Attempts to Change the Name of Maritime University Okerenkoko to Okerenghigho: An Invitation To Avoidable Crisis

A Niger Delta Peace advocate and youth leader Comrade Shedrack Agediga, in a press briefing has called on President Muhamadu Buhari to as a matter of utmost urgency call to order the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN).

Comrade Agediga said, “My attention has been drawn to a publication on page 12 of Friday’s vanguard 5th of January, 2018 That reports a Memo credited to his office that was sent to the Clerk of National Assembly; seeking to change the original name of the Maritime University, Okerenkoko to Okerenghigho.

This is a ploy to plunge the Niger Delta region especially Warri South West local government of Delta state, into avoidable crisis.

Mr. President, this is unnecessary considering the already known outcome of his action. The people of the Niger Delta just like every other citizen in Nigeria have a right to live and be protected by the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria. Few months back, due to perceived injustice on  the people of the Niger Delta region, there was a resurgence of militant activities which crumbled crude oil production to its lowest. It took the intervention and active participation of well meaning leaders, PANDEF and youth leaders at different levels, including State Governors to stabilise the situation and today crude production is at its all time high.

Mr. President, I believe that your hands are full and you would not want to deliberately create another crisis to add to our many woes such as herdsmen/cattle rustlers issue, Boko Haram, IPOB, kidnappings, assasinations, the unrecovered economy and several burning agitations in the country.  Let it not be said that this administration derives pleasure in seeing her citizens go through hell on earth.

As these crisis have brought untold hardship on Nigerians.

We have seen overtime, utterances and actions of your appointees that are obviously inimical to the sustenance of peace development, yet no definite action or step was taken to correct and end such occurrences in the future. This is a case too many. The action of the AGF is unnecessary,  predetermined and a call for anarchy and it must not be allowed to happen.

Let us learn from the past experiences, that we cannot adopt same failed strategies of time past and expect positive outcomes. The evil strategy of deliberately creating crisis in the Niger Delta region in order to militarize our communities, thereby creating the negative impression that the area is not safe must Stop. The people are getting wiser now.

The insecurity in the North occasioned by the Herdsmen menace has claimed more lives than the Syrian war, but no action.

The inaction of the presidency towards real challlenges plaguing the citizens on a daily basis made the AGF bored enough to write such memo.

Sir, we want to see OPERATIONS MALU/COW ROMANCE too against the dreaded and wicked herdsmen.

Gbaramatu kingdom and Delta State should not be used as a theatre of war or base to experiment your newly acquired military hardware.”

He concluded by calling on the leadership of the national assembly to ignore this evil memo capable of causing strife amongst Niger Deltans and invite the AGF for questioning. “This is the height of injustice and public office recklessness, it must stop.”