Group Wants Community Youth Activities Axed

A non-governmental organisation in Rivers State, Ogba Rights Action (ORA), has made passionate appeal to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to suspend youths activities at Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state to forestall imminent damage in the oil-rich community.

ORA, through its chairman, Onwusameka Ogbowuokara, said a situation in which youth leadership constitute themselves as instrument of power play and other forms of anti-social activities was not in the best interest of peace and development of the community.

In a statement, Ogbowuokara said the suspension of youth activities has become imperative to relax tension in the area and pave way for a peaceful reconstitution of a caretaker committee to usher in a duly elected youth federation under the agreement of the council chairman, traditional rulers and CDC.

The ORA chairman said the community has an organised leadership structure that is capable of enthroning peace and order, and called on government to explore the structure for a lasting peace in the area. Ogbowuokara said that what the community needs now is a new lease of responsiveness, commitment and patriotism especially among the youth folks to enable them play positive role in community development.

In another development, sources have alleged a bribe scandal involving a judicial officer and a youth association through a contracting firm operating in the area.

However, the face-off between Ogba communities and Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited over the Obiafu-Obrikom gas plant expansion took a different dimension last week as the people besieged the gas plant project site and disrupted the expansion work.

Though, there was no breakdown of law and order, the protest march forced the authorities of Agip to stop the expansion work. The fallout of the protest, The Tide learnt was an agreement between the parties to hold a dialogue this week to resolve the face-off.