…Issues 2-weeks ultimatum
By Ovuakporaye Ben
THE Movement for the Liberation of Urhobo Nationality (MLUN) has threatened to blow-up oil and gas facilities in their homeland if the Federal Government fails to urgently redress the high level of marginalization and oppression being meted to them by all tiers on government including the oil multinationals.
The group in a statement in Warri signed by Mark Anthony and Greg favour, Mobilisation Officer and Chief Spokesman stated that Urhoboland plays host to numerous oil and gas facilities including Otorogun gas plant, Eruemukowharien Crude Terminal, Eruemu Flow stations, Afisiere Compressor, Sapele and Oghara flow stations. Other facilities inUrhobo land are Transcop Power plant, Ughelli, Ogorode power plant, Sapele and the Osubi airport among others expressing anger that in spite of these, unemployment, oppression, marginalization and wanton poverty pervades the land with cruelty and without any hope of survival.
They express dismay over the way and manner the Delta State government is treating DESOPADEC, saying that Governor Okowa is systematically digging the grave of the interventionist Agency.
The group further called for the immediate inauguration of a substantive board for the NDDC even as they wonder why people in other parts of the country hosting even lesser facilities enjoy enormous privileges such as employment, electricity and potable water supply, good roads and so on, Urhobo indigenes and communities are made to undergo destructive marginalization, stating that “if these salient issues are not addressed urgently in two-week’s time they would take the laws into their own hands to ensure their survival.
“We hereby give an ultimatum of two-weeks to the government at all levels and the oil multinationals to do the needful, failing which oil and gas production activities would be disrupted throughout Urhobo land”, the statement added.
