Asarama Community in Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is begging Nigeria’s construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc for N50million to evacuate its juju from the area where they are currently situated.

The community made this request in a document it sent to Kristina Reports titled “A POSITION PAPER/DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF ASARAMA IN ANDONI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS SATE, ONE OF THE HOST AND IMPACTED COMMUNITIES OF THE ONGOING “BODO-ASARAMATORU-BONNY ROAD” PROJECT BEING CONSTRUCTED BY THE CONSTRCUTION GIANT, JULIUS BERGER PLC, HIRED BY THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WORKS, ABUJA, NIGERIA”.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Asarama Divisional Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs and Okangh Ama Inyong-Orong in Asarama Kingdom, HRH King (Engr.) Rowland Ukot Ifritam III, who sent the document to Kristina Reports, did not give a reason why his community wants to chase away its deities.

In article 13 of the said document, the community asked for “The payment of the sum of Fifty Million Naira (N50,000,000.00), only to make necessary sacrifices customarily needed to remove the native gods, goddesses, marine spirits and other ethereal essences domiciled at the project site in the course of Asarama Kingdom’s protest aforementioned”.

It is a well-known fact across Africa that communities rely on their deities for protection, blessings and goodwill; it thus becomes curious why Asarama Community would choose to do away with its “gods, goddesses, marine spirits and other ethereal essences” at a time like this.

A concerned stakeholder, who spoke in confidence to Kristina Reports, expressed doubts over the said document emanating from the leadership of the community, pointing out that “the contents of such a document casts a celebrated community in a beggarly light which cannot be true”.

“I am from Andoni and we know Asarama as one of the most celebrated communities in Obolo Land; how can such a community with celebrated personalities in different spheres of life across the world be begging Julius Berger for N50million to throw away their gods? Does that even make any sense?”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Chairman of Andoni LGA, Erastus Awortu, who incidentally hails from Asarama Community, proved abortive as he neither answered calls or messages sent to his mobile line as at the time of this report.

On its part, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc was yet to respond to an enquiry email from Kristina Reports on the issue. When contacted via telephone, a lady answered, informing that the Media Officer was not available at the moment.