Iwevbo: My Position Is That The Enogie Should Respect The Rule Of Law —Emmanuel Edevbie

By Daniel Dafe

Spokesman for Iwevbo Elders Council, Emmanuel Edevbie has denied ever inciting the community against the Enogie of Orogho Dukedom, HRH, Osayande Patrick Akenzua, advising that the Enogie should respect the directive of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC

Edevbie who said this in a statement on Friday, added: “My position is that the Enogie should respect the rule of law as a law abiding citizen.”

He wondered why a graduate and an engineer would display such ignorance publicly, adding that “if he is lacking knowledge of law, then he should consult a lawyer that will put him through on the area of how to identify a community.”

According to the statement, “it is shameful that the Enogie is saying that Iwevbo is not a community through a letter written to the NUPRC.”

“There are people actually instigating him to fight but I think he has a better way to advice himself in order not to put his community into chaos. He is the one putting the community into chaos by listening to people like Charles and others who are of low mentality.

“Ever since the person of Charles Eghaghwe came into the community affairs of the Orogun Dukedom, the dukedom has not known peace. Recently, Orogho was characterised with shedding of blood and others and those are some of the works of Charles Eghaghwe. The Enogie has been dragged to the EFCC over embezzlement of money and others by the same Orogho Community and even to Federal high court before some reputable persons rescued the situation on compensation and refund to land owners., These are handwork of Charles Eghaghwe . I am not mincing words or trying to miss any point. I am with my very senses and I attest to whatever deposition I make.

“And in addition, I must say here with this publication that my life is at risk because there are some persons who have been suspended in the community who do not even stay in the community and are being paraded by the Enogie because that has been his usual style. He only parades those he knows can play to the gallery. My life is at risk and a lot of threat calls have been coming to me.

“I also want to use this medium to alert or to inform the general public that the Enogie is after my life because I said no to the oppression of my people.”

Continuing, he said that the decision of the NUPRC is not biased and it is what is in line with the PIA.

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His words: “The PIA is there for a layman to understand and I don’t know why some persons are so naive and don’t even read in between the lines what the PIA is talking about. If these persons that are ranting, blaspheming and trying to cause anarchy in the system  do not understand the position of the PIA it will be understandable but not the Enogie who is a worker in an oil company and worked with several oil development companies. Seplat is working with this PIA successfully and they are not having problems. Why does he want Newcross to be having issues with its host community? Royalties are meant for monarchs not hijacking what belongs to the communities. I have not been able to assimilate or add meaning as to what is happening. I am not inciting any violence against the king. I am not in any way against him but I am against oppression.”

Furthermore, he said: “We are not into media war, but the general public should take it, and set the records straight from our angle that we are not inciting war. We are only requesting that the Enogie should stop oppressing the Urhobo people in Orhiomwon Local Government.  Even when the Enogie of Umogu was lording everywhere in that area such oppression never existed. We are pleading with him to allow the position of the PIA stand. The law of the Federal government supersedes the law of the state just as the law of the state supersedes the law of any local government. So, he cannot juxtapose the position of the PIA that says that the settlor should establish a Trust for the development of the host community.  Why is he moving against the development of the host community? Why is he denying the host community of their rights?

“Saying that we are not a community? A community that started existing even before the birth of Christ? This is ridiculous.”

Edevbie added: “I did not and I will never incite anyone against the Enogie. I am a law abiding citizen of Nigeria. NUPRC has given host communities directive to deal with oil companies directly, but the Enogie still prefers to deal with the oil companies through proxy and that is modern slavery. My position is that the Enogie should respect the directive of the NUPRC.”

He opined that greed has messed up the sense and reasoning of Orogho community going by their position against Iwevbo community.

He said: “Over decades of years, Iwevbo has been a peaceful loving community till oil was found in the community and it was supposed to be for the betterment of the community. It beats us to our bone marrow that the people of Orogho who are in a far kilometre from us and are not even sharing boundary with us, but share boundary with the government reserve have appeared shamelessly to fight for what does not belong to them.

“Iwevbo as I maintained in my earlier publication, is a community that has been there right from time and even predates so many Obas of Benin. It has been there living as a law abiding community of this country. It is very shameful and ridiculous that some persons who are not even in any way connected to Iwevbo community have turned themselves to agents of destruction to deprive Iwevbo community from enjoying what God has blessed them with. It is so painful and disheartening to see some publications made by these destructive elements that Iwevbo people are mere farmers. Iwevbo has a primary school that was founded in 1951. The church there was founded in 1914. There is government presence there that are still exists till date. The oil company and the first oil well was the one discovered by EFF in 1985 which also predates the Enogieship of Orogho in 1988. The second one followed subsequently before finally, 2012 when New Cross Petroleum surfaced after acquiring the well from the previous company and due to the fact that the Enogie of Orogho, Engineer Patrick is a very clever and intelligent young man who has tasted oil money and decided to establish a dukedom against his father’s wish.

“He established the dukedom which was later found out with the purpose to communicate traditional matters to communities. Hence, we fell into the prey of his sham but it has become very surprising that the Enogie now extended his purpose of forming the dukedom to hijacking what rightfully belongs to communities. He did the same thing to Obanakoro community when oil was found there and some group of persons came up with agitation that the oil was founded in Orogho land and that was a lie. He is only focused on how he can enrich himself. There are a lot I need not to say because this is someone I have been with for over 15years. I know the atrocities he has used my people to commit among ourselves that we are not going to speak about here but if the need be, we will do that. Being a monarch is not for you to use your power against the people or your subject but rather to develop them.”

Recall that the people of Orogho Community in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State said that those opposed to the actions of the Enogie are from Eku town in neighbouring Delta State are not indigenes of Iwevbo in what they said is Orogho Dukedom.

In a statement by Mr. Ikponmwosa Osayomore, the Secretary-General of Orogho dukedom alleged that the motive of the strange elements from Eku is to deny the indigenes of Orogho Community their privileges, rights and benefits by colluding with an executive of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

Osayamore fingered one Capt. John Tonlagha and others in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) for having a hand in the move as they ought to have resorted to the traditional rulership of the land.

He said that the provisions of the PIA is quite clear and explicit, noting that it was neither enacted to distort the unity of the people nor was it meant to desecrate the laws, customs and traditions of Edo land as purported by those he referred to as microscopic entities.

He also called on the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba Ewuare 11, Governor Godwin Obaseki, his Delta State counterpart, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the Federal Government to call NUPRC to order.

He accused Chief Joseph Ukueku, Edevbie Emmanuel, Robinson Owhojeheri, and others of harbouring plans of throwing Iwevbo people into a state of anarchy, an action that is tantamount to breaching the existing peace in the land, while calling on security operatives to arrest Edevbie.

“The good people of Iwevbo in Orogho Dukedom recognizes the traditional rulership of our Enogie, the Enogie of Orogho Dukedom and are not in anyway in support of those transversing the Eku-Iwevbo borders to foment chaos and unprecedented fiasco.

“We want to reaffirm that the customs and traditions of Edo land remains sacred, sacrosanct and supreme.”

But on the contrary, one of the spoke persons during the managed stage protest fueled and sponsored by said Enogie have refuted the Edo broadcasting Tv, Chief Augustine Ore Mona and Mr. Jona Oghenekevwe at The ancestral home of Iwevbo Community AKA Ovre-Eku, where they bitterly reject and reaffirmed that they never seconded the claim of Orogho Community and that Orogho Community does not share common boundaries with Iwevbo, that what will lures them into committing such abomination against themselves, even though the Orogho Community made a lot of promises and taking them as Enogie people that will benefit will not make such mischief in their Community. They maintain that what was published in deference online papers are handwork of the Orogho people who bent on denying us our benefit.