Ijaws Petition Jonathan Over Alleged Marginalisation

The Ijaw people in Warri-North Local Government Area of Delta State Saturday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to come to their aid and rescue them from alleged marginalisation and discrimination by the Itsekiri people who they accused of suppressing and excluding them in the scheme of things.
A statement made available to THISDAY in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, by the state chapter of the Egbemas for Positive Change (EPC) alleged that since the creation of Warri-North Local Government Area, comprising of the Ijaws (Egbemas) and the Itsekiris with headquarters at Koko in 1991, only the Itsekiris have been benefitting from the political positions allocated to the area.
In the statement, the EPC president, Mr. Ebimene Fetimi; Secretary, Mr. Smart Yortor and Public Relations Officer, Mr. Major Atigbi,  reeled  out  the names of those that have held elective positions and beneficiaries of various political appointments at the national, state and Local Government levels, saying the positions have been occupied mainly by the Itsekiri people and none was conceded to the Ijaws.
“Mr. President, the Itsekiri are the ones occupying all the positions, including all the staff in the council. It is also on records that the Ijaws (Egbemas) are more than the Itsekiris in population, yet we are not represented despite the fact that the Local
Government Area was created for both the Ijaws and the Itsekiris.
“It is also important to state that we the Ijaws too in the Local Government where Governor Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan hails are dedicated and committed members of People’s Democratic Party (PDP),” the statement read in part.