Leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Group, Comrade Ateke Tom, is battle-weary. He likes addressing himself as a comrade. May be, a comrade-in-arms. But his enemies would not allow his to rest. His enemies are the Rivers State Government represented by the state governor, Chubike Amaechi ; and Joint Task Force, Operation Flush Three. Even when the “Godfather” [that is what is boys and other comrade-in –arms call him] abandoned the luxury of his home for the creeks, they are still troubling him. The godfather is now a fugitive in a domain where he was the law. When the godfather was in control, he dictates what happens in his native Okrika, who gets what, when and how much.
But now the godfather is on the run: actually his is not running because his enemies have overwhelmed him but as a war strategy to weary his opponents and give them emotional satisfaction of putting the Ijaw warrior on the run. Ateke is actually running away from the temptation of being provoked by the JTF and the reaction of his boys and followers. Ateke is running away from his homes in Okochiri and Okrika so that his enemies would not have a reason to come and killed his people and destroyed their property under the disguise that they are tryin to flush out the godfather or that the community is harbouring Ateke whom the state and security agencies have declared a criminal and a wanted man. Ateke is lying low in compliance with the advice and counsel from Ijaw leaders and elders that he should give peace a chance and allow them time to sort out his issues with the government and security agencies. Perhaps get him and amnesty. “They sent Ijaw elders to meet and urge me to maintain peace which I’m observing now,” disclosed Ateke.
Recently Senate President, David Mark and Amaechi visited Okrika and claimed that the recovered weapons and ammunitions belonging to Ateke. According to JTF: 13694 ammunitions for different caliber of weapons; 32 assorted rifles; 28 magazines for different types of weapons were said to have been found in an armoury allegedly owned by Ateke. Also there was another allegation of 150 metre underground pipeline from NNPC Jetty to Ateke private jetty and another underground pipeline from the Eleme Refinery. In all these Ateke is shouting his innocence to whoever cares to listen. The godfather wants the world to believe that these entire discoveries are attempts to give a dog a bad name in a bid to justify the hanging of the dog, in this case, Ateke. He has not denied being in possession of arms and ammunitions but has debunked claims by government and JTF that those weapons that were found belonged to him. He mocked them that they can never found the location of his armoury.
Ateke is ready for peace but he does not trust the government peace progress. Ateke alleged “I know they want to kill me, but they will never succeed. I am waiting for the outcome of the peace talk. If they are not sincere. I will make sure all developments and projects outside Niger Delta with our oil monies wil be razed down to dust.” He recalled that the government had promised to grant Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujihad Dokubo Asari amnesty if he drops arms only to turn around and arrest, detained and prosecute the former president of the Ijaw Youth Council. Ateke told newsmen in one of his numerous camps in the creeks of Rivers State “I can only disarm when I see the signs, Asari and I have once being fooled like that when they (government) asked us to disarm and before we realized it Asari had been arrested and taken to Abuja for some years in detention.” According to him, “I am giving the negotiating team a chance to come up with workable plans. If we are not satisfied with the outcome of the negotiation, then Nigerians should notblame me. The issue is not just Amnesty and reparation for militants. There are more issues to be addressed once and for all – enough is enough!” Ateke threatened that if by he end of May 2008, his property that were destroyed by JTF are not replaced and the demands of Ijaw people met “ I bet the government will regret it.”
The godfather disclosed that currently he is not I a fighting mood. The reasons are not that his armoury is exhausted or he is tired but a response to a plea from Ijaw elders. Ateke boasted “You can testify that the tempo I planned to make Rivers state ungovernable was set aside because I listened to advice from close people I respect. I have withdrawn my plans to make my state ungovernable because it makes no sense to destroy your property because JTF and Amaechi made me angry. However, I have drawn new plan and strategy. I have many ways to express my anger and when I implement it it will affect the entire country.”
In view of the allegations against Ateke and the fact that he has been declared wanted by the security agencies, should Ateke be given amnesty? This is the question bothering the mind of some people in the Niger Delta. Amaechi has declared Ateke a common criminal and has vowed not to rest until Ateke is arrested and prosecuted. The governor has also declared that Ateke has not been granted amnesty. If, Ateke wants amnesty, Amaechi insisted he must surrender his arms. But Ateke is saying he will not give up his arms. Will Amaechi have the political will to go after Ateke in view of the fact that Ateke is like a little bird dancing on the road while those during are in the nearby bush.
An Ijaw leader who does not want his name in print told Sunday Champion that if former governors who stole billions of public funds are given the privileges of plea bargain, then there is no reason why government should not grant amnesty to Ateke if the Okrika warlord is ready to surrender his embrace peace and surrender his arms. But a government official in Port Harcourt recalled that Ateke and Asari were once declared wanted by the police. But the administration of former Dr. Peter Odili granted them amnesty and they were asked to turn in their armoury. Rather than remain peaceful and law-abiding, Ateke has acquired more sophisticated weapons and caused more havoc than before because of a notion that at the end of the day there will be no punishment for his crime against the people and the state. The official who sought anonymity pointed out that after Ateke and Asari were granted amnesty, the number of criminal gangs masquerading as freedom fighters in the state increase and the volume of violent crimes and kidnapping have gone out of proportion.
Ateke is an Ijaw warrior and war commander is a prize possession of the Ijaw nation. There an unwritten agreement that non of its militants, freedom fighters, criminals or whatever you call them should come to harm. I f any of them kill or betray a fellow Ijaw man there is a sanction. Asari, does not see eye to eye with Ateke on most issues but Asari insisted the activities of Ateke came following provocations by Amaechi. Asari declared that Ameachi has no power to declare Ateke wanted. Asari said he had spoken to Ateke that his attack on the state was unacceptable to the people, and Ateke promised him that the situation will not repeat itself. Asari declared that if Ateke attacks the Ijaw people, he would be brought to book by the Ijaws. This is a testimony that Ateke is an Ijaw warrior or general.
Chris Ekiyor, a medical doctor and President of the Ijaw Youth Council [IYC] observed that the attack on Ateke is part of the implementation of a security document on how the military intend to wipe out Ijaw communities. Ekiyor said the Ijaws are taken aback by the attack on Okochri after the president have promised that such attacks would never occur. The IYC leader said he was able to get Ateke to release six Russians that were taken hostages at the Aluminium Smelter Plant, Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State. According to Ekiyor, Ateke has embraced peace as he even nominated someone to represent his group to the Presidential Peace Committee on Niger Delta. He also said that Ateke participated in all the peace process to unite all the fighting group in Okrika. Ekiyor, who said he will not discuss peace with Ateke until government shows its readiness for peace asked government to give Ateke amnesty and the wanted man will come out and contribute to the peace process in the Niger Delta. “Ateke has been with them all these years but they have not been able to get him,” Ekiyor taunted the Rivers State Government.
Leader of the Niger Delta Non Violent Movement, Onengiya Erekosima has been canvassing for Ateke to be granted amnesty. He announced that Ateke has embraced a non violent approach in the pursuit of the struggle for the emancipation of Niger Delta. According to Erekosima, Ateke officially filled the membership form of the movement. Erekosima continued that Ateke did not just joined his peace movement but asked his boys to join the movement. He insisted that Ateke is genuine and show strong resolve to discard all forms of violence.
But if the amnesty deal and peace talk failed, Ateke vowed to step up his activities. Hear him “ The solution is to address all I have put down. I have 2000 standing boys ready to go on suicided mission to actualize my drawn up plans. Nigerians should not blame me. People should advise the federal government about justice to us. All foreign oil workers that think Abuja and Lagos are safe for them to be coming and exploit us will soon realize that these two cities will be worst hit. After 200 suicide targets, we must have achieve justice and I will die a happy man.”
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
OPC WAR ON AKWA IBOM PEOPLE
OPC WAR ON AKWA IBOM INDIGENES
Recently there have been media reports credited to the Odua Peoples Congress {OPC} and the Ijaw Monitoring Group on the issue of the revocation of a Certificate of Occupancy on the 10th Anniversary Hotel purportedly belonging to one Mr. Sunday Idowu. According to these reports, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah revoked this certificate issued to Idowu. One may not have respond to these reports but just to put the records straight and let the world know the real situations. I am not holding brief for Attah because I am not and was never his media man but as a son of Akwa Ibom I write this.
As the name implies the 10th Anniversary Hotel came to be in 1997 to mark a decade of the creation of Akwa Abasi Ibom State. This hotel was conceived when a Yoruba son, from Ifon, then Navy Captain Joseph Adewusi [now retired] was the Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state. Though the state government served as a coordinator of the project, it was not as such a government project as Akwa Ibom indigenes and their friends made contributions towards the project. For whatever reason the hotel did not go beyond the foundation level and various administrations in the state since 1997 had failed to complete it. When Attah came into power rather than complete that project, he went ahead to build the Le’ Meridien Hotel at Nwaniba. It might have been during this period that he decided to give the hotel to his erstwhile friend and protégé, Idowu. OPC should get in touch with Adewusi and Oba Emmanuel Adebayo of Ekiti state, who was an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Uyo about the time the hotel project started. They are in positions to enlighten OPC members.
That Attah gave out the hotel to a single individual, whether indigene or non indigene was a great disservice to Akwa Ibom people as the hotel project, so to speak, was not wholly a government project but the people’s hotel. For revoking the certificate of occupancy given to Idowu, Attah deserved to be praised rather than Akwa Ibom people being insulted by ethnic champions. Giving out the hotel is an equivalent of giving out Ibom Hall to an individual. Would our Oduduwa brothers accept the Cocoa House Ibadan to be sold to a private individual? The hotel is a property of the commonwealth of Akwa Ibom peopleOn the decision of Idowu to resort to wiping ethnic sentiments over this issue is unfortunate. Yoruba people are known to be very appreciative of any favour done to them but Idowu is different. If Akwa Ibom and its people were that hostile to non indigenes, Idowu should tell the world why he decided to stay behind in such an environment when he left NITEL in the early nineties.
One can say this that 99 per cent of Idowu’s wealth today is Akwa Ibom money courtesy of Attah. Idowu left Nitel as a technician but he was executing road contracts in Uyo and other parts of the state during the eight years of Attah. Can he tell the world where he got the experience and money to do these jobs. Those projects and contracts that Attah gave Idowu can he sincerely said that they passed through due process and can stand the scrutiny of EFCC and ICPC? Were there no Akwa Ibom people capable of executing these contracts? Can OPC show evidence in any Yoruba state where an Akwa Ibom indigene was given such multi billion contracts? Did Akwa Ibom people complain, protest or threaten hell when Idowu was taking what was theirs? On the few occasion that I met Idowu during Attah’s tenure, he was wont to flaunt his relationship with Attah and the governor’s children. Idowu once told me and some friends that he has no regret identifying with the Attah’s family. Remember Attah son-in-law, Dr Udoma Ekarika was commissioner for eight years and that of Works ministry for four years. You can understand why he has no regret then. Are they no longer family friends? When the going was good did he tell his Oduduwa brothers what “Ete Calabar” was doing to him? How much did he bring into Akwa Ibom to start answering the title of investor.Idowu treatment of Attah serves the former governor well? Akwa Ibom elites always patronize non indigenes at the expense of their brothers and only to turn around and complain when they are shortchanged.
OPC calling on the Lagos State Government or any government for that matter to seize of property of Akwa Ibom people in Lago and any part of Yorubaland is uncalled for. Attah used the instrument of his office to enrich Idowu and now that their relationship has broken down why should you punish another person who was not in the know of what they were doing. Some of these Akwa Ibom people may not be seeing eye to eye with Attah. Or Attah might have given Idowu preference over them in the award of some of the contracts that now made Idowu a millionaire, in any currency, as well as an investor. Idowu enjoyed many privileges in Akwa Ibom state that many indigenes can only dream of. OPC should rather ask their Yoruba governors to extend similar privileges to Akwa Ibom people. The Ibibios has a saying “mfon atak ke idiok ufok” this means favour or good deeds are only wasteful on people from ungrateful families. It is only Idowu and Attah that know the truth of their quarrel, why Attah decided to take back what he gave to his godson. . Attah giveth Attah taketh.
Governor Akpabio should not restore the hotel to Idowu. Rather a team of quantity surveyors should evaluate the building and whatever Idowu has spent should be refunded to him. As Akpabio is building a new government House when there is one in place, he should also go ahead and complete the hotel which can then be lease out for private investor to manage, Idowu inclusive. The concept of the hotel was supposed to be for a memorial and it should remain so. No one should use his public office to dash out our common property.
Recently there have been media reports credited to the Odua Peoples Congress {OPC} and the Ijaw Monitoring Group on the issue of the revocation of a Certificate of Occupancy on the 10th Anniversary Hotel purportedly belonging to one Mr. Sunday Idowu. According to these reports, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah revoked this certificate issued to Idowu. One may not have respond to these reports but just to put the records straight and let the world know the real situations. I am not holding brief for Attah because I am not and was never his media man but as a son of Akwa Ibom I write this.
As the name implies the 10th Anniversary Hotel came to be in 1997 to mark a decade of the creation of Akwa Abasi Ibom State. This hotel was conceived when a Yoruba son, from Ifon, then Navy Captain Joseph Adewusi [now retired] was the Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state. Though the state government served as a coordinator of the project, it was not as such a government project as Akwa Ibom indigenes and their friends made contributions towards the project. For whatever reason the hotel did not go beyond the foundation level and various administrations in the state since 1997 had failed to complete it. When Attah came into power rather than complete that project, he went ahead to build the Le’ Meridien Hotel at Nwaniba. It might have been during this period that he decided to give the hotel to his erstwhile friend and protégé, Idowu. OPC should get in touch with Adewusi and Oba Emmanuel Adebayo of Ekiti state, who was an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Uyo about the time the hotel project started. They are in positions to enlighten OPC members.
That Attah gave out the hotel to a single individual, whether indigene or non indigene was a great disservice to Akwa Ibom people as the hotel project, so to speak, was not wholly a government project but the people’s hotel. For revoking the certificate of occupancy given to Idowu, Attah deserved to be praised rather than Akwa Ibom people being insulted by ethnic champions. Giving out the hotel is an equivalent of giving out Ibom Hall to an individual. Would our Oduduwa brothers accept the Cocoa House Ibadan to be sold to a private individual? The hotel is a property of the commonwealth of Akwa Ibom peopleOn the decision of Idowu to resort to wiping ethnic sentiments over this issue is unfortunate. Yoruba people are known to be very appreciative of any favour done to them but Idowu is different. If Akwa Ibom and its people were that hostile to non indigenes, Idowu should tell the world why he decided to stay behind in such an environment when he left NITEL in the early nineties.
One can say this that 99 per cent of Idowu’s wealth today is Akwa Ibom money courtesy of Attah. Idowu left Nitel as a technician but he was executing road contracts in Uyo and other parts of the state during the eight years of Attah. Can he tell the world where he got the experience and money to do these jobs. Those projects and contracts that Attah gave Idowu can he sincerely said that they passed through due process and can stand the scrutiny of EFCC and ICPC? Were there no Akwa Ibom people capable of executing these contracts? Can OPC show evidence in any Yoruba state where an Akwa Ibom indigene was given such multi billion contracts? Did Akwa Ibom people complain, protest or threaten hell when Idowu was taking what was theirs? On the few occasion that I met Idowu during Attah’s tenure, he was wont to flaunt his relationship with Attah and the governor’s children. Idowu once told me and some friends that he has no regret identifying with the Attah’s family. Remember Attah son-in-law, Dr Udoma Ekarika was commissioner for eight years and that of Works ministry for four years. You can understand why he has no regret then. Are they no longer family friends? When the going was good did he tell his Oduduwa brothers what “Ete Calabar” was doing to him? How much did he bring into Akwa Ibom to start answering the title of investor.Idowu treatment of Attah serves the former governor well? Akwa Ibom elites always patronize non indigenes at the expense of their brothers and only to turn around and complain when they are shortchanged.
OPC calling on the Lagos State Government or any government for that matter to seize of property of Akwa Ibom people in Lago and any part of Yorubaland is uncalled for. Attah used the instrument of his office to enrich Idowu and now that their relationship has broken down why should you punish another person who was not in the know of what they were doing. Some of these Akwa Ibom people may not be seeing eye to eye with Attah. Or Attah might have given Idowu preference over them in the award of some of the contracts that now made Idowu a millionaire, in any currency, as well as an investor. Idowu enjoyed many privileges in Akwa Ibom state that many indigenes can only dream of. OPC should rather ask their Yoruba governors to extend similar privileges to Akwa Ibom people. The Ibibios has a saying “mfon atak ke idiok ufok” this means favour or good deeds are only wasteful on people from ungrateful families. It is only Idowu and Attah that know the truth of their quarrel, why Attah decided to take back what he gave to his godson. . Attah giveth Attah taketh.
Governor Akpabio should not restore the hotel to Idowu. Rather a team of quantity surveyors should evaluate the building and whatever Idowu has spent should be refunded to him. As Akpabio is building a new government House when there is one in place, he should also go ahead and complete the hotel which can then be lease out for private investor to manage, Idowu inclusive. The concept of the hotel was supposed to be for a memorial and it should remain so. No one should use his public office to dash out our common property.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
THE RICHEST COUNCIL IN NIGERIA
FORMER STATE PUBLICITY SECRETARY OF PDP IN CROSS RIVER STATE AND CHAIRMAN AKAMKPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL SPOKE WITH SELECTED JOURNALISTS IN HAI OFFICE, SOUTH SOUTH BUREAU CHIEF ,TONY ITA ETIM, WAS THERE. EXCERPT:
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN AKAMKPA?
OLORY: I want to change the mentality of people feel that you can be chairman and things cannot be change. And, when you look at Akamkpa being the treasure base of Cross River State, the richest local government, as far as I am concern, in Nigeria. I have to be contradicted. Akamkpa is the richest, most endowed local government with natural resources than any other local government in Nigeria, and I will justify it. Akamkpa is one of the largest local government in Nigeria and the largest in Cross River State. And we are endowed with so many natural resources that alone threw a lot of challenges on our people, we have to look for somebody who will come and harness the resources, I decided to offer myself. And permit me to tell you that the journey so far is very rough but I am happy because if I didn’t passed through all these processes, maybe I wouldn’t have been like what I am today. It will interest you to know that the then president of Nigeria, former president has one of the largest farms in Nigeria in Akamkpa, Obasanjo Farms. You are all aware. The immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom has his only and the biggest farm in Akamkpa call ALVITA Farm in Akamkpa, Mfamosing. And, of course also we have in the entire South South solid minerals, the highest place is Akamkpa. We have more than 15 companies that have quarries right here in Akamkpa. You must heard of Crushed Rock Industries, Prodeco Industries, Hitech Quarry, Gitto Quarry, Julius Berger Quarry, Setraco quarry, Zerock. Zerock, right now, what we used to call coal tar, asphalt material is lifted from Akamkpa so we have a quarry that is incharge of this. Before this time they used to lift from Port Harcourt but here we have it now.
Let me also take you a little bit to palm, we have the largest palm plantation in Cross River State in Akamkpa. I f you go to Oban Rubber Estate, you go to Kalaro Palm Estate. Now let me also lead you from palm and go to cocoa, If you to Mbeba, if you go to Ojok, if you go to Mfamisong you have cocoa. Let me also take you to limestone, you have heard of Orascom, you also hear about UNICEM, the base where all their natural resources are is in Akamkpa, Mfamosing. And that is why when there was this separation of the industry and the raw materials, they now know that there was a disconnect. The people now are siting these industries, multi million naira, industry in Mfamosing. Let me take you to rubber for some of you heard of En Haurt Rubber, Oban Rubber Plantation.
What is the tourist situation in Akamkpa? Qua Falls is one the natural waterfall that we in this Cross River state. Unfortunately it has been neglected and so that is why we are saying that we need also to go and put all these things in place to attract investors. Now the challenge before us is that with all these natural resources in your place what are you now going to do to harness them and change the poverty level of your people and increase wealth? That is the challenge we now have before us. First, we set out to condition the mind and mentality of our people, appreciate what you have, you have been this rich why is it that you are now poor? And so the challenge we have now is ensuring that our young men, our old men key into this natural resources so that they can also better their lot. And we tell ourselves we owe all the investors conducive atmosphere for them to operate. Once we achieve that we shall sensitize our people, say look you have everything around you, where can you benefit, where can you move in and all that? I mean if you want to be a farmer, the land is there; if you want to go into cocoa, cocoa is there. I have not even talked of foodstuff, if you eat the plantain that is from Akamkpa, our farm; it is different from other plantains. Why? Because we practice what is called shifting cultivation we have a lot of land so we don’t continue using a particular land year after year. Why because the nutrients of the soil enhance great productivity in the farm produce that we produce in Akamkpa. That is why everything you eat in Akamkpa is natural. Let me take you to fruits, if you go to Uyanga, you will see one of the biggest pineapple farm there. Oranges, you go to Mfamosing you will see one of the biggest pineapple farm there. In fact, even my community, I felt so bad that this a private farm, one of the highest orange producing community is my community. You go there the people have no road to bring them out.
The land we have, we took a look and say we cannot also destroy all our lands. Akamkpa still remain one of the richest rain forests in Cross River state. That is why you have the Cross River National Park; Cross River is like a zone, like a model in Nigeria today. Gentlemen of the press these are the things we have. And the opportunities have come for us to come and tap all the resources we have in this locality. The greatest challenge we have is that we don’t have roads. Akamkpa is a local government that is border with other countries, from here to Ekang is impassable; most of these products cannot be brought out and that is why our people are languishing in poverty. And we are pleading say look: state government, federal government, as a local government there is little or nothing we can do o give our people road when it is a federal road. From Oban-Ekang road is a federal road that the federal government supposes to come and do something. Let me not talk about the local network and all that, these are the challenges we have. And I am happy that you guys have come and see what we are doing. Then we used to have one of the best recreational centre, CREL Senior Staff Club, whitemen used to com from Port Harcourt, NNPC to swim, eat and drink but it is coming up now. We shall go and see there. We are trying to encourage the private partner participation to encourage it to work. We shall go and see it and when you get there you will appreciate what you see. Please help us tell the world that these are what we have and they can come here and tap from these. Now let me talk of timber as you were coming I am sure you might have seen from Odukpani, gmelina. The wood we used most of the product you have in timber markets are either from Oban, Uyanga, Nko and all that. Let me talk of bush mango, there is enormous of bush produce here. And we now tell ourselves that we can never be poor again. We need to key into these things and ensure that we harness these things. Try and tell the world that these are what we have and if you doubt it I can take you around to see things for yourselves.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT INCENTIVES DOES YOUR COUNCIL HAVE FOR INVESTORS?
OLORY: Like I did say we feel that no business, nobody can strive in an environment that is not conduicive. So the first tthing is let provide the enabling environment for you to come and tap what we have. As a local government, we appreciate where you are coming from and what can be done to help you depending on what you want. We are here to give you all the maximum cooperation, give you a warm reception. And it will interest you to know that I came and inherited a long lingering crisis between tippers owners and the mine workers in my local government. They went to court, judgement, litigations and all that. We sat here, and said gentlemen put away your machetes, put away everything her you people must accept the truth and it is only the truth we will tell ourselves. And what have we done: we have resolved the matter. And as far as I am concern it is historic now and everybody is happy from both ends. All the people that that withdrew their tippers to whether Nkalagu , or elsewhere they have all come back. They have all brought their tippers.
Unnecessary levies from here not minding who is involved, taxing these people once it get to my knowledge I look at it and critically analysis it. I have stopped them like one ventures who was collecting illegal fees I say look henceforth, quite some prominent sons of our land were involved, I say henceforth stop that collection. No let everybody be free. So those are the things gradually we are trying to do to also help investors.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT IS THE INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE PROFILE OF YOUR COUNCIL?
OLORY: Thank you very much, you see as we came, actually, you know, we now meet a structure that was there and we intend to improve upon it. Occasionally you meet some resistance because most people do not appreciate change, it is very inconveniencing, especially in this era of due. So deliberately we have put basic structure on ground to ensure that we improve our revenue. And I am happy to announce to you that now as a local government we have a revenue account where all the things that are generated are put into a bank, and we sit down and we call our executive meeting we announced what is generated. And also when we want to spend we have to be very prudent in spending. Now our revenue base has improved. Gradually we hope that it will come up. There is a reasonable percentage increase. We have come up with 50 per cent increase.
DAILY CHAMPION: YOU HAVE GRANITE AND ASPHALT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THE ROADS TO ENSURE FARMERS IN YOUR COUNCIL EVACUATE THEIR FARM PRODUCTS?
OLORY: Thank you, first, I thank the Almighty God and you for coming to Akamkpa, it is a deliberate intention to draw the attention of government: the state government, the federal government, this is what we have come and help us. On our own we give priority also to all these local roads and we are also trying to involve the companies to partner with us in that regard but not in a manner that will scare them away. We don’t like to be a liability to them, you know, we are not trying to scare them away. We say this is what we have done and this is what we think you can contribute in your little way. Right now I am aware that the road linking Owum and Old Netim, two companies are trying come up with something for them to have a free flow of traffic. Then our greatest headache is the federal government should come to our aid.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW MANY FEDERAL ROADS DO YOU HAVE IN AKAMKPA?
OLORY: The major federal road that we have is between Calabar – Ekang Road and is border with Cameroun. If you get to Ekang, you cross a bridge, the other side is Cameroun. That is the major federal road, Calabar-Oban-Ekang Road. I f federal government can do that for us that is the greatest thing they would have done for us as a people, and of course, Cross River, because it is a border road.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT DO YOU STAND TO BENEFIT FROM THAT ROAD WHEN CONSTRUCTED?
OLORY: Look at the produces that are all there. Our people will bring their produces to the world, and they will advertise and people will go there and have access. Right now, unfortunately for women that we call “bush market women” they will go and buy a bunch of plantain that you are suppose to sell here in Calabar for say 500 naira, you buy them for 50 kobo or one naira they [the bush market women] made guy to the farmers, they bluff them, because if they don’t buy the thing all will be heap there, nobody buys. So if you carry like hundred naira to buy a pick- up load of plantain and you are charging the pick up load for 50 thousand, now you are suppose to come and make gain, and so a bunch of it is going to be about 400 or 500 as the case maybe. If we have access all those things will be taken care of. Of course, the prices of foodstuff will come down.
DAILY CHAMPION: BESIDES BAD ROADS WHAT ARE OTHER CHALLENGES FACING AKAMKPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AND YOUR COUNCIL?
OLORY: One of the greatest challenges is road like I say. And two, in fairness to the state government, the present governor [Liyel Imoke] is also coming to partner with the local government. There is what we called Rural Development Agency. The local government chairmen are members of that agency, automatic members. What is it intended to achieve, one for use to liaise and identify the rural roads in our communities. And once we identify all that, the state government and council will partner together. There is also electrification, we partner together because we are here on ground and we are not sentimental, if you know that it is easy to get access and this is what is involved and all that to repair the road. Most of the community has one natural resources or the other so it is important we partner together. That is what the state government is doing with the local government now.
DAILY CHAMPION: AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT HAS A BORDER WITH ANOTHER COUNTRY, WHAT ARE THE SECURITY CHALLENGES YOU ARE FACING?
OLORY: Sincerely, Akamkpa local government is very peaceful. We try to engage our young men. There is a saying that an ideal mind is the devil’s workshop, so what we tell our people is we say look, we are realists, we tell you the truth: gone are the days when you come to hang around a chairman, a supervisor for 10 thousand, you must do something. So you are either engaging in farm work or the other. And, of course, our major occupation, is farming as a local government. So an average Akamkpa son has a machete to farm [laughter] I emphasized. Some of them also are hunters; go to hunt some, not endangered species, species of animals. So when you find yourself in such a community or environment, what violence are you bringing in. the federal government, also in fairness to them have some military presence along the road, road that leads to the border town. There has not been any security threat anyway as far as Akamkpa is concern.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE UYANGA MODEL VILLAGE WAS SUPPOSE O PROPEL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THIS IDEA ON AKAMKPA AS A PILOT COUNCIL?
OLORY: We owe the former governor [Donald Duke] a lot on that regard. And you know every government has its own vision and priority. And so he came and gave us a model town, I am sure if he had continue as governor, maybe he could have also, like he did say locate another community to make it a model town or a model village. This government, here in place is also trying to also delve in to the rural areas to also put some developmental projects: roads, water, electricity, schools, health facilities, and all that. And we are keying into that vision to also see what can be done in that regard. But then if you get to Uyanga now, Uyanga is not the same Uyanga that use to be. All those facilities put in place: the schools are working; the police post is there, the fire service and all that.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW HAS THE WEALTH AND RESOURCES OF AKAMKPA TRANSLATES INTO NAIRA IN THE POCKETS OF THE INDIGENES?
OLORY: That is the challenge we now have. We asked ourselves why is it that my father is rich, my mother is rich, my brother is rich, everybody in Akamkpa, I cannot even have a car for myself. That is the problem. There is a disconnect. And so that is the challenge, we are also coming out a position to face the reality. One greatest problem we have, in Nigeria, is people not having the courage to take the bull by the horn, some because of this tendency of trying to please “I beg make I no challenge that one oh.” We say look anything it will cause us no matter who is involved we shall tell ourselves the truth. Right now, Orascom they are employing now, the Assistant Managing Director, told me your people have to be employed. And when I came back home, how many of our sons and daughters qualified in the first instance to key into all these professional positions? That is the problem. And we now say, what do we do to have people, and I confided in someone that I want people that would have to go to Port Harcourt or anywhere for this industrial welding. And if you know how much they are paid, even if you are a Phd holder, you will like to go and be an industrial welder, they make so much money. My people say go and hold them and enforce them to make sure they employ, what am I causing them to employ for. They say they are looking for masons, you you are looking for someone to buy Mercedes 190, with eight loaders CD for you to drive, play carry girlfriends and drink. You cannot lay one block on another so what do you want me to do? It is not possible. Look at granite; I called somebody here two days he was able to lay tiles and granite for 48,000. How many of our sons, how many young men can lay these things and make 48,000. POP, how many of you, even common painter, how many? These are the issues we are addressing squarely and they are beginning to appreciate. It is very inconveniencing but there is nothing we can do. And we as a council try to encourage them; some who can go to driving school, some can go and learn to be carpenters, some who can go to do electrical jobs. We shall on our we try to put a machinery in place to try to encourage them in that regard and I am sure after two years they will appreciate it.
DAILY CHAMPION: ARE YOU SETTING UP A SKILL ACQUISITION CENTRE?
OLORY: I don’t believe in starting a thing that I will not end. I have considered all these options, and I am a realist. Simple, I am a practical person, every ward give me five persons each; and I am sure of 50 people. What you do you, driving school, go and enroll there? Maybe, I place you on a little allowance, even I it is 5,000 a month. But I must monitor that you go to school or otherwise don’t get the 5,000. Okay you want to go and learn electrical works, I call these Cotonou guys, look I will pay every month you are entitled 5,000 to just enable you, some six months, some one year. But if I want to go and build a skill acquisition and bring equipment, and all that some of them will still abandoned it. These are the challenges I intend to put practically.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THE MENACE OF GODFATHERISM?
OLORY: Thank you very much. I feel excited for this question and that is the greatest problem I have. And let me tell you, I will not be ashamed to say that I am one of the less privileged person that have held this position. From my background, I come from a polygamous family, so from my day one, the garri we sip, we hustled and struggled. The schools we go we struggled and all that. Now I also check my family, I am married with kids, I have been the State Publicity Secretary of PDP for eight years, I have been a Director with the cross river State Water Board Limited for about six years. I have been a General Manager of Cross Lines Limited. So I am an adult, I am above 45 years, so godfather, who is fathering who? And those tendencies are there. Sometime jokingly I say Chris Uba and Ngige can’t work in Akamkpa. I tell them to their faces because you tell them the truth. Those tendencies are there. Let me also tell you our people appreciate truth. I may be inconveniencing. We have perfect relationship because they now appreciated me, who I am. And I am also conscious of the fact that it is not how well I started but how well I end. And I am also conscious; all those that believed in this godfatherism are the ones that have ended in so many crisis because one cannot met the demands of anybody no matter how good you are. So we are cautious and we say god give us the grace and the courage to continue. And we are very firm as far as this issue is concern because we tell ourselves the truth that we shall be firm in doing what is right and be truthful. Simply put it I don’t have a godfather are Akamkpa people.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE ISSUE OF JOINT ACCOUNT BETWEEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS IN CROSS RIVER STATE?
OLORY: It is the best and very comfortable situation because the present government of the state, first, has made us to know what we are suppose to get from the federal allocation and after Joint allocation the whole thing is given to council. Then, now we have a new accounting system which is called MTEF [Meduim Term Expenditure framework]. It is very strange. It is very inconveniencing but it is the best. Now, why is it the best? They say look, this is your salary, you are entitled to 100,000. but tell us how you are going to spend the 100,000. it is your money. You now say I will use 50,000 to drink, use 30 to pay rent, use the other 20 to carry women; I say no. that proposal is not the best. You come out again and say I will use 20 to pay my children school fees, use 30 pay my landlord, use 20 as savings. Then I will now look at you as a very reasonable person and you must come and defend. What I am trying to say, you are coming out with what a budget. You cannot spend what you have not budgeted for first. And also when you come out with a budget, you must come out with a Bill of Quantity. How much is this thing is going to cost? What is the Bill of Quantity? Come and defend it, justify it; the greatest need of the people. So you mind all these things. Now the calibre of chairmen who have emerged in Cross River state, of course, you know that nobody will want to come and mess himself up.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN AKAMKPA?
OLORY: I want to change the mentality of people feel that you can be chairman and things cannot be change. And, when you look at Akamkpa being the treasure base of Cross River State, the richest local government, as far as I am concern, in Nigeria. I have to be contradicted. Akamkpa is the richest, most endowed local government with natural resources than any other local government in Nigeria, and I will justify it. Akamkpa is one of the largest local government in Nigeria and the largest in Cross River State. And we are endowed with so many natural resources that alone threw a lot of challenges on our people, we have to look for somebody who will come and harness the resources, I decided to offer myself. And permit me to tell you that the journey so far is very rough but I am happy because if I didn’t passed through all these processes, maybe I wouldn’t have been like what I am today. It will interest you to know that the then president of Nigeria, former president has one of the largest farms in Nigeria in Akamkpa, Obasanjo Farms. You are all aware. The immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom has his only and the biggest farm in Akamkpa call ALVITA Farm in Akamkpa, Mfamosing. And, of course also we have in the entire South South solid minerals, the highest place is Akamkpa. We have more than 15 companies that have quarries right here in Akamkpa. You must heard of Crushed Rock Industries, Prodeco Industries, Hitech Quarry, Gitto Quarry, Julius Berger Quarry, Setraco quarry, Zerock. Zerock, right now, what we used to call coal tar, asphalt material is lifted from Akamkpa so we have a quarry that is incharge of this. Before this time they used to lift from Port Harcourt but here we have it now.
Let me also take you a little bit to palm, we have the largest palm plantation in Cross River State in Akamkpa. I f you go to Oban Rubber Estate, you go to Kalaro Palm Estate. Now let me also lead you from palm and go to cocoa, If you to Mbeba, if you go to Ojok, if you go to Mfamisong you have cocoa. Let me also take you to limestone, you have heard of Orascom, you also hear about UNICEM, the base where all their natural resources are is in Akamkpa, Mfamosing. And that is why when there was this separation of the industry and the raw materials, they now know that there was a disconnect. The people now are siting these industries, multi million naira, industry in Mfamosing. Let me take you to rubber for some of you heard of En Haurt Rubber, Oban Rubber Plantation.
What is the tourist situation in Akamkpa? Qua Falls is one the natural waterfall that we in this Cross River state. Unfortunately it has been neglected and so that is why we are saying that we need also to go and put all these things in place to attract investors. Now the challenge before us is that with all these natural resources in your place what are you now going to do to harness them and change the poverty level of your people and increase wealth? That is the challenge we now have before us. First, we set out to condition the mind and mentality of our people, appreciate what you have, you have been this rich why is it that you are now poor? And so the challenge we have now is ensuring that our young men, our old men key into this natural resources so that they can also better their lot. And we tell ourselves we owe all the investors conducive atmosphere for them to operate. Once we achieve that we shall sensitize our people, say look you have everything around you, where can you benefit, where can you move in and all that? I mean if you want to be a farmer, the land is there; if you want to go into cocoa, cocoa is there. I have not even talked of foodstuff, if you eat the plantain that is from Akamkpa, our farm; it is different from other plantains. Why? Because we practice what is called shifting cultivation we have a lot of land so we don’t continue using a particular land year after year. Why because the nutrients of the soil enhance great productivity in the farm produce that we produce in Akamkpa. That is why everything you eat in Akamkpa is natural. Let me take you to fruits, if you go to Uyanga, you will see one of the biggest pineapple farm there. Oranges, you go to Mfamosing you will see one of the biggest pineapple farm there. In fact, even my community, I felt so bad that this a private farm, one of the highest orange producing community is my community. You go there the people have no road to bring them out.
The land we have, we took a look and say we cannot also destroy all our lands. Akamkpa still remain one of the richest rain forests in Cross River state. That is why you have the Cross River National Park; Cross River is like a zone, like a model in Nigeria today. Gentlemen of the press these are the things we have. And the opportunities have come for us to come and tap all the resources we have in this locality. The greatest challenge we have is that we don’t have roads. Akamkpa is a local government that is border with other countries, from here to Ekang is impassable; most of these products cannot be brought out and that is why our people are languishing in poverty. And we are pleading say look: state government, federal government, as a local government there is little or nothing we can do o give our people road when it is a federal road. From Oban-Ekang road is a federal road that the federal government supposes to come and do something. Let me not talk about the local network and all that, these are the challenges we have. And I am happy that you guys have come and see what we are doing. Then we used to have one of the best recreational centre, CREL Senior Staff Club, whitemen used to com from Port Harcourt, NNPC to swim, eat and drink but it is coming up now. We shall go and see there. We are trying to encourage the private partner participation to encourage it to work. We shall go and see it and when you get there you will appreciate what you see. Please help us tell the world that these are what we have and they can come here and tap from these. Now let me talk of timber as you were coming I am sure you might have seen from Odukpani, gmelina. The wood we used most of the product you have in timber markets are either from Oban, Uyanga, Nko and all that. Let me talk of bush mango, there is enormous of bush produce here. And we now tell ourselves that we can never be poor again. We need to key into these things and ensure that we harness these things. Try and tell the world that these are what we have and if you doubt it I can take you around to see things for yourselves.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT INCENTIVES DOES YOUR COUNCIL HAVE FOR INVESTORS?
OLORY: Like I did say we feel that no business, nobody can strive in an environment that is not conduicive. So the first tthing is let provide the enabling environment for you to come and tap what we have. As a local government, we appreciate where you are coming from and what can be done to help you depending on what you want. We are here to give you all the maximum cooperation, give you a warm reception. And it will interest you to know that I came and inherited a long lingering crisis between tippers owners and the mine workers in my local government. They went to court, judgement, litigations and all that. We sat here, and said gentlemen put away your machetes, put away everything her you people must accept the truth and it is only the truth we will tell ourselves. And what have we done: we have resolved the matter. And as far as I am concern it is historic now and everybody is happy from both ends. All the people that that withdrew their tippers to whether Nkalagu , or elsewhere they have all come back. They have all brought their tippers.
Unnecessary levies from here not minding who is involved, taxing these people once it get to my knowledge I look at it and critically analysis it. I have stopped them like one ventures who was collecting illegal fees I say look henceforth, quite some prominent sons of our land were involved, I say henceforth stop that collection. No let everybody be free. So those are the things gradually we are trying to do to also help investors.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT IS THE INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUE PROFILE OF YOUR COUNCIL?
OLORY: Thank you very much, you see as we came, actually, you know, we now meet a structure that was there and we intend to improve upon it. Occasionally you meet some resistance because most people do not appreciate change, it is very inconveniencing, especially in this era of due. So deliberately we have put basic structure on ground to ensure that we improve our revenue. And I am happy to announce to you that now as a local government we have a revenue account where all the things that are generated are put into a bank, and we sit down and we call our executive meeting we announced what is generated. And also when we want to spend we have to be very prudent in spending. Now our revenue base has improved. Gradually we hope that it will come up. There is a reasonable percentage increase. We have come up with 50 per cent increase.
DAILY CHAMPION: YOU HAVE GRANITE AND ASPHALT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO THE ROADS TO ENSURE FARMERS IN YOUR COUNCIL EVACUATE THEIR FARM PRODUCTS?
OLORY: Thank you, first, I thank the Almighty God and you for coming to Akamkpa, it is a deliberate intention to draw the attention of government: the state government, the federal government, this is what we have come and help us. On our own we give priority also to all these local roads and we are also trying to involve the companies to partner with us in that regard but not in a manner that will scare them away. We don’t like to be a liability to them, you know, we are not trying to scare them away. We say this is what we have done and this is what we think you can contribute in your little way. Right now I am aware that the road linking Owum and Old Netim, two companies are trying come up with something for them to have a free flow of traffic. Then our greatest headache is the federal government should come to our aid.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW MANY FEDERAL ROADS DO YOU HAVE IN AKAMKPA?
OLORY: The major federal road that we have is between Calabar – Ekang Road and is border with Cameroun. If you get to Ekang, you cross a bridge, the other side is Cameroun. That is the major federal road, Calabar-Oban-Ekang Road. I f federal government can do that for us that is the greatest thing they would have done for us as a people, and of course, Cross River, because it is a border road.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT DO YOU STAND TO BENEFIT FROM THAT ROAD WHEN CONSTRUCTED?
OLORY: Look at the produces that are all there. Our people will bring their produces to the world, and they will advertise and people will go there and have access. Right now, unfortunately for women that we call “bush market women” they will go and buy a bunch of plantain that you are suppose to sell here in Calabar for say 500 naira, you buy them for 50 kobo or one naira they [the bush market women] made guy to the farmers, they bluff them, because if they don’t buy the thing all will be heap there, nobody buys. So if you carry like hundred naira to buy a pick- up load of plantain and you are charging the pick up load for 50 thousand, now you are suppose to come and make gain, and so a bunch of it is going to be about 400 or 500 as the case maybe. If we have access all those things will be taken care of. Of course, the prices of foodstuff will come down.
DAILY CHAMPION: BESIDES BAD ROADS WHAT ARE OTHER CHALLENGES FACING AKAMKPA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AND YOUR COUNCIL?
OLORY: One of the greatest challenges is road like I say. And two, in fairness to the state government, the present governor [Liyel Imoke] is also coming to partner with the local government. There is what we called Rural Development Agency. The local government chairmen are members of that agency, automatic members. What is it intended to achieve, one for use to liaise and identify the rural roads in our communities. And once we identify all that, the state government and council will partner together. There is also electrification, we partner together because we are here on ground and we are not sentimental, if you know that it is easy to get access and this is what is involved and all that to repair the road. Most of the community has one natural resources or the other so it is important we partner together. That is what the state government is doing with the local government now.
DAILY CHAMPION: AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT THAT HAS A BORDER WITH ANOTHER COUNTRY, WHAT ARE THE SECURITY CHALLENGES YOU ARE FACING?
OLORY: Sincerely, Akamkpa local government is very peaceful. We try to engage our young men. There is a saying that an ideal mind is the devil’s workshop, so what we tell our people is we say look, we are realists, we tell you the truth: gone are the days when you come to hang around a chairman, a supervisor for 10 thousand, you must do something. So you are either engaging in farm work or the other. And, of course, our major occupation, is farming as a local government. So an average Akamkpa son has a machete to farm [laughter] I emphasized. Some of them also are hunters; go to hunt some, not endangered species, species of animals. So when you find yourself in such a community or environment, what violence are you bringing in. the federal government, also in fairness to them have some military presence along the road, road that leads to the border town. There has not been any security threat anyway as far as Akamkpa is concern.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE UYANGA MODEL VILLAGE WAS SUPPOSE O PROPEL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THIS IDEA ON AKAMKPA AS A PILOT COUNCIL?
OLORY: We owe the former governor [Donald Duke] a lot on that regard. And you know every government has its own vision and priority. And so he came and gave us a model town, I am sure if he had continue as governor, maybe he could have also, like he did say locate another community to make it a model town or a model village. This government, here in place is also trying to also delve in to the rural areas to also put some developmental projects: roads, water, electricity, schools, health facilities, and all that. And we are keying into that vision to also see what can be done in that regard. But then if you get to Uyanga now, Uyanga is not the same Uyanga that use to be. All those facilities put in place: the schools are working; the police post is there, the fire service and all that.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW HAS THE WEALTH AND RESOURCES OF AKAMKPA TRANSLATES INTO NAIRA IN THE POCKETS OF THE INDIGENES?
OLORY: That is the challenge we now have. We asked ourselves why is it that my father is rich, my mother is rich, my brother is rich, everybody in Akamkpa, I cannot even have a car for myself. That is the problem. There is a disconnect. And so that is the challenge, we are also coming out a position to face the reality. One greatest problem we have, in Nigeria, is people not having the courage to take the bull by the horn, some because of this tendency of trying to please “I beg make I no challenge that one oh.” We say look anything it will cause us no matter who is involved we shall tell ourselves the truth. Right now, Orascom they are employing now, the Assistant Managing Director, told me your people have to be employed. And when I came back home, how many of our sons and daughters qualified in the first instance to key into all these professional positions? That is the problem. And we now say, what do we do to have people, and I confided in someone that I want people that would have to go to Port Harcourt or anywhere for this industrial welding. And if you know how much they are paid, even if you are a Phd holder, you will like to go and be an industrial welder, they make so much money. My people say go and hold them and enforce them to make sure they employ, what am I causing them to employ for. They say they are looking for masons, you you are looking for someone to buy Mercedes 190, with eight loaders CD for you to drive, play carry girlfriends and drink. You cannot lay one block on another so what do you want me to do? It is not possible. Look at granite; I called somebody here two days he was able to lay tiles and granite for 48,000. How many of our sons, how many young men can lay these things and make 48,000. POP, how many of you, even common painter, how many? These are the issues we are addressing squarely and they are beginning to appreciate. It is very inconveniencing but there is nothing we can do. And we as a council try to encourage them; some who can go to driving school, some can go and learn to be carpenters, some who can go to do electrical jobs. We shall on our we try to put a machinery in place to try to encourage them in that regard and I am sure after two years they will appreciate it.
DAILY CHAMPION: ARE YOU SETTING UP A SKILL ACQUISITION CENTRE?
OLORY: I don’t believe in starting a thing that I will not end. I have considered all these options, and I am a realist. Simple, I am a practical person, every ward give me five persons each; and I am sure of 50 people. What you do you, driving school, go and enroll there? Maybe, I place you on a little allowance, even I it is 5,000 a month. But I must monitor that you go to school or otherwise don’t get the 5,000. Okay you want to go and learn electrical works, I call these Cotonou guys, look I will pay every month you are entitled 5,000 to just enable you, some six months, some one year. But if I want to go and build a skill acquisition and bring equipment, and all that some of them will still abandoned it. These are the challenges I intend to put practically.
DAILY CHAMPION: HOW DO YOU COPE WITH THE MENACE OF GODFATHERISM?
OLORY: Thank you very much. I feel excited for this question and that is the greatest problem I have. And let me tell you, I will not be ashamed to say that I am one of the less privileged person that have held this position. From my background, I come from a polygamous family, so from my day one, the garri we sip, we hustled and struggled. The schools we go we struggled and all that. Now I also check my family, I am married with kids, I have been the State Publicity Secretary of PDP for eight years, I have been a Director with the cross river State Water Board Limited for about six years. I have been a General Manager of Cross Lines Limited. So I am an adult, I am above 45 years, so godfather, who is fathering who? And those tendencies are there. Sometime jokingly I say Chris Uba and Ngige can’t work in Akamkpa. I tell them to their faces because you tell them the truth. Those tendencies are there. Let me also tell you our people appreciate truth. I may be inconveniencing. We have perfect relationship because they now appreciated me, who I am. And I am also conscious of the fact that it is not how well I started but how well I end. And I am also conscious; all those that believed in this godfatherism are the ones that have ended in so many crisis because one cannot met the demands of anybody no matter how good you are. So we are cautious and we say god give us the grace and the courage to continue. And we are very firm as far as this issue is concern because we tell ourselves the truth that we shall be firm in doing what is right and be truthful. Simply put it I don’t have a godfather are Akamkpa people.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE ISSUE OF JOINT ACCOUNT BETWEEN THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS IN CROSS RIVER STATE?
OLORY: It is the best and very comfortable situation because the present government of the state, first, has made us to know what we are suppose to get from the federal allocation and after Joint allocation the whole thing is given to council. Then, now we have a new accounting system which is called MTEF [Meduim Term Expenditure framework]. It is very strange. It is very inconveniencing but it is the best. Now, why is it the best? They say look, this is your salary, you are entitled to 100,000. but tell us how you are going to spend the 100,000. it is your money. You now say I will use 50,000 to drink, use 30 to pay rent, use the other 20 to carry women; I say no. that proposal is not the best. You come out again and say I will use 20 to pay my children school fees, use 30 pay my landlord, use 20 as savings. Then I will now look at you as a very reasonable person and you must come and defend. What I am trying to say, you are coming out with what a budget. You cannot spend what you have not budgeted for first. And also when you come out with a budget, you must come out with a Bill of Quantity. How much is this thing is going to cost? What is the Bill of Quantity? Come and defend it, justify it; the greatest need of the people. So you mind all these things. Now the calibre of chairmen who have emerged in Cross River state, of course, you know that nobody will want to come and mess himself up.
EDEM DUKE ON TOURISM
HIGH CHIEF EDEM DUKE, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, THE MIRAGE HOTELS, CALABAR, CROSS RIVER STATE SPOKE WITH SOME NEWSMEN IN CALABAR, SOUTH SOUTH BUREAU CHIEF, TONY ITA ETIM WAS THERE FOR CHAMPION.
YOU ARE IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS GROWTH IN CROSS RIVER GOING?
DUKE: Let me be audacious, and to quote some religious personalities whose names I probably would crave your indulgence not to reveal, who said that Calabar will sound like beer parlour talk. But what I am trying to drive at is that we are in a season of renaissance, the Calabar renaissance. The renewal of the Calabar, that was a front runner in the development of Nigeria. The Calabar through where missionaries, early education, early civilization, early trading came to the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. And then it went into a period of descent. And naturally when you have obviously got to the nadir, the resultant option is an upward swing. Today that Calabar then when in pre-colonial, in colonial era the capital was taken away from. Today, Calabar has become the benchmark of what the new Nigerian city would be. Governance and responsibility by government has projected Calabar, indeed Cross River State as the new face of a desired Nigeria. And in the last administration of the former president he went to the extent, at the Federal Executive Council, to compel ministers and other governors to visit Calabar and see what is being done in Calabar as an example of what their own, the dream of a new Nigerian city, community or state should be like. I think those were prophetic, you know, remarks and initiative. Today, we continue to see Calabar not just attracting people, who see it as a destination for leisure, entertainment, recuperation or retreat. We also see it as a destination where it appears as if social infrastructure is working. Am sure we are all witnesses to the fact that no one in the past, can we say 36, 48 or five years has come to Calabar and found things critically wrong as compare to other Nigerian cities or destinations. So for me it is just a starting point, it means that the template, the thought processes that have brought it to recognition in Nigeria today must continue to be propel, improved. Government is now talking about putting in place a modern comprehensive transportation system which will look not just road transportation, water transportation, and inter city transportation together in a network that is supportive of the economic activities in the entire state.
DAILY CHAMPION: CAN YOU SAY THAT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE PEOPLE OF CROSS RIVER STATE IS EQUAL TO THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT?
DUKE: I think that that is a challenge that has to be addressed sooner than later. That challenge must be addressed sooner than later. There is need for growth to also be bottom-top. There is need for a massive programme of enlightentment and participation by the generality of the people. I understand the thrust of your question in the sense that the people, to a large extent, assume that they are bystanders in all of these. But be that as it may it is the people who are use in achieving many of these laudable objectives. But it is a small fraction of the people. My assurance, my confidence, is that the people assume that now a vision has been place before them, and it behooves of them, they like what they see. They subscribe to what they see but then there is need to articulate a programme that compel their participation, that changes their mindset, that excites them into unsupervised participation in this developmental process. And that challenge, would rest not just on the state government but especially on the local government. What you have on the previous administration in the state was that the state was actually running the local governments, now you have local government chairmen that understand the vision of the government of the day. And who are being carried along by the government of the day who has policy input in what is going on and they need to also allow this information, this participation to trickle down to their communities and the people therein. It is going to be a Marshal plan, of some sort, because unless the people voluntarily participate in all of these in the five years all of the efforts may whittle down.
DAILY CHAMPION: DO YOU SEE ORDINARY PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE WITHOUT EMPOWERMENT FROM GOVERNMENT?
DUKE: Money is not everything. And Cross River State is a state that does not have enough money at its disposal but when you sit with the people, when you interface with them and i hope this word is not a political word, when you carry them along, because carrying them along is capable of so many interpretations depending on where, people will voluntarily give of their sweat. The psychological satisfaction that they are actually offering suggestions, and being taken seriously, and being handheld make them offer a little more than what we seen is available. And I have always believe that there is a lot more latent potential in Calabar, and Cross River state in its entirety which only requires for a benevolent government to identify and to utilize. People are not so much keen on how swollen their pockets are, yes we all want to have swollen pockets, but in the circumstances that we found ourselves, if I see myself as a voluntary soldier, an appreciated soldier in the task of entrenching a system, an administration, a policy of growth I will be more than… a psychological satisfaction is a lot more than the financial benefit. I am saying because people who want to make contribution but they don’t want to belong to political parties, they don’t have to belong to certain close associations; and when they see that they are edged out and left at the periphery, they keep their contributions to themselves. I think that there is a new movement, today you see the sheer number of people who are converting previously idle property, previously unprofitable assets, into hospitality facilities because a light have been shown to them but nobody has put money in their pockets. Banks are not giving anybody money, at best, they are taking as much as they can from you. These people are finding opportunities to do a lot of these things. Look out the number of entertainment, bars, restaurants, and as they call it now spots that are opening all over the place. When you look at them you realized that there isn’t huge capital invested in them but just the little sacrifice that the individual owners are able to make. And every one that opened is patronized, isn’t it strange? No matter the corner, in fact for those of you who are now living in Port Harcourt, I am sure that street corners that previously you will pass unnoticed are now a beehive of activities. It is not because government has put money into peoples’ pockets, it not that banks have put money, it is just that people have said if this is the direction let me just do my own bit, at the end of the day it pays off for them. But government can crown all of that efforts by interfacing a lot more with people, talking to the about the new initiative they want to embark upon, whether it is in terms of rural development, whether it is in terms of health care delivery, whether it is in terms of education. That way everybody will not be opening bars, people will also be thinking about ancillary businesses and enterprises that can grow around some of those other sectors of development.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO SUSTAIN AND IMPROVE THE MOMENTUM IN CALABAR?
DUKE: I think, first and foremost, the government and the people must engage, they must engage in various platforms. It is unfortunate that up to date, regardless of whatever achievements we think we have made we have not had a Cross River business or economic conference, where government and the people can sit over a period of three days talking and articulating ideas about what direction to move the state. I think it is urgent. It is a challenge for not just the private sector but government. There must be that synergy for this kind of thing to happen. Because it will throw up a whole lot of, a full basket of ideas and programmes which can be beneficial to the entire state. That is number one. Number two, it is important for us to begin to strengthen community organizations, women organizations, youth organizations, for them to begin to understand their roles in their community and their government. Nobody is a repository of all knowledge, even traditional knowledge is very important in growing local economy. It is important to strengthen the growth of these kinds… in some societies in parts of the world these are the nucleus of growth. Growth emanates from some of these kinds of organizations, the age grades.
Mentoring is very important. Over the years you have big businesses that come, make quick entries, make quick money, make quick exits. And leave little or nothing behind. There is need for a deliberate policy to ensure that companies that come to do big businesses in Cross River state must adopt entrepreneurs who can continue to deliver those efforts long after they have left. For instance, you find that government award a contract for the development of maybe some acres of agricultural whatever, you have international agencies who come, you know they, work for about three months, they go. Nobody remains to advance some of those ideas. Let us assume that this was a project of six months, it has come, and it has gone. Somebody comes in and is given a project to build, maybe a typical facility, whether it is a water park , whether it is this, whether it is that. That project is completed. He is gone. The man who works with them is move to Akwa Ibom to build an airport or move to Owerri. Nobody is left behind, even if he cannot build a water park, he can build a swimming pool. There are instances where some of these things call to questions and end up with capital flight. For some it maybe a sour point but what we are saying is that they have to be local capacity. I was sharing thought with a friend of mind and I said to him that: if we have in Tinapa that have not been taken over, what stops government saying okay, this is just a hypothetical case, abcd, you guys are allocated one shop go and look for this kind of retailership and bring it to this one shop. By the time we put four times 50 people together we will be compeling indigenes of this state to spend their money whether they are going to go to China or the are going to go to Dubai, or they are going to go to South Africa, I want to come and say my group has got a franchise. These are the conditions for our investing in Tinapa and so on. One of the problems I have seen here is that we have not attracted enough foreign investment into it. A lot of the things have been done by government and the pressure of debt on government. So there are thoughts we can tinker on if we are sitting on if we are sitting in an economic fora. Whether it will be on local government basis, or on project by project basis; r it is on a statewide basis. How many times have you heard that business leaders and government, business leaders and communities have sat at a roundtable just to knock ideas together? What has been done in Tinapa there: the people who have brought the consultancy there, they have gone. And they were regarded as the eggheads at the time, when there are moving like this, there is siren. They come, they tell their own stories to those who like to hear, the cheques are signed and they are gone. The burden is left with the people whose generation will continue to remain her whether that project succeed or not.
DAILY CHAMPION: TOURISM IN NIGERIA IS SEEN AS AN ELITIST THING WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GIVE IT A MASS APPEAL?
DUKE: Let me give you an example and it grieves me when I see the state which our tourism is in today. Fourteen years ago, 15 years ago as we are sitting like this, as black people, if we were South Africans, we will not be allow to sit in any bar or restaurant in South Africa. We could not even walk the street; you cannot even go to a bar, a café to drink a beer. Can we come to term with that kind of scenario as Nigerians, it is not possible but I am saying that 15 years ago this was the situation in South Africa. Today, barely 14 years after independence, South African tourism is growing at a faster rate than the world tourism. Today tourism has overtaken solid mineral as the greatest contributor to the GDP of South Africa. Today South Africa is being seen by the rest of the Western World as the preferred Africa. Today, out of every new eight jobs in South Africa, six are in tourism. I am talking about 14 years after independence, 14 years after you were unable to sit in a bar to drink, after you were unable to walk the streets of the capital, you are able to sleep in a bed in a hotel. How do they do it? Do they have better education than us? What could have led to such a revolutionary trend that today the greatest infrastructural development in sub-Saharan Africa is there? They don’t have oil, they don’t have our size of land, they don’t have our quality of education, they don’t have our quality of people, and they don’t have our population. So can you imagine if we were to focus attention on tourism, how easy it would have been for us to multiply those achievements of South Africa easily times three into the Nigerian economy? But the stranger things that I confront everyday is that all the people who enunciate Nigerian economic policies are not able to see that potentials. They are not able to see that potential, that in every five black man that walks the face of the earth at every single time one is a Nigerian. I don’t know how else to position it and then you look at small countries like Gambia, just next door, they have absolutely nothing. In fact it is smaller than Calabar but go and see what they are turning over in terms of tourism foreign expenditure. Then you look in a different way, our manufacturing is not making much progress. Our agriculture is not making any progress. Our oil and gas is causing devastation and major crisis, crisis that rippled right into the world oil market. So which of our sector can we say that is delivering to such an extent they can blindfold us from looking at tourism. So there is need for God intervention.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHERE WOULD YOU PUT THE BLAME?
DUKE: The blame is on the shortsightedness of policy makers at the federal level.
DAILY CHAMPION: NIGERIAN CULTURE AND RELIGION MAY HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT?
DUKE: I disagree with you. I disagree because, you see we in Nigeria have such diverse possibilities and products that, you talking about Zamfara, Mecca is the number one tourism destination for Muslims. So what is wrong in Zamfara? If they choose to make that the Mecca, in quote, of the West African subregion. What we are trying to say is that we have such diverse and rich attributes and endowments wherever we are there is something to grow. In fact in every village in Nigeria there is a possibility of developing one tourism product. There is also the possibility of developing clusters. So if there is a Northern cluster and Kano, or Sokoto, or Zamfara is going to be the pivot of that cluster. I fit is just the Durbar, it is a tourism product. So religion is not an impediment. It is our ability to understand what we have, our limitation and our prospect and to have people who can think about how to format these into product that would attract people to come from one place to the other to spend money. If we even develop the idea of people traveling within Nigeria, you know that we don’t travel within Nigeria. Everybody is aspiring to visa to go out of Nigeria. It is so easy for us to just move from one place to the other. So there is need to reacculturise the minds of our people to see that in Nigeria, even just the domestic traveling from one state to the other is enough to stimulate the economy. It also doesn’t have to do with poor people who cannot afford hotels. Everybody doesn’t have to live in hotel. Hotels are suppose to be in different categories. In Europe, there are some hotels brand calls Formula One: it is just a bed to lay your head. It is a bed to lay your head. The important thing is that you are not sleeping in the street. There are also such options as “host family” who voluntarily you have a three bedroom flat and one of them is perpetually filled with empty cartoons or used cartoons of mineral and books and old newspapers. Doesn’t it sounds like a typical room in all our houses. A time will come when if you clean out that room it can attract a traveler that is willing to pay whether it is two thousand naira. I wish we have opportunity for me to show you some brochures from some countries, that category you would find it in some hundreds, if not in thousand. And I have my own one bedroom; I go and registered it with the Tourism Bureau. And they know that when a backpacker, tourist that are traveling on bare knuckles, they just packed everything into a bag, they don’t have any money for transport so they are hitching and hiking a ride from one place to the other. The get to that territory or they go on the internet and they say okay this one room is ten dollar, 20 dollar that is, maybe N1200 or N2400 . The man has a bed, he has water to have a bath; in the morning he wakes up, he is gone. In 30 days, assuming, okay you don’t have 100 per cent occupancy, that would have been N60,000. In 15 days, this will be some N35,000. And these are little, little things that we can do even in our rural communities. There people, who can’t go home during festive seasons because they have not built mansions but then there is a way we can address our mind and believe that we all have contribution to make in every kind of way. And I am telling you that when I see what get done in some parts of Africa and you see tourists from the Western world go to appreciate it, you know what Nigerians always say, we have this, we have this. That is what Nigerians always say but the unfortunate thing is that when our leaders go they never come back to tell the story of how we can change our destiny as long as tourism is concern.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE 2008 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, ESPECIALLY THE TOURISM INDUSTRY?
DUKE: A lot of these have always been talks that are not match by action. The unfortunate thing about the relationship between public and private is that resources dwell in and are manage by the public sector. The unfortunate thing is that the public sector is where the resources are domiciled. They are the ones who can determine how it flows. They play public sector and want at the same time to play private sector. Another unfortunate thing which for me is always a pleasant reminder for public officers is that whether they like it or not one day every public officer will end up in the private sector. One day, every public officer will end up in the private sector and the policy that you enunciate, the deprivation that you create, the encumbrances that you place before the growth of the private sector will surely haunt you when you end up in the private sector. But the never understand this when the comfort of government office, when they are within the confine and comfort of government. They never believe that economy must be propel by the private sector. So it is a lot more of talk than action. That is why you find that a lot of private sector people struggle very, very hard to find accommodation, to find patronage from government. Because if the wait in the hope that government policy will automatically propel the private sector, they wait in vain. And this has always been the unfortunate thing about Nigerian economy.
DAILY CHAMPION: NOT MUCH HAS BEEN HEARD ABOUT THE CALABAR CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN RECENT TIME?
DUKE: Well, I am the Deputy President of the Chambers of Commerce. And I want to assure us that the current leadership of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce and Industries led by Chief Dr Asuquo Ekpeyong is breaking new grounds. Is breaking new grounds in reactivating the Chamber of Commerce. There have been in recent week very extensive outreach programme to try to remarket the advantages of belonging to the chamber to some big corporate organization around Cross River State. There are challenges. There are challenges because the people who are doing the mega businesses, earning the mega bucks from government businesses are not compel by government to belong to the chambers. So they can stroll in, pick big contract, execute and walk away without leaving anything behind. If you remember I was talking about collaboration, and mentoring and all of that, local content and stuff like that. Those things are not in existence. The challenge that the chamber faces now is to try to see how it can convince government to make belonging to the local chamber a condition for government patronage in any ramification. That way companies with capacity will be compel to belong to the local chamber and they will contribute to the growth of the chamber both in terms of ideas and in terms of resources. So that the local chamber itself can grow, not just its capacity but it would be able to now chart a new course for reenergizing the organized private sector, so that ultimately we grow alongside with the new vision of government and reduce the often times belaboured dependence on government for our businesses to grow. Well, the communication has been put in place and as I said earlier on there is need for a business summit: that is, government and the private sector will seat and articulate some of these ideas in order to benefit not just the private sector but to benefit government ultimately because government has got to continue shrink in size for us to grow the economy and grow the organized private sector.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THE NEGLECT OF SOLID MINERALS IN PREFERNCE FOR OIL AND GAS?
DUKE: It is regrettable. The point is that the challenge that faces investors in solid minerals and in a few others is a clear cut government policy of a range of incentives for investors. And also the prospect of soft landing in event of large investment that has to go into that sector. We always know what the best thing to do will be but we lack the political will to emplace those policies which will naturally attract. The incentives are hardly commensurate with the investments that are expected in. The technology is not yet there. And every time that you find forum at which government is talking about investment opportunities you find out that the conditions for investment that are stated are actually not the ones that are applicable. We have had the experience. I have been a victim of when government have said these are our incentives but the agency of government that is suppose to facilitate those incentives is either unwilling or believed that it is too much of an advantage to an investor, and he just simply cancelled it out. I don’t want to specific now because of some obvious reason but that is what you are facing especially in solid minerals, in manufacturing. And unless we are able to take the bull by the horns. I don’t know what our apprehensions are? And what we fail to do, investments that we failed to keep here are moving to other parts of West Africa and the continent.
YOU ARE IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS GROWTH IN CROSS RIVER GOING?
DUKE: Let me be audacious, and to quote some religious personalities whose names I probably would crave your indulgence not to reveal, who said that Calabar will sound like beer parlour talk. But what I am trying to drive at is that we are in a season of renaissance, the Calabar renaissance. The renewal of the Calabar, that was a front runner in the development of Nigeria. The Calabar through where missionaries, early education, early civilization, early trading came to the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. And then it went into a period of descent. And naturally when you have obviously got to the nadir, the resultant option is an upward swing. Today that Calabar then when in pre-colonial, in colonial era the capital was taken away from. Today, Calabar has become the benchmark of what the new Nigerian city would be. Governance and responsibility by government has projected Calabar, indeed Cross River State as the new face of a desired Nigeria. And in the last administration of the former president he went to the extent, at the Federal Executive Council, to compel ministers and other governors to visit Calabar and see what is being done in Calabar as an example of what their own, the dream of a new Nigerian city, community or state should be like. I think those were prophetic, you know, remarks and initiative. Today, we continue to see Calabar not just attracting people, who see it as a destination for leisure, entertainment, recuperation or retreat. We also see it as a destination where it appears as if social infrastructure is working. Am sure we are all witnesses to the fact that no one in the past, can we say 36, 48 or five years has come to Calabar and found things critically wrong as compare to other Nigerian cities or destinations. So for me it is just a starting point, it means that the template, the thought processes that have brought it to recognition in Nigeria today must continue to be propel, improved. Government is now talking about putting in place a modern comprehensive transportation system which will look not just road transportation, water transportation, and inter city transportation together in a network that is supportive of the economic activities in the entire state.
DAILY CHAMPION: CAN YOU SAY THAT THE PARTICIPATION OF THE PEOPLE OF CROSS RIVER STATE IS EQUAL TO THAT OF THE GOVERNMENT?
DUKE: I think that that is a challenge that has to be addressed sooner than later. That challenge must be addressed sooner than later. There is need for growth to also be bottom-top. There is need for a massive programme of enlightentment and participation by the generality of the people. I understand the thrust of your question in the sense that the people, to a large extent, assume that they are bystanders in all of these. But be that as it may it is the people who are use in achieving many of these laudable objectives. But it is a small fraction of the people. My assurance, my confidence, is that the people assume that now a vision has been place before them, and it behooves of them, they like what they see. They subscribe to what they see but then there is need to articulate a programme that compel their participation, that changes their mindset, that excites them into unsupervised participation in this developmental process. And that challenge, would rest not just on the state government but especially on the local government. What you have on the previous administration in the state was that the state was actually running the local governments, now you have local government chairmen that understand the vision of the government of the day. And who are being carried along by the government of the day who has policy input in what is going on and they need to also allow this information, this participation to trickle down to their communities and the people therein. It is going to be a Marshal plan, of some sort, because unless the people voluntarily participate in all of these in the five years all of the efforts may whittle down.
DAILY CHAMPION: DO YOU SEE ORDINARY PEOPLE CONTRIBUTING TO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE WITHOUT EMPOWERMENT FROM GOVERNMENT?
DUKE: Money is not everything. And Cross River State is a state that does not have enough money at its disposal but when you sit with the people, when you interface with them and i hope this word is not a political word, when you carry them along, because carrying them along is capable of so many interpretations depending on where, people will voluntarily give of their sweat. The psychological satisfaction that they are actually offering suggestions, and being taken seriously, and being handheld make them offer a little more than what we seen is available. And I have always believe that there is a lot more latent potential in Calabar, and Cross River state in its entirety which only requires for a benevolent government to identify and to utilize. People are not so much keen on how swollen their pockets are, yes we all want to have swollen pockets, but in the circumstances that we found ourselves, if I see myself as a voluntary soldier, an appreciated soldier in the task of entrenching a system, an administration, a policy of growth I will be more than… a psychological satisfaction is a lot more than the financial benefit. I am saying because people who want to make contribution but they don’t want to belong to political parties, they don’t have to belong to certain close associations; and when they see that they are edged out and left at the periphery, they keep their contributions to themselves. I think that there is a new movement, today you see the sheer number of people who are converting previously idle property, previously unprofitable assets, into hospitality facilities because a light have been shown to them but nobody has put money in their pockets. Banks are not giving anybody money, at best, they are taking as much as they can from you. These people are finding opportunities to do a lot of these things. Look out the number of entertainment, bars, restaurants, and as they call it now spots that are opening all over the place. When you look at them you realized that there isn’t huge capital invested in them but just the little sacrifice that the individual owners are able to make. And every one that opened is patronized, isn’t it strange? No matter the corner, in fact for those of you who are now living in Port Harcourt, I am sure that street corners that previously you will pass unnoticed are now a beehive of activities. It is not because government has put money into peoples’ pockets, it not that banks have put money, it is just that people have said if this is the direction let me just do my own bit, at the end of the day it pays off for them. But government can crown all of that efforts by interfacing a lot more with people, talking to the about the new initiative they want to embark upon, whether it is in terms of rural development, whether it is in terms of health care delivery, whether it is in terms of education. That way everybody will not be opening bars, people will also be thinking about ancillary businesses and enterprises that can grow around some of those other sectors of development.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO SUSTAIN AND IMPROVE THE MOMENTUM IN CALABAR?
DUKE: I think, first and foremost, the government and the people must engage, they must engage in various platforms. It is unfortunate that up to date, regardless of whatever achievements we think we have made we have not had a Cross River business or economic conference, where government and the people can sit over a period of three days talking and articulating ideas about what direction to move the state. I think it is urgent. It is a challenge for not just the private sector but government. There must be that synergy for this kind of thing to happen. Because it will throw up a whole lot of, a full basket of ideas and programmes which can be beneficial to the entire state. That is number one. Number two, it is important for us to begin to strengthen community organizations, women organizations, youth organizations, for them to begin to understand their roles in their community and their government. Nobody is a repository of all knowledge, even traditional knowledge is very important in growing local economy. It is important to strengthen the growth of these kinds… in some societies in parts of the world these are the nucleus of growth. Growth emanates from some of these kinds of organizations, the age grades.
Mentoring is very important. Over the years you have big businesses that come, make quick entries, make quick money, make quick exits. And leave little or nothing behind. There is need for a deliberate policy to ensure that companies that come to do big businesses in Cross River state must adopt entrepreneurs who can continue to deliver those efforts long after they have left. For instance, you find that government award a contract for the development of maybe some acres of agricultural whatever, you have international agencies who come, you know they, work for about three months, they go. Nobody remains to advance some of those ideas. Let us assume that this was a project of six months, it has come, and it has gone. Somebody comes in and is given a project to build, maybe a typical facility, whether it is a water park , whether it is this, whether it is that. That project is completed. He is gone. The man who works with them is move to Akwa Ibom to build an airport or move to Owerri. Nobody is left behind, even if he cannot build a water park, he can build a swimming pool. There are instances where some of these things call to questions and end up with capital flight. For some it maybe a sour point but what we are saying is that they have to be local capacity. I was sharing thought with a friend of mind and I said to him that: if we have in Tinapa that have not been taken over, what stops government saying okay, this is just a hypothetical case, abcd, you guys are allocated one shop go and look for this kind of retailership and bring it to this one shop. By the time we put four times 50 people together we will be compeling indigenes of this state to spend their money whether they are going to go to China or the are going to go to Dubai, or they are going to go to South Africa, I want to come and say my group has got a franchise. These are the conditions for our investing in Tinapa and so on. One of the problems I have seen here is that we have not attracted enough foreign investment into it. A lot of the things have been done by government and the pressure of debt on government. So there are thoughts we can tinker on if we are sitting on if we are sitting in an economic fora. Whether it will be on local government basis, or on project by project basis; r it is on a statewide basis. How many times have you heard that business leaders and government, business leaders and communities have sat at a roundtable just to knock ideas together? What has been done in Tinapa there: the people who have brought the consultancy there, they have gone. And they were regarded as the eggheads at the time, when there are moving like this, there is siren. They come, they tell their own stories to those who like to hear, the cheques are signed and they are gone. The burden is left with the people whose generation will continue to remain her whether that project succeed or not.
DAILY CHAMPION: TOURISM IN NIGERIA IS SEEN AS AN ELITIST THING WHAT CAN BE DONE TO GIVE IT A MASS APPEAL?
DUKE: Let me give you an example and it grieves me when I see the state which our tourism is in today. Fourteen years ago, 15 years ago as we are sitting like this, as black people, if we were South Africans, we will not be allow to sit in any bar or restaurant in South Africa. We could not even walk the street; you cannot even go to a bar, a café to drink a beer. Can we come to term with that kind of scenario as Nigerians, it is not possible but I am saying that 15 years ago this was the situation in South Africa. Today, barely 14 years after independence, South African tourism is growing at a faster rate than the world tourism. Today tourism has overtaken solid mineral as the greatest contributor to the GDP of South Africa. Today South Africa is being seen by the rest of the Western World as the preferred Africa. Today, out of every new eight jobs in South Africa, six are in tourism. I am talking about 14 years after independence, 14 years after you were unable to sit in a bar to drink, after you were unable to walk the streets of the capital, you are able to sleep in a bed in a hotel. How do they do it? Do they have better education than us? What could have led to such a revolutionary trend that today the greatest infrastructural development in sub-Saharan Africa is there? They don’t have oil, they don’t have our size of land, they don’t have our quality of education, they don’t have our quality of people, and they don’t have our population. So can you imagine if we were to focus attention on tourism, how easy it would have been for us to multiply those achievements of South Africa easily times three into the Nigerian economy? But the stranger things that I confront everyday is that all the people who enunciate Nigerian economic policies are not able to see that potentials. They are not able to see that potential, that in every five black man that walks the face of the earth at every single time one is a Nigerian. I don’t know how else to position it and then you look at small countries like Gambia, just next door, they have absolutely nothing. In fact it is smaller than Calabar but go and see what they are turning over in terms of tourism foreign expenditure. Then you look in a different way, our manufacturing is not making much progress. Our agriculture is not making any progress. Our oil and gas is causing devastation and major crisis, crisis that rippled right into the world oil market. So which of our sector can we say that is delivering to such an extent they can blindfold us from looking at tourism. So there is need for God intervention.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHERE WOULD YOU PUT THE BLAME?
DUKE: The blame is on the shortsightedness of policy makers at the federal level.
DAILY CHAMPION: NIGERIAN CULTURE AND RELIGION MAY HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT?
DUKE: I disagree with you. I disagree because, you see we in Nigeria have such diverse possibilities and products that, you talking about Zamfara, Mecca is the number one tourism destination for Muslims. So what is wrong in Zamfara? If they choose to make that the Mecca, in quote, of the West African subregion. What we are trying to say is that we have such diverse and rich attributes and endowments wherever we are there is something to grow. In fact in every village in Nigeria there is a possibility of developing one tourism product. There is also the possibility of developing clusters. So if there is a Northern cluster and Kano, or Sokoto, or Zamfara is going to be the pivot of that cluster. I fit is just the Durbar, it is a tourism product. So religion is not an impediment. It is our ability to understand what we have, our limitation and our prospect and to have people who can think about how to format these into product that would attract people to come from one place to the other to spend money. If we even develop the idea of people traveling within Nigeria, you know that we don’t travel within Nigeria. Everybody is aspiring to visa to go out of Nigeria. It is so easy for us to just move from one place to the other. So there is need to reacculturise the minds of our people to see that in Nigeria, even just the domestic traveling from one state to the other is enough to stimulate the economy. It also doesn’t have to do with poor people who cannot afford hotels. Everybody doesn’t have to live in hotel. Hotels are suppose to be in different categories. In Europe, there are some hotels brand calls Formula One: it is just a bed to lay your head. It is a bed to lay your head. The important thing is that you are not sleeping in the street. There are also such options as “host family” who voluntarily you have a three bedroom flat and one of them is perpetually filled with empty cartoons or used cartoons of mineral and books and old newspapers. Doesn’t it sounds like a typical room in all our houses. A time will come when if you clean out that room it can attract a traveler that is willing to pay whether it is two thousand naira. I wish we have opportunity for me to show you some brochures from some countries, that category you would find it in some hundreds, if not in thousand. And I have my own one bedroom; I go and registered it with the Tourism Bureau. And they know that when a backpacker, tourist that are traveling on bare knuckles, they just packed everything into a bag, they don’t have any money for transport so they are hitching and hiking a ride from one place to the other. The get to that territory or they go on the internet and they say okay this one room is ten dollar, 20 dollar that is, maybe N1200 or N2400 . The man has a bed, he has water to have a bath; in the morning he wakes up, he is gone. In 30 days, assuming, okay you don’t have 100 per cent occupancy, that would have been N60,000. In 15 days, this will be some N35,000. And these are little, little things that we can do even in our rural communities. There people, who can’t go home during festive seasons because they have not built mansions but then there is a way we can address our mind and believe that we all have contribution to make in every kind of way. And I am telling you that when I see what get done in some parts of Africa and you see tourists from the Western world go to appreciate it, you know what Nigerians always say, we have this, we have this. That is what Nigerians always say but the unfortunate thing is that when our leaders go they never come back to tell the story of how we can change our destiny as long as tourism is concern.
DAILY CHAMPION: THE 2008 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BUDGET AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, ESPECIALLY THE TOURISM INDUSTRY?
DUKE: A lot of these have always been talks that are not match by action. The unfortunate thing about the relationship between public and private is that resources dwell in and are manage by the public sector. The unfortunate thing is that the public sector is where the resources are domiciled. They are the ones who can determine how it flows. They play public sector and want at the same time to play private sector. Another unfortunate thing which for me is always a pleasant reminder for public officers is that whether they like it or not one day every public officer will end up in the private sector. One day, every public officer will end up in the private sector and the policy that you enunciate, the deprivation that you create, the encumbrances that you place before the growth of the private sector will surely haunt you when you end up in the private sector. But the never understand this when the comfort of government office, when they are within the confine and comfort of government. They never believe that economy must be propel by the private sector. So it is a lot more of talk than action. That is why you find that a lot of private sector people struggle very, very hard to find accommodation, to find patronage from government. Because if the wait in the hope that government policy will automatically propel the private sector, they wait in vain. And this has always been the unfortunate thing about Nigerian economy.
DAILY CHAMPION: NOT MUCH HAS BEEN HEARD ABOUT THE CALABAR CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN RECENT TIME?
DUKE: Well, I am the Deputy President of the Chambers of Commerce. And I want to assure us that the current leadership of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce and Industries led by Chief Dr Asuquo Ekpeyong is breaking new grounds. Is breaking new grounds in reactivating the Chamber of Commerce. There have been in recent week very extensive outreach programme to try to remarket the advantages of belonging to the chamber to some big corporate organization around Cross River State. There are challenges. There are challenges because the people who are doing the mega businesses, earning the mega bucks from government businesses are not compel by government to belong to the chambers. So they can stroll in, pick big contract, execute and walk away without leaving anything behind. If you remember I was talking about collaboration, and mentoring and all of that, local content and stuff like that. Those things are not in existence. The challenge that the chamber faces now is to try to see how it can convince government to make belonging to the local chamber a condition for government patronage in any ramification. That way companies with capacity will be compel to belong to the local chamber and they will contribute to the growth of the chamber both in terms of ideas and in terms of resources. So that the local chamber itself can grow, not just its capacity but it would be able to now chart a new course for reenergizing the organized private sector, so that ultimately we grow alongside with the new vision of government and reduce the often times belaboured dependence on government for our businesses to grow. Well, the communication has been put in place and as I said earlier on there is need for a business summit: that is, government and the private sector will seat and articulate some of these ideas in order to benefit not just the private sector but to benefit government ultimately because government has got to continue shrink in size for us to grow the economy and grow the organized private sector.
DAILY CHAMPION: WHAT IS YOUR VIEW ON THE NEGLECT OF SOLID MINERALS IN PREFERNCE FOR OIL AND GAS?
DUKE: It is regrettable. The point is that the challenge that faces investors in solid minerals and in a few others is a clear cut government policy of a range of incentives for investors. And also the prospect of soft landing in event of large investment that has to go into that sector. We always know what the best thing to do will be but we lack the political will to emplace those policies which will naturally attract. The incentives are hardly commensurate with the investments that are expected in. The technology is not yet there. And every time that you find forum at which government is talking about investment opportunities you find out that the conditions for investment that are stated are actually not the ones that are applicable. We have had the experience. I have been a victim of when government have said these are our incentives but the agency of government that is suppose to facilitate those incentives is either unwilling or believed that it is too much of an advantage to an investor, and he just simply cancelled it out. I don’t want to specific now because of some obvious reason but that is what you are facing especially in solid minerals, in manufacturing. And unless we are able to take the bull by the horns. I don’t know what our apprehensions are? And what we fail to do, investments that we failed to keep here are moving to other parts of West Africa and the continent.
ATEKE TOM AND NIGER DELTA CRISIS
ATEKE TOM AND HIS ACTIVITIES IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION.
In the wake of violence in Okrika Local Government Area, the Rivers State Government declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the area. One of sons of Okrika Ateke Tom has declared war on Rivers State and other parts of Niger Delta following the destruction of his house and property by soldiers from the Joint Task Force. He has vowed that Rivers state will know no peace except the state government rebuild his house and refunded about six million that he alleged soldiers looted from his house. For the five months that the administration of governor Celestine Omehia declared a curfew in Port Harcourt and its environs, on a daily basis hundreds of residents violated the curfew until Governor Chubike Amaechi lifted it on December 30,2007.
Despite government lifting of curfew, residents of Port Harcourt are currently observing a self-imposed curfew. These days before 9 pm Port Harcourt is like a ghost city as residents scrambled to the safety of their homes. The fear is that one may fall victim to stray bullet during a gun battle between security agents and militants and in event of death, you may be tagged a militant. And maybe throughout your lifetime you never apply to join The Boys Scout, let alone a militant group. The insecurity in the state capital is underlined by the police, at the Mile One Divisional Police Headquarters by 7 pm every evening no vehicle is allow to pass in front, besides and behind the stations. All the roads surrounding the station are cordoned from vehicular traffic. And this sends a message to the residents that all is not well. If the police stations are under siege where do we seek refuge? As one was writing this article, Thursday morning few metres from my office along Ikwerre Road by Chisco Motors, a man carrying a brown enveloped was shot by two young men on a motor bike. When the contents of the envelop spilled out and it was not money the assailants sped off. A police patrol van that was just driving past refused to response to the distress call from people around the area.
But since Ateke carried out attacks on two police stations in Port Harcourt and the Hotel Presidential, residents of the Garden City are wary of where they go and when they go. Ateke also claimed responsibility for the fire incident at the NNPC Jetty at Ogoloma, where more than 40 persons were reportedly burnt and property worth millions destroyed. Just last week a ship, MV Golden Lucy that was discharging petrol at Port Harcourt Area One port was rocked by an explosion. The Nigerian Port Authority claimed the explosion was a normal maritime accident,a militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, which has declared support for Ateke’s new war on the state and public property claimed responsibility. Angered by the claim by the General Manager of Eastern Ports, Mr. Sotonye Etomi, the explosion was an accident, MEND decided to teach him a lesson by attacking his convoy. And during the attack a Police Inspector, Paulinus Amachi was killed. The timing of the attack was note worthy as it was carried out when Etomi, an Ijaw and a son of the soil was not in the convoy.
LEADER of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, does not agreed with Ateke on most issues, in fact he has even alleged years back that some people in the Rivers state government wanted to use Ateke to killed him but on the current actions of Ateke, Asari said these activities came following provocations by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi. Asari averred that Ameachi has no power to declare Ateke wanted. According to Asari, Ateke is trying to create a state of emergency in the state. Asari said he had spoken to Ateke that his attack on the state was unacceptable to the people, and Ateke promised him that the situation will not repeat itself. Asari declared that if Ateke attacks the Ijaw people, he would be brought to book by the Ijaws. This is a testimony that Ateke is an Ijaw warrior or general. And among the Ijaws there is an unwritten agreement that no harm should come to any of them that is involve in the current violence in the Niger Delta. Also any of them that killed a fellow Ijaw man must be sanction.
Chris Ekiyor, a medical doctor and President of the Ijaw Youth Council [IYC] observed that the attack on Ateke is part of the implementation of a security document on how the military intend to wipe out Ijaw communities. Ekiyor said the Ijaws are taken aback by the attack on the ancient palace of Gbaraun and Okochri after the president have promised that such attacks would never occur. The IYC leader said he was able to get Ateke to release six Russians that were taken hostages at the Aluminium Smelter Plant, Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State. According to Ekiyor, Ateke has embraced peace as he even nominated someone to represent his group to the Presidential Peace Committee on Niger Delta. He aso said that Ateke participated in all the peace process to unite all the fighting group in Okrika. Ekiyor, who said he will not discuss peace with Ateke until government shows its readiness for peace asked government to give Ateke amnesty and the wanted man will come out and contribute to the peace process in the Niger Delta. “Ateke has been with them all these years but they have not been able to get him,” Ekiyor taunted the Rivers State Government.
Ateke is always quick to declare his innocence and insisted that he is a man of peace that spent more than N100 million naira to restore peace in his native Okrika. Ateke raised an alarm that the invasion and burning of his home in Okrika, Rivers State by members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) was a fresh step by the authorities towards eliminating him. He told newsmen in Port Harcourt that his hands were clean, and denied involvement in such activities such as kidnapping and illegal bunkering. He also accused the government of going against the spirit of the peace deal he signed that led to the amnesty that was granted him. “The government is not justified in coming after me, going by the role I played in the return of peace in the state. The government is going against the spirit of the peace deal I signed with them that led to the amnesty granted me. The JTF is attacking my property for the sole purpose of terminating my life."
On last year raid by JTF, Ateke said two fighter "helicopters belonging to the JTF carried out bombing of" one of his camps along the Bonny axis. "But I was not in the camp and they cannot get me”.” This is provocation of the highest form and calls to question the sincerity of the JTF in its duties if innocent civilians could be bombed without any reason. Although no one was wounded, it was, however, targeted at me and the people who are living their normal lives without offending the security of the state or anyone. The Federal Government is yet to rebuild my houses which were burnt by the JTF and pay all the money looted by the soldiers and property that were removed also. I have given an ultimatum of seven days and I stand by it. I cannot be intimidated by the continuous attacks on me and my boys by agents of the Federal Government but I have a right to fight back."
In 2004 Ateke was declared wanted and a ransom placed on his head by the Rivers State Police Command; in 2006 the military declared him wanted and announced a prize of five million naira for whoever can give information leading to his arrest. Right now Ateke is declared wanted and another ransom placed on his head. Ateke may end up being the Rivers man who has been declared wanted most.
December last year, JTF has raided Ateke camp in the Evil forest, Okochri in Okrika. JTF leader and Commander of 2nd Amphibious Brigade in Port Harcourt, Brigadier Sarkin-Yaki Bello, alleged that Ateke was involved in oil theft. Justifying the raid. Bello said and his group of militants perpetuated attacks on the Bonny River; debunked Ateke’s claims that the invasion of his base was against the spirit of the peace agreement he reached with the government.
Bello said"Over the months, intelligence reports had indicated to us a lot of things that had been going on in that place. In order to ascertain these things, we sent in an information patrol, which went in and came back to confirm that a lot of militants had infested Okochiri and that Ateke was a cult hero in that place. That was what informed the operation we carried out.” Bello, said his men would not relent in apprehending Ateke and said that all the task force required was the right information, stressing: “One day we will get him. We will like to get him alive so he can face justice. I have a chain of command I take order from,” and declared that Ateke had not been granted amnesty by anyone.”
After the invasionby JTF, Ateke issued a seven day deadline for the state government to rebuild his house destroyed by the soldiers and refund about six million naira he claimed soldiers looted from his house.
A statement attributed to one of his aides Damiso said: “Ateke Tom wishes to make it clear to the world that the killing of the soldiers in Okrika, the burning of their patrol vans and the local government council as well as the ships was carried out by him. My action is predicated on the general lack of confidence in the presidential peace, brokered between the Nigerian State and the Izon people. This is also evident in the arrest of Henry Okah in Angola and the recent attack on me and other places by the forces of the same government.Certainly, this is not a government that wants peace. We will continue to fight till our rights are respected as a people. Enough of this double-standard and double-speak in a frail and crisis-prone region.”
Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Group, means several things to several people. To Chubike Amaechi, governor of Rivers State and members of the Joint Task Force [JTF] and security chiefs: Ateke is a wanted person, a kidnapper, a murderer, illegal bunkerer and a criminal. To members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta [MEND]; Ateke is a comrade-in- arms and part of the Niger Delta struggle. To the Ijaw nation, Ateke is a “warrior,” one of the Ijaw respected generals, a patriot and a fighter for the Ijaw cause. To the boys Ateke is the “Godfather”. Depending on what angle you look at Ateke he may be a saint or a demon. To some people in Okrika the fragile peace in the town is attributed to his efforts to reconcile the warring parties in Okrika. To some youths Ateke is a philanthropist who cares for the welfare of orphans and widows as ell as offer schorlarship to indigent students of Okrika.
Much is not known about Ateke until civilian came into power in 1999. Some person claimed he was a fisherman in his native Okrika. Other said he was into illegal bunkering of petroleum. Others still averred that Ateke was working for former Secretary to Rivers state Government and ex-Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Precious Sekibo. According to another militant leader and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Voulunteer Force, Alhaji Mujihad Dokubo-Asari "Ateke was a creation of the government of Rivers State for eight years, he was out to attack me then when I protested against the 2003 governorship elections in Rivers State, he is a product of government in which Amaechi was number three, there is a transfer of aggression in his case".
According to sources in Port Harcourt, Atake was the mastermind that give victory to PDP in Okrika and Ogu Bolo local government areas of Rivers State. The story is that All Peoples Party now ANPP won in these two areas during the 1999 general elections. But PDP appointed an Okrika son, Sekibo as the Secretary to the Government. And in order to ensure that these areas are delivered to PDP , the services of Ateke was engaged and that was the beginning of the rise and rise of the Godfather. According to a report from the Human Right Watch “ the former Secretary to the State Government and current Federal Transport Minister, Abiye Sekibo, provided logistical support and political protection to local youth leader Tom to help counter the influence of the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), particularly in Okrika local government area, during the 2003 state and federal elections. During this period, Tom was given free rein to carry out profitable bunkering activities in exchange for his group’s violent services during the 2003 elections.8In an interview with Human Rights Watch, a local opposition party candidate alleged that senior members of the local PDP, including Abiye Sekibo, used members of Tom’s NDV, known at the time as the “Ateke boys,” to drive opposition supporters out of Ogu/Bolo and Okrika local government areas prior to the elections.9 A local resident told Human Rights Watch how in March 2003, one month before the elections, armed members of Tom’s NDV gunmen attacked opposition party members who were putting up election posters in Amadi Ama.”
Amaechi has declared Ateke a common criminal and has vowed not to rest until Ateke is arrested and prosecuted. The governor has also declared that Ateke has not been granted amnesty. If, Ateke wants amnesty, Amaechi insisted he must surrender his arms. But Ateke is saying he will not give up his arms. Will Amaechi have the political will to go after Ateke in view of the fact that Ateke is like a little bird dancing on the road while those during are in the nearby bush.
*Over 30 policemen killed, claims Ateke Tom
THE Rivers State Government, reacting to Tuesday’s mayhem in Port Harcourt by gunmen, has declared that warlord Ateke Tom be fished out by all means and handed over to government for prosecution.
Ateke claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least 16 people including seven policemen were killed.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi on a visit to Okirika, Ateke’s base, directed the chiefs and people of the area to track him down, saying the warlord’s activities were hindering the progress of the area.
And at a state banquet in Port Harcourt, the governor said enemies of progress including those he described as cultists would never succeed in distracting government from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
Governor Amaechi also warned that gunmen who failed to submit their weapons of war to government would not be granted amnesty.
However, Ateke says he will not submit any weapon. He also claims his men killed over 30 policemen in Tuesday’s attack.
Governor Amaechi at the banquet in Port Harcourt lamented the New Year day’s attack, saying those bent on destabilising the state would fail.
His words: “While we appreciate the difficulties of these youths, we shall advise in very strong terms that they surrender their weapons to government while we look for a way of rehabilitating them.
Those who surrender their weapons will be granted amnesty while those who refuse to do so will face the wrath of the people and that of the Rivers State government.
“Security remains the greatest challenge threatening our state while till this time it was difficult to ensure the safety of lives and property as aliens were taken at will and kidnapping became almost a daily occurrence.
This is a place where criminals and warlords were on the prowl, foreigners were leaving our state in droves and investors divested from our state. Some of our people began to wonder if government lacked the will and political courage to deal with the situation. We shall prove them wrong.
“In the past 24 hours, armed bandits again invaded Port Harcourt in a futile attempt to reintroduce theft, intimidate government, spread panic and demoralise our people.
They failed. The resolve of government remains unshaken and our commitment to the provision of security, law and order in Rivers State will not lose focus.
“We thank our security forces, particularly the Police, for their valour. We shall stand with all security agencies in their efforts to restore sanity in our state and we shall not abandon those who may be injured or even lose their lives in the service of their country. These people must be completely eliminated from our state so that our state can grow,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ateke Tom has said he will not be part of any call to return weapons as it is a ploy to arrest militants in the state. Ateke who spoke on telephone said the state government was not sincere with the peace process.
He claimed that over 30 policemen were killed in the attacks at the two police stations and Presidential Hotel.
Among the victims were two employees of the Nigerian Ports Authority, an engineer, and a traffic officer, while a computer analyst was identified by his grandmother, including a teacher with a private school and some others who were unidentified at press time.
But state Commissioner of Police, Mr Felix Ogbaudu, said all those killed were militants or cultists, because they were killed in front of the police station during the shootout and their vehicles recovered.
However, relations of the slain said the people killed were decent citizens. They said they were shocked that the police had to bury them in a hurry, and that the bodies had to be exhumed after they protested.
A Bible was found at the scene of killing and identified as that of one of the victims whose relations are insisting that his body be released to them for proper burial and his name be cleared.
Ateke Tom speaking to Vanguard on phone said yesterday he lost only three men and two of the corpses were taken away. He said one was killed accidentally by his men when they raided the Presidential Hotel.
He warned that a massive “showdown across the Niger Delta region was in the pipeline.Warri in Delta State, Yenagoa in Bayelsa and Port Harcourt,” he said would soon erupt in violence.
“If we could kill 30 policemen in two police stations and at the hotel and lose only three men, it means we are simply good. In fact, only two men died in the exchange of fire while one died mistakenly,” he said during the telephone interview.
At this point a man who described himself A.E. Pere, spokesman for NDV, took over the conversation which went thus:
Vanguard: What do you men mistakenly?
Pere: He was shot by our own men.
Vanguard: What are the names of the men you lost?
Pere: Don’t worry, they were brave men.
Vanguard: Did you recover their bodies?
Pere: Yes we did, but one was left behind.
Vanguard: So what next?
Pere: This is not an Ateke Tom’s operation alone. The directive is from Warri Central Command.
Vanguard: But it is like you are giving out vital information about your planned operation?
Pere: No, nonsense. We attack our targets any time and any day and with ease.
George Onah & Jimitota OnoyumeLagos
THE Joint Task Force, JTF, yesterday, carried out aerial bombings at targeted places suspected to be hideouts of the alleged cult leader, Ateke Tom, in Okrika, Rivers State.
Confirming the development to Sunday Vanguard on phone, the JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, said they acted on intelligence report that the places attacked were the alleged cultist's hideouts and armoury.
Ateke equally confirmed the air raid but boasted that the task force could not get him.Musa said that the JTF, in bombing the targets, was careful to ensure that no civilian resident sustained injury. But he was silent if any casualty was recorded on the side of Ateke and his group.
He said the attack was restricted to Dawes Island General area, in Okrika. According to the JTF spokesman, three camps operated by the alleged cult leader were in the island.
"What you heard of is just confirmatory air surveillance of Ateke Tom's camps located in the creeks along Dawes Island General area. The air surveillance, or where necessary strike, was targeted at three confirmed militant camps in the area. We are mindful of the collateral damages that our actions may cause.
"That is why we always exercise restraint in our operations. We are just trying what is practically imperative to tame the growing militant activities in that area, particularly their arms and ammunition depots", he said.
Responding to the air strike in a text message to Sunday Vanguard in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Ateke said two fighter "helicopters belonging to the JTF carried out bombing of" one of his camps along the Bonny axis. "But I was not in the camp and they cannot get me".
He went on: "This is provocation of the highest form and calls to question the sincerity of the JTF in its duties if innocent civilians could be bombed without any reason. Although no one was wounded, it was, however, targeted at me and the people who are living their normal lives without offending the security of the state or anyone.
"The Federal Government is yet to rebuild my houses which were burnt by the JTF and pay all the money looted by the soldiers and property that were removed also. I have given an ultimatum of seven days and I stand by it. I cannot be intimidated by the continuous attacks on me and my boys by agents of the Federal Government but I have a right to fight back."
The military yesterday launched a massive manhunt for suspected cultist Ateke Tom in the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The search began barely 24 hours after Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi declared Tom wanted.
The troops stormed Tom’s hometown, Okochiri in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State and his "Evil Forest" hide-out.
They overran the forest and arrested some suspects, whose number could not be ascertained at press time.
Tom is said to have escaped with a few of his aides. He is believed to have fled the state. The government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Okrika. The curfew is from 6p.m. to 6a.m.
The soldiers searched passers-by and vehicles in their bid to arrest Tom.
It is believed that Tom cannot be captured without an aerial battle.
"Since he knows the creeks very well, it will be easy for him to slip away if we go after him on foot. It is an area we are not conversant with. But as soon as we are able to pinpoint where he may be hiding, we will start bombing," a military source said.
He said the Army, Navy and Air Force were involved in the search because "it is an all-out battle to get Tom".
But the National Co-ordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) Joseph Evah said yesterday that the military cannot arrest Tom.
He cautioned against deploying fresh arms and ammunition in the Niger Delta because, in his view, they would be seized and used against the soldiers by the militants.
Evah urged the Federal Government to probe the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Rivers State for its alleged role in the fresh crisis that has erupted in the region. The military, he said, are creating the environment for the crisis.
He said: "Declaring Ateke Tom wanted is a ploy. If we are in a sane society, the task force should be declared wanted because the military is creating the environment for the crisis. The JTF wants crisis in the region so that they can keep on collecting security votes in dollars from the oil companies."
Evah, who criticised President Umaru Yar’Adua’s proposed budget for security in the region, said the proposal showed the sensitivity of the President to the agonies of people in the Niger Delta.
Besides, he accused Yar’Adua of taking key decisions on the region without carrying along the indigenes occupying key positions in his administration.
He said: "The Vice President is an Ijaw, the Chief of Defence Staff is an Ijaw and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is an Ijaw but the President would not consult with all these people before taking a decision that would affect our people."
On Wednesday, Amaechi asked Okrika elders and leaders to produce Tom or incur the government’s wrath.
The governor challenged Tom to come out of hiding and face the law, if his activities are not criminal in nature. He chided his kinsmen for covering him up, despite all his "atrocities".
Amaechi, who toured the Evil Forest, allegedly used for the initiation and training of cultists, described Tom as a "criminal".
"We have seen that actually this is an Evil Forest where they have a shrine and where they practise how to shoot, but how does the worshipping of juju, charming of people and killing of innocent souls contribute to the struggle for the Niger Delta?" the governor asked.
The governor, who noted that there were other genuine ways of presenting the Niger Delta struggle, said the only way to make peace was for Tom to renounce violence.
Amaechi asked Okrika leaders: "Why are we making innocent souls to die? Why can’t we solve our problems by bringing out all those who are involved? Ateke cannot fight government and you are here celebrating him".
"Mr Ateke cannot withstand the Federal Government but we fear that should the military be given the go-ahead, some innocent souls may die in the process,".
In their speeches, Mr Otonsike Walter Obom and Mr Gaius Jamabo attributed the Okrika crisis to the political class’ struggle for power.
Amaechi was accompanied on the visit by heads of security organizations in the state: the Brigade Commander; the Commanding Officer of the NNS Pathfinder; the Air Force Commander in Port Harcourt; the Police commissioner, and the Director of the State Security Service (SSS).
reports that top government officials shield him from arrest ahead the 2007 polls.
In the wake of violence in Okrika Local Government Area, the Rivers State Government declared a dusk to dawn curfew in the area. One of sons of Okrika Ateke Tom has declared war on Rivers State and other parts of Niger Delta following the destruction of his house and property by soldiers from the Joint Task Force. He has vowed that Rivers state will know no peace except the state government rebuild his house and refunded about six million that he alleged soldiers looted from his house. For the five months that the administration of governor Celestine Omehia declared a curfew in Port Harcourt and its environs, on a daily basis hundreds of residents violated the curfew until Governor Chubike Amaechi lifted it on December 30,2007.
Despite government lifting of curfew, residents of Port Harcourt are currently observing a self-imposed curfew. These days before 9 pm Port Harcourt is like a ghost city as residents scrambled to the safety of their homes. The fear is that one may fall victim to stray bullet during a gun battle between security agents and militants and in event of death, you may be tagged a militant. And maybe throughout your lifetime you never apply to join The Boys Scout, let alone a militant group. The insecurity in the state capital is underlined by the police, at the Mile One Divisional Police Headquarters by 7 pm every evening no vehicle is allow to pass in front, besides and behind the stations. All the roads surrounding the station are cordoned from vehicular traffic. And this sends a message to the residents that all is not well. If the police stations are under siege where do we seek refuge? As one was writing this article, Thursday morning few metres from my office along Ikwerre Road by Chisco Motors, a man carrying a brown enveloped was shot by two young men on a motor bike. When the contents of the envelop spilled out and it was not money the assailants sped off. A police patrol van that was just driving past refused to response to the distress call from people around the area.
But since Ateke carried out attacks on two police stations in Port Harcourt and the Hotel Presidential, residents of the Garden City are wary of where they go and when they go. Ateke also claimed responsibility for the fire incident at the NNPC Jetty at Ogoloma, where more than 40 persons were reportedly burnt and property worth millions destroyed. Just last week a ship, MV Golden Lucy that was discharging petrol at Port Harcourt Area One port was rocked by an explosion. The Nigerian Port Authority claimed the explosion was a normal maritime accident,a militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, which has declared support for Ateke’s new war on the state and public property claimed responsibility. Angered by the claim by the General Manager of Eastern Ports, Mr. Sotonye Etomi, the explosion was an accident, MEND decided to teach him a lesson by attacking his convoy. And during the attack a Police Inspector, Paulinus Amachi was killed. The timing of the attack was note worthy as it was carried out when Etomi, an Ijaw and a son of the soil was not in the convoy.
LEADER of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, does not agreed with Ateke on most issues, in fact he has even alleged years back that some people in the Rivers state government wanted to use Ateke to killed him but on the current actions of Ateke, Asari said these activities came following provocations by the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi. Asari averred that Ameachi has no power to declare Ateke wanted. According to Asari, Ateke is trying to create a state of emergency in the state. Asari said he had spoken to Ateke that his attack on the state was unacceptable to the people, and Ateke promised him that the situation will not repeat itself. Asari declared that if Ateke attacks the Ijaw people, he would be brought to book by the Ijaws. This is a testimony that Ateke is an Ijaw warrior or general. And among the Ijaws there is an unwritten agreement that no harm should come to any of them that is involve in the current violence in the Niger Delta. Also any of them that killed a fellow Ijaw man must be sanction.
Chris Ekiyor, a medical doctor and President of the Ijaw Youth Council [IYC] observed that the attack on Ateke is part of the implementation of a security document on how the military intend to wipe out Ijaw communities. Ekiyor said the Ijaws are taken aback by the attack on the ancient palace of Gbaraun and Okochri after the president have promised that such attacks would never occur. The IYC leader said he was able to get Ateke to release six Russians that were taken hostages at the Aluminium Smelter Plant, Ikot Abasi in Akwa Ibom State. According to Ekiyor, Ateke has embraced peace as he even nominated someone to represent his group to the Presidential Peace Committee on Niger Delta. He aso said that Ateke participated in all the peace process to unite all the fighting group in Okrika. Ekiyor, who said he will not discuss peace with Ateke until government shows its readiness for peace asked government to give Ateke amnesty and the wanted man will come out and contribute to the peace process in the Niger Delta. “Ateke has been with them all these years but they have not been able to get him,” Ekiyor taunted the Rivers State Government.
Ateke is always quick to declare his innocence and insisted that he is a man of peace that spent more than N100 million naira to restore peace in his native Okrika. Ateke raised an alarm that the invasion and burning of his home in Okrika, Rivers State by members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) was a fresh step by the authorities towards eliminating him. He told newsmen in Port Harcourt that his hands were clean, and denied involvement in such activities such as kidnapping and illegal bunkering. He also accused the government of going against the spirit of the peace deal he signed that led to the amnesty that was granted him. “The government is not justified in coming after me, going by the role I played in the return of peace in the state. The government is going against the spirit of the peace deal I signed with them that led to the amnesty granted me. The JTF is attacking my property for the sole purpose of terminating my life."
On last year raid by JTF, Ateke said two fighter "helicopters belonging to the JTF carried out bombing of" one of his camps along the Bonny axis. "But I was not in the camp and they cannot get me”.” This is provocation of the highest form and calls to question the sincerity of the JTF in its duties if innocent civilians could be bombed without any reason. Although no one was wounded, it was, however, targeted at me and the people who are living their normal lives without offending the security of the state or anyone. The Federal Government is yet to rebuild my houses which were burnt by the JTF and pay all the money looted by the soldiers and property that were removed also. I have given an ultimatum of seven days and I stand by it. I cannot be intimidated by the continuous attacks on me and my boys by agents of the Federal Government but I have a right to fight back."
In 2004 Ateke was declared wanted and a ransom placed on his head by the Rivers State Police Command; in 2006 the military declared him wanted and announced a prize of five million naira for whoever can give information leading to his arrest. Right now Ateke is declared wanted and another ransom placed on his head. Ateke may end up being the Rivers man who has been declared wanted most.
December last year, JTF has raided Ateke camp in the Evil forest, Okochri in Okrika. JTF leader and Commander of 2nd Amphibious Brigade in Port Harcourt, Brigadier Sarkin-Yaki Bello, alleged that Ateke was involved in oil theft. Justifying the raid. Bello said and his group of militants perpetuated attacks on the Bonny River; debunked Ateke’s claims that the invasion of his base was against the spirit of the peace agreement he reached with the government.
Bello said"Over the months, intelligence reports had indicated to us a lot of things that had been going on in that place. In order to ascertain these things, we sent in an information patrol, which went in and came back to confirm that a lot of militants had infested Okochiri and that Ateke was a cult hero in that place. That was what informed the operation we carried out.” Bello, said his men would not relent in apprehending Ateke and said that all the task force required was the right information, stressing: “One day we will get him. We will like to get him alive so he can face justice. I have a chain of command I take order from,” and declared that Ateke had not been granted amnesty by anyone.”
After the invasionby JTF, Ateke issued a seven day deadline for the state government to rebuild his house destroyed by the soldiers and refund about six million naira he claimed soldiers looted from his house.
A statement attributed to one of his aides Damiso said: “Ateke Tom wishes to make it clear to the world that the killing of the soldiers in Okrika, the burning of their patrol vans and the local government council as well as the ships was carried out by him. My action is predicated on the general lack of confidence in the presidential peace, brokered between the Nigerian State and the Izon people. This is also evident in the arrest of Henry Okah in Angola and the recent attack on me and other places by the forces of the same government.Certainly, this is not a government that wants peace. We will continue to fight till our rights are respected as a people. Enough of this double-standard and double-speak in a frail and crisis-prone region.”
Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Group, means several things to several people. To Chubike Amaechi, governor of Rivers State and members of the Joint Task Force [JTF] and security chiefs: Ateke is a wanted person, a kidnapper, a murderer, illegal bunkerer and a criminal. To members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta [MEND]; Ateke is a comrade-in- arms and part of the Niger Delta struggle. To the Ijaw nation, Ateke is a “warrior,” one of the Ijaw respected generals, a patriot and a fighter for the Ijaw cause. To the boys Ateke is the “Godfather”. Depending on what angle you look at Ateke he may be a saint or a demon. To some people in Okrika the fragile peace in the town is attributed to his efforts to reconcile the warring parties in Okrika. To some youths Ateke is a philanthropist who cares for the welfare of orphans and widows as ell as offer schorlarship to indigent students of Okrika.
Much is not known about Ateke until civilian came into power in 1999. Some person claimed he was a fisherman in his native Okrika. Other said he was into illegal bunkering of petroleum. Others still averred that Ateke was working for former Secretary to Rivers state Government and ex-Minister of Transport, Dr. Abiye Precious Sekibo. According to another militant leader and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Voulunteer Force, Alhaji Mujihad Dokubo-Asari "Ateke was a creation of the government of Rivers State for eight years, he was out to attack me then when I protested against the 2003 governorship elections in Rivers State, he is a product of government in which Amaechi was number three, there is a transfer of aggression in his case".
According to sources in Port Harcourt, Atake was the mastermind that give victory to PDP in Okrika and Ogu Bolo local government areas of Rivers State. The story is that All Peoples Party now ANPP won in these two areas during the 1999 general elections. But PDP appointed an Okrika son, Sekibo as the Secretary to the Government. And in order to ensure that these areas are delivered to PDP , the services of Ateke was engaged and that was the beginning of the rise and rise of the Godfather. According to a report from the Human Right Watch “ the former Secretary to the State Government and current Federal Transport Minister, Abiye Sekibo, provided logistical support and political protection to local youth leader Tom to help counter the influence of the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), particularly in Okrika local government area, during the 2003 state and federal elections. During this period, Tom was given free rein to carry out profitable bunkering activities in exchange for his group’s violent services during the 2003 elections.8In an interview with Human Rights Watch, a local opposition party candidate alleged that senior members of the local PDP, including Abiye Sekibo, used members of Tom’s NDV, known at the time as the “Ateke boys,” to drive opposition supporters out of Ogu/Bolo and Okrika local government areas prior to the elections.9 A local resident told Human Rights Watch how in March 2003, one month before the elections, armed members of Tom’s NDV gunmen attacked opposition party members who were putting up election posters in Amadi Ama.”
Amaechi has declared Ateke a common criminal and has vowed not to rest until Ateke is arrested and prosecuted. The governor has also declared that Ateke has not been granted amnesty. If, Ateke wants amnesty, Amaechi insisted he must surrender his arms. But Ateke is saying he will not give up his arms. Will Amaechi have the political will to go after Ateke in view of the fact that Ateke is like a little bird dancing on the road while those during are in the nearby bush.
*Over 30 policemen killed, claims Ateke Tom
THE Rivers State Government, reacting to Tuesday’s mayhem in Port Harcourt by gunmen, has declared that warlord Ateke Tom be fished out by all means and handed over to government for prosecution.
Ateke claimed responsibility for the attack in which at least 16 people including seven policemen were killed.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi on a visit to Okirika, Ateke’s base, directed the chiefs and people of the area to track him down, saying the warlord’s activities were hindering the progress of the area.
And at a state banquet in Port Harcourt, the governor said enemies of progress including those he described as cultists would never succeed in distracting government from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people.
Governor Amaechi also warned that gunmen who failed to submit their weapons of war to government would not be granted amnesty.
However, Ateke says he will not submit any weapon. He also claims his men killed over 30 policemen in Tuesday’s attack.
Governor Amaechi at the banquet in Port Harcourt lamented the New Year day’s attack, saying those bent on destabilising the state would fail.
His words: “While we appreciate the difficulties of these youths, we shall advise in very strong terms that they surrender their weapons to government while we look for a way of rehabilitating them.
Those who surrender their weapons will be granted amnesty while those who refuse to do so will face the wrath of the people and that of the Rivers State government.
“Security remains the greatest challenge threatening our state while till this time it was difficult to ensure the safety of lives and property as aliens were taken at will and kidnapping became almost a daily occurrence.
This is a place where criminals and warlords were on the prowl, foreigners were leaving our state in droves and investors divested from our state. Some of our people began to wonder if government lacked the will and political courage to deal with the situation. We shall prove them wrong.
“In the past 24 hours, armed bandits again invaded Port Harcourt in a futile attempt to reintroduce theft, intimidate government, spread panic and demoralise our people.
They failed. The resolve of government remains unshaken and our commitment to the provision of security, law and order in Rivers State will not lose focus.
“We thank our security forces, particularly the Police, for their valour. We shall stand with all security agencies in their efforts to restore sanity in our state and we shall not abandon those who may be injured or even lose their lives in the service of their country. These people must be completely eliminated from our state so that our state can grow,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ateke Tom has said he will not be part of any call to return weapons as it is a ploy to arrest militants in the state. Ateke who spoke on telephone said the state government was not sincere with the peace process.
He claimed that over 30 policemen were killed in the attacks at the two police stations and Presidential Hotel.
Among the victims were two employees of the Nigerian Ports Authority, an engineer, and a traffic officer, while a computer analyst was identified by his grandmother, including a teacher with a private school and some others who were unidentified at press time.
But state Commissioner of Police, Mr Felix Ogbaudu, said all those killed were militants or cultists, because they were killed in front of the police station during the shootout and their vehicles recovered.
However, relations of the slain said the people killed were decent citizens. They said they were shocked that the police had to bury them in a hurry, and that the bodies had to be exhumed after they protested.
A Bible was found at the scene of killing and identified as that of one of the victims whose relations are insisting that his body be released to them for proper burial and his name be cleared.
Ateke Tom speaking to Vanguard on phone said yesterday he lost only three men and two of the corpses were taken away. He said one was killed accidentally by his men when they raided the Presidential Hotel.
He warned that a massive “showdown across the Niger Delta region was in the pipeline.Warri in Delta State, Yenagoa in Bayelsa and Port Harcourt,” he said would soon erupt in violence.
“If we could kill 30 policemen in two police stations and at the hotel and lose only three men, it means we are simply good. In fact, only two men died in the exchange of fire while one died mistakenly,” he said during the telephone interview.
At this point a man who described himself A.E. Pere, spokesman for NDV, took over the conversation which went thus:
Vanguard: What do you men mistakenly?
Pere: He was shot by our own men.
Vanguard: What are the names of the men you lost?
Pere: Don’t worry, they were brave men.
Vanguard: Did you recover their bodies?
Pere: Yes we did, but one was left behind.
Vanguard: So what next?
Pere: This is not an Ateke Tom’s operation alone. The directive is from Warri Central Command.
Vanguard: But it is like you are giving out vital information about your planned operation?
Pere: No, nonsense. We attack our targets any time and any day and with ease.
George Onah & Jimitota OnoyumeLagos
THE Joint Task Force, JTF, yesterday, carried out aerial bombings at targeted places suspected to be hideouts of the alleged cult leader, Ateke Tom, in Okrika, Rivers State.
Confirming the development to Sunday Vanguard on phone, the JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, said they acted on intelligence report that the places attacked were the alleged cultist's hideouts and armoury.
Ateke equally confirmed the air raid but boasted that the task force could not get him.Musa said that the JTF, in bombing the targets, was careful to ensure that no civilian resident sustained injury. But he was silent if any casualty was recorded on the side of Ateke and his group.
He said the attack was restricted to Dawes Island General area, in Okrika. According to the JTF spokesman, three camps operated by the alleged cult leader were in the island.
"What you heard of is just confirmatory air surveillance of Ateke Tom's camps located in the creeks along Dawes Island General area. The air surveillance, or where necessary strike, was targeted at three confirmed militant camps in the area. We are mindful of the collateral damages that our actions may cause.
"That is why we always exercise restraint in our operations. We are just trying what is practically imperative to tame the growing militant activities in that area, particularly their arms and ammunition depots", he said.
Responding to the air strike in a text message to Sunday Vanguard in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Ateke said two fighter "helicopters belonging to the JTF carried out bombing of" one of his camps along the Bonny axis. "But I was not in the camp and they cannot get me".
He went on: "This is provocation of the highest form and calls to question the sincerity of the JTF in its duties if innocent civilians could be bombed without any reason. Although no one was wounded, it was, however, targeted at me and the people who are living their normal lives without offending the security of the state or anyone.
"The Federal Government is yet to rebuild my houses which were burnt by the JTF and pay all the money looted by the soldiers and property that were removed also. I have given an ultimatum of seven days and I stand by it. I cannot be intimidated by the continuous attacks on me and my boys by agents of the Federal Government but I have a right to fight back."
The military yesterday launched a massive manhunt for suspected cultist Ateke Tom in the creeks of the Niger Delta.
The search began barely 24 hours after Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi declared Tom wanted.
The troops stormed Tom’s hometown, Okochiri in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State and his "Evil Forest" hide-out.
They overran the forest and arrested some suspects, whose number could not be ascertained at press time.
Tom is said to have escaped with a few of his aides. He is believed to have fled the state. The government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Okrika. The curfew is from 6p.m. to 6a.m.
The soldiers searched passers-by and vehicles in their bid to arrest Tom.
It is believed that Tom cannot be captured without an aerial battle.
"Since he knows the creeks very well, it will be easy for him to slip away if we go after him on foot. It is an area we are not conversant with. But as soon as we are able to pinpoint where he may be hiding, we will start bombing," a military source said.
He said the Army, Navy and Air Force were involved in the search because "it is an all-out battle to get Tom".
But the National Co-ordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG) Joseph Evah said yesterday that the military cannot arrest Tom.
He cautioned against deploying fresh arms and ammunition in the Niger Delta because, in his view, they would be seized and used against the soldiers by the militants.
Evah urged the Federal Government to probe the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Rivers State for its alleged role in the fresh crisis that has erupted in the region. The military, he said, are creating the environment for the crisis.
He said: "Declaring Ateke Tom wanted is a ploy. If we are in a sane society, the task force should be declared wanted because the military is creating the environment for the crisis. The JTF wants crisis in the region so that they can keep on collecting security votes in dollars from the oil companies."
Evah, who criticised President Umaru Yar’Adua’s proposed budget for security in the region, said the proposal showed the sensitivity of the President to the agonies of people in the Niger Delta.
Besides, he accused Yar’Adua of taking key decisions on the region without carrying along the indigenes occupying key positions in his administration.
He said: "The Vice President is an Ijaw, the Chief of Defence Staff is an Ijaw and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is an Ijaw but the President would not consult with all these people before taking a decision that would affect our people."
On Wednesday, Amaechi asked Okrika elders and leaders to produce Tom or incur the government’s wrath.
The governor challenged Tom to come out of hiding and face the law, if his activities are not criminal in nature. He chided his kinsmen for covering him up, despite all his "atrocities".
Amaechi, who toured the Evil Forest, allegedly used for the initiation and training of cultists, described Tom as a "criminal".
"We have seen that actually this is an Evil Forest where they have a shrine and where they practise how to shoot, but how does the worshipping of juju, charming of people and killing of innocent souls contribute to the struggle for the Niger Delta?" the governor asked.
The governor, who noted that there were other genuine ways of presenting the Niger Delta struggle, said the only way to make peace was for Tom to renounce violence.
Amaechi asked Okrika leaders: "Why are we making innocent souls to die? Why can’t we solve our problems by bringing out all those who are involved? Ateke cannot fight government and you are here celebrating him".
"Mr Ateke cannot withstand the Federal Government but we fear that should the military be given the go-ahead, some innocent souls may die in the process,".
In their speeches, Mr Otonsike Walter Obom and Mr Gaius Jamabo attributed the Okrika crisis to the political class’ struggle for power.
Amaechi was accompanied on the visit by heads of security organizations in the state: the Brigade Commander; the Commanding Officer of the NNS Pathfinder; the Air Force Commander in Port Harcourt; the Police commissioner, and the Director of the State Security Service (SSS).
reports that top government officials shield him from arrest ahead the 2007 polls.
MOSOP AS AMILITANT GROUP
MOSOP AS A MILITANT GROUP
Recently the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People [MOSOP] issued a press release debunking a classification by the Joint Task Force [JTF] that the apex Ogoni organization is a militant group. By definition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary MOSOP is a militant group. According to the sixth edition of the dictionary, page 743 a militant is “using, or willing to use force or strong pressure to achieve your aims, especially to achieve social or political change.” But a militant in the Nigerian context refers to a criminal. The tag militant has a negative connotation. For being vocal or demanding for your right you may be labeled a militant.
The dictionary definition does not quiet fit MOSOP. Yes, the group can be described as a pressure group that is using pressure to gain political advantage and environmental rehabilitation. But MOSOP is not known to be using violence to pursue it set aims and objectives since it started in 1990. MOSOP may be guilty of propaganda or manipulation of the media to pursue its objectives but not of using violence or unconstitutional means to seek for the survival of Ogoni nation.
When it comes to propaganda give it to the Ogonis. The Ogoni as an ethnic group has produced the largest number of Commissioners for Information since the creation of the Old Rivers State till date: the Ken Saro Wiwas, Edward Kobanis, Magnus Abes, among others. Is it a coincidence or there something in the Ogonis that make them to be the preferred ones for this portfolio.
Since the classification of MOSOP as a militant group, I have reviewed my relationship with all my Ogoni friends and acquaintances for fear of being accused of aiding and abetting militant activities in the Niger Delta. Ogoni people happened to be the first set of Rivers people that I have close contact and relationship with and this has gone on for more than a decade. And many Rivers people are wont to classify me as an Ogoni until I will protest that I am an ‘Ete”.
Every Ogoni man is a member of MOSOP, at least those that were born on or before 1993. At the inception of MOSOP every Ogoni indigene contributed, registered or identified with the organization with a token of One Naira. From the educated to the illiterates, the radicals and the conservatives, the bourgeoisies, the clerics, the traditional rulers, men women, children named them. If the JTF classification is accepted then Ogoniland may have the largest number of militants in Nigeria as the more than 300,000 Ogoni indigenes are proud members of MOSOP. They all funded MOSOP. MOSOP was never and is not one of the secret organizations in Ogoniland. The organization has offices, branches and affiliates across the world. They are never known for violence. The violence that engulf Ogoniland in the 90s that lead to the killing of the “Ogoni Four” and later the “Ogoni 8” and the thousands of defenceless Ogonimen and women who lost their during Colonel Paul Okutimu reign of terror was state sponsored to blackmail the leaders of MOSOP to dropped their demands for participation in the management of its petroleum resources and checkmate environmental degradation. Today in Ogoniland whenever MOSOP has a function the families of the Ogoni four and Ogoni eight are at the fore front because they have since realized who killed their fathers and who their real enemies are.
As a journalist working in the Niger Delta, labeling MOSOP and other civil society groups as militant organization rings a bell. Few weeks back, the Rivers State Correspondent of the Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri was invited by the state Police Command over his reports on the January 1,2008 killings, which Ateke Tom claimed he was responsible. Since JTF and other security agencies may not be able to lay hands on the real criminals causing havoc in Niger Delta, they may behave like the chicken in an Akwa Ibom proverb, that leaves its killer and blamed the pot for cooking it. After classifying MOSOP as a militant group, security agencies may soon brand journalists as militants. They may soon seek to know from journalists how the militants came about their emails addresses and cellphones numbers. Reporters, that is what we are, may soon be asked to disclosed how the got their information and contacts.
It may be a ploy to waste the youths and the best of Niger Delta, all that is needed is a spurious security report that so and so person is a militant and was killed during a gun battle with JTF. In short no one is safe. One is not saying that some youths from Ogoni may not involve in the current violence [and criminality] going on in Niger Delta in the name of agitation. MOSOP has been on the forefront of non-voilence agitation in the Niger Delta and to accused its of militancy in the Nigerian sense is unfortunate.
In the words of MOSOP Information Officer, Mr. Bai-ala Kpallap “MOSOP has described as mischievous and unfortunate the reported branding of MOSOP and some other Niger Delta civil society organizations by the Joint Task Force (JTF) as militant groups. The report, apart from being built on faulty intelligence inconsistent with the realities on ground but regrettably exposed a malign ethnic malice; it sadly compromises the role of the JTF. We strongly believe that the declaration was merely intended to create an excuse for a violent clamp down on the organizations and the people”. This report or similar security reports are not just mischievous but an indication that our security agents are at their wit ends concerning the Niger Delta crisis. It reveals the falsehood that have been passed to Abuja as security reports to justify the huge amounts wasted daily in the name of security votes in the various Government Houses in the Niger Delta.
One may ask is MOSOP and the civil society organizations are beneficiaries of the missing weapons from the army armoury that are reportedly in the hands of criminals in the Niger Delta? During the trial of Saro-Wiwa no weapon was tendered except that he incited the youths to kill. This means MOSOP has no armoury.
This writer agreed with the organization view on the classification, “MOSOP would thus advice government to be wary of this spurious report callously authored to create negative impressions and fear in order to attract more funding of its violent operations in the Niger Delta. We call on government to discountenance the report as it is not credible but misleading and capable of sparking more problems than providing answers.”
Labeling MOSOP, alongside other civil society groups in Niger Delta, as a militant group is unfair and a cheap blackmail. We are not all militants, something gave birth to militancy. Let the federal government look at the real cause of militancy, consider the genuine requests, complains and agitation that gave birth to the crisis in the region and the criminals among us would be expose for what they are. From the beginning it was not so. Let not concentrate on cutting the branches but eliminate the problem from the roots.
Like the jujuman from my village would say, if not for juju what would he would have been eating. Some of the security men posted to the region are currently enjoying certain level of comfort and affluence that they would not like the crisis to end. What about the soldiers and mobile policemen posted to oil companies, facilities and installations, some of them for the first time taste better life outside their dingy barracks? They would not like the violence to stop as this might cut short the comfort and dream life. What about the huge security votes expended by the various Niger Delta Governments, what would the benefiaries do if there are no crisis, how will they justify this huge waste? Using Rivers state as and example vehicles, operational equipment and barracks have been provided for all the security agencies in the state , if there was peace they would not have benefited so much because they are federal agencies and government should provide these for them.
So labeling MOSOP and other groups in the region through spurious security reports, after all, may be in a bid to justify the militarization of the area against the peoples’ will and to justify the huge spending of money of security and wasting of human lives.
MOSOP AS A MILITANT GROUP
Recently the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People [MOSOP] issued a press release debunking a classification by the Joint Task Force [JTF] that the apex Ogoni organization is a militant group. By definition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary MOSOP is a militant group. According to the sixth edition of the dictionary, page 743 a militant is “using, or willing to use force or strong pressure to achieve your aims, especially to achieve social or political change.” But a militant in the Nigerian context refers to a criminal. The tag militant has a negative connotation. For being vocal or demanding for your right you may be labeled a militant.
The dictionary definition does not quiet fit MOSOP. Yes, the group can be described as a pressure group that is using pressure to gain political advantage and environmental rehabilitation. But MOSOP is not known to be using violence to pursue it set aims and objectives since it started in 1990. MOSOP may be guilty of propaganda or manipulation of the media to pursue its objectives but not of using violence or unconstitutional means to seek for the survival of Ogoni nation.
When it comes to propaganda give it to the Ogonis. The Ogoni as an ethnic group has produced the largest number of Commissioners for Information since the creation of the Old Rivers State till date: the Ken Saro Wiwas, Edward Kobanis, Magnus Abes, among others. Is it a coincidence or there something in the Ogonis that make them to be the preferred ones for this portfolio.
Since the classification of MOSOP as a militant group, I have reviewed my relationship with all my Ogoni friends and acquaintances for fear of being accused of aiding and abetting militant activities in the Niger Delta. Ogoni people happened to be the first set of Rivers people that I have close contact and relationship with and this has gone on for more than a decade. And many Rivers people are wont to classify me as an Ogoni until I will protest that I am an ‘Ete”.
Every Ogoni man is a member of MOSOP, at least those that were born on or before 1993. At the inception of MOSOP every Ogoni indigene contributed, registered or identified with the organization with a token of One Naira. From the educated to the illiterates, the radicals and the conservatives, the bourgeoisies, the clerics, the traditional rulers, men women, children named them. If the JTF classification is accepted then Ogoniland may have the largest number of militants in Nigeria as the more than 300,000 Ogoni indigenes are proud members of MOSOP. They all funded MOSOP. MOSOP was never and is not one of the secret organizations in Ogoniland. The organization has offices, branches and affiliates across the world. They are never known for violence. The violence that engulf Ogoniland in the 90s that lead to the killing of the “Ogoni Four” and later the “Ogoni 8” and the thousands of defenceless Ogonimen and women who lost their during Colonel Paul Okutimu reign of terror was state sponsored to blackmail the leaders of MOSOP to dropped their demands for participation in the management of its petroleum resources and checkmate environmental degradation. Today in Ogoniland whenever MOSOP has a function the families of the Ogoni four and Ogoni eight are at the fore front because they have since realized who killed their fathers and who their real enemies are.
As a journalist working in the Niger Delta, labeling MOSOP and other civil society groups as militant organization rings a bell. Few weeks back, the Rivers State Correspondent of the Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri was invited by the state Police Command over his reports on the January 1,2008 killings, which Ateke Tom claimed he was responsible. Since JTF and other security agencies may not be able to lay hands on the real criminals causing havoc in Niger Delta, they may behave like the chicken in an Akwa Ibom proverb, that leaves its killer and blamed the pot for cooking it. After classifying MOSOP as a militant group, security agencies may soon brand journalists as militants. They may soon seek to know from journalists how the militants came about their emails addresses and cellphones numbers. Reporters, that is what we are, may soon be asked to disclosed how the got their information and contacts.
It may be a ploy to waste the youths and the best of Niger Delta, all that is needed is a spurious security report that so and so person is a militant and was killed during a gun battle with JTF. In short no one is safe. One is not saying that some youths from Ogoni may not involve in the current violence [and criminality] going on in Niger Delta in the name of agitation. MOSOP has been on the forefront of non-voilence agitation in the Niger Delta and to accused its of militancy in the Nigerian sense is unfortunate.
In the words of MOSOP Information Officer, Mr. Bai-ala Kpallap “MOSOP has described as mischievous and unfortunate the reported branding of MOSOP and some other Niger Delta civil society organizations by the Joint Task Force (JTF) as militant groups. The report, apart from being built on faulty intelligence inconsistent with the realities on ground but regrettably exposed a malign ethnic malice; it sadly compromises the role of the JTF. We strongly believe that the declaration was merely intended to create an excuse for a violent clamp down on the organizations and the people”. This report or similar security reports are not just mischievous but an indication that our security agents are at their wit ends concerning the Niger Delta crisis. It reveals the falsehood that have been passed to Abuja as security reports to justify the huge amounts wasted daily in the name of security votes in the various Government Houses in the Niger Delta.
One may ask is MOSOP and the civil society organizations are beneficiaries of the missing weapons from the army armoury that are reportedly in the hands of criminals in the Niger Delta? During the trial of Saro-Wiwa no weapon was tendered except that he incited the youths to kill. This means MOSOP has no armoury.
This writer agreed with the organization view on the classification, “MOSOP would thus advice government to be wary of this spurious report callously authored to create negative impressions and fear in order to attract more funding of its violent operations in the Niger Delta. We call on government to discountenance the report as it is not credible but misleading and capable of sparking more problems than providing answers.”
Labeling MOSOP, alongside other civil society groups in Niger Delta, as a militant group is unfair and a cheap blackmail. We are not all militants, something gave birth to militancy. Let the federal government look at the real cause of militancy, consider the genuine requests, complains and agitation that gave birth to the crisis in the region and the criminals among us would be expose for what they are. From the beginning it was not so. Let not concentrate on cutting the branches but eliminate the problem from the roots.
Like the jujuman from my village would say, if not for juju what would he would have been eating. Some of the security men posted to the region are currently enjoying certain level of comfort and affluence that they would not like the crisis to end. What about the soldiers and mobile policemen posted to oil companies, facilities and installations, some of them for the first time taste better life outside their dingy barracks? They would not like the violence to stop as this might cut short the comfort and dream life. What about the huge security votes expended by the various Niger Delta Governments, what would the benefiaries do if there are no crisis, how will they justify this huge waste? Using Rivers state as and example vehicles, operational equipment and barracks have been provided for all the security agencies in the state , if there was peace they would not have benefited so much because they are federal agencies and government should provide these for them.
So labeling MOSOP and other groups in the region through spurious security reports, after all, may be in a bid to justify the militarization of the area against the peoples’ will and to justify the huge spending of money of security and wasting of human lives.
Recently the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People [MOSOP] issued a press release debunking a classification by the Joint Task Force [JTF] that the apex Ogoni organization is a militant group. By definition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary MOSOP is a militant group. According to the sixth edition of the dictionary, page 743 a militant is “using, or willing to use force or strong pressure to achieve your aims, especially to achieve social or political change.” But a militant in the Nigerian context refers to a criminal. The tag militant has a negative connotation. For being vocal or demanding for your right you may be labeled a militant.
The dictionary definition does not quiet fit MOSOP. Yes, the group can be described as a pressure group that is using pressure to gain political advantage and environmental rehabilitation. But MOSOP is not known to be using violence to pursue it set aims and objectives since it started in 1990. MOSOP may be guilty of propaganda or manipulation of the media to pursue its objectives but not of using violence or unconstitutional means to seek for the survival of Ogoni nation.
When it comes to propaganda give it to the Ogonis. The Ogoni as an ethnic group has produced the largest number of Commissioners for Information since the creation of the Old Rivers State till date: the Ken Saro Wiwas, Edward Kobanis, Magnus Abes, among others. Is it a coincidence or there something in the Ogonis that make them to be the preferred ones for this portfolio.
Since the classification of MOSOP as a militant group, I have reviewed my relationship with all my Ogoni friends and acquaintances for fear of being accused of aiding and abetting militant activities in the Niger Delta. Ogoni people happened to be the first set of Rivers people that I have close contact and relationship with and this has gone on for more than a decade. And many Rivers people are wont to classify me as an Ogoni until I will protest that I am an ‘Ete”.
Every Ogoni man is a member of MOSOP, at least those that were born on or before 1993. At the inception of MOSOP every Ogoni indigene contributed, registered or identified with the organization with a token of One Naira. From the educated to the illiterates, the radicals and the conservatives, the bourgeoisies, the clerics, the traditional rulers, men women, children named them. If the JTF classification is accepted then Ogoniland may have the largest number of militants in Nigeria as the more than 300,000 Ogoni indigenes are proud members of MOSOP. They all funded MOSOP. MOSOP was never and is not one of the secret organizations in Ogoniland. The organization has offices, branches and affiliates across the world. They are never known for violence. The violence that engulf Ogoniland in the 90s that lead to the killing of the “Ogoni Four” and later the “Ogoni 8” and the thousands of defenceless Ogonimen and women who lost their during Colonel Paul Okutimu reign of terror was state sponsored to blackmail the leaders of MOSOP to dropped their demands for participation in the management of its petroleum resources and checkmate environmental degradation. Today in Ogoniland whenever MOSOP has a function the families of the Ogoni four and Ogoni eight are at the fore front because they have since realized who killed their fathers and who their real enemies are.
As a journalist working in the Niger Delta, labeling MOSOP and other civil society groups as militant organization rings a bell. Few weeks back, the Rivers State Correspondent of the Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri was invited by the state Police Command over his reports on the January 1,2008 killings, which Ateke Tom claimed he was responsible. Since JTF and other security agencies may not be able to lay hands on the real criminals causing havoc in Niger Delta, they may behave like the chicken in an Akwa Ibom proverb, that leaves its killer and blamed the pot for cooking it. After classifying MOSOP as a militant group, security agencies may soon brand journalists as militants. They may soon seek to know from journalists how the militants came about their emails addresses and cellphones numbers. Reporters, that is what we are, may soon be asked to disclosed how the got their information and contacts.
It may be a ploy to waste the youths and the best of Niger Delta, all that is needed is a spurious security report that so and so person is a militant and was killed during a gun battle with JTF. In short no one is safe. One is not saying that some youths from Ogoni may not involve in the current violence [and criminality] going on in Niger Delta in the name of agitation. MOSOP has been on the forefront of non-voilence agitation in the Niger Delta and to accused its of militancy in the Nigerian sense is unfortunate.
In the words of MOSOP Information Officer, Mr. Bai-ala Kpallap “MOSOP has described as mischievous and unfortunate the reported branding of MOSOP and some other Niger Delta civil society organizations by the Joint Task Force (JTF) as militant groups. The report, apart from being built on faulty intelligence inconsistent with the realities on ground but regrettably exposed a malign ethnic malice; it sadly compromises the role of the JTF. We strongly believe that the declaration was merely intended to create an excuse for a violent clamp down on the organizations and the people”. This report or similar security reports are not just mischievous but an indication that our security agents are at their wit ends concerning the Niger Delta crisis. It reveals the falsehood that have been passed to Abuja as security reports to justify the huge amounts wasted daily in the name of security votes in the various Government Houses in the Niger Delta.
One may ask is MOSOP and the civil society organizations are beneficiaries of the missing weapons from the army armoury that are reportedly in the hands of criminals in the Niger Delta? During the trial of Saro-Wiwa no weapon was tendered except that he incited the youths to kill. This means MOSOP has no armoury.
This writer agreed with the organization view on the classification, “MOSOP would thus advice government to be wary of this spurious report callously authored to create negative impressions and fear in order to attract more funding of its violent operations in the Niger Delta. We call on government to discountenance the report as it is not credible but misleading and capable of sparking more problems than providing answers.”
Labeling MOSOP, alongside other civil society groups in Niger Delta, as a militant group is unfair and a cheap blackmail. We are not all militants, something gave birth to militancy. Let the federal government look at the real cause of militancy, consider the genuine requests, complains and agitation that gave birth to the crisis in the region and the criminals among us would be expose for what they are. From the beginning it was not so. Let not concentrate on cutting the branches but eliminate the problem from the roots.
Like the jujuman from my village would say, if not for juju what would he would have been eating. Some of the security men posted to the region are currently enjoying certain level of comfort and affluence that they would not like the crisis to end. What about the soldiers and mobile policemen posted to oil companies, facilities and installations, some of them for the first time taste better life outside their dingy barracks? They would not like the violence to stop as this might cut short the comfort and dream life. What about the huge security votes expended by the various Niger Delta Governments, what would the benefiaries do if there are no crisis, how will they justify this huge waste? Using Rivers state as and example vehicles, operational equipment and barracks have been provided for all the security agencies in the state , if there was peace they would not have benefited so much because they are federal agencies and government should provide these for them.
So labeling MOSOP and other groups in the region through spurious security reports, after all, may be in a bid to justify the militarization of the area against the peoples’ will and to justify the huge spending of money of security and wasting of human lives.
MOSOP AS A MILITANT GROUP
Recently the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People [MOSOP] issued a press release debunking a classification by the Joint Task Force [JTF] that the apex Ogoni organization is a militant group. By definition of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary MOSOP is a militant group. According to the sixth edition of the dictionary, page 743 a militant is “using, or willing to use force or strong pressure to achieve your aims, especially to achieve social or political change.” But a militant in the Nigerian context refers to a criminal. The tag militant has a negative connotation. For being vocal or demanding for your right you may be labeled a militant.
The dictionary definition does not quiet fit MOSOP. Yes, the group can be described as a pressure group that is using pressure to gain political advantage and environmental rehabilitation. But MOSOP is not known to be using violence to pursue it set aims and objectives since it started in 1990. MOSOP may be guilty of propaganda or manipulation of the media to pursue its objectives but not of using violence or unconstitutional means to seek for the survival of Ogoni nation.
When it comes to propaganda give it to the Ogonis. The Ogoni as an ethnic group has produced the largest number of Commissioners for Information since the creation of the Old Rivers State till date: the Ken Saro Wiwas, Edward Kobanis, Magnus Abes, among others. Is it a coincidence or there something in the Ogonis that make them to be the preferred ones for this portfolio.
Since the classification of MOSOP as a militant group, I have reviewed my relationship with all my Ogoni friends and acquaintances for fear of being accused of aiding and abetting militant activities in the Niger Delta. Ogoni people happened to be the first set of Rivers people that I have close contact and relationship with and this has gone on for more than a decade. And many Rivers people are wont to classify me as an Ogoni until I will protest that I am an ‘Ete”.
Every Ogoni man is a member of MOSOP, at least those that were born on or before 1993. At the inception of MOSOP every Ogoni indigene contributed, registered or identified with the organization with a token of One Naira. From the educated to the illiterates, the radicals and the conservatives, the bourgeoisies, the clerics, the traditional rulers, men women, children named them. If the JTF classification is accepted then Ogoniland may have the largest number of militants in Nigeria as the more than 300,000 Ogoni indigenes are proud members of MOSOP. They all funded MOSOP. MOSOP was never and is not one of the secret organizations in Ogoniland. The organization has offices, branches and affiliates across the world. They are never known for violence. The violence that engulf Ogoniland in the 90s that lead to the killing of the “Ogoni Four” and later the “Ogoni 8” and the thousands of defenceless Ogonimen and women who lost their during Colonel Paul Okutimu reign of terror was state sponsored to blackmail the leaders of MOSOP to dropped their demands for participation in the management of its petroleum resources and checkmate environmental degradation. Today in Ogoniland whenever MOSOP has a function the families of the Ogoni four and Ogoni eight are at the fore front because they have since realized who killed their fathers and who their real enemies are.
As a journalist working in the Niger Delta, labeling MOSOP and other civil society groups as militant organization rings a bell. Few weeks back, the Rivers State Correspondent of the Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Kelvin Ebiri was invited by the state Police Command over his reports on the January 1,2008 killings, which Ateke Tom claimed he was responsible. Since JTF and other security agencies may not be able to lay hands on the real criminals causing havoc in Niger Delta, they may behave like the chicken in an Akwa Ibom proverb, that leaves its killer and blamed the pot for cooking it. After classifying MOSOP as a militant group, security agencies may soon brand journalists as militants. They may soon seek to know from journalists how the militants came about their emails addresses and cellphones numbers. Reporters, that is what we are, may soon be asked to disclosed how the got their information and contacts.
It may be a ploy to waste the youths and the best of Niger Delta, all that is needed is a spurious security report that so and so person is a militant and was killed during a gun battle with JTF. In short no one is safe. One is not saying that some youths from Ogoni may not involve in the current violence [and criminality] going on in Niger Delta in the name of agitation. MOSOP has been on the forefront of non-voilence agitation in the Niger Delta and to accused its of militancy in the Nigerian sense is unfortunate.
In the words of MOSOP Information Officer, Mr. Bai-ala Kpallap “MOSOP has described as mischievous and unfortunate the reported branding of MOSOP and some other Niger Delta civil society organizations by the Joint Task Force (JTF) as militant groups. The report, apart from being built on faulty intelligence inconsistent with the realities on ground but regrettably exposed a malign ethnic malice; it sadly compromises the role of the JTF. We strongly believe that the declaration was merely intended to create an excuse for a violent clamp down on the organizations and the people”. This report or similar security reports are not just mischievous but an indication that our security agents are at their wit ends concerning the Niger Delta crisis. It reveals the falsehood that have been passed to Abuja as security reports to justify the huge amounts wasted daily in the name of security votes in the various Government Houses in the Niger Delta.
One may ask is MOSOP and the civil society organizations are beneficiaries of the missing weapons from the army armoury that are reportedly in the hands of criminals in the Niger Delta? During the trial of Saro-Wiwa no weapon was tendered except that he incited the youths to kill. This means MOSOP has no armoury.
This writer agreed with the organization view on the classification, “MOSOP would thus advice government to be wary of this spurious report callously authored to create negative impressions and fear in order to attract more funding of its violent operations in the Niger Delta. We call on government to discountenance the report as it is not credible but misleading and capable of sparking more problems than providing answers.”
Labeling MOSOP, alongside other civil society groups in Niger Delta, as a militant group is unfair and a cheap blackmail. We are not all militants, something gave birth to militancy. Let the federal government look at the real cause of militancy, consider the genuine requests, complains and agitation that gave birth to the crisis in the region and the criminals among us would be expose for what they are. From the beginning it was not so. Let not concentrate on cutting the branches but eliminate the problem from the roots.
Like the jujuman from my village would say, if not for juju what would he would have been eating. Some of the security men posted to the region are currently enjoying certain level of comfort and affluence that they would not like the crisis to end. What about the soldiers and mobile policemen posted to oil companies, facilities and installations, some of them for the first time taste better life outside their dingy barracks? They would not like the violence to stop as this might cut short the comfort and dream life. What about the huge security votes expended by the various Niger Delta Governments, what would the benefiaries do if there are no crisis, how will they justify this huge waste? Using Rivers state as and example vehicles, operational equipment and barracks have been provided for all the security agencies in the state , if there was peace they would not have benefited so much because they are federal agencies and government should provide these for them.
So labeling MOSOP and other groups in the region through spurious security reports, after all, may be in a bid to justify the militarization of the area against the peoples’ will and to justify the huge spending of money of security and wasting of human lives.
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