Protesting Itsekiris Declare After Shutting Down 28,000bpd Facility: We will not destroy it

Protesting Itsekiris, who reportedly shutdown a 28,000 barrels per day crude oil facility, at about 5:00 am today, Wednesday April 9 in Ogidigben, Ugborodo Community, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, have assured that they will not destroy the facility, but will not accept the perceived injustice recommended by INEC in the name of ward delineation in Warri Federal Constituency.

The angry Itsekiri men, women and youths on Tuesday April 8, stormed the facility, which was formerly operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC and recently acquired by Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings.

Brandishing placards with inscriptions such as; “We have the lands and population”, “INEC, this illegality will not stand, “INEC return our electoral wards”, “Dollar nor dey create ward” and “INEC we reject ur proposal”, the protesters, declared: “INEC does not have the power to create community for anybody.”

Spokesman of the protesters, Hon. Raymond Amorighoye Pira, who addressed newsmen at the facility in Ogidigben, asserted: “From what INEC has just done, it has confirmed to us that major government parastatals have been fashioned against the Itsekiri people. INEC came up with ward delineation against court order, which INEC even deposed an affidavit to, that they won’t go on with the process.

A cross section of the protesting Itsekiris at the facility in Ogidigben, Ugborodo Community, Warri South-West Local Government Area

 “A court of competent jurisdiction, restrained them (INEC) from going ahead with the delineation, because they believed that the Itsekiris are lazy people, or have no dollar to throw around, they think they can do whatever they like.

“Some years, we have 500metres between the coastal area and the deep offshore, some years ago, the National Boundary Commission, unilaterally, unlawfully removed the Itsekiri communities of Ugborodo, Deghele, Bateren and so many others from the coastal environment where they are. Oporoza that is more of a distant into the creek, Ogbudugbudu in Warri North, that is almost in Edo State, was taken into Deepsea offshore.

“This removal was done in the last administration of Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, where we had Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, as the Deputy Governor, who is an Ijaw man. We all know that the responsibility of boundary adjustment at the state level, rest on the Office of the Deputy Governor. When the removal was done and we got wind of it, our leaders moved and say this cannot happen, you cannot take people that are 200meters away from Deepsea offshore and take people that are 800 and 1,000 meters away, Oporoza is part of it, Kurutie is part of it, these people are far away.

“INEC came and said some people went to court and judgment was made for INEC to delineate Warri Federal Constituency. We all know that delineation is the right of INEC, it’s part of their duty and we are not disputing that, but if you must do anything, you must work by the rules. There are rules guiding all these processes.

“Warri is part of Nigeria, if you are doing delineation, let it be holistic for the entire Nigeria. By the Grace of God, national delineation is coming in no distant time, so why single out Warri Federal Constituency? When we presented our fact to INEC, they deposed to an affidavit that they will not go ahead with the process, unknowing to us, dollars changed hands, because some persons have done underground work. Before we knew it, INEC came and said they have made some proposals for the delineation.

“Warri North has Itsekiris and Ijaws, both of us are the owners of the local government, in Warri North, Itsekiri has 6 wards, while the Ijaw has 4 wards. Today the proposal that INEC brought is that the Ijaw ward of four, has metamorphosed into 10 and the Itsekiri 6 has graduated to 8. Meanwhile, we have the number, we have the communities, we have the voting strength.  The INEC register speaks volume of what I just said.

“What INEC has done is terrible. We can’t even reconcile it. If your must go ahead with this process, you must play by the rules. We are not against delineation.

“The Supreme Court judgement INEC is banking on, is what has led to this process. We went to court and stopped the process, because you can’t treat Warri Federal Constituency in isolation. Since INEC has decided to defy that court order, why don’t you do it in a proper way.

“We have the communities, we have the land. INEC does not have the power to create community for anybody. We are not here to destroy the facilities and we will not destroy it. Even during the Warri crisis, we didn’t destroy the place, not now that we are not fighting that we will destroy it.”

The National Vice Chairman of Ugborodo Youth Body, Victor Laju Udonju, who also spoke to newsmen, explained: “The essence of this protest, is to stop injustice that INEC is exercising on the Itsekiri Nation at large. INEC came to invade our wards and took it somewhere else.

“A local government (Warri South-West) where we have 10 wards, we (Itsekiris) operate 6, while our other neighbour (Ijaw) operates 4, as we speak, INEC reduced our ward to 5, that’s injustice and a way of eliminating the tribe (Itsekiri) totally. INEC has been sent to eliminate the Itsekiri Nation. This we condemn in totality, we will not take it.

Victor Laju Udonju, speaking to the press

“We are asking the Federal government to intervene, so we can have a way forward, we will be here until the federal government listens to us.”

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