The Necessities For Ndokwa Summit
A CALL FOR NDOKWA SUMMIT
Introduction
I greet you all with your various titles.We are coming in peace to address you specifically on issues that you are already very familiar with.
The EVER GROWING CHALLENGES OF OUR NDOKWA CLIME; and we are sure that even as you read, you are already very concerned. This call has become inevitable for us to seat down and reflect on our journey to marshall out ways of getting ourselves of today, and generation coming from our COMATOSE STATE AS A PEOPLE.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF NDOKWA PEOPLE
Ndokwa land is a place peopled by peace loving Ukwuani and Aboh ethnic Nationalities. We are a hardworking and dedicated people who naturally are trustworthy, and obedient to constituted authorities.
We are not lazy, nor have we allowed any group or individuals to take advantage of us. This is why in the formative years, history had it that OUR FORBEARERS, fought the White men to the hilt and drove them to the present day Abraka.
For fear of more attacks, the white men had to engage District Officers (D.O) to assist them in indirect rule. Our antecedents are such that we are out spoken on every issue of public interest – negative or positive. Can we boast of this today? You are better judges.
We have a saying that “Ezhi nmadu adine ni uno Ewu amu ni uno”. I couldn’t have interpreted this, but for the first time let’s do so to convey the essence of this message.
“When a good fellow is not at home a Goat would deliver in the house instead of its pen”
In the past few weeks, despite our long standing neglect, Ndokwa land and people have been at the receiving hostile end of poor governance through the inadequate distribution of democratic dividends; courtesy of our poor representation at all levels in Delta state and beyond.
Under normal circumstances, we expected our representatives at the state Assembly and National Assemblies to team and give a press conference on the state of lopsidedness visited on us by the government of Delta State.
As I write, mum is the word! Have we become this dumb? Where have the warrior in us gone to we dare ask?
THE WAY WE ARE NOW
A peep into some of the reasons we are suffering in silence shows that we are where we are because we do not have leadership with a human face as an ethnic group.
For over six years, the apex cultural body of Ndokwa (Ndokwa Neku Union) NNU has been involved in all manners of leadership tussles.
The continued disagreements among the Executives have caused us to play into the hands of the POLITICAL CLASS, majority of whose main interest to date is “Me, myself and I alone”.
It has been very easy for our appointed and elected officers to feel that they got to their political heights on personal merits! Nooooooo!!! Not so! They got our backing hence! These days, they no longer behave as SENT representatives who should give account of their stewardship, but now as LEADERS who we should give account to, and so we should be glad if we are ever invited to the table to partake in sharing of pittance as palliatives and dividends of Democracy.
We disagree most vehemently on this and will no longer entertain it.
The last time I checked, under the nose of all the politicians, three educational institutions were upgraded to University statues in the state. None was considered for Ndokwa land. As if that was not enough, this show of neglect was simultaneously followed with the state approval of Vocational Training Centers.
Not to mention the very obvious skewed manner, the recent approved road infrastructure was made against Ndokwa! We as a people did not offend the Delta State Government to the best of my reckoning.
The shame of it is that some local government areas in the Delta State, had the pleasure of two locations approved for them, while the three Local Government Areas housing our dear Ndokwa land lost out completely even with a Vocational Training Center at Umutu and a Technical College in Kwale!
Are we waiting for after thoughts from the government before we shout to the high heavens? What, in the name of Democracy is the given name of this nepotist attitude of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and most importantly our various REPRESENTATIVES both ELECTED and APPOINTED?
If our politicians cannot unanimously push for any developmental activities in our land who else should? When can we call for a dialogue with the government to determine why we should not call out Governor Okowa for public questioning?
All these happening in the face of Ndokwa providing not less than fifty percent of the GROSS EARNINGS of DELTA STATE?
RESULTS OF POOR LEADERSHIP
Given the failure of leadership from the front, we have all decided to go our separate ways trying to forge a front by creating some pressure groups within our LGAs with men and women of like minds.
Today, we have more than twenty (20) Associations/cultural groups, all of which are angling for the soul of Ndokwa. Each of these Groups have over time demonstrated that their leaders are selfless and determined to change the equation, but have always met a brick wall in their attempts to interface with the government.
The results we have today are as follows:
➢ No Federal Presence, even when Okpai supply electricity to Abuja leaving us in total darkness.
➢ No State presence, when we supply not less than 50% of the revenue of the state through Oil
➢ Loss of Resources
➢ Poor Education
➢ Loss or outright no employment
➢ Restive youths
➢ Complete neglect of our environment etc.
The list is longer and their effects are looking at us on the face menacingly as almost 3rd class citizens in a state we provide the bread and butter for its sustenance.
➢ Worse of all is that our youths are left with no option than to go seeking greener pastures in the neighboring local governments and states.
All of the above are certainly very worrisome. But should we leave matters as they are? The clarion call is for us to get our acts together and act as one because we know that IGWE BU IKE (United, we stand).
NEED FOR NDOKWA SUMMIT
The necessity for NDOKWA SUMMIT cannot be overemphasized! We have tried do it our own way through our selves, group and community efforts and all have yielded no dividend.
We need a summit to address our cases and have a defined direction. The call now is for us to dissolve all our several groups and team up as one indestructible, indivisible yet formidable team to fight for our rights and receive them as and when due! We must not give in to becoming the laughing stock of Deltans by other tribes. We have more to gain than loss in uniting ourselves now!
We are planning to reach out to most of our teaming people and the desire is to make hay while the sun shines. We are all involved and must show concern, commitment and content for a better tomorrow in Ndokwa land.
We are reaching you with developing issues soon. This is a call for unity.
Thanks for your time.
Mike Akpati, PhD
Coordinator.