Over 50 protesting women from Otovwodo Community in Ughelli North local government area of Delta state have vowed to resist the imposition of a caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the Otovwodo motor park.
They accused the State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Comrade Francis Arhiyor, allegedly backed by the Local Government Chairman, Hon. Olorogun Jaro Egbo, of interference and attempt to cause community problems.
The protesters gathered in their dozens at the motor park, chanted solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as “Arhiyor Don’t Instigate Crisis For Us,” ”We Want Peace In Otovwodo”, among others.
President of Otovwodo Community, Engr. Ovigue Solomon Ugbarugba, while addressing journalists during the protest, described the caretaker committee’s imposition as a politically motivated move intended to destabilize peace in the community.
He accused the local government of double standards, alleging that letters from the chairman first supported the community’s decision but later contradicted it.
“There has been a leadership issue at the Otovwodo Motor Park. The local government council chairman, Hon. Olorogu Jaro Egbo, invited the community, saying: ‘Your people have issues.’ We went to the council on the 5th of July and requested that he give us time to call our children home and reconcile the matter,” he said.
“We returned home, and both parties were questioned and given a fair hearing. The community faulted the actions of Solomon. As a result, the community resolved that the current structure, headed by Mr. Gospel Oharisi, should be sustained. We wrote a communiqué on this, using the community’s official letterhead and sent it to the council chairman.”
“We have copies of letters the council chairman addressed to Comrade Francis Ariyo, the State Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Delta state.
In the letters, Orogu Jaro Egbo affirmed that the current leadership headed by Gospel Oharisi should be sustained for peace. Suddenly, we were informed through letters again that a caretaker committee has been appointed to take over the motor park,” he added.
He praised the presence of security personnel at the protest venue, noting that their deployment helped maintain order.
“My greatest joy today is the presence of the Nigerian security personnel. If you look around, you’ll see about six Hilux vehicles; there are three behind you, a combination of the Delta Operation Sweep, the Nigerian Army, and several other security agencies,” he said.
“My joy is that they understood the volatility of the Otovwodo junction. I’m happy that the security personnel are here to give us a buffer, to keep away those who might have intended to hijack the protest,” he added.
The community leader expressed concern that the crisis, if not carefully handled, could escalate and portray the community badly.
“Our fear is this: We have written to the State Governor, through the Secretary to the State Government, expressing the volatility of Otovwodo Junction. The community has made considerable efforts to maintain peace here. But certain politicians are trying to provoke the community. They want us to come out, and once we protest, the situation may be hijacked and used to portray us negatively before the government,” Ugbarugba warned.
Calling for the governor’s intervention, Ugbarugba said: “We want Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to consider our appeal critically. We have already said that the current leadership should be allowed to continue. Since July 1st, there has been peace in Otovwodo. But this imposition of a caretaker committee is causing unrest.”
“As you can see, the women are here. My exco and I came here to ensure that motorists and vehicles can move freely. We know that is what the politicians are hoping for; if there is any obstruction, they’ll say we are lawless,” he added.
“Finally, the Nigerian Police and Army are in large numbers here. There are about six or seven security patrol vehicles around. We are happy they are here because their presence proves our protest is peaceful,” Ugbarugba concluded.
Ovie Oruma, Treasurer of Otovwodo Youth Affairs, said the protest was meant to safeguard the community’s interest and prevent external control of their motor park.
“Why are we here today? We believe this park is at the centre, linking so many routes. This morning we were called upon that our women, our mothers and our wives are out here already to demonstrate, so we came to ensure that the protest is peaceful and that there is no security breach,” he said.
“Secondly, there is an ongoing issue that we are not happy about. There is an issue in the park. Instead of the government thinking of resolving the issue peacefully, they are trying to cause unnecessary tension by bringing people from another community to take charge of our park. That’s not fair.
“If the government is even saying they want to set up a caretaker committee, they should have used an indigene of the community as head and not a total stranger as head, while people from the community are subordinates. The council chairman is from a community, and even the governor is from a community. Will the governor or the chairman allow this in their community? These are things that instigate crises and are avoidable. The Governor should not allow the politicians with their vested interest to mislead him,” Oruma stated.
Also speaking on behalf of the protesting women, Princess Owin Oboeruomo said: “We are peaceful people. We don’t want anybody to bring a fight to us.”
Echoing the same sentiment, Mrs. Betty Omotekoro said, “They should allow the collective decision of the community to prevail in the interest of peace.”
“The protest was against the imposition of a caretaker committee to displace a legitimate leadership endorsed by the community”, she added.
