$16b EPZ: Itsekiri Community threatens legal action over negligence

The Aja-Edede Itsekiri community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State has threatened to take legal action against the Federal Government if she continues to side track them in future discussion and negotiations in the $16b Gas City Project situated largely on their land.

The head of the community, Pa John Edede Yonwuren in an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan dated March 9, 2015 said “any further attempt to side track Aja –Edede in discussion will be stoutly resisted as justice, fairness and equity must be seen to prevail”, the Delta State Government and the federal Government including the NNPC must respect the property rights of Aja-Edede community over the EPZ land acquired by the government”.

The statement added that they have been consulted sometimes and have held several meetings with the government in connection with the matter but wondered why the same government have abandon them and other stakeholders in the project, preferring instead to deal with only Ugborodo Itsekir and the Gbaramatu Ijaw.

“The Ugborodo and Gbaramatu people are not the only stakeholders, they represent their various communities and not any other. The Aja-Edede community is at lost why no invitation was extended to them during the visit of Mr. President to Delta State where indigenes of Ugborodo and Gbaramatu were invited for a peace meeting as if they were the only stakeholders. This is not acceptable to Aja-Edede community and the community will use all legal means if not consulted to scuttle the ground breaking ceremony”, Pa John Edede Yonwuren stated.

They wondered why the Delta State government abandoned the peace committee set up on the EPZ headed by the Deputy Governor which sat severally with each community submitting voluminious memorandum which the governemnt promised to look into but have failed so far and have decided to be dealing with two communities, saying that such action will not bring the desired peace and will lead to a lot of disturbances in the project site.

The statement further clarified that Aja-edede is Aja-Edede and not any other commuhnity, not even Adedegbene, saying that the Adedegbene being claimed by Sokoboulo and Yokri communities does not exist anywhere in Warri south-West council area of Delta state.

“Sokoubolo cannot claim Edede community as their Adedegbene, so we call on the Delta State government to reconvene the peace committee and invite the stakeholders to an urgent meeting before the ground breaking ceremony in order to prevent multiplicity of suits capable of scuttling the project and prevent youths restiveness from the neglected communities”.

It would be recalled that the state government has been meeting with stakeholders from Ugborodo, Gbaramatu, Sokebolou/Yokri, Ikpokpo, Aja;Edede and Illaje communities respectively on the EPZ issue to find a peaceful way forward for the take off of the project but has only recently narrowed down the meeting to only two communities.

The Aja-Edede community bsaid they own a larger percentage of the land acquired for the EPZ project, saying that “we want to put it on record that Aja-Edede is not Ogidigben or Ugborodo community but an autonomous community of its own with a large land mass”.

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