A Warri Chief, Mrs Rita Lori-Ogbebor has called on the Delta State government to build makeshift halls in all the Warri communities, to house the thousands of displaced Warri people, who are returning to their homeland, following the recent opening of the Warri waterway.
Chief Lori-Ogbebor in a statement titled “Where are the Displaced People Going: We Demand Rehabilitation”, said “you have heard that Warri waterways are open. At the Sapele waterside, the political stakeholders of the Delta State have clapped their hands. Even the affected poor, who looked on bewildered, unconsciously joined the clapping of hands. They have clapped their hands because they have seen the political stakeholders doing so. Rightly or wrongly, they hear the waterways are opened and it is for them to go home. For them, it is unbelievable. They are going home after nine years of being driven out of their homes for no reason that they can actually tell. They have lost everything. Children lost their fathers, parents lost their children, and families lost their properties. Why? They do not know and they still cannot tell.
“Now, they have to go home. To what and to where do they go? They are now going back to the swamps. Grass has overgrown their towns and villages. They cannot even trace the exact position of their homes and houses. Yet, they must go, because it is the only place that they know. God created them there and that is their only home.
“I therefore, appeal to all political stakeholders and especially the Delta State government to show mercy to the poor. The people were driven out of their God-given land because of what greedy and heartless men found in the swampy lands of their ancestors. All I ask on behalf of these people is the money that is due to them from the 13% derivation, which constitutionally their country Nigeria has made available to them. I ask Governor James Ibori to take out a minimum of 40% of the 13% derivation for the immediate rehabilitation of these suffering souls. The money is theirs and it is their God-given right for this money to be spent on them at this very critical moment of their lives.
“The total money given should be declared and made known to the country. The money should be given to communities. The elders of the communities should come forward (not political elders).
The money given should not be through political parties or political godfathers or godmothers. It should be direct to the communities headed by committees. Money given should be accounted for and implementations should be carefully followed.
“In this regard, I will advise that two big makeshift halls should be built in every community for the accommodation of all the people that are coming in. Canoe of N10,000 should be given to all able bodied men and women who can fish and trade. Seed money should be given to the fishmen to buy nets and traders to start off their buying and selling of fish or other commodities required in the riverine areas.”
