The warring communities of Ogoni extraction Deeyor and Deken in the Gokana Local Government Area have voted overwhelming for the return of peace in the area, understanding that no meaningful development would be attained without peace.
This development came to limelight following the intervention of the senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing the Rivers South-East Senatorial District in the senate, distinguished senator Magnus Ngei Abe, when on last Saturday he led a delegation to meet and consulted with the warring parties on the need to live in peace.
The one day event was the consultation with the two communities who have engaged in killings of parties and leaving more casualties deposited at the morgue.
The consultation began with a visit to Deeyor community, where the senator’s central message anchored on peace, “feefeloo” as echoed in Ogoni vernacular.
With the people having expressed their grievances and request from the government, and understanding the need for peace which according to the senator is responsible for any development, they voted overwhelming by the raising of hands for the peace process.
In a Similar development, the senator’s message was the same to drive the needed peace in the area, when it was the turn of Deken community.
In Deken community, the spokes person like that of Deeyor, laid claims of several deaths in the community of Deken saying that, in some houses two persons were killed as they are presently lying waste in the mortuary waiting for burial.
It is also on record as at the time of press that both communities of Deeyor Deken have given in for peace to be restored in the area by the senator’s proposals and vision.
Meanwhile, according to senator Abe, when peace is finally restored, it should not be attributed to him rather God must be appreciated, saying that peace cannot be imposed on anyone or on a people but it is God that gives it.
Sen. Abe confirmed that the communities were at war for some time and several efforts were made to restore peace in the area but the new approach is to get them to built the peace themselves by going to them to ask if they are ready to forgive each other.
The meeting them approach is adjudged to be yielding the expected result when the both communities voted overwhelmingly in favour of peace.
The senator Abe, however have asked each of the communities to nominate ten (10) representatives from the youths, women and men who shall come together to create the terms of the peace process.
The peace according to Sen. Abe is such that would be base on forgiveness.
He said the efforts in restoring peace in the senatorial district is a continuous process, adding that when people have fought for so long in various communities, they have developed hatred for one another, deep misunderstanding and it is not possible for one to decree peace except God working through their own minds that can bring sustainable peace. ‘Hear senator Magnus Abe… “ well, we have visited Deeyor and Deken communities in Gokana Local government Area, these are two communities that have been at war for quite sometime now, various efforts have been made trying to restore peace between Deeyor and Deken.
“But today we decided to use a new approach and to get them to build the peace themselves, so what we did today was to go to the communities, pray with them and asked them if they were ready to forgive each other and to make peace. And they voted overwhelmingly in favour of peace, so we have asked them to nominate their own representatives including youths that will come together to create the terms and conditions under which the peace will hold and sustained.
“What we are trying to look for now is the home grown peace that is based on forgiveness, togetherness and understanding that will bear responsibility to hand over their communities to the next generation; and to see that these communities are not isolated by each other and could not become deserted by the action of miscreants in the communities. So we are trying to look for a home grown model,” Sen. Abe stated.
On the outcome of his senatorial drive for peace, Abe noted further that there is evidence of substantial progress because the people themselves are understanding that there is need to have peace and he is ready to work with them, in the senatorial District to actualize the needed peace.
In a similar development base on peace mission, Senator Abe, while fielding questions from the press on the Rivers PDP visit to presidential villa, has described the visit as a “vengeance mission”.
He argued that, if it were a peaceful mission, as a senator from the state he would have been invited alongside other senators and members of the House of Representatives.
He noted with dismay that even the state Deputy Governor Engr. Tele Ikuru, to the best of his knowledge was not invited and describing it as a faction of PDP and not Rivers PDP because those invited are those who have personal issues against governor Amaechi and not peace mission.
Abe, stressed that such moves will not bring peace or reconciliation to Rivers PDP, positing that except the guest for reconciliation is abandoned then such mission would be helpful otherwise it was a vengeance mission.
He further argued that if such representation were for peace, there wouldn’t have been inciting statements, pointing at the address which highlighted governor Amaechi as instigating crime in the state without petitioning the police for questioning.
While advising the parties to come together in the interest of the party and Mr. President who is the leader of the party, Abe maintained that, the crisis in Rivers PDP is part of what is happening in the country within the PDP as a party, emphasizing that those who genuinely wants the president to succeed need to know that exclusion is not an option for peaceful co-existence.
Meanwhile, the Anglican Bishop of Ogoni missionary Diocese, the Rt. Rev’d Dr. Solomon Gberegbara has while commending the senator for abandoning his official assignments in Abuja for Deken and Deeyor crisis resolution, described the effort as significant and called on the two warring communities to embrace the peace initiative by forgiving one another by speaking the truth on the rightful ownership of the disputed land.
According to the erudite and respected man of God, there is no where were revenge could be equal to initial actions hence the need to forgive one another, saying that without forgiveness one cannot attain the kingdom of God.
In a similar vein, chairman of Gokana Local Government council, Ledee Demue Ledee has appreciated the senator for intervention in the crisis, beginning another process, where the communities themselves becoming vehicles for the peace drive.
Demue noted that prior to the present move, the council had set up committee to look into the crisis but with little achievement describing it as a new version and a boost to the peace process.
He has use the medium to call on the communities to key into the senator’s vision as the council is ready to support the programme of the senator. ###
James Mgboineme
