Ogbe-Ijoh/Aladja Crisis: IYC, UPU Youths Call On Delta Govt, NDDC To Erect Public Facilities In Disputed Land

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide and the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth Wing (Ighele) have called on Delta State Government to take necessary measures to restore peace between warring communities of Aladja in Udu Local Government Area and the Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West Local Government Area, all of Delta State.

The youth groups however said that in the prevailing circumstances, the state and federal governments especially interventionist agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) can go ahead and construct public facilities that would benefit both communities in the disputed area to avoid further destructions but rather bring development to the warring communities.

Aladja, an Urhobo Community and Ogbe-Ijoh, an Ijaw Community have been engulfed in communal crisis over land which has claimed several lives with properties worth millions of naira destroyed. The socio-economic activities in the two communities have also been paralyzed.

The IYC and the UPU (Youth Wing) in a joint press statement signed by their Presidents; Messrs Eric Omare and Nicholas Omoko, called on the two warring communities to adopt dialogue as a means of resolving the dispute instead of resort to gun battle.

There is no amount of gun battle that would lead to a winner and a loser in the circumstances, instead all the two communities would be losers, the statement said.

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According to youth groups in the statement made available to newsmen in Warri, Delta state, “The best option in the opinion of the IYC and UPU, Youth Wing is for both communities to embrace dialogue, make compromises and work together towards restoring peace and attract development to their respective communities rather than resort to violence.

“The IYC and UPU (Youth Wing) express our commitment to work with youth leaders from both communities; government and other stakeholders towards restoring permanent peace to Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities.

“We realize the fact that the greatest victims of this needless war are the youths of both communities. The energies of the youths which are supposed to be channeled towards productive purposes are now been used for negative purposes.

“We therefore call on the Elders and Leaders of the Ijaw and Urhobo Nations to take drastic steps to bring this needless war to a stop. The Ijaws and Urhobos of the Niger Delta region have no business going to war; instead should be engaged in joint struggles to take control of our God given resources which we have been deprived of over the years by the federal government.

“The IYC and UPU (Youth Wing) call Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to take all necessary measures to restore peace to the warring communities. Governor Okowa must act now! We further call for construction of public facilities that would benefit both communities in the disputed area by the state and federal governments especially interventionist agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to avoid further destructions; bring development to the warring communities and restore peace.

“The IYC and UPU (Youth Wing) in the coming days have agreed to call a summit of Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh youths to work towards a peace process together with government and other stakeholders”.

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