LAGOS AUGUST 13TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Urhobo organization under the aegis of Urhobo Political Movement (UPM) has passed vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari’s government saying his administration has ended the era of impunity in Nigeria.

Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi

The group headed by Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi noted that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has put paid to the era of impunity foisted on Nigerians by past administrations where sitting Governors in the comfort of their bedrooms dictate to the appointing authority on whom to appoint into public offices particularly at the federal level.
The group made the commendation while reacting to a sponsored publication on the print and electronic media running for the past two weeks over the appointment of an Urhobo-born technocrat, Engr. Samuel Ajenakevwe Adjogbe as an Executive Director, Projects, on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC contending that the appointment ought to have been given to the Itsekiri ethnic nationality especially the immediate past appointee, Mr. Tuoyo Omatsuli,

Describing the action of those who made the publication as persons still living in the past era of impunity which had bedeviled the nation in the past, Urhobo Political Movement observed that the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general elections has taken away this type of street and paper rascality where people take to the streets and media to dictate to the government of the day, on how to provide governance as to who to be appointed into public offices.
“Gone are the days when those who do not know dictate to those who know. The idea or school of thought where one believes that the Presidency can be hoodwinked or arm-twisted as to who to appoint into offices to bring about effective government efforts in meeting up with the yearnings and aspirations of the people is no longer acceptable.
“The following facts must be correctly represented so as to know that the sponsors of those protests and demonstrations are in mere exercise in futility; an art of wizardry, false alarm and wickedness in an environment where peace and harmony reign supreme,” the group stated.
The group further argued that the recent media wars which include protests against the appointment of an Urhobo son in the board of NDDC fall short of truth and are calculated attempts to misinform the general public, wondering if the sponsors actually have the knowledge of how appointments are made into the NDDC board, even right from the era of OMPADEC, the progenitor to the NDDC.
The group stated that it would have paid a deaf ear to the so called politically motivated protests given the nature of the miscreants who signed the publications, but quickly pointed out that they decided to come up with a rejoinder in order to correct the misrepresentation of facts which may mislead some persons who do not know much about the tradition of appointments in the Commission.
Stressing on the peaceful coexistence between the Urhobos and Itsekiris which few disgruntled elements want to disorganize the group recalled, “The incumbent Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli I, clearly defined the relationship that should continuously exist between the Urhobo and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities, by paying royal visits to some of the Urhobo traditional Rulers, e.g., His Royal Majesty, Oharisi III, the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom in his palace at Ughelli and that of His Royal Majesty Oghoro Ogoni I (JP) the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom in his palace at Ogoni-Olomu. To us, these two royal visits by the Olu of Warri speak volumes which therefore further cement our existing relationship and create the way forward. Therefore, it becomes laughable when one notices that some trouble makers of no fixed address have taken to the streets and media with the aim of causing disaffection among the peace loving Urhobo and Itsekiri people. However, we are not surprised because the sponsors of the protests thrive and benefit only in an atmosphere of rancour.”
Goin through the memory lane on how Urhobos had been marginalized with respect to appointment into NDDC from the establishment of OMPADEC the group recalled, “It is a statement of fact that from the establishment of the defunct OMPADEC in 1992, through to its successor, NDDC which first board was inaugurated on 21st December, 2001, the Urhobo people in Delta Central had been the least beneficiaries despite our huge contributions to the total oil and gas production in Nigeria.
“For instance, Chief Isaac Jemide, an Itsekiri was first appointed into the board of OMPADEC as commissioner/State Representative. And at the full completion of his tenure, another Itsekiri person, Chief Joseph Popo got appointed into the next board also as Commissioner/State Representative.
“As if this was not enough, the next appointment to the board was another Itsekiri, in the person of Rear Admiral Preston Dan Omatsola (rtd) as Sole Administrator after Prof Eric Opia of the Ndokwa ethnic nationality in Delta North senatorial district had served as Executive Chairman. In addition, the last stage of OMPADEC saw another of our Itsekiri brother and an illustrious son of Delta State appointed into the Commission’s Winding-up Committee by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a representative of Delta State. All these happened in the face of the Urhobo people who are the majority in the State. However, the Urhobos being their brother’s keepers maintained their cool and never protested nor saw those appointments to be detrimental to their interest and well being.
“In another vein, let us chronicle the appointments of persons from Delta State into the various NDDC boards from inception in December 2001 till date. While the Urhobo people in Delta Central senatorial district have only gotten 4 appointments including the current one of Engr. Samuel Ajenakevwe Adjogbe as Executive Director, Projects, the Delta South senatorial district comprising the Ijaws, Isokos, Itsekiris and Urhobos in Patani and Warri South local government areas had gotten 13 appointments including the current one of Dr Ogaga Ifowodo; within the Ijaw/Isoko/Itsekiri blocks without any Urhobo person who are also part and parcel of Delta South.
“These numerous appointees from Delta South include Prof. Victor Peretomode (an Ijaw), Barr Valentine Ada Arenyika (an Itsekiri), Bro Emma Ogidi (an Isoko), Chief Solomon Ogba (an Isoko), Pastor P.Z. Aginighan (an Ijaw) as Executive Director, Finance and Administration and later as an Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Lambert Kunboye (an Ijaw) as Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA), Chief Isaac Jemide (an Itsekiri) as Chairman, Presidential Monitoring Committee on NDDC, Mr. Tuoyo Omatsuli (an Itsekiri) as Executive Director, Projects (EDP), the immediate past appointee and Dr Ogaga Ifowodo (an Isoko).”
The group observed that all these appointments that came to the Delta South senatorial district, there was no single consideration of a slot for the Urhobo people therein, adding that despite this clear marginalization of the Urhobos in the Delta South zone, there was never a time the Urhobos protested against such oppression.
The group mainatained that all the eight local government areas within Delta Central are oil and gas producing and have many other oil installations spread across the Urhobo nation including but not limited to the following: “Warri Refining and Petrochemicals at Ekpan, Effurun, Utorogu Gas Plant (Phase I & II) at Otu-Jeremi {the largest in West Africa), Utorogu Oil Field with a Flow Station at Otu-Jeremi, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Ekpan Effurun, Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun, Afiesere oil Field with a Flow Station at Afiesere, Eriemu Oil Field with a Flow Station at Owevwe, Agbarha-Otor, NGC Gas Plant at Owevwe, Agbarha-Otor, Kokori Oil Field with a Flow Station at Erhoike, NGC Gas Plant at Erhoike, Ughelli East Oil Field with a Flow Station at Eruemukowharien and Ughelli West Oil Field with a Flow Station at Ekakpamre.
“Others are Osioka Oil Field with a Flow Station at Okpavuerhe-Olomu, Evwreni Oil Field with Flow Station at Evwreni, Sapele oil Field with 2 Flow Stations at Sapele, Orogho Oil Field with a Flow Station at Boboroku, Jesse, Ovo Oil Field with a Flow Station, Pan Ocean oil Field at Ovade, Oghara, Part of Oben Oil Field, Jesse, Abura Oil Field, Emadadja, Udu, One Fields Logistics Base (FLB) at Omavovwe, Agbarha-Otor, One Fields Logistics Base (FLB) at Sapele and Ughelli Quality Control Centre (UQCC) at Eruemukowharien; amongst others.”
The group stated that in addition to the above enumerated oil fields and other installations, Urhobo land houses the biggest oil Manifold in West Africa which is located at Eriemu oil field, Gana, Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, just as it pointed out that the second oil well in Nigeria next to Oloibiri in Bayelsa State was discovered in Eruemukowharien, Ughelli.
“Urhobo nation remains the largest onshore oil and gas producer in the Country with network of pipelines crisscrossing the entire land mass. As a result of this, Urhobo nation suffers massive loss of farm lands, fishing activities and/or aquatic resources including environmental degradation and pollutions.
“Despite the fact that a huge volume of gas is produced at Utorogu Gas Plant which would be pumped to service the proposed EPZ project at Ogidigben in Delta South, the Urhobo nation has been technically sidelined or denied from being a signatory to the joint memorandum of understanding between the Federal Government and the Oil producing partners on the one hand, and the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities on the other hand,” the group noted, just as they called the so-called agitators to look at other member-States of NDDC to see whether their own appointments were based on ethnic colouration or leaning.
They argued that if their arguments were anything to go by, it means that the appointment of the new chairman of the board would have come from the same village with the immediate past chairman.
“In the light of the foregoing, we whole heartedly welcome and support the appointment of the new EDP, Engr. Samuel Adjogbe because, he is qualified, competent and above all, hails from an oil producing area in Delta State as required by the NDDC Act 2000.
“We the Urhobo people have nothing to say than to continuously thank Mr. President and fully declare our unflinching collective support for his administration especially his anti-corruption crusade,” the group declared.