SAN FRANCISCO, May 09, (THEWILL) – A fresh crisis is looming in the Ijaw riverine communities in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State as plans are underway to lay the foundation stone of the multibillion dollar Export Processing Zone (EPZ) project in Ogidigben.
Already, the Ijaws in that part of the state are angry that they are not being carried along in the project which is also to be sited in some part of their land.
This is coming as a group, the Gbaramatu Peace Guardian (GPG), is accusing Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of positioning the Itsekiris of Ugborodo in Warri South-West LGA as the only hosts to the project.
The group contended that all the communities that are host to the project deserve accruable gains in the project.
The development is coming few weeks after prominent Ijaw activist and President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), Chief Oboko Bello, cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan not to visit Escravos to perform the ground breaking following several contentious issues trailing the project.
Oboko warned that the President would incur the wrath of critical stakeholders in the area like people of Kpokpo/Okpeleama among other communities who had alleged neglect in the project.
THEWILL learnt that President Jonathan is expected to perform the ground-breaking of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State on Saturday, May 10 but it was not clear if he will also perform the foundation stone laying of the EPZ at Ogidigben.
A source said the foundation laying ceremony of the EPZ is not part of the president’s schedule.
GPG’s Financial Secretary, Newton Mala, said the way and manners Governor Uduaghan was handling the issues could re-ignite the Warri inter-ethnic crisis.
He maintained that the development is also capable of igniting the avoidable internal gun-battles and bloodletting in Ijaw land as was recently experienced in the Ugborodo axis of the Itsekiri nation due to alleged leadership imposition from government quarters.
Mala said while Governor Uduaghan would soon inaugurate an Ugborodo/Itsekiri Interface Committee to liaise with investors of the EPZ project, no similar inauguration plans has been planned for the William Tortor/Chief Godspower Gbenekama-led Gbaramatu/Ijaw Interface Committee and others.
He wondered why all groups are not carried along at same time.
“A naming that gives the site that bestrides more than one ethnic territory and Local Government Area in Delta State to one ethnic place may cause crisis now or later. Proper consultation is necessary so we don’t sow seeds of discord for our generations unborn”, Mala said.
He said the Ijaws were excluded in jobs even as most Ijaw community areas falling into the project site were yet to be acknowledged/identified for claims assessment nor were the identified Ijaw areas paid any compensation.
Moreover, Mala said in the extensive and expansive $16billion EPZ project, work had begun without recourse to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), adding that contracts and employees profile did not reflect overall stakeholders’ involvement in regard for the local content law.
“Warri prefers peace and no longer needs the better forgotten inter-ethnic wars now looming again nor does Gbaramatu Ijaw nation need the re-enactment of the recent unfortunate Ugborodo/Itsekiri in-fighting and bloodletting over control of community gains of the EPZ project,” he said.
Meanwhile, Oboko, has appealed to Governor Emmanuel to identify communities with genuine claims and quickly carry them along in the ongoing works at the Gas Export Processing Zone project in Escravos area of Warri territory.
Oboko, said instead of allowing crisis-resulting cynicism to build up, Governor Uduaghan should carry along all the stakeholders of the land revoked for the project site.
He urged Uduaghan to avoid the mistakes of the past by involving all stakeholders in the project.
“We don’t know enough about 70 percent land claims”, he said but “Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has already issued Certificate of Occupancy for 2,700 hectares site of EPZ. Kpokpo/Okpeleama EPZ Port land area is not less than 335.554 hectares as in Government land revocation document.
“We (Kpokpo/Okpeleama) thus legitimately make not less than 12.42 percent stakeholding….. We want to belong now,” Oboko said in a GSM message.
However , work has long begun on the EPZ gas project site amidst complaints by several Ijaw communities that they were not carried along in the project.
Oboko had in a terse message said; “ what is good for the goose is good for the gander”, apparently saying the Itsekiris were better treated in the project and the Ijaws getting nothing.
“Kpokpo/Okpeleama land was acquired/revoked by document available for the purpose of Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ) project.
“ If the gas component of the project located at Ogidigben, necessitating the name “Ogidigben Gas City Project”, then with the port component of the project to be located at Kpokpo/Okpeleama, it should be named “Kpokpo/Okpeleama EPZ Port .
