Delta EPZ Crisis: We Are Making Effort To Restore Peace – Committee Chairman

The Chairman, Interface Committee on Ogidigben Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Mr Austin Ogborogbeyi, said the committee was working hard to resolve the crisis induced by the EPZ in Ugborodo community.
Ogborogbeyi made this known while interacting with newsmen on Tuesday in Warri, Delta.
He said that the committee had visited the five communities that made up Ugborodo, in Warri South-West Local Government Area, to ascertain the issues involved in the crisis.

The Chairman, Interface Committee on Ogidigben Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Mr Austin Ogborogbeyi, said the committee was working hard to resolve the crisis induced by the EPZ in Ugborodo community.
Ogborogbeyi made this known while interacting with newsmen on Tuesday in Warri, Delta.
He said that the committee had visited the five communities that made up Ugborodo, in Warri South-West Local Government Area, to ascertain the issues involved in the crisis.
He named the communities are Ijaala, Madaigho, Ode-Ugborodo, Ajudaigbo, and Ogidigben, and stressed that his interest was to serve the people and ensure that peace returned to the area.
Ogborogbeyi said that the Ugborodo crisis was on before the proposed 16 billion dollars EPZ project of the Federal Government was contemplated.
He described the committee as a “child of importance and not child of necessity’’ and said that it would take some time for it to adequately resolve the problem.
The EPZ committee was constituted by Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan to fast-track the return of peace in Ugborodo.
Before then the government had deployed a team of military personnel to the community to restore peace and pave the way for work on the project to commence.
Ogborogbeyi explained that Ugborodo problem was sparked-off by disagreement over who would oversee the affairs of the “Ugborodo Community Trust’’.
He said that the development led to the creation of two factions in the community.
“Our committee is to liaise with the community, the government, the Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and investors.
“EPZ did not create the Ugborodo crisis; it has been there before government proposed the project.
“Reconciling the problem is a major challenge to my committee; it will take some time to resolve the crisis,’’ he said.
He explained that the EPZ project was private sector-driven, adding that it would uplift the standard of living of the people of the area when completed and operational.
Ogborogbeyi said that the committee would ensure that money accruing to the people from the project was re-invested into the projects rather than squandering it.
He refuted recent report that four persons were shot dead by military operatives in the community.
According to him, what happened was a mere protest by the people and only one youth was apprehended and was later released.