A coalition of Benin youth groups has strongly condemned the recent move by the Edo State Government to secretly cede the Gelegele Seaport to the Ijaw.
The coalition’s allegation was informed by the revelations that the state government recently organised a meeting where the aborigines (the Benin people) were not allowed good representation such that the only Benin man of note who was invited to the meeting did not get the invite until less than 24 hours to the event which held at the Uyi Grand Hotel, Benin, on Friday, July 2nd, 2021.
In a statement jointly made available to newsmen in Benin on Sunday and signed by the President, Benin Solidarity Movement, BSM, Comrade Curtis Ugbo, Comrade Patrick Eholor, President, One Love Foundation and President, National Union of Edo South Youth, Osaghae Collins Amadin stated “We can’t watch tenants take over our right with the help of those representatives of the BRP. The Okao of Gelegele wasn’t invited neither were any of his Benin people notified the Ohunkun of Ughoton.
“The Ijaws, tenants, cannot decide the name of the Port for us and we do not want to hold meetings with settlers anymore. A foot has not been sold and those various names of communities are fictitious names not known to the Oba of Benin and the Benin people.
“There is a Supreme Court verdict over Gelegele and environs. The Gelegele people have the original map used during the Supreme Court case and that is the original map, any attempt to alter the map will be stiffly resisted.
We will no longer allow the Ijaw tenants to continue to threaten violence to the project because nobody has a monopoly of it (violence),” the coalition added.
The group assured that it would resist any attempt by strangers to dictate the events concerning the Gelegele Port project.
“There are more competent hands in the Benin Kingdom. They are not the only tribe residing in the Benin Kingdom. Here is not an Ijaw nation and they are not the only non-indigenous Nigerians living in various regions or geopolitical zones or states. We accommodate Nigerians and they live peacefully here in Edo State the same way our Benin/Edo people are accommodated elsewhere.
“No Ijaw man will be allowed to represent our interest in Edo South. We will never allow such,” the coalition threatened.
The Gelegele port has been a sore issue between the Benin and Ijaw people, over the years, with each clan laying claim to the area.
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Coalition kicks against alleged plot to cede Gelegele Seaport to Ijaws
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