By Prince Kay Enuenwosu Kester Emeke
I make bold to say that the NNU didn’t speak for the Ndokwa People or for the collective interest of the Ndokwa People as they failed to mention the most important projects dear to Ndokwa People at the meeting with the State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.I painstakingly went through the supposed Address by the NNU to the Governor during the visit and all I could conclude is that they were instructed and they obeyed.
*POWER SUPPLY*
You will agree that the major and biggest agitations of the Ndokwa People is the Stepping Down of the Okpai Independent Power Plant built about 20yrs ago in Ndokwa Land yet Ndokwa remain in total darkness.When the said Okpai IPP was built and stepped down at Obosi, an Ndokwa Son Sen Patrick Osakwe was the Senator Representing Delta North and he made no single efforts for stepping down the light. Sen Ifeanyi Okowa an Ika man succeeded him and for his 4yrs as Delta North Senator did nothing about the light. Peter Nwaboshi an Aniocha/Oshimili man took over from him and for good 8yrs as Senator equally did nothing about the stepping down. Sen Prince Ned Nwoko an Aniocha/Oshimili man succeeded him and under one year in Office as Senator has taken it upon himself to get the Stepdown of Okpai Power Plant for the people of Delta North to enjoy steady power supply. This has even caused troubles for the People’s Senator as the Delta State Government is openly attacking Sen Ned Nwoko for daring to request that the State Government fund these legacy and over due projects for his people. Following the revelations of the Senator about the refusal of the State Government to fund the stepping down of Okpai Independent Power Plant at a meeting with the Ndokwa Neku Union in Ezionum which has caused serious face off between the State Government and the Senator, seeing how the people now know those who don’t want them to have light, the NNU visited the Governor and rolled out their demands.It’s shocking to know that despite the Okpai Independent Power Plant being a top burning issue, the NNU never mentioned it in their Address/Demands. It seems most likely they were preinformed not to add such to their demands.
ROAD PROJECTS
There are many communities in Ndokwa Nation that are almost being forgotten or that is gradually turning to a farm settlement simply because of no good roads, some of the roads awarded done half way and abandoned with no hope of revival. NNU did not see reasons to demand for attention on these communities (Inam-Abbi, Umuebu, Onyia, Igbuku, Eziokpor, Amai-Umubu, etc) but was asking for the reconstruction of already link roads to be dual carriage forgetting communities that are almost inaccessible because of no good roads and other important internal roads and drainage to checkmate erosion that has almost washed some communities away.
INSECURITY
It’s a well known fact that Ndokwa Nation faces the worst hit of insecurity across Delta State. This includes Criminal Herdsmen attacks, cult clashes, Armed Robbery and Kidnapping.It will interest us to know that the NNU while meeting with the Governor never addressed the security challenges the Ndokwa Nation is facing, rather they were only seeing the security challenges posed by some oil companies not cooperating with the communities claiming the youths are angry and may result to uncontrollable crisis. This is a shame and a clear show that their visit was not for the overall interest of the Ndokwa People, just recently there have been cult clashes in Kwale axis that took the lives of many young promising Ndokwa People, NNU never saw any need to present this ugly trend in view of addressing it. The fulani criminal herdsmen have taken over some of Ndokwa bushes mostly the Obiaruku-Umutu axis, killing, raping, Kidnapping and destroying farm lands to the extent that our people no longer go to farm, recently a Vigilantee member was shot dead in cause of action while fighting to chase the herdsmen away as organised by the Ukwuani local government authority, the State Government did nothing and have never showed any sign of help to remove these criminals from our bushes and farm lands. One would have thought that the Ndokwa Neku Union would take up the matter, demand for State Government urgent assistance in chasing the criminal herdsmen away and compensate Ndokwa People who have lost their farms and people but NNU never mentioned it in their Address/Demands. It’s on records that both Sen Patrick Osakwe, Sen Ifeanyi Okowa and Sen Peter Nwaboshi never spoke about the insecurity across Delta North but following the continuous attacks, Sen Prince Ned Nwoko has taken the matter to the floor of the House where it was said that the State and Local government has a lot to do in forming and funding Local Vigilantees to ensure the bushes/farmlands were safe.
INFRASTRUCTURE
There are lots of beneficial infrastructural projects in Ndokwa Nation. One would have expected that the NNU will be taking about giving Ndokwa People good housing Estates to improve the living standards of the people.One would have thought that the NNU will seize the opportunity to bring to the notice of the Governor that there are no Sports Facilities in the entire Ndokwa Nation, there are stadiums that needed to be reconstructed and other mini stadium that have bee abandoned like that of Kwale and Obiaruku.They left all that to focus on begging the Governor money to complete their NNU building they call Ndokwa House. Of what benefits will such house be for Ndokwa People? Our Primary and secondary schools do not have good structures conducive for learning, they could not bring such to the attention of the Governor, there are some of our children who still sit on floor or under mango trees to learn, yet they could not bring all these to the attention of the Governor. There are no Talents hub built in any part of Ndokwa Nation all they could do is praising Governor Oborevwori repeatedly for Kwale Industrial Park that we are yet to see which was actually claimed to have been awarded by past administration. In view of the above I concluded that the NNU visit to the State Governor was not about the interest of the Ndokwa People but the interest of the Ika Man who sponsored them to see the Governor to admit their loyalty to himself and the Governor all for 2027 general elections.My advice for Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori is that he should work closely together with Most Distinguished Nigerian Senator Prince Ned Nwoko and get useful advice on urgent needs of Delta Northerners so as not to completely lose face and support from Anioma People particularly the Ndokwa People.Anioma Nation stood solidly behind you during the Campaign.
This Article is contributed by Mst Snr Comr Prince Kay Enuenwosu Kester Emeke, SSA on Media to Sen Prince Ned Nwoko.