Itsekiri chief urges Osinbajo to dialogue with Niger Delta youths

Mr Clement Maleghemi, the Udefi Oba Oloye of Warri Kingdom in Delta,  has appealed to the acting President Yemi Osinbajo, to fulfill his promises of meeting with the Niger Delta youths.

Maleghemi made the appeal on Saturday, while speaking with newsmen in Warri on the significance of the “Udefi Day” celebration.

He said that the recent fact-finding visit of the vice president to Delta was an indication that the Federal Government was listening to the yearning of the people in the Niger Delta region.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the vice president had on January 16 promised to meet with the youths in the Niger Delta to enable them express their feelings and suggest ways to restore peace in the region.

He made the promise when he met with traditional rulers, opinion leaders and other critical stakeholders in Delta at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) hall, Effurun, Delta.

“The only one visit of the vice president is not enough to solve the problems of the region; but it is an encouragement to know that government is listening to our demands.

“The last time the vice president came, he promised to summon the youths, create time to meet with them as a follow up in February.

“The Federal Government is exploring every possibility to ensure that peace returns to the Niger Delta region.

“I am confident that with all these moves, peace will definitely return to the region,” he said.

Maleghemi,  a business magnate, also commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for effectively checkmating illegal bunkering and other criminal activities in the creeks.

The Itsekiri chief, however, urged the government to create employment opportunities and enabling environment to end hostilities in the region.

Maleghemi, who was conferred with the title: Udefi on October  8, 2016 by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, said the “Udefi Day” was marked every February 10.

“It is a day that all Udefi descendants from all the 14 towns and villages founded by them in Iwere Kingdom come together at Ugbolokposo,  our ancestral home to remember and honour our ancestral father Udefi.

“This day is symbolic because it marks a dramatic departure from the hitherto aged-long practice of only a few people gathering annually on 10th of February to remember our ancestral father,” he said.