►UGBORODO community in Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to fix a new date to perform the ground-breaking for the $16billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ, in Ogidigben.
►The community made the call in a communiqué by Chief Ayirin Emami, John Anderson, Mercy Odogwu and two others, comprising indigenes of
►The community made the call in a communiqué by Chief Ayirin Emami, John Anderson, Mercy Odogwu and two others, comprising indigenes of
Ajudaibo, Madangho, Ogidigben, Ijaghala and Ode-Ugborodo after an extensive deliberation following the call-off of the ground-breaking fixed for last Friday due to alleged threats by Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom.
The people expressed shock at the President’s U-turn on the ceremony, saying: “Ugborodo owns the entire land for the EPZ covering 2,560 hectares. This is clearly evident in the revocation notices by the Delta State Government, court judgments, the EPZ project map and preliminary ongoing work at the project site.
“The Gbaramatu settlement on the flanks of the EPZ site (Ogidigben) is more than 14 kilometres away. We have cause to believe that President Jonathan is getting wrong briefing on the true security situation in Warri South-West, particularly Ugborodo which is host to the EPZ. Perhaps it is the same incorrect briefing by the military authorities in the North East of Nigeria that has made Boko Haram insurgency to continually soar.”
It said that Ugborodo was not surprised that the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison Madueke was yet to visit the EPZ site even when the project was directly under her ministry.
“Mr. President, for the avoidance of doubt, Ugborodo community and the entire Warri South-West is in absolute peace. We are bemused that our President appeared to have listened to the threats by his Gbaramnatu brothers barely 24 hours to the eagerly anticipated ground-breaking after openly telling the world during his re-election speech at Abuja that he was coming for the ceremony at Ogidigben.
“Even when Boko Haram threatened to burn down the Eagles Square, the presidential declaration took place successfully and was well attended by all of us. How come the threats from Gbaramatu stopped the much desired EPZ ceremony that will guarantee economic growth?”
Denying Gbaramatu’s claim of being oppressed over the EPZ, the Ugborodo people said: “They are, in fact, the real oppressors when you consider the fact that the Nigerian maritime University, NIMASA Dockyard and Yokri Flow Station are all located on Itsekiri lands, but renamed by the Ijaws and forcefully taken over.
“All contracts and employments are done by the Ijaws alone without any Itsekiri benefitting even when those places are very close to us. The Ijaws benefitted from EGTL located in Ugborodo and the preliminary work so far in the EPZ through Julius Berger.”
