A prominent youth leader in the region and the Vice-Chairman of Delta State Waterways Security Committee, Mr. Ayiri Emami, said the Saturday’s rally in the oil city was also ahead of the test running of his peace initiative in the creeks 911 Resort, tagged, ”Peace and Creek”.

Emami said the rally is targeted at spreading the peace the state to other parts of the Niger Delta, adding, “You know everything started from here in Delta State but gradually with the help of the Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and other stakeholders, the crisis was over in this state, particularly in Warri area.

“The local government chairman, who is an Ijaw man sees me everyday, we talked together to ensure that there is peace in the area. I am the Vice-Chairman of Delta State Waterways Security Committee and my Chairman, Mr. George Timinimi, an Ijaw man, is ensuring that there is peace. So you can see the calibre that we are working together. All the one time actors are now working together.

“But now that 911 Resort is here and we are doing test running of the peace project, tagged: “Peace and Creek”, we are sensitising Nigerians about the existence of the Resort in Ugborodo, Escravos in Warri South West Local Government Area of the state. More importantly, we are celebrating the prevailing peace in the state.

“A lot of people say you can’t get fun in Warri because of the crisis and we want to correct that erroneous impression. We have a lot of night clubs in Warri here and we have taken the fun now to the creeks in Escravos. A lot of artists are coming from Lagos , different parts of the country to perform in the creeks to let people know that there is peace, so we went round to let them know that Warri is back to life again.”

Emami and other youth leaders at the rally lamented the situation in Port Harcourt , Rivers State , where the Joint Task Force is battling with some youths in the area, saying it contrasts with Warri where the youths have given peace a chance.

He attributed the prevailing peace in the state to the efforts of the Itsekiri and Ijaw youth leaders, saying, “Both the Ijaw and Itsekiri in Warri have created the enabling environment for them to come and develop the area because all of us are suffering due to the prevailing abject poverty and underdevelopment.

“We hope those guys in Port Harcourt end would emulate what is happening here and embrace peace. The initiative behind the 911 Resort is to demonstrate to the whole world that peace has returned to Delta State axis of the Niger Delta and to let our brothers in other parts of the region, especially in Rivers State to know that it pays to embrace peace.

With the peace here, we are asking the Federal Government to come and develop the area. That it is not by killing the youths, the government need to point at something because for now they have nothing to show for in this area right now. People have been crying for a long time for development. From Warri to Escravos I can assure you that there is peace as the Itsekiri, Ijaw and Urhobo have pronounced that the war is over

The test running of 911 Resort is scheduled to coincide with the Nigerian Independence Anniversary celebration slated for Wednesday, October 1.



On the location of the headquarters of the Niger Delta Ministry, Emami said it should be sited in Delta State , because the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is in Port Harcourt .