Delta State Government Initiates Rebuilding of Okuama Community After Tragic Incident
ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta State Government has commenced the rebuilding of Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area, following the tragic killing of 17 Army officers and soldiers in the area.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori made this known while receiving the leadership of the Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers, led by its Chairman and Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Sideso Abe 1, and the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Worldwide, led by President General Chief Ese Gam, at the Government House in Asaba on Thursday.
Governor Oborevwori expressed his gratitude to the Urhobo Traditional Rulers for their support and for providing relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Okuama. He revealed that the state government had awarded contracts for the construction of a health centre and six classroom blocks for primary and secondary schools in the community. He assured that the IDPs would soon return to their ancestral homes.
“I am happy to receive Your Royal Majesties and the leadership of UPU this afternoon,” Oborevwori stated. “I am happy in the sense that you all stood by me and supported me to be Governor, and I thank God today that your son is the Governor of Delta State.”
The Governor highlighted the vital role played by the traditional rulers in ensuring peaceful local government elections and commended their ongoing support for his administration. He also acknowledged their recent visit to the Okuama IDPs camp and the village itself, where they provided much-needed relief materials.
“We are doing our best to make sure that peace returns to that place. We established the IDPs camp, awarded contracts for the health center, and six classroom blocks for primary and secondary schools to be built. The contracts were even awarded to Okuama indigenes,” Oborevwori said. “Very soon, they will return to Okuama. I want to continue to count on your cooperation and support. You people are our fathers and should continue to advise us.”
The Governor emphasized the crucial role of traditional rulers in curbing the recent pockets of insecurity in the state, urging them to collaborate with security agencies by providing vital information.
“We are doing our best; I want to assure Deltans that we are working hand-in-hand with security agencies to ensure that the state is peaceful,” the Governor concluded.
Earlier, HRM Sideso, represented by the Vice Chairman of the Council and Ovie of Arhavwarien Kingdom, HRM Solomon Okukeren III, said the visit was to appreciate and inform the Governor about issues affecting the Urhobo nation and Delta State in general. The Urhobo monarchs commended Oborevwori for his achievements in the past year, particularly in resolving the long-standing conflicts between the Aladja and Ogbe-Ijoh communities, as well as the Okuama and Okoloba crisis.
