Apartheid in Warri North: Egbema Angry With Okowa, Demands Appointment
The Ijaws in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, under the auspices of Egbema Leaders of Thought has expressed total displeasure over the alleged marginalisation of Egbema people in the current appointment of members into the State executive council.
Speaking during a press briefing held recently in Warri, Members of Egbema Leaders of Thought described the marginalisation as apartheid against them in the State.
They apealed to the Delta State governor, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to correct the lopsided appointments in his present cabinet by a giving fair consideration to the people of Egbema kingdom, the Ijaws in Warri North Local Government Area of the state.
Making their position known in an Open letter addressed to the governor, they said. “We are also not considered for employment into the civil service because we do not have political godfathers. We had thought that as a person who had also suffered similar fate in the past, you would take steps to correct these glaring anomalies.”
Egbema Leaders of Thought noted that they were of the expectation that Senator Okowa was coming to correct the injustice done to them but unfortunately he has done the opposite with his action in the past 4years and the new cabinet constituted.
“But we have been proved wrong. Your actions in the last 4 years clearly demonstrate your desire to maintain the status quo making yourself an accomplice to the evil machinery of oppression and injustice.
“There is no doubt that you came to steer the cause of injustice and oppression of the Egbema people. Before the appointments were made, you had repeatedly said that fairness, equity and justice will play a key role in the choice of persons to be appointed. Mr. Governor, where is the justice, equity and fairness in these lopsided appointments that you have made?”, Egbema Leaders of Thought questioned.
According to the group, Egbema has 4 wards in Warri North which were unfairly allocated, adding that Ijaw ethnic group of Egbema have not produced chairman of the council nor house of assembly member representing the constituency.
“The Egbema people have four federal wards in Warri North, as against 6 six federal wards of our neighbors. The wards were unilaterally and unfairly allocated with the evil motive of perpetually subjecting us to a second fiddle.
“Consequently, we have never been allowed to produce the Chairman of the Council, the member of the House of Assembly nor a Commissioner for the state executive council, except when one of our own (Mr. Joel Bisina) had a brief stint for six months during the closing days of the tenure of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.
“This year 2019 makes it twenty-eight (28) years since the creation of the council. The marginalization and exclusion have not abated and sadly it seems to have become a state policy under your watch.
“Warri North Local Government Area have close to 800 staff on their pay role, of this number only about 38 are from Egbema Kingdom. The situation at the state level is worse as there is no Egbema person at the table to negotiate or push our case. Even in the recent regularization exercise you embarked upon, we were completely left out.
“Your Excellency must now judge if it is right to have all key political offices: the Chairman of Council, the current member of the Delta State House of Assembly and a commissioner in the state executive council … all coming from just one ethnic group, when the Warri North LGA is made up of two ethnic groups?”, The group further questioned.
The group further noted that Egbema kingdom in Warri North Local Government Area of the state makes sacrifices of producing over 300,000 crude oil barrels per day which has resulted in environmental degradation and other ills but yet not considered for political appointment or any position.
The group added, “Your Excellency superintends over the oil resources of the Egbema people that account for not less than 300,000 barrels per day. This is our sacrifice with the attendant environmental consequences, yet we are not considered for anything. What is happening in Warri North is a classic case of Apartheid being condoned and practiced by Authorities in 21st century Nigeria under your watch.
“We can assure you that the case of apartheid in Warri North if not addressed, will be taken up at various levels that could bring embarrassment and shame, not only to your government, but to the whole of Nigeria.
“During your re-election campaign tour of Benin River communities in Warri North LGA, you cancelled a scheduled visit to Tsekelewu Community, simply because the river leading to the biggest & most populous community in Warri North LGA was inaccessible.
“The question is: have you considered for one moment the daily suffering of the inhabitants? Are you not also the Governor of those suffering people of Delta State?”, They further queried
They stated that inspite of brutalization, humiliation Egbema people suffered from the military during the 2019 general election, bloc votes were delivered to Okowa and his party from the 4wards of the local government.
They lamented that despite almost losing one of their sons to the military during the election as a result of assault and brutalisation, all Okowa could reward them in return was total exclusion from government and governance.
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