20yrs after Warri war, Ijaw, Itsekiri, agree to move against oil coys

At a joint briefing, they threatened to disrupt the free flow of oil exploration activities in their communities in the state, if the Federal Government fails to halt bid process for the 57 marginal fields, resume work on the abandoned multi-billion dollar gas Revolution Industrial Park project, GRIP and the Deep Seaport in Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state.

Chief Mike Odeli of Movement for Development of Itsekiri Oil and Gas Communities, and Chief Godspower Gbenekema of Ijaw nation, who addressed newsmen at the gathering of both ethnic groups in Warri also called on international oil companies, IOCs, to relocate their headquarters in the country to the region. They added that the Federal Government should immediately dissolve the Interim Management Committee, IMC, of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and appoint a substantive board.

The ethnic nationalities further called on the Federal Government to appoint a Coordinator from the Niger Delta region for the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, as they rejected the committee running the place.

They also enjoined the Federal Government to resume work on the abandoned Omadino-Excravos and the Koko-Oghoye Road projects abandoned since the birth of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, adding that the government should relocate the Floating Dock/Ship building yard lying fallow outside the state for use of students of the Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko, Warri South-West, Delta State.

Their statement reads, “The Federal Government should order the immediate resumption of work at the multi-billion dollars gas revolution industrial park project, GRIP and the deep seaport in Warri South-West council, Delta State.

“It should immediately halt the current process of bids for the 57 marginal fields to incorporate the interest of competent companies owned by Gbaramatu indigenes as well as Itsekiri sons and daughters from oil and gas producing communities, if not, we will be constrained to shut down operations of the multinational oil and gas companies operating in our homelands.‘‘