USC Appeals For Faster Action From Gov Oborevwori On Okuama Rebuilding And Resettlement

The leadership of the Urhobo Social Club of Nigeria, Lagos, has appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to expedite action in fulfilling its promise of rebuilding and resettling Okuama people to their ancestral land.

The President of Urhobo Social Club of Nigeria, Lagos, Chief Wilson Okpubigho, appealed on Saturday when the representative of the Club visited the Internally Displaced Persons Camp in Ewu-Urhob to donate relief materials to ameliorate the pains of the people who were sacked by the Nigerian military over the unfortunate incident that happened around the community.

Chief Okpubigho, who was accompanied by Chief Clement Awhana and others to Okuama IDP Camp, commended the Delta State Government for setting up the camp to serve as a stop-gap measure while working out permanent solutions to the plight of the Okuama people.

He said the Urhobo Social Club of Nigeria, Lagos (USC) was pained by the sad incidence of the killing of soldiers and the disproportional use of force by the military in their quest for revenge on their slain colleagues.

According to him: “We felt your pains since the incident happened, and we had plans to reach you people; we were also following up with the Delta State Government on steps to rehabilitate and resettle the Okuama people to go back to their ancestral home.

“Delta State Government has promised that it will rebuild and resettle Okuama people, but you know that government bureaucratic protocols would take time before that can happen to enable Okuama people to go home.

“So, what we are doing today as part of USC social responsibility, we pulled resources together to get these items to ensure that our people are taken care of while they remained in the Camp, while we continue to appeal to the Delta State Government to fulfil their promises to the people of Okuama so that they can go back to their ancestral home.

“Urhobo Social Club of Nigeria, Lagos, wants to encourage the Delta State Government to act fast in rebuilding Okuma. I am sure that with the MORE Agenda of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori that has a human face, it would not be too long before Okuama people will go back home.

“As you all know, the Urhobo Social Club doesn’t shy away from anything that concerns the Urhobo Nation. So, we will not relent in our efforts until we see that Okuama people are resettled in their place.”

Receiving the items, which include a big cow, 20 bags of 50kg rice and 10 bags of 50kg garri, the Chairman of the Ewu-Okuama Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Management Committee, Mr Abraham Ogbodo, applauded the donation and thanked the USC Club for the gesture.

Ogbodo also appealed to other good-spirited Urhobos, Deltans and groups to show concern about the plight of the Okuama people, “since the inmates have to be alive and healthy before returning to their homes permanently.”

He added that while the government works out a permanent solution to the pains of the Okuama people, the welfare of those in the camp, particularly women and children, must not be compromised, considering the trauma the people have gone through.

“I want to appeal to other good-spirited Urhobos to come to the aid of the Okuama people; the journey has not finished; this is just a stopgap before a more permanent solution, which is rebuilding and resettling Okuama people to their ancestral homeland, so we solicit for more assistance.”