– Demands relocation of new ward to Ogbe- Ijohs
There is palpable tension in Warri as Ijaws of Ogbe-Ijoh extraction staged a heavy protest on Thursday, following an alleged exclusion in the recently concluded ward creation exercise in Delta State.
The angry protesters also accused Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of conniving with the Itsekiris to further oppress Ijaws in Warri.
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With placards displaying different inscriptions, the protesters wondered why Governor Okowa would join their Itsekiri neighbours to manipulate the Ijaws.
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They threatened the return of war between both ethnicities if the newly created ward to is not relocated to the Ijaws.
The protesters blocked the Warri South Local government Council for hours before dispersing following a swift intervention of Ijaw Leaders.
They however, called on Governor Okowa to relocate the newly created ward in Warri to the Ijaws in order to avoid another ethnic crisis.
Recall that similar situation played out in 1997, when the Ijaws protested over the relocation of the Warri South West Local government headquarters from Ogbe-Ijoh to Ogidigben, an Itsekiris community.
The protest led to an ethnic crisis that led to the loss of lives and properties in warri and later escalated to riverine communities of both tribes.
The crisis lingered until the Local Government Headquarter was relocated to Ogbe-Ijoh community.
Findings reveal that successful governments in the state have not been fair to the Ijaws in Warri who are said to be first settlers in Warri.
The Ijaws who have no single political ward in the Warri South Local Government Council had applied for one in the just concluded ward creation exercise carried out by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC.
The appeal was bluntly ignored by the Commission and Governor Okowa as the solitary ward was awarded to the Itsekiris.
