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… Stresses Implementation of Govt White Paper
By Young E. Freeborn, Asaba
The secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, has urged the Evwreni kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area to happily embrace the peace initiatives of the state government on how to end the intra-communal crisis that have rocked the community for sometime now.
The SSG made this call recently during a meeting in his office at Government House, Asaba on the implementation of the state government’s white paper on the Evwreni crisis.
The meeting, which was attended by the representatives of the four major communities making the Evwreni kingdom, also included interested and aggrieved parties in the kingdom, stakeholders and government officials from other ministries in the state.
In his brief remarks, the SSG told Evwreni people the importance of peace in their community and asked all warring and aggrieved groups to sheathe their swords in order to allow enduring peace to prevail in the entire community.
“War has nothing good to offer you people than the challenges and problems you are passing through at the moment. This is why it’s very expedient for you to accept the peace initiatives of the state government in this your crisis.
“Therefore, the state government is into the full implementation of the government white paper on the crisis and how to restore peace back to the people of Evwreni kingdom. To start with, the ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development should immediately conduct elections into all the offices/positions of the Evwreni Clan Improvement Union with the Delta State Regulation of Community Development Associations Law 2021 and the union’s constitution as two legal and principal guiding documents. The four communities in the kingdom should again send names of three persons each to the executive chairman of Ughelli North LGA by Tuesday next week to form electoral committee that would work with the staff of the ministry of Women Affairs to conduct free and fair elections.
“Again, as explicitly stated in the government white paper, the Evwreni vigilante group is disbanded and we asked the members of the DSS to mop all illegal arms from all sets of persons in the community. At the moment, the traditional ruler of Evwreni, HRM, Oghenekevwe Kumane, Eruvwedede 111 is currently facing a criminal trial with some other members of the community in court. Therefore, we will not accept the recommendation of suspension in this circumstance as such will be prejudicial to the norms of justice. Let’s allow justice to take its full course in all these legal matters,” Dr Emu said.
Responding on behalf of the Evwreni people after the SSG’s presentation during the meeting, the representatives of each of the four communities of Okpawha, Urevwe, Uneni and Unenurhie making the Evwreni kingdom lauded the untiring efforts of the state government to broker peace in the land and to reconcile the Evwreni people which according to them, have started yielding remarkable progress and positive results in the kingdom.
In their separate comments on different issues raised during the meeting, they unanimously agreed to embrace the peace initiatives of the state government and equally thanked the SSG and his team for their forthrightness, fairness and truthfulness in handling the Evwreni matter to a happy end. They also promised to sheathe their swords in order to bring peace and development back to the community. The meeting which lasted several hours however ended with the unanimous decision of the Evwreni people and the government officials to fully implement the government white paper on the Evwreni crisis as stated.
Among those that attended the meeting with the SSG and his team were HRM, Oghenekevwe Kumane, Eruvwedede 111, the Ovie of Evwreni kingdom, His Highness, Utuedor, the Odion’Rode of Evwreni kingdom, Chief Felix Ayovwe, the Otota’Rode of Evwreni kingdom, Major John Ufeti (Rtd), chairman, Evwreni Leaders/Elders Forum, Dr. Sunday Okpako, Alhaji Bar. Mumakai Unagha, Chief Bar. Eric Osharode, Hon. Desmond Okpako, Hon. Victor Ohare, Mr. Peter Maison, president-general of Unenurhie community, Young Erhiurhoro, secretary-general of Unenurhie community, Hon. Samuel Mariere, Chief John Iyu, Mama Rebecca Igbeka, Evwreni women leader and host of others.
