Gelegele Seaport! A Victim Of Some South-West Based Import And Export Racketeers! An Open Letter To Nigerians Of Goodwill By The Edo Unity League. 1st June, 2014.
Consistently, the Edo Unity League, a socio-intelligentsia organization has enjoined the support of the entire Edo people, especially politicians of the ruling PDP's extraction to vehemently call on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR to expediently consider and award the dredging of the Gelegele Seaport situate around the Bight of Benin, Edo State.
This clarion call is a falloutof an extensive meeting of members and trustees of the League, where issues bothering on the mischievous campaign for the relocation of the headquarters of NPDC from Benin City by some Delta based elements; the conspiracies against the dredging of Gelegele Seaport mounted by some South-West aborigines whose stock-in-trade is import and export racketeering.
This is in our view an utter disdain and a slap-in-the-face of the collective interests and aspirations of Nigerians - a situation where a cartel of mischievous elements adduce all sorts of reactionary hypothesis to lure the federal Government from taking actions of national interests, against the backdrop of profound cases of port congestion, lorry and vehicular congestions that daily dots transportation of imported petroleum products and heavy duty equipments in Lagos state.
Apart from taking the Presidency for granted, these cartel must demystified by a bold action of Government in the direction of the dredging and commission of Gelegele seaport in a bid to address this glaring sea-traffic; and opening up of industrial opportunities around the Bight of Benin. As a matter of an unequivocal resolve, the dredging of Gelegele seaport will be one of the fundamentals for mobilizing Edo people for the 2015 general elections.
The federal Goverment has to dismiss the reactionary and opportunistic rationalization of "under-utilization of the Koko seaport" as reasons for not considering the dredging of Gegele seaport. In advanced climes where our political class guess on a near daily basis, infrastructures like seaports are built ahead of industrial and housing needs, to carter for future pressures. So why do our political leaders pick and choose ideals of notable democracies to sooth their parochial tendencies?
It will be recalled that prior to the 2011 Presidential election, President Jonathan made such a promise before Edo people in one of his visits and; and shortly after inauguration, the federal Executive Council approved the contracts for the Gelegele roads project, through the Ministry of Niger Delta. We will appreciate if germane attention is given to the seaport's dredging to cater for the water transportation needs of Edo and adjoining states, which will help substantially in preserving our highways that are daily marred by breakdown of heavy duty trucks conveying industrial materials for days, which would had been farried by water cargos in minutes or hours.
We are not in doubt of clandestine plots by some unpatriotic Edo elements and other enemies of the State to consistently divert the attention of the President from dredging and opening-up this all-important Edo fortune. Alas, light will surely prevail over darkness, and our people will soon know them by their names and we may declare them as personae non grata.
Considering the monumental economic fortunes and employment generation that is wasting away in that stagnant sea-resource, we wish to once again draw the attention of the President to the fact-in-issue that since the inception of democratic governance in 1999, Edo have strongly and consistently supported the largely acclaimed Africa's largest political part at the state and federal levels, unless on expedien circumstances in 2007 and 2012 at the state levels. Or are we being punished for the electoral victories of the opposition party in 2008 and 2012?.
President Jonathan must be weary of sycophants and opportunists promising to deliver Edo State to PDP come 2015, without a corresponding action plan for Gelegele seaport. This is because, the average political orientation in Nigeria is such that political parties or candidates gets a recompense for their actions and inactions through the ballot box. And the stands of Edo people will be largely influenced by the development of such an industrial-infrastructure like the Gelegele seaport.
Edo people do not believe in resorting to militancy and destructive protestations, because these tendencies apart from being treacherous; they are alien to the well entrenched hospitality character and pedigree laid by our past and living heroes. But we have been unduly marginalized by the federal Government in the areas industrial infrastructures. Hence we make this passionate appeal to Mr. President to rise to the rescue and resuscitate the pre-colonial seaport.
We will not sacrifice patriotism, love for country and life on the altar of temporary gains; we will continue to constructively engage relevant authorities on the need to clinically address and attend to the yearnings and aspirations of our people. After almost four (4) years of President Jonathan's inauguration and swearing-in as democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Edo people who constitute a larger voting public are yet to feel the benefits of the so-called ''Transformation Agenda''; this in no way reflects the characteristics of democracy.
The President must live up to his responsibilities of good governance and delivering viable democratic dividends, so much so that the ordinary man on the streets of Edo community will feel and partake in the benefit of democratic dispensation, the unborn child will hear the songs of joy through quality medical facilities, gainfull employements of our youths by local multinational industries.
Non appoinment of NDDC Commissioner for Edo state!
We wist to humbly covey our deepest resentment to the seeming muteness or clandestine endorsement by Mr. President over the non appoinment of an acting or sustantive Edo reprsentative into the NDDC board because of the devided interests of the trio of Governor Oshiomhole, Chief Tony Anenih and Sen. Ehigie Uzamere. This singular act Mr. President, apart from being appallingly, an affront to the psyche and intelligence of the ordinary Edo man an woman, it has brought untold hardship on the poorest of the poor, who seeks for interventionist projects to engender their survival. You may wish to expediently confirm the appointment of Edo State NDDC Commissioner, to alleviate the pains that the absence of a Commissioner in the State has brought to bear on us all?
It is a mockery if democracy; and it amounts to diabolic and a retrogressive political enterprise to say the least, a situation where selfish interests of a few denies the majority of public service. Mr. Presudent, w e beg to declare that this is illogical, unjusticeable and an aberration for Edo to be the only State without a Commissioner, whereas other NDDC-States have their members already appointed, inaugurated and are already working by way of disbursing the appropriated bydget of the commission.
As if sacking our brothers and sisters from MDAs is not enough, we cannot really identify a monumental Federal Government project(s) in our State, however, we want to emphatically inform Mr. President of our unwavering, undying and unflinching support and solidarity for the ideals of good governance which Mr. Preident OUGHT to be seen promoting.
For and on behalf of Members and Trustees of the Edo Unity League (EUL) Mr. Efosa Nehikhare - Vice Chairman, Edo South Chapter