Contest will unite Niger Deltans to confront our darkest challenges, Lawuru reveals

In this insightful and exclusive interview with Alaowei Prince Promise Lawuru, Head of Operations, Delta State Waterways and Land Security Committee, a renowned Niger Delta freedom fighter, philanthropist and president general Egbema Brotherhood in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, he speaks about his readiness to splash cash to host the 2019 P-Lawuru food contest, his pains for the Niger Delta region, the way forward and many other revealing issues about Egbema Kingdom and his personality in his office yesterday in Warri with The Liberator Newspaper.

Excerpt 

Sir can we know you better 

I am Promise Lawuru, president general Egbema brotherhood from Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria.

What is the real deal behind the P-Lawuru 2019 food contest ?

The main reason behind this contest is that as an Ijaw man, I always crave for the undiluted unity among  the Ijaws in the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general. Our Ijaw nation more than ever needs to be united in order to confront its darkest challenges. In essence, I am sponsoring this contest to cement the bond of unity among the Ijaws living in the Niger Delta and beyond.

Is the contest open for all Niger Deltans or Ijaws living in Warri alone ?

Precisely for now, it is strictly open for all Niger Deltans but in the nearest future, I am hoping to expand it to the entire country.

Just like the 2018 contest, is it open for men alone or for both male and female folks ?

The 2018 contest was our first edition so we agreed to make it  just for the males, we will be replicating same this year. As time goes on, the female folks can also participate in the process.

The Niger Delta struggle today mean different thing to different people, what is your major concern for the Niger Delta ?

The Niger Delta of today comprises many tribes, many sees us as trouble makers which of course is not true and very wrong about us as a people. The average Ijaw man detest oppression of any kind, we have continued to agitate for a better Niger Delta.  Our region needs development and a sense of belonging. We can’t be so blessed with both natural and human resources in this country but yet still lives in abject poverty and unabated penury. This is my major concern, we need decentralized form of development and a high sense of belonging.

Are you hoping to sponsor other programmes beside this competition in Ijaw land with particular regard to education ?

Yes, I have a lot of such programmes that I am intending to sponsor in the nearest future, I have about five of them.

Some of them include educational programmes and the sustainability of our cultural heritage. Education as scholars had pontificated connotes that it is the bedrock of all meaningful development, hence I am really hoping to do something along this line, also at the risk of repetition, I will seriously look into programmes that will sustain our Ijaw cultural dance and our tradition to be sustained.

With regard to development, how is your kingdom Egbema fairing in Warri North, Delta State and Nigeria as a whole ?

My Kingdom is likened to be an envelop, an envelop is seen in our present times as only good at delivering letters, after the delivery, it will be discarded just like that, that is the pitiable condition we finds ourselves in Egbema.

The Egbema people have contributed their quota for the Niger Delta struggle for self identity and emancipation, we have committed ourselves to this noble cause but the dividends are nothing to write home about. Politically speaking, we have rallied behind people and when its times to replicate the gesture in form of developing our communities, the story has always being a sorry one.

This is even the main reason the Egbema Brotherhood is formed, it is a non political group formed primarily to champion the rights and privileges of the Egbema people. We will never relent in our calls for a better Egbema kingdom, the attention of political  leaders representing Egbema in different climes will be drawn to our plight. The brotherhood under my firm leadership will not sleep until justice is served to my people. I believe that this time around, things will change for the better.

Finally what message do you have for Niger Deltans ?

The message I have for Niger Delta is that we should speak in one voice irrespective of our political affiliations, uniting to confront our challenges as a people will do us a lot of good, we need development and we need to fight for what is due us in the Nigerian State.