Residents of Asaba, the Delta State capital have been charged not to allow the area to be used as a harbouring ground for criminals.
The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof Epiphany Azinge, gave the charge, yesterday, when he visited Ikpoto/Akpalata satellite town, in Ajaji village of Asaba.
Azinge said there was the possibility of criminal elements from the neighboring communities to find their way to Ikpoto for safety, urging residents to maintain the integrity of the community and be vigilant at all times and avoid infiltration of criminals.
He reiterated that peace and security in Asaba remained his topmost priorities because he would not sit on the throne and watch his people sleep with one eye open, and the good impression other residents, especially non indigenes, had about the town eroded.
The Monarch urged the non-indigenes to contribute their quota to the development of Asaba, which they testified had blessed them, be law abiding, support the government of the day and respect the customs and traditions of the land.
The Asagba thanked the people of the area for their peaceful disposition and self-help spirit, which led them to purchase an electricity transformer for themselves, stressing that he had never believed that government should do everything for the people.
The Asagba expressed dismay over the condition of the access road to the community and promised to do everything possible to intervene in finding solution to the problem.
In his address, the Anya Asagba in the community, Ogbueshi Murphy Arinze, thanked the Asagba for the visit, the first of its kind, which he said was a testament to his commitment to the welfare and progress of the satellite town.
Ogbueshi Arinze noted that by delineating Ahaba kingdom into chiefdoms, Asagba Azinge had added creativity and innovation to rulership and taken leadership to the grassroots, stressing that the concept of ‘Anya Asagba’ in Ahaba kingdom was a welcome development worthy of emulation by other kingdoms in Nigeria.
He said despite their collective efforts to do certain things for themselves, the community was faced with some challenges, including bad road, lack of a functional health facility and a public primary school, as well as the need for an extra transformer to cope with the increasing electricity load in the area, and solicited the intervention of the king.
