The Ijaw communities in Edo State yesterday expressed concern over the pitiable conditions to which they have been relegated by successive governments of the state.
The people bemoaned the fact that they have become destitute in the state where every other ethnicity “shines” with government presence other than theirs.
Chairman, Gelegele Executive Council, Mr Omaghomi Olu-Derimon, stated this with newsmen in Benin.
Olu-Derimon stressed that the people’s economic life was threatened by a lack of social amenities and that the majority of the people had been disconnected from the rest of the world owing to a lack of infrastructure, such as roads.
He particularly bemoaned the state of the only secondary school in the Gelegele Community and appealed for the government’s immediate attention.
He further regretted that the future of their children had become a subject of debate because of the absence of good educational facilities and teaching staff in the areas inhabited by the Ijaw.
He pointed out that several appeals have been made to governments in the past without any tangible intervention.
“All we do as a people is self-help in these areas of lack for us to remain afloat.
“It is no longer funny because it seems we are not part of the state. If the government could at least give us a sense of belonging by meeting with some of our needs, we would be grateful.”
He also listed insecurity, especially in the waterways, and political marginalisation as other areas where the Ijaws have been relegated.
He particularly called on Governor Monday Okpebholo to change the narrative by including Ijaws in his cabinet.
Olu-Derimon said the Ijaw people, being an integral part of the diverse cultural landscape of Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region, including parts of Edo, deserve consideration for political appointments in the government of Monday Okpebholo.
On the issue of infrastructure, Olu-Derimon said, being the first oil producing community in Edo State, Gelegele Community, particularly deserved to feel government presence through infrastructural provision.
He appealed for the renovation of the only secondary school in Gelegele and fitting it with modern facilities.
Speaking on insecurity, the Gelegele Community chairman advocates for the setting up and equipping of a vigilante group to secure the waterways as well as the community.
