*Set to assist 100 elderly with N1,000,000 monthly in ‘OSU’ Fed Constituency
*Expresses support for State/Community policing
By Victor Lewis
The member representing Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Barr. Benedict Etanabene, has promised to move a motion on the floor of the Green Chamber to appeal to the federal government, to reverse the recent naming of the Osubi Airport after King Diete Spiff of Rivers State.
Hon. Etanabene who stated this while fielding questions from newsmen in Effurun recently, however promised to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to reverse the recent name of the airport and accord such honor to any of the numerous nationally-recognized past or present figures in Urhobo land.
It would be recalled that the federal government recently renamed some airports in the country after some prominent Nigerians. Among the airports renamed is the Osubi Airport located in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
Reacting to the development, Hon. Etanabene noted that it was wrong for the Osubi airport which is situated in Okpe Local Government Area in Delta State to be named after the former governor of Rivers State who is a king in a certain community in that state, stating that it is capable of sparking agitation against marginalization.
Etanabene further stated that although he nurses no personal grudge against King Diete Spiff, he could recall that at time he was a still a young military officer, prominent sons of Urhobo like the late Jereton Mariere, was already a Governor of the then Midwest State.
According to him, late Jereton Mariere and several other prominent Urhobo sons were qualified to be honoured by the renaming of Osubi airport.
“The naming of Osubi Airport after a king in Rivers State is not right, it is not fair. These are some of the things that are provoking people to agitate that they are being marginalized.
“I don’t have problem with the naming of anything after Diete Spiff. But the Diete Spiff whom I know as an Urhobo man, was a former governor of Rivers State and he is a king to a group of persons, a particular tribe in Rivers State. It has nothing to do with us.
“In any case, naming monuments and places after people has to do with history and culture. It is usually done to preserve the names of important personalities who had contributed to the development of the society.
“Now, you need to situate such persons to areas where they are known and that is the only way you can have the benefit of naming such places after such persons. So, for me, Osubi Airport should not have had any relationship whatsoever with King Diete Spiff of Rivers State. Perhaps, the Rivers people will know him better. I don’t have anything personal against him.
“History has also made us to understand that as at the time when Diete Spiff was the governor of Rivers, we also had Urhobo son who was the governor of former Midwest which later became Delta State. As a matter of fact, at the time Chief Jereton Mariere from Evwreni in Ughelli North Local Government Area, was the governor of Midwest State, Diete Spiff was just a young Army officer.
“So, if we had the late Jereton Mariere of Urhobo extraction as governor of Midwest State and you did not find it worthy to immortalize him by naming the Airport after him, for goodness sake, put them on a scale. We also have the likes of Chief Mukoro Mowoe, the first man who brought Urhobo together, we should remember him.
“There is nobody in the world today that is so recognized in the Guiness World Record, as to train all his children to become chartered accountants as the late Chief Sen. David Dafinone. That is a name to preserve too”, he said.
Etanabene further mentioned other prominent Urhobo sons whose pedigrees qualify them to be honoured with the naming of Osubi airport.
“We have late Justice Omo-Agege, a distinguished Urhobo man who became a Chief Justice of another country, it tells you of the worth of that man. We have the late Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ayo Irikefe; we had late Justice Ovie Whiskey, we had the late Senator Pius Ewherido who died in service, they are very many.
“Now let me tell you, I don’t see.what Diete Spiff has that the Orodje of Okpe does not have. He is a highly respected first class monarch in the country. A formal Army General who commanded several Brigade Commands and, incidentally, the airport we are talking about is in his own domain. They should have named the airport after.him”, the lawmaker said.
Etanabene promised to move a motion in the Green Chamber, to appeal to the President to reverse the naming of Osubi Airport after King Diete Spiff, adding that he was very optimistic that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu being a listening President will do the needful.
“Of course, as soon as we resumed, I’m going to move a motion that the decision of government should be reversed. But we make it as an appeal. Mr. President is a man of culture who also want to preserve the history and culture of his people”, he said.
The Honourable member also took time to speak on his programme to assist the elderly in his Constituency, adding that he is starting with about 100 elders whom he will be giving N10,000 each monthly, in line with his electioneering promises to use his monthly salary to help the needy.
He said: “Nobody needs to be told that Nigerians are going through pretty hard times. And if the youths that are strong are complaining of hardship then what shall we say about the elderly ones that are not protected? I am of the opinion that whatever I can do to contribute to make life better for all persons that I meet it is okay by me.
“But this is the first step to take care of the very elderly ones that lack support from government. In many countries if you get to a certain age, government takes care of your welfare, having served the country in your youth days and when it comes to the time of retirement you are now left on your own, I do not think that is right.
“So, in my own little way, I vowed that the salary I’m going to receive in the National Assembly I will forfeit it for the elderly ones in my federal constituency. Presently, we are starting with 100 elderly persons, 33 from each of the three Local Government Areas of Okpe, Sapele and Uvwie. Every month, each person will receive minimum of N10,000 for the four-year period that I’ll remain in the National Assembly. We shall expand it as time goes on. Our target is to get about 500 very elderly persons.
“We will still come to the point where we are going to focus on the youths. Theirs will be more of skill acquisition, training and empowerment programmes to enable them find their feet to take care of themselves.”
Etanabene also spoke of his plans to collaborate with the security agencies and local vigilantes and hunters to ensure safety along the Effurun-Sapele highway that has been troubled by miscreants in recent times.
He emphasized the importance of state/community policing, adding that security is the responsibility of everyone in a society.
“I think that right from Amukpe junction to Effurun, that portion of the road needs to be preserved and protected. In those days I used to drive through that road to Sapele at 12.00 midnight and return around 1 am in the past and it was peaceful. But I can’t do that now.
“When came back on break recently I was told that herdsmen have been having a field day along that stretch of the road blocking the road, waylaying people and robbing them. I also got information that the herdsmen are working in connivance with some local boys to perpetrate crime on that road.
“That was why I went there to hold a meeting with the people on how we can make the road safe and secure for road users. We are already mobilizing local vigilantes and hunters to work in a synergy for the security of the road. By the grace of God, I will provide vehicles for them to make that road safe.
“I have always believed in State and Community policing. In fact, Community policing will take care of almost 80% of criminality we see every day because the people in that community know themselves. So, it will be very difficult for people to perpetrate criminality in the presence of those who know them. Criminal most times operate in darkness and if we now have people who see through darkness in that community, it will reduce the incidence of crime”, he noted.
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