His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, Olu of Warri, Delta State told the Vice President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo some bitter truth when he visited his palace recently: “We, therefore, demand and appeal that the Federal Government should properly acquire the land for the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU) from Omadino the rightful and legal owners of Okerenghigho community and pay them their rightful due.”

“Given its potential to train high level manpower to explore and exploit our vast marine resources, the Itsekiri support this institution to be established at Okerenghigho, an Itsekiri community, which is one of the communities our neighbours have forcefully annexed and renamed Okerenkoko.”

“But we are miffed that the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in connivance with the then Delta State government, purportedly acquired the land from certain individuals who possessed neither historical nor legal title to the land, and reportedly even went ahead to pay compensation to these impostors.”

“Similarly, Abiteye and Uton-nanna, where there is the flow station, are illegally annexed as if they were part of Gbaramatu. We plead with the Federal government, under President Muhammadu Buhari, to continue, and even intensify its constitutional responsibility of protection of lives and properties throughout the Niger Delta region.”

“Criminality should be punished and not rewarded in any form, which has remained at the heart of the crisis, leading to an endless cycle of violence, reward, and then more violence and senseless destruction of oil facilities located mostly in Itsekiri areas, followed by brazen stealing of crude oil, accompanied by massive environmental pollution. We enjoin Mr. President to, as a matter of urgency, establish military bases in selected locations in the Escravos and Benin River axis.”

“EPZ project in Ogidigben Ogiame Ikenwoli is is a project very dear to us as a people. Ex-President Jonathan performed a colourful ground-breaking ceremony on this project at Ogidigben in 2015, and since then, nothing much has happened there. We appeal to Mr. President to use his good office to fast-track the commencement of this project, as this has huge potentials to create jobs and provide trickle-down economics for our people.”

“We understand that the Federal Government will not require to finance the entire project but only to provide the basic infrastructure and the enabling security backing for the international investors, who are eager and waiting to be so encouraged.”