By Emma Amaize, Perez Brisibe, Onozure Dania & Jeremiah Urowayino

WARRI—Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change, NDIMRC and some Ijaw leaders, weekend, expressed divergent views over the recent memo by Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the National Assembly that correct location of the proposed Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, is Okerenghigho, and not Okerenkoko.

Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenghigho, Delta State.

The Ijaw leaders who reacted included former Chairman of Kokodiagbene Community, Gbararmatu Kingdom, Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, Sheriff Mulade, and Chief Godspower Gbenakama, the Ibibenimowie of Gbaramatu Kingdom

While INYC said the National Assembly was statute barred from throwing out the Supreme Court judgment that recognized the parcel of land where NMU presently situates as Okerenghigho, NDIMRC, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction the AGF over  the   memo emanating from him on the location of NMU.

NASS must respect S-Court judgment—INYC

INYC President, Agbateyiniro Weyinmi,  said: “The contestation between the Itsekiri and the Ijaw over this parcel of land had been settled long ago through the instrumentality of the Supreme Court judgment, James Uluba & others vs Chief E.E Sillo & others, as already reported in the Nigeria Weekly Law Report.

“By virtue of this Supreme Court judgment and paragraph 8 of part 2 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, the National Assembly is statute barred from ousting the position of the law/Supreme Court judgment, which recognizes the said parcel of land as Okerenghigho. Therefore, the attentions of Nigerians, civil society groups and the world in general, have since been drawn to this subject matter. Whether, in a constitutional democracy, they will permit the rule of law to remain sacrosanct or they will encourage perversion of justice.”

On the fresh tension between Ijaw and Itsekiri over Malami’s memo, he said: “As a youth council, we shall not fail to commend the exemplary courage exhibited by Malami, SAN, in the release of the said memo to the National Assembly after all critical and legal considerations on the position of the law on the subject matter as the chief law officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Let it also be clearly stated that Itsekiri wholeheartedly welcome the establishment of the Maritime University in Okerenghigho. But, the only difference between man and animal is the existence of law, orderliness and the enforcement of the provisions of the law, which this memo seeks to actualize.

And since the release of the Deghele Declaration in August 2017, we have been very articulate in line with the spirit and letter of the declaration that no inch of the Itsekiri homeland shall be compromised. As a people, the Itsekiri nation can discuss peace and not territory.”

Ologbotsere backs AGF

Corroborating the INYC President, the Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayiri Emami, commended the Federal Government for intervening in the controversy over the naming of the NMU.

He said: “All relevant legal documents, court judgments and history support the fact that the site of the Maritime University in Warri South-West Local Government Area, belongs to Itsekiri.

“It is not surprising that the current Attorney General did the needful by affirming Itsekiri’s ownership of the university site based on court judgment.

“We are not against the university, but what is worth doing is worth doing well.”

The Ologbotsere also enjoined all to embrace peace and let the university move forward while noting that anyone trying to foment trouble through unguarded utterances and threats of violence should be brought before the law.

On the contrary, an Ijaw youth leader, Shedrack Agediga, claimed that Malami’s memo was “a ploy to plunge the Niger Delta region, especially Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State into avoidable crisis. Mr. President, this is unnecessary considering the already known outcome of his action. The people of the Niger Delta, just like every other citizen in Nigeria, have a right to live and be protected by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Few months back, due to perceived injustice on the people of the Niger Delta region, there was a resurgence of militant activities which crumbled crude oil production to its lowest. It took the intervention and active participation of well meaning leaders, PANDEF and youth leaders at different levels, including state governors, to stabilise the situation and today crude production is at its all time high.”

AGF’s memo misleading FG—Mulade

Similarly, Mulade accused the AGF of confusing the Federal Government with his recent memo to the National Assembly on the location of NMU.

Mulade, in a statement, said: “The memo from the AGF on the location of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, is a new diversionary strategy to delay the smooth take-off of the university, but this will not be accepted.

“It is our appeal to the National Assembly to dump this memo capable of generating fresh crisis in the Niger Delta region, especially between the Ijaw and Itsekiri of Delta State.   “I am urging the Federal Government to call the AGF to order now.”

Also,  NDIMRC, in a petition to the President,  by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Stanley Mukoro, said: “Mr President, our attention has been drawn to a purported memo  emanating from the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, over the location of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, and wish to let you know that the memo is capable of rocking the peace that your administration has restored to the Niger Delta region. Mr President, the Nigerian Maritime University is located in Okerenkoko, an Ijaw community and not Okerenghigho as being claimed by the AGF. We want to make it abundantly clear that Okerenghigho is a non-existing name. Okerenkoko, where the Nigerian Maritime University is located, is an Ijaw land. Attempt to cause another crisis between the Ijaw and the Itsekiri in Delta State must be avoided at all costs.

“Let it be known that the   site or community where the Nigerian Maritime University is situated has never been known, addressed or called Okerenghigho at any time. The actual, historical and legally recognized name of the host community to the Nigerian Maritime University is Okerenkoko.

The name Okerenkoko is reflected in all historical and political documents and institutions including the Okerenkoko Primary School, Okerenkoko Secondary School, Okerenkoko electoral ward in all electoral documents, Okerenkoko General Hospital etc.

There is no community known as Okerenghigho within and around the area where the Nigerian Maritime University is situated. Therefore, the purported Supreme Court case of James Uluba and others v. Chief E. E. Sillo has nothing to do with the land where the Nigerian Maritime University is situated.”

Plans to scuttle takeoff of NMU

In the same vein, Chief Gbenakama, the Ibibenimowie (Chief Mobilizer) of Gbaramatu Kingdom, said: “It is obvious that someone somewhere does not want the takeoff of the institution because having made our presentation before the House committee on Public Hearing at the National Assembly in early October 2016, a memo dated October 17 was leaked to the press three months after with less than two weeks to the selection of staff.

“The bill that went to the National Assembly carried the caption, Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, which also has older institutions like the Okerenkoko primary school established in 1955, Okerenko Cottage Hospital and the delineation of wards which is Gbaramatu ward with headquarters in Okerenkoko.”

Gbenekama noted further that before the siting of the university, the then governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Itsekiri son, published in the national dailies the acquisition of “Okerenkoko” and not “Okerenghigho”, and wondered why there was no memo to debunk the claim, saying, “this so- called memo by the AGF is capable of causing renewed problems in the Niger Delta.”

On the Supreme Court ruling cited by the AGF, Gbenakama said, “From the publication I understood that Malami and H. A. Tahir relied on a judgment between one James Uluba and others versus E. E. Sillo and others. This is not the first time this is happening as the Itsekiris have always referred to this judgment.

“First of all, one thing the world should know is that there is nobody with the name of James Uluba in all the history of Okerenkoko and Gbaramatu people and in Warri South West. James Uluba is a non-existent name that the Itsekiris have used to get some frivolous judgment which could not hold water because it was frivolously achieved in the absence of the unsuspecting Ijaw people.”