Agitate for self determination – ILOT tells Itsekiri youths

The Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILOT, on Thursday urged Itsekiri Youths to agitate for “self determination”.

ILOT Secretary, Sir. A.S. Mene made the call during a lecture at the Itsekiri Economic Summit, organized by the National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, NAIG in Warri.

Mene stated that the call became necessary because of the abandoned projects, underdevelopment and insecurity in Itsekiri land.

“The United Nations Charter on Human Rights says that the people have the right to constitute their happiness to harness their resources, harness their land for the pursuit of their own happiness,” he said.

Mene noted that over sixty five Itsekiri villages that were razed down by her neighbour five years ago has not been rehabilitated by the Government.

In his words, “Government has not ensured the protection of the lives and properties of its people who have submitted their sovereignty to her even in Warri town.”

Mene also stated that Government had not ensured that the money she provides for the development the land got to the people who currently lacked all basic amenities of life.

He further lamented the rate of abandoned projects in their domain, pointing out that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has not arrested anyone connected with criminal conspiracy to short change the people, despite ILOT’s over 128 page petition to the Commission.

“The EFCC needs to do much more than they are doing now if they must bring development to the people.”

Mene raised alarm that the Niger Delta people were living under the threat of cancer as a result of environmental pollution of the area.

“All the rivers that used to be very good has been devastated by oil pollution. The fishes we eat are all products of the river.

“They came from the polluted river and these pollutants are cancerous. Today, cancer prevails everywhere. We eat these fishes, we are all endangered to cancerous diseases. Government has not done any environmental remediation works here.”

Mene cautioned that the younger generation might also be endangered if nothing was done to save the situation.

According to him, “this is why I said self determination is the only way out.”

#ILOT #Itsekiri