Omadino Community rejects Governor Okowa’s position, directing Chevron to carryout JIV with only the Ijaws of Benekrukuku

Indigenes of the oil-gas rich Omadino Community in Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State, under the auspices of Omadino Liberation Group, OLG, have rejected an alleged directive by Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, purportedly okaying the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, to carry out Joint Investigation Visit, JIV, along the Makaraba, Uton - Nana, Abiteye Trunk line, with the Ijaws of Benekrukuku alone, saying the,  “governor’s stance will cause another round of crisis in the riverine area”.

Recall that an oil spill started March 27, 2021 along Makaraba, Uton - Nana, Abiteye Trunk line of Chevron Nigeria Limited operational facility and spread, destroying aquatic lives, until it was contained. The JIV to ascertain if the oil spill was caused by a third party infraction or failure of Chevron’s facility, have suffered delay as a result of agitation over representatives of communities that would be involved.

The Omadino Liberation Group, OLG, in an e-statement sent to Fresh Angle International this evening, Monday April 4, posited that the alleged directive handed down by Governor Okowa during a meeting in Government House, Asaba on the JIV, “ignores the Supreme Court judgement or set aside the existing judgement and how JIV has been done in that area since the beginning of oil exploration in the area till date”.  

The statement signed by Power Diden, Armstrong Yomere and Tsaye Mene, on behalf of Omadino Liberation Group, contented that indigenes of Omadino, will not accept Governor Okowa’s position that, “his decision has nothing to do with land ownership, but for JIV”.

“We reaffirm our position that the governor’s stance will cause another round of crisis in the riverine area. The world should know that if there is any breach of peace in the area, the Delta State government led by OKOWA, should be held responsible as Omadino Community will NEVER give out a piece of our land, in order to achieve graveyard peace for increased oil revenue.  

“We  are  hereby  making this publication that the representatives of Omadino, Deghele and Bateren, have  since written our position on this issue to the Governor, Chevron, security agencies and all Federal Government parastatals involved in JIV”, they added. 

Whilst claiming that they heard how Governor Okowa allegedly gave 100 million naira to an Itsekiri indigene, contesting the Delta South Senatorial seat in the forthcoming 2023 election, “for the three communities and 50million for those involved in the negotiations as same was reportedly said to be given to the Ijaws”, the group, asserted: “We find this move by the governor ridiculous and callous. Rather than reach out to representatives of the various communities involved in the negotiations, he decided to use his hatchet man (name withheld) who has shown that he has little or no regard for representatives of the three communities, who have made their stand on this issue clear, under the leadership of Prof. Gabriel Yomere as regards the negotiations.

“It is not surprising that the governor in-spite of this resistance, went ahead with the implementation of his decision to carry out the JIV with the Ijaws alone, in order to please his GBARAMATU Ijaw friends, whose penchant for violence, he is trying to assuage. We know the Deputy Governor, has greatly influenced the retrogressive decision reached by the Governor. We as a people will have no option, but to set the wheels of justice rolling as we would never cede any inch of our land to Ijaws, through Delta State government under any guise”, the statement added inter-alia.

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