DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT AND THE OBONTIE/UGBUKURUSU CRISES
THE
NEED FOR FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE
PRESS RELEASE
On Saturday January 17, 2003, the town of Ugbukurusu (an Okpe
town) in the Okpe Local government area of Delta State was
attacked and wrecked by (erstwhile neighbors), the people of
Obontie ( who are predominantly Itsekiris), also in the Okpe
Local Government Area. The attacked has limitlessly been
condemned even by the different leadership strata of the
Itsekiris themselves for obvious reasons which we think are
largely political. In our view, we equally condemned the attack
of Ugbukurusu by the people of Obontie irrespective of their
grievances.
Our condemnation of this attack is based on our firm believe
that two wrongs does not make a right, and also, that the
principle of violence and counter violence must not be conferred
with any iota of legitimacy.
On Wednesday, 21 January, 2003, the Deputy Governor of Delta
State, Mr. Benjamin Elue and other officials of the State
Government visited Ugbukurusu to assess the level of
destruction. This is commendable, and we identify ourselves with
this step, even though such a laudable gesture was denied the
people of Obontie in an earlier invasion and destruction of
their community by the people of Ugburuku few years ago. During
the visit, the Delta State Deputy Governor was quoted as saying
that the state Government will resettle all those displaced and
that the town of Ugbukurusu will be rebuilt, also by the State
government. This action of government is also commendable and we
identify ourselves with it.
What we however find politically intolerable and morally
indefensible and distasteful is the apparent biased and one
sided nature of this gesture by the Delta state Government in a
manner that smacks of justice, fairness and equity.
Any one that is familiar with the Obontie-Ugbukurusu crises
cannot but express reservation on the government’s approach
which is largely cosmetic and bereft of any iota of sense of
justice and the desire for fairness. In brevity, the crises
started sometimes in 2001 as a result of boundary dispute
between the two communities which culminated in the total
destruction of Obontie by the people of Ugbukurusu and their
consequently being exiled till this day. Information at our
disposal attest to the fact that when Obontie was sacked and
destroyed, the people wrote to the Delta state Governor, Chief
James Ibori requesting for his intervention so that those in
exile could return back home and rebuild their town. This
request was neither replied to, nor did the government showed
any interest, not to talk of visitation as was done yesterday,
now that Ugbukurusu has few days ago suffered the same fate with
Obontie; courtesy, Obontie hooligans!
For us in Warri Rights Group, we hold the Delta State
Government absolutely responsible for this recent crisis between
the people of Obontie (still in exile) and Ugbukurusu. Its
inaction since 2001 which amount to political and moral
irresponsibility has inadvertently and inexorably created and
sustained the necessary conditions for this recent crisis.
Now that the government is to resettle the people of
Ugbukurusu and rebuild the community; what then preclude the
same gesture from being extended to the people of Obontie? Does
it mean that in the thinking of the Delta State government, what
is good for the geese must not be good for the gander? With the
apparent quietism on the earlier tragedy of the people of
Obontie, is the Delta State Government not telling the whole
world that present exilic status of the people of Obontie has
its blessing? Is this quietism not a subtle way of telling the
people of Obontie that they will eternally remain in exile and
consequently remain a people without a home?. Is the Delta State
Government so sure that the level of anger, bitterness and
frustration that would have propelled the Obontie hooligans
(still in exile ) to invade Ugbukrusu has for ever come to an
end? and will not in future reoccur possibly with another
disastrous consequences? We doubt, because our knowledge of the
dial! ectics of history is clear in this direction.
Our last poser! Now that the Delta State Government is to
resettle the people of Ugbukurusu because of the retaliatory
actions of the people of Obontie, how would the government want
its present action to be conceptualised and interpreted by the
people of Obontie, ‘history’ and civilize humanity at large
Their thought (Obontie) may not be relevant possibly because of
the demographic and political irrelevance of their ethnic group.
In the name of justice, the Delta State Government should not
only be fair but seemed to be fair to both warring groups. In
this direction, it should treat the people of Obontie not as
outcast that deserve their present tragedy but as people whose
community has been totally destroyed in the manner that
Ugbukurusu has been destroyed, and thus equally deserve the
paternality of the Delta State Government in a manner that the
people of Ugbukurusu are due to enjoy.
Whatever actions of government in the direction we have
suggested, it must be preceded by strategies to reconcile the
peoples of Obontie and Ugbukurusu which will require the putting
in place( and urgently too) a high power Judicial Commission of
Enquiry to determine the remote and immediate causes to this
crises. It is when such steps are taken towards reconciling both
groups that any ‘rebuilding’ and ‘resettlement’ can be
guaranteed.
Any thing contrary equivocate a perpetual
condition of crises such that both ‘Obontie and Ugbukurusu’ will
always sleep with one eye close and one eye open, and
‘graveyard’ peace will reign supreme.
Ayoro .A. Nanna
Secretary General (WRG) 22-01-04
WARRI RIGHTS GROUP
36 OLOMU ROAD
NANNA TOWN
KOKO
email-
warri_rights@yahoo.com
March 2004
