Bianca Iboma
Arogbo–Ijaw indigenes of Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo state, residents in Lagos, have urged Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to review the 11-man committee inaugurated recently for the creation of local council development areas (LCDAs).
Chairman of the group, Goodluck Kpemi, in collaboration with the Arogbo Ijaw community state Chairman, James Ashidi, said no representative from their locality was included in the committee. They called on the governor to intervene in the issue and reinstate a representative of Ijaw nation, who was extracted as it is unacceptable to the group.
Although they were excited over the initiative of creating a LCDA that would speed up development, they said they cannot accept the idea of marginalisation.
“Those who don’t know about our geography can’t take decision on our behalf. We frown at the state government dropping our responsibility at the lap of those who are not from the Ijaw nation and do not have access to our environment, because the roads are not motorable and they will not do a thorough job,” they said.
Kpemi appealed to the governor to include a Niger Delta indigene in the committee, so there would be adequate information about the Ijaw nation.