Open Letter to The Honorable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe Dear Sir: “I Ache. So I Am” . . . Etche Ethnic Nationality Sir, please excuse this variation on Descartes’. Etche Ethnic nationality does exist. Etche ethnic nationality is located in the northeast of Rivers State. It is bound in the east by Abia State, in the north by Imo State, in the west by the Ikwerre local government area, and in the south by the Obio-Akpor local government area. Etche’s land mass comprises of 97,500 hectares (376.5 square meters) with a population estimated to be about 600,000. Home to Etche is nestled in two local government areas of Rivers State – Etche and Omuma local government areas (making up a National Assembly Constituency). Etche’s heritage is easily discernible in her distinct language, culture and tradition, with her symbolic ethnic head anchored on the stool of the paramount ruler Onye Ishi Etche. In order to avoid confusion as to her relationships with other areas, it is important to note that Etche is neither Oyigbo nor Ibo. Additionally, it should not be viewed as a part of the Ikwerre. On the contrary, these areas are Etche’s neighbours; with existing cordial and intense relationships with Etche. The land is lush in green and black – arable land for agriculture and reserves of oil and gas with attendant oil and gas activities. Due to its fertile land crisscrossed by major fresh water rivers (Otamirioche, Ogueche, and Imo), farming is a major occupation of Etche people, which accounts for the dubbing of Etche as the “bread basket” of Rivers State. Oil and gas activities are rife in Etche – exploration, production and the domiciliation of oil and gas assets such as oil wells (Agbada, Imo River, Nkali, Otamiri, Oyigbo North, and Umuechem), crisscrossing pipelines, flow-stations and gas processing plants. Etche, by the most pessimistic estimate, is the third largest producer of crude oil and gas in the state. Accordingly, this makes Etche a major contributor to the wealth of the state, the Niger Delta region and the nation, thereby designating it as an ethnicity that deserves lots of attention and consideration. Etche ethnic nationality falls squarely within the region referred to as the “ethnic minorities” of Nigeria and within the theme and framework of The Niger Delta Region – neglect, unrest, exploitation, insecurity – and thus does badly in need of development. If one inquires as to the economic health of Etche people, it could be summed up in the statement: “all is not well in Etche”; Etche aches. Etche still remains a basic rural agricultural community and a crassly underdeveloped community. There is an absence of small to medium scale industries that exploit locally abundant raw materials (fruits, vegetables, corn, cassava, yams, plantains, palm produce, fresh water, forests, etc.). Militating against development is inadequate soft and hard infrastructure. The roads are bad and undeveloped and only five bridges across over 200 kilometers of rivers. There is also a lack of potable water, as well as inadequate school and health facilities. Many communities are not connected to the electricity grid and even where they are, incessant sustained black and brown outs make life very difficult. Etche has found itself in a very tragic situation where it has minimal participation in employment, contract awards and appointments in oil and gas related activities by companies and government parastatals. This is further exacerbated by the fact that Etche has an existing and mature labour market comprising of professionals from all walks of life (doctors, engineers, lawyers, accountants, artisans, academics, etc.) strewn across the globe, locally and in Diaspora. The Ministry of Niger Delta is charged with the formulation and coordination of policies for development and security of Niger Delta region and has embarked on various schemes towards this. Thus Sir, it was with great chagrin and disappointment that the recent week-long ‘Niger Delta Stakeholders Conference and 1st meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta’ at Uyo from April 22nd to 26th April 2013, organized by the Ministry of Niger Delta, excluded any Etche persons by name. Besides invitees of national entities and national prominence there were over one hundred individual invitees explicitly mentioned by name from this region – statesmen, activists, politicians, lawyers, doctors, professors, chiefs, HRMs, etc. Etche is abundantly endowed with all these classes of persons as well! We are of the opinion that the exclusion of Etche persons in this conference leaves a gaping hole in any sustainable holistic solution to this region of which Etche is an essential and critical part and parcel of. Sir, we are sure that the omission of any Etche persons from this conference was not intentional and thus the essence of this reminder: Etche exists and aches and should be explicitly and consciously included in any current and future activities of the Ministry of Niger Delta. ______________________ Dr. Acho Nwokogba President, Etche Heritage Foundation ______________________ Kelechi Ubani, Esq. Secretary, Etche Heritage Foundation
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:31:25 +0000
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