President General of Isoko Development Union (IDU), High Chief Idu Amadhe, has reeled out his achievements for the past five years he has been president general of the IDU in Delta state. He said for the period he has been president general which is almost coming to a close, his tenure has tried for Isoko people.
High Chief Amadhe, who spoke during a fact finding mission on the crisis between Ozoro and Oleh, agreed that there is no ethnic group that does not have one form of crisis or the other, however said his tenure has tried to attend to issues affecting Isoko people both within Delta state and outside the state, even those in the Diaspora.
He said the IDU has been serving the Isoko people for the past 77 years where he served in various capacities for 27 years. He attributed the development of Isoko nation to partly the handiwork of the IDU. He touched specific areas wherein the IDU made contributions to the development of Isoko nation.
He pointed out that the IDU has carried all Isoko people in Bayelsa, Isoko North, Isoko South, those in Ndokwa nation, along in all their programmes and development efforts. As far as Isoko people exist in any state, he said the IDU has attended to their community development needs.
He mentioned places where there have been crisis such as Onogboko which had been crisis ridden for 31 years, the IDU intervened, the court cases were withdrawn, town hall foundation laid and almost at the roofing stage. He also said Iyede Ame in Ndokwa East had crisis, it was resolved and a new administration set up for the community.
High Chief Amadhe said Ewekoroafor and Asagba in Ndokwa East had trouble, Ndokwa Neku Union was called, Ibrede also had challenges where four persons were killed and 57 houses burnt, he said IDU brokered peace in all the communities.
He said Governor Okowa approved N20million for those whose houses were destroyed so they could start up again in Ibrede community in Ndokwa East. Isoko indigenes in North America, he said, had commissioned a project in the America nation.
He said: “Our Isokos in Bayelsa who had their own challenges too, during the COVID-19, we worked hand in hand with the two local government chairmen and food items were donated to the less privileged as palliatives. Many of our people donated food and we shared to the less privileged at IDU premises.”
He said IDU made some developmental efforts in Isoko unity house. According to him, during the commissioning of the house, former Governor Ibori, Uduaghan and incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa were present. He noted that the house has a carrying capacity of 4500 with no such edifice in any ethnic group in the state.
He noted: “We are in touch with our branches all over the nation. We have completed Isoko House in Ibadan branch of IDU. In Port Harcourt and Warri, Isoko houses have been built and in use. We have encouraged unity in other branches of IDU. Our Isokos in North America are doing very well.”
In the education sector, High Chief Amadhe said IDU mobilised all sons and daughters of Isoko nation to raise N51million to buy books and materials for lecturers and equipped their offices. He said the DELSU campus was supported by NDDC, Senator James Manager, senior lawyers and other notable sons of Isoko extraction.
He said the intervention of the state governor and IDU aided accreditation of the faculty of law in the campus. He added that in the engineering faculty, three departments were accredited but with the commitment of community members, NDDC awarded contracts for the supply of chemicals, a development which led to full accreditation of the faculty of engineering.
He explained how IDU fought against encroachment into the campus land by neighbouring communities. “We contributed about N5.6milion to do a fence to separate the Emede land from Oleh. We got DESOPADEC to build 6 quarters for lecturers. DESOPADEC also built a hostel for students. We led a delegation to the governor to plead for the expansion of Ozoro road so as to reduce accident on the road. The governor got a contractor and the road was expanded.
“The same IDU got the governor to approve Irri Grammar School road and Erowa, our eldest clan. When there was uproar that Isoko was badly treated in the budget in 2018, we led a delegation to the governor and the errors were corrected. Also, challenges like Igbide-Ehwe crisis, we played a major role too to resolve it.”
He said there are other communities that had crisis but they have been resolved through the intervention of the IDu. He mentioned Uzere, Ofagbe, Oyede, Olomoro, Enwhe, Orie and Aviara which had been bedeviled by crisis at one time or the other but the IDU waded in and restored peace to them all.
High Chief Amadhe commended the two local government chairmen of Isoko North and Isoko South, Emmanuel Egbabor and Itiako Ikpokpo, for the respective roles they played towards the success of IDU, for assisting in resolving many crisis and contributing to the development of Isoko nation.
