The people of Etche have cried out to the federal government over the alleged marginalization of the ethic nationality and the plight occasioned by the 1990 Umuechem massacre, calling for due attention and compensation.
Addressing the people during the Easter convention of Ogbakor Etche held at Umuechem recently, Dr Silas Anyanwu, President General of Ogbakor Etche described the attitude of the federal government to his people as unfriendly and lackadaisical.
He regretted that the incident claimed over 200 lives including farm lands and crops destroyed, yet the federal government has refused to consider the people because they have not carried arms.
According to him, calmness of the people of Etche does not mean weakness, rather an evidence that Etche people are law abiding citizens who believe in peace, unity and fairness.
He insisted that if the federal government continues with her nonchalant behavior to the people, they would not have any other option but to shut down all the facilities including oil wells in Etche.
According to Dr Anyanwu, while reflecting on the theme of the convention; “Oil Exploration and Sand Dredging in Etche,” oil exploration and sand dredging pose lots of challenges if not properly regulated and managed.
It contributes to development but the development must not come at the detriment of the people and environment, he emphasized.
In another development, Prof. Hyacinth Nwankwoala, the guest Speaker disclosed that the Bonny light belongs to Etche people but because Etche people failed to fight for their right appropriately, it was named Bonny light which is the best oil all over the world. He stated that it is not late but the fight must be collective through legal means.
According to the geologist, oil exploration and sand dredging without environmental Impact Assessment could cause environmental degradation and harm to the people including the unborn generation.
Sand mining must be done 90 percent far from the road or bridge considering their implications, he declared. He called on the Local government areas to monitor those defaulting companies or shut them down. In the same vein, the chairman of the convention, Dr Fortune Obi in his remarks expressed dismay with the attitude of the federal government to host communities especially Etche that were highly affected by the activities of oil exploration. He joined other speakers to call for immediate attention to the issue because of the inherent dangers.
