By: EMMA ARUBI, Warri
Following persistent ethnic hostilities between the three (3) ethnic nationalities of Itsekiri, Urhobo and Ijaws in the oil-city of Warri in Delta State, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been charged to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to look into the claims of the various groups over the true ownership of Warri land to guide government and public perception on the matter.
Prince Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh, a former regent of Warri Kingdom made the call in an interview with newsmen at his residence yesterday, saying, “as both an Itsekiri and Urhobo man, there’s need to clarify and ascertain the claims of the contestants and set the records straight to allow for a peaceful co-existence and good neighborliness in the state”.
Okotie-Eboh tasked President Tinubu to setup a commission made up of credible Nigerians to verify the claims and counter-claims and come out with a position paper capable of ending these persistent ethnic discord, saying that, “each group should come with their records of claims over the years dating back to pre-colonial, colonial, independence times and up till date.
Specifically, the scion of Nigeria’s first finance ministry wants all the oil majors and subsidiaries operating in the entire Warri Local Government Area to be invited to the said commission to come with their original records of acquisition, maps and rent payment receipts and to tell the commission how they acquired their operational bases and from whom, saying the oil companies should tell the commission who they now pay rents to, for how long and why.
“Many strange communities have sprung up on other people’s land using violence and brute force and even renaming other people’s communities haven chased them away. There’s Bode Thomas Estate in Lagos, there are Odibo Estate in Effurun, Sadjere Estate in Ughelli, Olori Estates in Ughelli, Midwest Inn in Effurun , Chief T . J sokoh Estate and Chief James Okpoko Edewor which has the largest land around the Uvwie and Warri area, the areas are not even a ward not to talk about being a community.
“Why today some people in Warri area are trying to rename theirs a community? They are already in a community, so it doesn’t work that way”, he said.
He said this call for a commission “is as a result of my earnest desire for peace for both brothers suffering the same degree of marginalisation, oppression, suppression, subjugation, exploitation, neglect and unimaginable deprivation in the midst of plenty.”
He further said that agencies like INEC which has consistently disobeyed orders of court of competent jurisdiction as it pertains to Warri electorial matters, cannot be relied upon to take unbiased decisions on these issues.
“The current ward delineation exercise was demanded by the combined team of Ijaws and Urhobo, and it is fraught with gross irregularities with many Itsekiri communities being renamed with Ijaw names”, Okotie-Eboh pointed out.
“We want peace, progress and development and not actions capable of further tearing us apart. The effects of the last Warri crisis on the economic growth of Warri still stares us in the face till date. The Itsekiris have autonomous communities in Sapele, Ethiope East and West, Okpe, Uvwie councils and even also in Edo State where they live in perfect harmony with the people there. They don’t struggle with them for political power or positions nor chairmanship of these councils. So why do the Urhobos and Ijaws in Warri take pleasure in wrestling to cease Itsekiri Homeland privileges?
“It’s not fair, it should not always be a case of let’s divide the child. They must learn to allow the child to live also, Warri is almost dead now,” Okotie-Eboh emphasized.
Prince Emmanuel Okotie-Eboh therefore, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently wade into this crucial matter before things get out of hand and explode into another round of Warri crisis.
