*Call for unity and love among the people of the Niger Deltans people

By Ogbagah Matthias

UGHELLI – The social political group of the Niger Delta people, the Pan Niger Delta People (PANDEF), yesterday, during an interactive meeting with the good people of Niger Deltans in Lagos State, inaugurated the Lagos State chapter of PANDEF with a call to work in unity and speak in one voice.

Inaugurating the executive members of PANDEF Lagos State chapter, the National Chairman of PANDEF, Amb Godknows Igali, charged the newly inaugurated Excos, headed by Prof. Hope Eghagha, and all Niger Deltans in Lagos State, to live in unity and speak with one voice to achieve a common and purposeful development for the Niger Delta Region.

While commending the sagacity and tenacity of the pioneer leader of PANDEF, late Pa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, he said, “Though we may not be able to wear the shoes that Late Chief Edwin Clark left behind, we shall continue to try our best even if it means bearing them with our hands.

PANDEF strongly condemned the selective, unjust treatment of the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta by the Nigerian Military by burning down the entire community, with persons arrested and detained to date without trial. This is against the principle of justice and fair hearing.

PANDEF urged Mr. President to ensure that the constitutional and democratically elected Governor of Rivers state, Sir Siminalaye Fubara, is reinstalled in office without further delay.

Responding, on behalf of the good people of Niger Delta bases in Lagos State, the newly inaugurated chairman of PANDEF Lagos State chapter, Prof. Hope Eghagha, noted with pity the negligence of the seaports in the Niger Delta and the East-West Roads, and blamed the abandonment of the Ogidigben EPZ gas project by the federal government.

Lamenting the long-age marginalization of the Niger Delta people region even before independence, which led to the protest by leaders of the region to London, subsequently caused the delay of Nigeria’s independence and the setting up of Willink’s commission.

According to him, the Midwest States were not given to our people on a platter of gold; ur leaders fought for it. Therefore, we must imbibe the spirit of our past leaders, which was handed over to us by our late leader, Chief Edwin Clark, who was given the mantle of leadership at the formation of the Midwest state.

“Midwest States were not given to our people on a platter of gold. Our leaders fought for it. Therefore we must imbibe the spirit of our past leaders which was handed over to us by our late leader, Chief Edwin Clark who was given the mantle of leadership at the formation of PANDEF with eminent Niger Deltans including First Class Monarchs like Oba of Benin, Orodje of Okpe, Olu of Warri, Obong of Calaba, Agadagba of Egbema in the year 2016 to lead PANDEF.

“It is on this basis that we must have unity and speak with one voice instead of speaking separately as Urhobo, Ijaw, Itsekiri, Ndokwa, Ibibio, Anang, Oron, Efik, Ijagham, Edo, Ishan, or Isoko, Ogini, etc, Igali added.

“We shall in no distant time, organize a Niger Delta cultural festival that may take place in Lagos, and the country shall see that we have unity in the Niger Delta. No land is better than the Niger Delta for agriculture,” he noted.

Those inaugurated alongside Prof. Hope Eghagha include: Chief Patrick Iyang from Cross River State as Deputy chairman, Prince Emnanuel Anderson Ogan from Rivers state as secretary, Sylvester Ebhodaghe from Edo state as Publicity Secretary, and IWekumo Idris from Bayelsa as a woman leader.