Nigeria: Crisis-Ravaged Ijaw Community Finds Peace In Rivers

Nigeria: Crisis-Ravaged Ijaw Community Finds Peace In Rivers

June 6, 2011 - Social and economic activities have return in Abuloma, an Ijaw community in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, that was ravaged by violent conflict last March. Local people and residents are engaging in their normal businesses even as night life also returns in the area.

When a correspondent of AkanimoReports visited the area on Saturday night, he reported that there was nothing to suggest that the area was engulfed in bloodletting. Motorists were moving about freely, and beer parlours and night clubs were a beehive of activities as young people and the young at heart were at what they know how to do best.

Yet, violence had erupted in the community on March 9, 2011 that almost threatened the peaceful co-existence of the people in a joint council meeting aimed at addressing the operations of Nest Oil Company.

Some youths who were irked by the activities of Nest Oil and the role of some Chiefs had pushed themselves to the streets on rampage causing damages to property worth millions of naira until the timely intervention of the peace committee led by Engineer Maxwell Adoki.

Speaking at the occasion held at the UBE primary school weekend, the chairman of the care-taker/peace committee, Engineer Adoki said his team was able to broker peace among the members of the community within the short time available to it, adding that as expensive as the assignment was, “it was worthwhile”.

Adoki recalled that the renewed peace was evident in the just concluded general elections where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), swept victory in the community under the atmosphere of peace and security without any case of violence.

It will be recalled that Abuloma has one of the largest wards in the country in ward 20, a situation that has endeared the indigenes of the area to clamor for the creation of a separate local government area for them by the government of Chibuike Amaechi

Crisis in the community was ignited when the Nest Oil Company was alleged to have trespassed the area of land mass allotted to it for its operations but went ahead to clear the community cemetery thereby desecrating their African traditional belief.

The community women in their hundreds took to the street in protest of the company’s unfriendly relation with its host community, accusing the management of total lack of support in development and creation of job opportunities for the youths.

The angry women who were half dressed had shut down the gate of the company thereby hindering operation for some days and demanded that the oil company should either restrict its operations to the area of land allotted to it by the community or pull out of the area.

The youths on their part took to the streets few days after the women had held the company hostage. They accused some of the chiefs of conniving with Nest Oil to deprive the community of its right, alleging that they must have collected huge some of money from the outfit to allow it expand the land.

Adoki however thanked all the parties involved in the peace process and urged them to allow the status quo to remain for the over all interest of all.

He used to opportunity to congratulate the state Governor Amaechi on his victory and reminded him of the desires of the community to have own local government area, good road network and uninterrupted power supply.

Adoki however said with the attainment of its target, there was a need to dissolve the 6-member peace committee.

ENDS

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