ONELGA CRISIS: EGI DEMANDS SEPARATE LGA

Posted by Kevin Nengia on May 7th, 2014 and filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Worried over the current attack on its son and Chairman of council, Mr Augustine Ahiamadu, Egi Traditional Rulers Council has demanded that a new local government area be carved out of the current Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area.

They made the demand during a protest by the chiefs to Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday where they presented a letter through Governor Chibuike Amaechi to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking on behalf of the chiefs, Chief Shedrack Orikoha alleged that the attack and closure of the council by some hired thugs by Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) stalwarts in the area raise fears over the safety of the chairman who is from Egi clan.

His words, “ We are aggrieved with what is happening in our local government . We have sections: We have Egi, Egbudu, Usomini, We have Egbema and Ndoni. The chairmanship of our local government is well organized such that after one clan, it gets to another clan. It is on rotation. This time, it’s Egi’s man’s turn, and each time it ‘s Egi man’s turn they chase him as if they are chasing a snake. They want to chase him to make him run from the local government he belongs to”.

Chief Orikoha believed that Hon Ahiamadu is being persecuted because of the clan he comes from , while insisting that, “ the chairman is not there for any political party, but for the whole ONELGA as a body, but what we are seeing now is threatening, and because of the threat…what we are demanding from you now is a local government area.’’

The traditional ruler said Egi people, who produce huge part of the nation’s oil and gas resource are peaceful people, who eschew trouble and are ready to co-exist with others.

He pleaded with the president to intervene in the current impasse in the area.

“We are asking you to come and save us. Save us and give us our local government. If you give us our local government, we will live in peace. We will not make trouble with ourselves or with our neighbours. We will behave the way we have been behaving with all the companies operating in our area. We treat everybody like our brothers. Please, what is happening in ONELGA is threatening to us’’.

For his part, representative of the governor and Permanent Secretary Government House, Mr Fortune Oguru, assured them of forwarding their letter and request to the state chief executive.

He called on all parties, especially the youth to maintain peace, “follow peace and abhor violence”.

Mr Oguru said as peace loving person, the governor will ensure their request gets urgent action, and advised them not to take laws into their hands.