By Victor Lewis
There seems to be end in sight for the age-long land dispute between the two neighbouring Communities of Aladja in Udu Local Government Area and Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West Local Government Area of the State, as the Delta State APC Governorship Candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has promised to resolve the issue once and for all, when he becomes the governor in 2023.
It would be recalled that the crisis between the two neighbouring Communities has defied several attempts by successive administrations in the State to resolve but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel if Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who is not just a lawyer but an expert in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), becomes the next governor of the State as from May 29, 2023.
Omo-Agege, who gave this assurance, when the Delta APC ward-to-ward campaign train visited Ogbe-Ijoh, headquarters of Warri South West LGA, on Monday, noted that the people of Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja are brothers and sisters, adding that as long as the dispute continues, development would also continue to elude the two Communities just as economic and social activities would continue to dwindle.
While lamenting the lacklustre attitudes of previous administrations in the State in handling the dispute, Omo-Agege said that he would personally ensure that the crisis is permanently resolved in favour of both warring communities, assuring that it would end in a win-win resolution.
He said: “Before I came here today, I know there are challenges between the people of Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja. Are we not the same people? If you place an Aladja man and Ogbe-Ijoh man side-by-side and you don’t ask them to speak, will you know the difference? Are we not one and the same? Do we allow this issue to tear us apart?
“It has been long this problem has been on ground. We expect that Okowa as governor will resolve the issue but he had allowed the issue to linger. But not too worry, when you elect me as governor next year, I will resolve the dispute. We are going to amicably resolve the crisis.
“When I become the governor of this state, we are going to sit down and we are going to resolve the crisis so that we can go back permanently and live like brothers and sisters like we have always done. It will be a win-win for our communities.This is my commitment to you.”
Addressing specifically the degenerating status of Communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, Omo-Agege revealed to the people that they have one common enemy and that is the Governor of the State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa who, despite their enormous contribution to wealth of the country and, indeed, the State, had deliberately refused to address the infrastructural and sicial needs of the people.
Also responding to the demand by a chieftain of the party and former Special Leader/Member of the APC State Executive Committee, Hon. Denbo Denbofa Oweikpodor, on the need to construct a bridge and link the people of the area to Warri City when he emerges as the governor, Omo-Agege promised to look at the possibility.
“Beyond that, we’ll look into the issue of connecting Ogbe-Ijoh directly to Warri. As a governor, we’ll look into it. In addition to that, this is part of Ijaw nation. Ijaw nation contributes so much to the wealth of this nation and to the wealth of Delta State,” Omo-Agege said.
The APC Governorship Candidate urged the people of the council to vote for him, the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas for Delta South and other APC candidates for the 2023 general election, adding that he was hungry to work as governor, as well as to bring development to all senatorial districts of the state when elected in 2023.
He also assured the people that he would run an all-inclusive government and be just to all parts of the state while serving as governor of the oil-rich state.
Hon. Denbo Denbofa Oweikpodor, assured Omo-Agege that the people of Ogbe-Ijoh and Warri South West LGA will support and overwhelmingly vote him as next governor of the state.
Earlier, the APC Delta South senatorial candidate, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, who spoke in Ijaw language, told the people of the area to vote for all APC candidates in the elections.
Thomas assured the Ijaw nation that he would work with Tinubu and Omo-Agege to attract development to Delta South senatorial district.
The APC Governorship Candidate later paid a courtesy call on the traditional ruler of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Pere Amakosu, Monbene III, where he reiterated his commitment to resolve the Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja land dispute.
The APC governorship candidate was accompanied on the campaign by his Deputy, Hon. Friday Osanebi; Delta APC chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie; Dr Otive Igbuzo, Tuoyo Omatsuli, Chief Michael Johnny, Olorogun Ima Niboro, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, APC candidates and other chieftains of the party.
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