Louis Ibah
The Ukwata 1 of Umukwata kingdom, Friday Abaja, has decried the decision of the Delta State government to suspend him as the traditional ruler of Umukwata kingdom in Ukwuani Local Government Area.
The Delta State government on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, handed the monarch a six-month suspension, with immediate effect for alleged “acts inimical to peace, order and good governance.”
Abaja, who spoke to newsmen in Lagos said, “for a man that makes peace to be labelled a trouble maker, I cannot understand the whole episode because I have committed no offence inimical to the peace of the community.”
Abaja who said the state government had failed to act fairly by giving him the opportunity to state his own side of the story on the genesis of the crisis in his community, urged the state government to properly investigate what happened so that the truth shall prevail at the end of the day.
Said Abaja: “There was a crisis involving two communities, Amai and Ezhionum in the year 2007, which led to the death of 27 people. It was an age-long war over boundary polemics. The various communities tried to make peace to no avail. The state government did nothing until I took it up and went in to intervene and they gave me listening ears. I then promised to rebuild all the damaged houses within a space of three months to end the crisis and that if within three months I was unable to fulfil my promise, they should not believe me again. So within three months, I rebuilt all the houses razed down during the crisis and renovated the damaged ones.”
Abaja who faulted his suspension appealed to his subjects to be calm as justice would prevail and he would be vindicated.
“I have been bringing peace to different warring communities like Amai/Umuebu war, Amai/ Ezhionum war and Umuaja/Obi Obeti war, all in Ukwuani Local Government Area.
“The widow of the war victim of the Umuaja/Obi Obeti war is in my pay roll till date and I promised to be paying her till God takes my life. While doing all these, I saw it that I was doing my civic responsibility to make peace. I was not doing all that because I want anybody to eulogise me. It was God that gave me the will power to do good to mankind. This accounts for the reason while I don’t blow my trumpet. So I was surprised when I was told that my suspension was due to ‘acts inimical to peace, order and good governance.’
“Am I the cause of these wars? I was doing what government is supposed to do by calming frayed nerves and wiping away the tears of the warring parties.
“But the government, instead of appreciating my efforts and concern is branding me with the stamp of abnormal ugliness. It is demeaning and ridiculous! No tyranny of circumstances can permanently imprison a determined will
“I hereby urge all my subjects to be calm. Nobody is above the law. We are working hard to see how the government will resolve the issue. We will do all it takes to cooperate with the government to conclude its investigations. I also urge the government to properly investigate what happened and what led to the allegations so that the truth shall prevail at the end of the day,” he added
He enumerated some of the developmental strides he has brought to his Umukwata kingdom, without government assistance, to include an estate of 63 flats of three-bedroom, a 7.5km Umukwata road project, 9km interlocking of the community with drainage, a modern market of 64 lock-up shops and a 50-bed free medical centre.