The Centre for Vulnerable and Underprivileged (Centrep), an NGO in Warri, Delta State, has commended the Federal Government for carrying out fact finding visits to the creeks for an on-the-spot assessment.
The Executive Director of the centre, Mr Oghenejabor Ikimi in a statement in Warri recently, called for more of such visits.
He said such gesture would enable the government to ascertain the numerous challenges in the region and address them accordingly.
According to him, such visits like the one by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo to the Gbaramatu Kingdom and meeting with stakeholders in Warri, was a pointer to government’s determination to resolving the prevailing crisis in the region.
Ikimi also advised the federal government to beware of those masquerading as leaders in the region, saying that they were only trying to take advantage of the underprivileged for their selfish interest.
“They pretend to be the leaders of the people of the Niger Delta, whereas they are shylocks benefiting from the violence and militancy in the region,” he said.
He said the people living in the creeks were the ones directly affected by the pains, as they were completely neglected in terms of infrastructure.
“We call for more of such fact finding visits with authentic representatives of persons from the creeks present during such meetings,” he said.
The Tide recalled that Osinbajo on January 16, paid a one-day fact finding visit to Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area and has continued the visit to other parts of the region.
Friday Nwagbara, Calabar