A 21-man peace committee has been inaugurated to mediate in the crisis between host communities of the $16bn Gas City project in Ogidigben, Delta State and the Federal Government.
The committee was inaugurated on Tuesday at Asaba by Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who said he was glad he laid the foundation for a truce among the parties.
Uduaghan disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan would soon be in Delta State to inaugurate the Ugborodo Export Processing Zone project.
“With the setting up of this committee, the peace process in Ugborodo has to continue for the community to be at peace and for the community to get maximum benefit from the project which is over $16bn,” he said.
Uduaghan said the project was initially sited at Koko but had to be relocated to Ogidigben because the waterways at Koko were shallow.
He thanked President Jonathan for siting the project in Delta State at a time many other states had wanted to host it.
He praised the warring factions in Ugborodo for agreeing to a peace process and noted that the reconciliation of the factions had culminated in the setting up of the EPZ Interface Committee.
He said the project was a good development that would benefit to the Ugborodo Community, Itsekiri nation, Delta State and Nigeria.
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