…to avert riotous groundbreaking

By Emma Amaize

WARRI—AJA-EDEDE, an Itsekiri farming community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, yesterday, urged Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to quickly reconvene a summit of all stakeholders to avoid crisis during the ground-breaking ceremony of the $16 billion Delta Gas City by President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a letter dated March 10, to President Jonathan, signed by Ola-Raja of Aja-Edede, Pa. Prince Johan Edede Younwuren, the community which claims to own a larger percentage of land acquired by the federal and state governments for the project, said: “We call on Delta State government to reconvene the peace committee meeting and invite the stakeholders to an urgent meeting before the ground-breaking in order to prevent multiplicity of suits capable of scuttling the project and to prevent youth restiveness from the neglected communities.”

Maintaining that the land where the project is located belongs to Aja-Edede and not Ogidigben, as erroneously portrayed, the community asserted: “We, therefore, call on the Delta State and Federal Governments to respect the property rights of Aja-Edede over the EPZ land acquired by the government.

“We do not see how a peace committee meeting of the EPZ by stakeholders was abandoned halfway after the stakeholders have spent money producing documents and evidence of land ownership in the EPZ site.

“Any further attempt to sidetrack Aja-Edede in the discussion will be stoutly resisted as justice, fairness and equity must be seen to prevail.

“The Aja-Edede indigenes, principally of the Itsekiri stock, are descendants of Prince Edede Youwuren. We want it on record that Aja-Edede community is not Ogidigben community, it is also not Ugborodo community but an autonomous community with a large land mass.

“The position of Aja-Edede community whose land is being acquired is to be consulted in any discussion relating to the EPZ project. The Ugborodo and Gbaramtu people are not the only stakeholders; they represent their various communities and not any other.”