper monitoring of the situation and advised the people to refrain from bloodletting as nothing meaningful could be achieved in an atmosphere of bitterness and rancor.
But Chief Ayiri Emami, believed to one of the war-lords, disagreed that he was part of the problem. He said he had nothing to do with the lingering crisis but rather accused Hon. Tonwe of being behind the lingering crisis, adding that Hon. Tonwe was the one that had refused to allow the displaced persons into the community.
Ayiri said; “For some of us, we had an agreement and we have to follow the agreement to the latter. The EPZ committee was supposed to be the last thing to be inaugurated in Abuja and I was in that meeting. It is very unfortunate that the key actor, David Tonwe is behind the scene. Yesterday we had an argument about this matter in governor’s house and they said that I and David Tonwe were the problem. But I made it clear over and over again that anybody who wants to go back to Ajadaigbo and Ogidigben can go back. I have nothing to achieve from depriving people from going back to their homes. But Madagho should be able to explain to us why they are depriving people from going back to their homes.”
“I have nothing to achieve by depriving anybody from going back home, but Madagho people should apologize to us because they have offended us. On my part I have agreed that all the displaced persons in my own side of the community should return. I have even spoken to my lawyers to begin the process of bailing those that were sent to prison too, and we are working on it right now. But let me say that those people who went to jail, went to jail because they were believed to be involved in the burning of my car,” said Ayiri.
On his part, the Olajuri (Chief Priest) of Ogborodo communities, said the crisis had been lingering on for a while now because a lot of the people were ignorant of what was happening, stressing most of them act on unfounded information and not facts.
The Olajuri who said that his people no longer believed in him because they do not know who to trust again, appealed to Captain Gemu to make copies of the agreement available to his people so that they can have a clear picture of what was actually going on.
