Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has been lambasted by Chief Ayirimi Emami, Ologbotsere of Warri… “All the schools in our areas are being abandoned by the current government of Delta state. Itsekiri people will continue to support the government that has their interest in their agenda.”
Chief Ayiri Emami and Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa
“As at today, if you go to the ancestral home of Itsekiri people, there is nothing to write home about the place and one will be surprised at what is happening. Several projects from former governors James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan are located in Itsekiri areas, but for the past two years and more, there is no one project in Itsekiri area that the governor of Delta state can point to that he continued or started.”
“I am saying that he does have a development plan for the Itsekiri, I say it categorically and I want anybody to challenge me. Well, some people will say that Ologbotsere is not supposed to be a politician, but I will tell you that the king (Olu of Warri) and Ologbotsere are supposed to be embodiment of politics in Itsekiri nation because they know the best for the Itsekiri nation for they are sitting at the helm of affairs.”
“I really want to challenge the Governor of Delta state that if there is anything that he has done or has contributed to the Itsekiri nation in the past two years, he should come out and say it.”
“Okowa voted money for the road connecting the villages, but it is all political because the actual part of the job was done by Uduaghan, they have already laid the foundation. However, they have not done anything. Take the Ubeji road, sometimes I do not want to get personal because Uduaghan would have finished that road if not for some persons in the community, but let us even say that this is the only project that he is even working on, but no way.”
“If you want to go to Jakpa and other parts of Warri North, there is nothing to show, part of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, housing unit that I saw during my visit to Jakpa, there is nothing to show too. Do you want to go to Ugborodo, nothing there.”
“And that is why he cannot come to hold his town hall meeting in Itsekiri area, but I do not even blame him, it is those in his government that are actually bringing Itsekiri low before him,” the prime minister stated. Has there been any formal complaint to the governor on these issues?”
“I do not see anybody that will complain because a lot of people, because of stomach infrastructure cannot make any criticism. Because of stomach infrastructure, a lot of them are dying, they are not happy, but they cannot speak and you do not expect the Olu to be shouting over this at the moment because he is the father to all.”
“What they use Itsekiris working with Okowa for is to cause confusion in Itsekiri area, any day that Okowa wants to cause confusion in Itsekiri land, he sends them. So if you are saying the truth, they will send those they employed for stomach infrastructure to come and challenge you.”
“As the Ologbotsere, it is my duty to say it, if today, Okowa does what is good for the Itsekiri people; I will equally come out and say it. If he is doing any good thing for the Itsekiri people and is attending to the Itsekiri nation, I will say it.”
“The issue is not Ayiri being an All Progressives Congress, APC, person, I am talking about ethnic nationality, there is nowhere you will see Okowa’s presence in any of our communities. As at today, we are working seriously at Ode-Itsekiri Secondary School, if you get there, fantastic structures put on ground by DESOPADEC under Uduaghan administration, but the staff quarters are not furnished.”
“So the teachers cannot live there, I actually provided the boat that conveys the pupils to school, but I found out lately that it was not profitable to the people, not the cost. My discovery was that the teachers and pupils come to school by 10.00 am, they leave from Warri, the boat is positioned at Ugbuwangue, they drop some students at Orogbo, around 10.30 am and by 1.00 pm, they say the school has closed for the day.”
“Calculate the hours when in Warri, schools resume by 8.00 am and close by 3.00pm, are you telling me that they are learning anything? So we decided on our own to go on self support, I have already created a committee to ensure that the school is functional even if the government as it seems, has abandoned Itsekiri people.”
“What is happening in Ode-Itsekiri is what is also happening in Benin River, but I have a center in Benin River, which is Gbokoda. The only projects you can find ongoing there are the projects awarded by Omatsuli Tuoyo when he was in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.”
“Immediately we finish with Ode-Itsekiri school, we will move to Gbokoda, that is what we are doing and same thing is happening in Ugborodo. After politics, there should be governance, but I think that after politics, he is still playing politics. I do not know about other ethnic nationalities, but there is nothing I can point to in my place that Okowa is doing as the Ologbotsere of Warri kingdom.”
“The same thing I am telling Okowa is what I am telling the Federal Government, the Gas City and Deep Sea Port projects need to be done, they should come and do it and I told the Minister of Transportation, that I know that Itsekiris are enjoying security under Buhari, but there should be things to show that the federal government did XYZ in our area for people of Delta and Nigeria at large.”
“It is not just for Itsekiri people, one cannot point at anything, even the oil city of Warri is dead under Okowa. Or is anybody going to contest that, I say that Warri is dead under Okowa in terms of economy and development. People are relocating day and night from Warri because of the difficult times under Okowa.”
– Culled from Vanguard