The Warri Ijaw Monitoring Group has called on the Nigerian Army not use the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to deal with ballot box snatchers to harass and intimidate riverine voters in Delta State.
The group in a statement on Friday by its chairman, Chief Patrick Bigha, said the appeal became necessary as as the riverine terrain is naturally difficult to navigate, even much more difficult during election periods as there is over 200% increment of the cost of transportation in the area.
The group said there was already fear and tension in the riverine communities because of the incessant harassment and intimidation of the riverine dwellers by the Nigerian Military even before the elections.
It also said that the only means of transportation for the riverine dwellers was by boats, adding that it was certain that voters must be transported from their living homes to their voting units by either speedboats or slow-moving boats.
According to the statement: “The greatest evil one can inflict on the riverine dwellers is to stop them from voting candidates of their choice during the elections as it is the only means for them to participate in the affairs of the country.
“One thing the military should know is that we are in a democratic state and democracy has come to stay in Nigeria.
“The military must adhere strictly to its rules of engagement or code of conducts.
“The riverine dwellers have realized that the bane of development in our country is the election of leaders as electing the wrong persons into positions of authority has contributed greatly to the present level of development in Nigeria, especially economic and infrastructural development of the riverine communities.
“For instance, the abandonment of the Escravos free trade zone (EPZ) project which compromises a gas city at Ogidigben and a deep sea port in Gbaramatu kingdom.
“The project was inaugurated by the former administration in March 2015. This is a project that would have employed about 150,000 personnel at the construction stage.
“This project would have helped to reduce the level of unemployment in Nigeria today, but it was abandoned by the current Federal Government as a result of the 2015 election, even though the project was largely driven by the private sector.
“Another example is the politicization of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, established by the former administration in May 2014.
“The University was almost written off by the current government, if not for the aggressive public outcry of Nigerians, and the university is the only good thing that has happened to the riverine communities in the Niger Delta region since the existence of this country.
“It is in view of all these happenings that we want to sincerely appeal to the military to understand the plight of the riverine dwellers so that they should be able exercise their civic right unhindered.”
Francis Sadhere, Warri
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