…Appeal To Them To Embrace Govt. Offer
The committee set up by the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for the resettlement of displaced Okuama people after the destruction of Okuama community by the military following the killing of 17 soldiers, today, disclosed that the IDP camp is ready and fully prepared to receive displaced persons from Okuama.
The Committee Chairman, Abraham Ogbodo, stated this during a press briefing held on Wednesday, May 15, at Ewu-Urhobo where the Okuama IDP Camp is situated. He informed the displaced people of Okuama that the camp is set to received internally displaced indigene and residents of Okuama in accordance with the directive of the state governor.
Ogbodo called on the people to come over to the camp as adequate arrangements have been put in place to cater for their needs.
Ogbodo, a former Editor of The Guardian Newspaper, who was flanked by other members of the Committee, including, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Hon. Reuben Izeze, Dr Richard Kofi, Chief Oviri Uto and Hon. Josephine Oduaran. Others were Obukohwo Henry Ediyo, Karo Ovemeso, Austin Ohwofaria and Chief Austin Emaduku.
Ogbodo assured Okuama people of the governors good intentions to resettle them in their ancestral home but appealed to them to give the government and the committee the benefits of doubt.
Recounting how the camp was put up within the short period, Ogbodo noted that it took the committee three weeks of rigorous work to make the camp habitable as some of the structures were already dilapidated, and considering the matching order given by the governor during the committee inauguration to carefully plan the resettlement and rehabilitation of the people of Okuama community, they have to ensure that all necessary items and facilities were received before opening the camp for habitation.
He also confirmed that presently, that the committee have received food items, beddings, generator sets, medicals and other basic items necessary for the camp to kickoff.
He added that they are ready and set to start receiving displaced people of Okuama while waiting for the official opening of the Camp by the state governor by weekend or thereabout.
For the education of Okuama children of school age, Ogbodo disclosed that appropriate arrangements to fix them up in both Ewu Grammar School where the camp is sited for those in Secondary School and Eghereka primary school to cater for the educational needs of the children that would be brought to the IDP camp. He however noted that they are aware of the misfeelings expressed by some Okuama people that insisted the camp should be situated at Okuama, but appeal to them to come over to the camp as what is at the camp is just the first step of a long-term solution.
He maintained that the committee was constituted when Okuama people were still in the bush, and the army still in the community, so it didn’t create room to engaged them and that nobody could have engaged them as at the time the committee was setup. Ogbodo further stated that the mandate of the Committee was to ensure that the people of Okuama get off the forest and stay in a habitable place, while the government look at substantive issues of bringing Okuama community that has been completely destroyed to a baseline condition.
“I am appealing to them to give government and this Committee the benefits of doubt, we know that there are a lot of grievances, but they should embrace this initiative of the government and in the end, they will have cause to say that there is sincerity on the part of the state government.