Tejiri Ebikeme/Francis Sadhere
The regent of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta, Chief (Elder) Oyagha P.T. Heavens (JP) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that the sum of N99billion a federal High Court awarded to the Kingdom be paid before his tenure run its full circle.
In his address at Oporoza on the occasion of the ground breaking ceremony of the Nigeria Maritime University and Shipyard/Dockyard at Okerenkoko Community by President Jonathan, he recalled that the kingdom was bombarded by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in 2009 for no just cause and the kingdom decided to seek redress at the Federal High Court, Asaba and pursued the case to a logical conclusion in December 2013.
Judgment, he said, was entered in favour of the people with the court awarding the kingdom the sum of N99billion to ameliorate their loses for the malicious and unjustified destruction of their communities by JTF.
He said; “As a responsible government who is always ready to uphold the rule of law, we want to plead with Your Excellency to ensure that the money as awarded to us by the court be paid to the kingdom before the end of your first tenure. This will greatly help us to rebuild our devastated communities and settle our people.”
According to him, the people of Gbaramatu Kingdom are appreciative of the successful transformation agenda of President Jonathan, adding that they had no doubt that Nigeria will take a new look when he will rule for another four years in his second term.
“Your Excellency, because we are convinced of your ability to transform this country, we want to strongly plead with you to seek a second term. We are greatly in support of your second term and there is no doubt that you will win as we believe that most parts of Nigeria are in support,” he said.
The regent pleaded with the president to collaborate with Governor Uduaghan to see what can be done in respect of Okerenkoko community that is devastated and the Okerenkoko-people-Ama Kokodiagbene road that has been abandoned for some time now.
He said the completion of the road will no doubt open up the areas with the establishment of the Nigeria Maritime University, just as he also appealed to the President to intervene in the take-off and execution of Omadino-Okerenkoko road project awarded by NDDC for over a year ago.
He lamented that the road was awarded to a contractor since 2012, but up till now, nothing has been done in spite of the fact that the contractor was mobilized according to information at their disposal.
In his words; “We do not know what is causing the delay in the execution of this project. If this project is completed, it will link up the rural communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom to the urban areas in Nigeria through Warri. This will further enhance the benefits of establishing the Nigeria Maritime University for Nigerians.”
