The Riverine Communities of Ibaji Local Government Area have appealed to Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo to intervene in the orchestrated marginalisation through skewed vital political appointment in favour of their upland communities.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by a group, under the aegis of Ibaji Riverine Environmental Rights advocates (IRERA)
Speaking to Journalists on the systematic marginalization of the people by the successive administrations, the spokesperson, Uchola Ojoagefu Andrew, said, the Riverine Communities who shed their blood, and resources to ensure the crude oil deposit is protected were copiously neglected in the appointments of Members of the newly constituted Kogi Oil Producing Area Development Commission KGSODC and other political appointments for the LGA.
He pointed that, in all the political appointments meant for Ibaji LGA, only the Council Chairman is from the Riverine, while all other positions were domiciled in the Ibaji upland communities.
According to Ojoagefu, the Member representing Ibaji State Constituency, Mrs. Comfort Egwaba, who is the Deputy Speaker, Commissioner for Agriculture, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Governor, Majority leader of the Council legislature, the Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Council, the LG Treasurer, Secretary to the LGC and the newly appointed Managing Director of the KGSODC are all from the upland communities.
He noted with disgust that even as low as the Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria, Ibaji chapter was also fiercely grabbed by the upland, without consideration for the people of the Riverine who are ultimately the goose that lay the golden eggs for the LGA.
He explained that the Ibaji LGA is divided into upland and Riverine Communities, but regrettably, the system, has deliberately zoned out the Riverine from the parks from both the Federal and State acrueable to the area.
He decried the situation where, the former Member of the House of Representatives who spent two tenure was from the uplands, lamented high throttle agitation for the uplands to produce the forthcoming House of Representatives Member as unacceptable.
The spokesperson, while lamenting the present state government hobnobbing with a PDP defector, from upland who has not made impact in the APC, would be counter productive for the grassroots political development, called on Gov. Ododo to be weary of such selfish interests.
He lamented the situation where the Managing Director of KGSODC is from the upland, the three Members representing host Communities on the board are all from the upland, leaving the Riverine Communities who spilled their blood to secure the Crude oil to have been left as orphans to perpetually lick the wounds of marginalization.
According to him” Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is a man of Equity and fairness and would not allow the marginalisation against us to continue. I’m convinced that, he was misinformed about the geopolitics of Ibaji. He may not have known that Ibaji is divided into two, upland and Riverine. Yes, we are one, but divided based on the geography of our LGA.
“What we are begging from him is to consider our plights by correcting the age long political anomaly perpetuated by our brothers and sisters from upland against us in the Riverine.
” In Ibaji LGA we have become slaves politically to our brothers. Gov. Ododo is a believer in fairness and equity. He has shown inclusivity since his assumption of office. We control a population that swings victory in elections of Ibaji. We urge Gov. Ododo not to allow people who do not mean well, but by stroke of luck are close to corridors of power to keep misrepresenting the politics of Ibaji. Ahead 2027, we call on Gov. Ododo, who is God fearing and has shown love to Ibaji to take a painstaking engagement to ask how Ibaji LGA, with the riverine Communities have faired politically in terms of appointments which has been skewed against us”, the spokesperson restates.
Governor Ododo as the father of our dear state, should urgently put machinery in motion with a view to remedy our plights ”
the group solicited.