We are solicitors to the Ugborodo Community in Warri South\/West Local<\/p>\n
Government Area of Delta State. The following members of the community<\/p>\n
namely, Chief Ayiri Emami and Chief Thomas Ereyitomi have briefed us as<\/p>\n
follows:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That certain individuals from Gbaramatu Kingdom led by one High Chief<\/p>\n
Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) – who also recently threatened to<\/p>\n
kill me – have ganged up to give your Excellency certain conditions upon<\/p>\n
which you can be allowed to perform the ground-breaking ceremony of the<\/p>\n
Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Project located in Ugborodo on<\/p>\n
Friday, November 14, 2014. One of such conditions is that the name of the<\/p>\n
project which has since been known and referred to by its location, that<\/p>\n
is Ogidigben (which is an Itsekiri community) must be changed to include<\/p>\n
the name \u201cGbaramatu\u201d (an Ijaw community), which is a community that has<\/p>\n
nothing to do with the present location of the EPZ Project.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Excellency, the Ogidigben people are proud of the great people of<\/p>\n
Gbaramatu Kingdom, and are not in any way denigrating them, but there is<\/p>\n
no point renaming a project after a city that does not host such a<\/p>\n
project. It makes no sense. Unfortunately, these elements who foment<\/p>\n
trouble constantly ride on your back as \u201can Ijaw man\u201d to make their<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This is therefore a call for you to rise above such mundane sentiments,<\/p>\n
and be the President of the entire country and not just the President of<\/p>\n
Gbaramatu Kingdom. Happily, the Delta State Government has graciously<\/p>\n
intervened and decided that the name of the project would be \u201cDelta Gas<\/p>\n
City\u201d which bears no colouration of any tribe, but surprisingly, those who<\/p>\n
claim to be your \u201cbrothers\u201d, (to the exclusion of the rest of us), have<\/p>\n
rejected this middle-ground approach to the debacle and have threatened<\/p>\n
fire and brimstone unless you accede to their demand.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Excellency, we are informed that this latest provocation follows a<\/p>\n
pattern against our clients and the Itsekiri people that have existed for<\/p>\n
some time now. And on each occasion they parade your name as their<\/p>\n
\u201cbackbone\u201d. A few examples would suffice:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Maritime University was originally located in Koko (an Itsekiri<\/p>\n
Community) when Mr. Temisan Omatseye was the Director-General. In this<\/p>\n
location, the University was easily accessible to everybody, including the<\/p>\n
Ijaws and Itsekiris. However, when Tompolo installed his own nominee as<\/p>\n
the Director-General of NIMASA (which is the agency responsible for the<\/p>\n
running and management of the Maritime University), Mr. Ziakede Patrick<\/p>\n
Akpobolokemi, the University was relocated to Okorenkoko, (which they<\/p>\n
claim belongs to the Gbaramatu people).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, even the claim of Okorenkoko by the Gbaramatu people is also<\/p>\n
another example of forceful usurpation of the rights of the Itsekiris.<\/p>\n
This is because judgment in Suit No. W\/29\/1949, delivered on 13th October,<\/p>\n
1951 in the High Court of Justice Holden at Warri, pronounced Okorenkoko<\/p>\n
as belonging to Omadino, which is an Itsekiri Community. However, even in<\/p>\n
the face of this judgment, the Gbaramatu people are still claiming<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Your Excellency, we can go on and on, but these are a few examples of an<\/p>\n
individual and his group thinking and boasting that they are above the<\/p>\n
law, and threatening everybody to submission in Delta State, including the<\/p>\n
Governor himself. Unfortunately, they use your name to perpetrate this<\/p>\n
unholy attitude. But at the same time, the various security agencies have<\/p>\n
not done anything to dispel this name-dropping. Recall that I sent a<\/p>\n
petition to your office and that of the D.G, SSS and the IGP about two<\/p>\n
weeks ago, that Tompolo had the temerity to call my phone and tell me of<\/p>\n
his plans to kill me. Yet you and your security agencies have refused to<\/p>\n
lift one finger over my petition.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Now, they are even threatening you in your exalted office not to come and<\/p>\n
perform the ground-breaking of a project, except their demands are met. Do<\/p>\n
we have two Presidents in Nigeria? Or two Governors in Delta State? Time<\/p>\n
will tell.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, as counsel to the Ugborodo people and as a stakeholder in Delta<\/p>\n
State (a free born of the State), one million Tompolos will not threaten<\/p>\n
or intimidate us not to speak out against injustice. Let him come and kill<\/p>\n
all of us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mr. President, the world is watching you on this issue.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yours sincerely,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We are solicitors to the Ugborodo Community in Warri South\/West Local Government Area of Delta State. The following members of the community namely, Chief Ayiri Emami and Chief Thomas Ereyitomi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n