Aladja/Ogbe-Ijoh women begin peace-building process over 23-year-old boundary dispute

Female folks in crisis-ridden Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities in Delta State have begun a peace initiative to end the protracted boundary dispute between both neighbours.

The women gathered on Monday at an event tagged “Speak! 2018, Women Peace Forum: Interaction for Reconciliation” organised by the Development Initiative for Community Impact (DICI) in Warri.

They urged the government not to withdraw the operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the area while the peace negotiation lasts.

They also urged both communities to sheathe their swords and tolerate one another.

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The convener and programme coordinator of DICI, Mrs Rachael Misan-Ruppee, said the discussion was restricted to the women because they were good at peace-building processes.

“The world is a global village, but we have never been further divided than we are right now. Women have the power of peace building, when they are involved in peace process it is faster.

“DICI took the initiative to organise this programme and bring women from Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities to a roundtable interaction to end the protracted 23-year conflict.

“I believed that the conflict has been lingering because women are not involved in the peace process, with this initiative, I am confident that the problem will be resolved in no distant time.

“The women sat, eat, sang, hug each other and came up with an action plan on what to do in the next event, that means the peace process between both communities have begun,” she said.

Misan-Ruppee said there was no alternative to peace hence the non-governmental organisation (NGO) decided to bring the two communities to a roundtable dialogue.

Mrs Grace Egberike from Ogbe-Ijoh community thanked the NGO for initiating such a laudable peace process.

“Both communities should live with each other peacefully, we are going back to inform other women to be part of the subsequent meeting of the peace building, “ she said.

Also, Mrs Tisheneh Annah from Aladja community expressed appreciation to the organisers, noting that with the involvement of the women, peace would soon return to the communities.

“Both communities should try and tolerate each other, stop fighting and embrace dialogue to solve their differences,” she said.

One of the resource persons, Mrs Bridget Afia described the peace-building initiative as a “right step to the right direction.”

“I prayed that we build on it to achieve the desired result. We must begin to gather women to share understanding on the situation in both communities to bring lasting peace and attract sustainable development ,” she said.

Aladja, an Urhobo community, is in Udu Local Government Area while Ogbe -Ijoh, the administrative headquarters of Warri South-West Local Government Are is an Ijaw enclave.

Both communities share a common boundary and had been at loggerheads for over two decades over land dispute, which had reportedly led to loss of lives and property on both sides.

It will be recalled that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State constituted a reconciliatory committee to mediate on the crisis.

The panel of enquiry had since submitted its reports but the government is being alleged of lacking political will to implement the white paper.