Gelegele Crisis: Ijaw Leader Rejects Odionwere, Threatens 24-Hour Shutdown of Oil Wells
Olu-Derimo at Gelegele flow station
By Arit Mbeh
The Chairman of Gelegele-Gbene, Olu-Derimo, has rejected the claim that there is an Odionwere in the Gelegele community, insisting that the Ijaw people recognise only Amas-Okosuwei Oguoyob Benson as their traditional community head.
Addressing supporters during a protest in Gelegele, Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State, Olu-Derimo said Pa Onaghise Robinson Enoma is not the Odionwere of the predominantly Ijaw community.
According to him, the Ijaw people have their own traditional leadership structure and would not accept the imposition of an Odionwere over the community.
He, however, stressed that the presence of Ijaw people in Edo State does not constitute a threat to the state, noting that the ethnic group has lived peacefully with other communities for generations.
“We are not enemies; we are friends. We have been living and co-existing from time immemorial. We even intermarry, so I don’t see any reason why anybody will say he is the Odionwere of a full community with thousands of Ijaw people,” he said.
Olu-Derimo alleged that the existence of the Ijaw people in Gelegele was under threat and called on Ijaw organisations across the Niger Delta to pay attention to the dispute.
“I want to put the Ijaw people on notice. I want to put the Niger Delta on notice. I want to put the Ijaw National Congress (INC) on notice and I want to put the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), where I am the new Director of National Mobilisation, on notice. Today, our existence is being threatened,” he declared.
The community leader announced plans to shut down oil facilities in Gelegele for 24 hours in what he described as a demonstration that the Ijaw people own the land.
“To show that we own the land and we are in our land, we are shutting down the wells and flow stations in Gelegele today as instructed by our leaders. When we shut down this one, we will also go to Well One, Well Two and Well Three for 24 hours,” he said.
His comments come amid heightened tensions over traditional leadership and ownership claims in the oil-producing Gelegele community, with the dispute raising concerns over its potential impact on oil production and security in the Wetland.
