Posted by By Udede Jim on
Some youths, under the aegis of Concerned Youths of Buguma, have expressed their anger over the botched visit of Governor Peter Odili to the council for projects' inspection and commissioning last Tuesday, June 21.
Some youths, under the aegis of Concerned Youths of Buguma, have expressed their anger over the botched visit of Governor Peter Odili to the council for projects' inspection and commissioning last Tuesday, June 21.
They said that Asari-Toru Local Government Area (ASALGA) has again been thrown to the dust-bin in the scheme of things by this development and blamed the cancellation of the trip on alleged petitions by a one time chairman of the council, Chief (Hon) Diamond Tobin-West.
In explosive chats with this medium last Sunday. June 26 in Buguma, many of the aggrieved youths claimed that they were boys who worked actively with the ex-council boss but have decided to break away from him and facilitate the enhancement of peace in the heartland of the Kalabari Kingdom.
One of them who identified himself as Osaki Ojuka, better known as Commander Yellow of Italian 2000, a gang with which they allegedly prosecuted Hon. Tobin-West's agenda in the area, disclosed how he almost lost his wife in the crises that engulfed the headquarters of the council and that he barely managed to escape being killed through the swamp at the height of the communal violence.
"I joined Chief Tobin-West since 1998 and came to realize that he does not care about what happens to his followers, provided he is making his money off their sweat. When the attack on us got very hot, we beat a hasty retreat and, in the process, my deputy-Scope was shot and killed. It was from the sorrow of that loss that Scope's mother also died since no one showed any care for the death of her son," lamented Commander Yellow of Italian 2000 in Buguma.
Other young men who spoke in similar vein: Francis Dakoru-Tariah; Osepiribo Horsfall and Mr. Isoboye Osima Ojuka; pleaded with Governor Peter Odili and well-intentioned people in the society to support the good work that Hon. Aroloyeteim Brown, as the present council chairman, is doing in the area.
They warned against alleged petition-writers who thrive and prosper whenever Buguma is in crises, claiming that the chief-petitioner, Chief Diamond Tobin-West and his gang were doing all they could to have the governor stay away from the area, in order to continue to disparage Hon. Brown who the youths describe as "one who has worked so hard to bring peace in our town (Buguma)."
Furthermore, the youths urged the council boss to go on with his desire to turn-around the fortunes of the area and not succumb to demands by some political elites who want to share the little council allocation among themselves, instead of project implementation and youth empowerment, such as the multi-million naira Ultra Modern Motor Park which has been completed in just one year of Brown's administration.
As one, they begged the governor to visit the area, adding "when our governor comes, he will see the great need to help us because we want peace now. No more violence."
Considering the gravity of the allegations against Chief Tobin-West, this medium tried to hear from the accused and the chairman of ASALGA.
When reached, Hon Brown said, to his knowledge, Governor Odili called-off the scheduled visit due to tight programmes of state, adding that he was not aware of petitions against him or on the state of security in Buguma, the council headquarters.