Focus on CADA Bill, Dekawei urges Ijaws in Delta Assembly ~ Truth Reporters

 

...Says only CADA will address woes of Ijaws in Delta 

President general of the revered Niger Delta Socio Cultural Group under the aegis of Delta Ijaw Youth Movement for Political Advancement (DIYMPA), Amb. John Dekawei has appealed to all Ijaw lawmakers in the Delta State House of Assembly to focus only on the bill seeking to create Coastal Areas Development Agency (CADA) in the State. 

Dekawei made this known to newsmen in Asaba, capital of Delta State yesterday via a statement he personally signed and made available to Truth Reporters.

The young and renowned Niger Delta philanthropist stated that CADA is the collective interest of all sons and daughters of the Ijaws in Delta State and beyond, stressing that such an important bill must not be delayed at any cost. 

He continued that the Coastal Areas Development Agency ( CADA ) Bill after presentation and its eventual ascent by the Governor of Delta State into law would have the capacity to address the multifaceted woes of the Ijaws in Delta State. 

Amb. Dekawei said the destinies of those living in the coastal part of Delta State and their communities are tied to CADA as its legislative impute will give way for its creation by the executive arm of government in the state.

He maintained that it has to be one step at a time as the excuse of not creating or establishing CADA in this political dispensation should not be the fault of the lawmakers for failing to present it on the floor of the Delta State House of Assembly for ascent by the Governor of Delta State. 

He bemoaned the state of things bedeviling the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Delta State, stressing that it is no longer news that most lawmakers in Delta State from the Ijaw flank do not have bore hole water in their communities, adding that if CADA is implemented, it would address such challenges and take care of more pressing needs of the people at the coastal areas. 

Dekawei while lauding the idea behind CADA noted that if created, such will be one of the important thing that Delta Ijaws will be celebrating as it will be having the capacity to add more value to the long forgotten communities within the creeks of Delta State. 


While stressing on the need why CADA must not go through much debate either in the house or the state Executive Council, Amb. John said there is already Warri, Uvwie and Environs Development Agency and Delta Capital Territory Development Agencies created by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa after undergoing legislative processes, maintaining that CADA must not be an exception.

He said CADA cannot be different from other similar agencies as it would mean a lot to the coastal communities and her people in the state, adding that some of these places are the largest producers of oil in the state hence compensating them for the many years of unrequited oil revenues with CADA remains the best thing to do. 

The Niger Delta human rights activist insisted that CADA is supposed to have been created long before any other agency in Delta State as the coastal areas needs development more than any other areas. 

While lamenting on the poor state of things, Dekawei said those living in the coastal areas of Delta State despite their economic viability have been denied with iron fisted manipulation to enjoy any form of social amenities. 

According to him, establishing CADA will to some extent balance the age long imbalance of alienation in the coastal areas of Delta State.

“Oppression under any guise must and will be resisted, we can’t be treated as second class citizens always, CADA must be established for the coastal areas to have some sense of belonging as the hen that lays the golden eggs”

Nevertheless, Dekawei added that the Ijaw lawmakers in Delta State will be held responsible by the entire Ijaws in the state if they fail to present the bill to soften the way for ascent by the Governor under this administration, stating that history will record them in a negative manner if they fail to bring CADA to limelight. 

He said CADA can deal with all what the representatives couldn't have done for the people as it would create employment opportunities for the rural people and Deltans. 

Meanwhile, considering the unending agitations in the country geared towards the reconstruction of a better Nigeria, Dekawei has urged all youths in the country to always speak up when necessary, adding that such is the only way to correct the many years of questionable leadership in the country. 

The Niger Delta youth leader also wondered on the muteness of the Federal Government of Nigeria, NEMA, Delta State Government and other relevant agencies on their failure to mitigate the sufferings of Nigerians, particularly Niger Deltans in the face of the rising cases of flood sacking several communities and her people, making life difficult for the people. 

He said the people are suffering untold hardship in the hands of the flood as it has destroyed properties and displaced thousands of residents from their various communities, adding that their very existence as a people have been threatened by the steadily rising flood. 

Dekawei who is the Chairman and founder of the John Dekawei Foundation (JDF), a Non Governmental Organisation he has used in transforming the lives of many across the globe, noted that the three tiers of Government and the Federal parastatals have kept quiet for too long, arguing that it is now time for the Government to rescue the people from the precarious situation they are in now.