The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

Ijaw youths, foundation resurrect Boro

This year’s Adaka Boro Day celebration will not be forgotten in a hurry. It was full of memorable occurences and reflections, reports MIKE ODIEGWU

The late Jasper Adaka Boro resurrected again on May 16. Every year, the icon of Ijaw struggle, the hero of the Niger Delta region and the foundation of self-determinism comes back to life. As he keeps dying and rising, hope for justice, equity and fair play shines like the morning sun in the physiognomical countenances of the restless Ijaw.

Yes. Boro rose this year, but not in the same manner he used to resurrect in his previous memorials. Maybe in the spirits of the time, this year’s celebration of Boro lacked the glamour, the glitz and attendance known with the annual ritual.

Notable dignitaries, including famous Ijaw leaders home and abroad avoided the event. There were no many speeches; seats of politicians who rode on the back of Boroism to become relevant were empty while no dinner not even the annual government organised lecture to advance the ideals of Boro were hosted.

The most significant absentee is the Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who, however, from the beginning of his administration never played with Boro. Last year, the governor bankrolled the exhuming of Boro’s remains in Lagos and all the expensive ceremonies that followed the state reburial of the Ijaw warrior at the Heroes Park, Yenagoa.

It was no longer the same this year. The governor seemed consumed with his reelection battle and preparations for the grand reception of President Goodluck Jonathan who has come under serious criticisms for never identifying with anything Boro. Though Dickson was physically absent, he was represented by his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd).

But the interventions of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide and the Timi Orus Foundation (TOF) saved the day. The Ijaw youths had earlier announced that all shops in Yenagoa should be closed in honour of Boro. Led by their President, Mr. Udens Eradiri and members of his Executive Council including the IYC Spokesperson, Mr. Eric Omare, the youths marched round the city in procession.

Decked in Boro’s crested t-shirts and brandishing items of Ijaw struggle, the youths in unison chanted solidarity songs. They were joined by the leaders of Igbo socio-cultural groups, Ohaneze Ndiigbo and the Ohaneze Youths Council (OYC).

But the procession almost snowballed into violence when in the name of “aiii Izon”, the youths bared their claws on eateries and shops whose owners failed to comply with the stay-at-home directive.

Fast food joints such as Pepperoni, Vincent and others contended with the anger of the youths. The youths threw caution into the wind as they rushed into the outlets to help themselves with food, drinks and other items. Some were said to have lifted generators during the procession.

While some persons condemned the action of the hyperactive youngsters saying it did not reflect the ideals of the hero they trooped out to celebrate, others insisted that the victims of the looting erred for not obeying the directive.

The procession, however, terminated at the Heroes Park, where a few dignitaries gathered to lay wreaths at the unfinished graveside of Boro. The youths added colour to the dry occasion. Esther, the first daughter of Boro and Boro’s younger brother, David, a seasoned scholar, were all in attendance. Also, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, King Diete Spiff graced the occasion.

The deputy governor who represented Dickson, recalled that when Boro and his men took up arms to fight for justice he was at the sea fishing with his mother while Spiff was already established in the same sea commanding a naval ship. He said Boro’s life was short-lived but that he made significant impact in the lives of people.

He said: “It is not how long you spend on earth that makes you to be remembered this way, but the service you render to humanity. The service that you render towards people is what will determine how far your name will go. That is why he is remembered today and I am very happy”.

While commending the IYC for its roles in adding colour to the celebration, he said Boro was a non-nosense crusader of social justice. “When he (Boro) was asked why he left the police, he said, ‘My promotion depended on speaking the same language with the officer, I could not put up with the situation’.”

He added: “As a student leader, he was a politician, very adept one, who became the President of the Student Union Government from minority area for his sheer ingenuity, sheer courage and determination to serve.”

At the Boro’s tomb, Jonah lambasted lawmakers from the state who recently abandoned Jonathan for the All Progressive Congress (APC). As if invoking the spirit of Boro to go after them, the deputy governor said the defectors are not welcomed to Bayelsa.

He thundered: “For us in Bayelsa state we must use this as a rallying point. The signals are not very good. In my position I should be able to make reference to the happenings around us.

“Jesus told his disciple,’you will deny me three times’. About three weeks now, the denial has started. Those are not the example we want to see. As a people we must stand united no matter the case. That is the only way people can take us serious, that is the way people can call on us to work for them.

“Just because we lost at the national level,we have our people running to join other parties. It is utmost callousness. I don’t know how to describe how I feel as an Ijaw person. I implore all of us to use the life and death of Isaac Boro as a rallying point.

“The main beneficiaries of the system are the people abandoning our cause and joining to betray us. It is utmost callousness. By selling us out, l don’t think those people will ever have a say in this land”, he said.

He said the state government has shown commitment in honoring Ijaw heroes who died in the army. According to him, the remains of some of them such as Major Yerim, Captain Amangala and Captain Nottingham Dick had been identified and will soon be relocated to the Heroes Park.

On his part, Eradiri praised Boro for laying the foundation for the Ijaw struggle. “This struggle for justice and equality in Nigeria has led us to the point where we eventually produced the President, Goodluck Jonathan.

“We as Ijaw people look forward to welcoming Jonathan when he comes home.

In our own opinion, he did very well to address the issues and challenges that faced Nigeria”, he said.

He said after May 29, the Ijaw will begin a new phase of their struggle for justice in the Nigerian project.

He said: “If you follow our issues properly, our struggle is about the economic and political state in Nigeria. We have had our share in the political state,we want to focus on the economic state.

“A lot of our people have capacity to function properly in the oil sector and a lot of our people have been trained to be able to fend for themselves. Where we will be going from here is that you can no longer do business in the Niger Delta without employing our people. We will continue to train our people in universities in the Niger Delta to make them employable.

He said the IYC will no longer asked the incoming Federal Government not to scrap the Amnesty Programme. According to him sustaining the programme is a question of commonsense.

“History has it that once upon a time,oil production was as low as 500 barrels per day but with the amnesty programme that 500 barrels increased to 2.3 million barrels per day.

“It is only commonsense that will sustain a programme that the whole world has adjudged to be successful in other for business to be sweet on both sides. Our Niger Delta people should know that the incoming administration has very sound minds. They will not be bamboozled to take decisions that may lead to the economic breakdown of Nigeria”, he said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr. Felix Tuodolor, whose office organized the celebration regretted that everything Boro fought against had remained the same.

“All the things he fought for are still the same, nothing has changed. During Boro’s time, there were environmental degradation, the Niger Delta people were marginalised and oppressed. Today, it is the same.

“Oil companies are still degrading our environment and our people are still oppressed and marginalised. Presidency has been taken away from us instead of allowing our people to rule for two terms because they believe we don’t deserve it”, he said.

One the celebration, he added: “The celebration of Isaac Boro is something we as the government has agreed we must do every year. When I went to London,we celebrated him first in London.

“We are saying that despite the fact that both America and London celebrate him, the bigger celebration must be in his homeland and we have gone a step further by bringing his body from Lagos to lie among his people.” On why Boro’s tomb had not been completed, he said: “We are still working on the design the architect brought. It is not just a grave,it is a monument that will tell the story of the struggle of the Niger Delta people. This project will be completed before the next anniversary.”

Foundation honours Boro

The foundation founded by Mr. Timi Orus, a philanthropist and businessman did what the government failed to do this year for Boro. The foundation for the first time organised an event titled, ” an Evening with Boro”, which featured a lecture and discussions from the audience.

Civil society groups led by Dr. Ekio Wilson, formed the brains behind the discussion. It was a different approach to Boroism. Instead of blaming outsiders for the woes and misfortunes of the Ijaw and the Niger Delta region, the discussants especially the Chairman of the occasion, Charles Ambayowei, cast aspersions on the leaders of the Ijaw race.

Everybody seemed to be in agreement that the leaders at different times failed to translate the ideals of Boro into economic and political realities. They rather display their egocentrism and insatiable appetite for acquisition of material things. Instead of protecting the Ijaw, they protect themselves and their families; instead of feeding the hoi polloi, they feed themselves and their families fat. They live in skyscrapers and drive innumerable exotic cars while people go to bed hungry.

Ambayowei spared no one. He said Boro rose against outsiders, but advised that the Ijaw should rise against insiders whose leadership has derailed. “Boro has become an idea. We call it Boroism. Boro represents justice, equality, development, direction and self-consciousness,” he said.

He, however, criticised the youths for going round Yenagoa to destroy things and to loot shops. He said the era of violent struggle had been replaced with intellectual agitation.

Also, David Boro who delivered a lecture titled, a Microcosmic of War, also took out time to lambast the youths for disrupting the peace in the name of his late night elder brother. He said: “Isaac Boro fought because that was the only available means. It was the only instrument of agitation that time. Must we continue to fight? Today, we have a state. What are we doing with it? We had Presidency for six years, what did we do?”

In his lecture, David advocated collective efforts in addressing societal injustices. He said when everybody rises many times to fight against injustice done to one or a group of person, the author of such injustice will tread with caution. But if people feel less concern because they are not direct victims, the frontiers of divide-and-rule will expand and injustices will continue.

He said: “The response demanded here is a structure in place to arrest and nip in the bud perceived acts of injustice done by egotists anywhere within the society. If no such structure exists, then injustice will invariably increase in the society.

“Unabated rise in the incidence of injustice induces alignments for collective action, that is people coming together to act together” he said.

The most cheering news for the evening, however, came when Timi Orus announced that the foundation will hold the event every year on the day of Boro memorial. He also promised to build a conference hall in Kaiama, Boro’s hometown where the event will hold from next year.

He said Boro was able to understand the significance of the Niger Delta struggle. Oru preached unity and condemned arrogance. He asked the people to identify true leaders who will champion the cause of the Ijaw and build a sustainable Bayelsa, the only homogenous state of the Ijaw Nation.

May 22, 2015
Group seeks WAI’s revival

As a way of achieving meaningful progress in the shortest time, the President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to re-introduce the War Against Indiscipline ( WAI) programme to redirect Nigerians to the path of decency.

A group, Buhari Friends Organisation Network (BFON), also called for the immediate repair of the nation’s refineries , an end to epileptic power problems and elimination of multiple taxation .

The group said it held a week-long national fasting for the success of the in-coming administration.

The grand finale of the one-week fasting programme, which commenced on Monday 11, across the chapters in the 36 states, took place at the Millennium Park on Saturday.

The National Coordinator of the group, Saint Athanasius Okon, told reporters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital that the essence of the fasting was to thank God who heard their prayers before the general elections by making Gen. Buhari the next President.

Okon said Nigerians have suffered in the last 16 years because of maladministration and corruption.

“ We thought it wise to seek God for him for God to direct him, enable him to choose good people who means well for the country. His team should comprise of people who have worked with him for years and mean well for him and the country.

“It should be people who have suffered with him in the last 16 years who know the suffering of Nigerians. He should not go for those who have been enjoying in the last 16 years with the outgoing government,” the BFON national Coordinator said.

May 22, 2015
Much ado about Ndoma-Egba’s visit to Buhari

It was supposed to be just a visit to congratulate and solidarise with President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, but the furore it has generated has left much to be desired.

Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba, who represents Cross River State Central Senatorial District, recently led a group of eminent Cross Riverians on the visit, which he said was devoid of any political undertone.

The visit, it was gathered, was intended to present various problems bedeviling the state to Buhari.

However, for a group of elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state led by Eyo Nsa Ekpo, the Senate Leader wanted to reap where he did not sow.

The Senate Leader’s political future became precarious after failing to get his party’s ticket to seek re-election. It was against this backdrop that some perceived teh visit as a first step to reposition himself.

But the Senate Leader had condemned attempts to politicise the visit. He said he has a thriving legal practice so the future held no worries for him, though he remains committed to his political calling. He said besides this, he had spent the greater part of his adult life serving the people of the state in various capacities and it was was too late in the day for him to be looking for a job.

Also as a result of the development, the PDP in the state had described the Senate Leader as unstable.

According to the party chairman, Ndoma-Egba was like a masquerade dancing and that his dance steps were being examined.

Lawyer and public commentator Utum Eteng, who was a member of the delegation, felt the backlash was more because of who led the delegation. According Eteng, who is also a human rights activist, the backlash was fueled more by the establishment in the state to ensure the Senate Leader was subdued.

Hence, he advised leaders against working against the state’s interest, in their bid to push political interests.

He described the backlash from some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state about the visit as misplaced.

He reiterated the visit was in the interest of Cross Riverians and not one that was politically motivated.

“I was in the delegation of eminent Cross Riverians that visited president Buhari to congratulate him. I have seen reports in the papers about the bad belly of Cross Riverians.

“The delegation was led by Chief Victor Ndoma-Egba and members were not necessarily of the All Progressives Congress (APC). We did not pay that visit as members of the APC.

“Ndoma-Egba made it clear that we were there not as politicians but as Cross Riverians coming to share in his victory. So that those who went ahead to describe members of the delegation as gold digger are not properly not informed about the visit. It was not a political visit. It was an independent visit of independent persons. So for them to think that anybody to overtake them in APC they are getting it all wrong. Even though some of us in that delegation worked actively for the success of Buhari in Cross River State, we did not go there in that capacity.

“Those who described members of the delegation as gold diggers are unfair and disrespectful to seniority and age. Because in that delegation we had the likes of former Minister of Finance, Tony Ani, and others. I wonder what kind of gold they would be digging.

“I don’t want to join issues. But, I think to a very large extent after the visit, we discovered some persons felt very agitated, especially the hierarchy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who felt bad that they had worked against it. But they ought to have led us.“

May 22, 2015
NOSDRA only effective on paper, says activist

Comrade Sheriff Mulade is the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, an NGO in the forefront of the fight for end to pollution and illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta. In this interview with SHOLA O’NEIL, he speaks on why the fight against illegal is difficult to win and why communities are handicap in their battle with oil multinationals on oil spills.

That are the challenges of environmental advocacy in the Niger Delta?

We have been at the fore of the fight to stop illegal bunkering because the entire ecosystem has been drastically affected by oil exploration. This has also affected the livelihood of the people and the challenges are enormous because: One, the people whose their environments are bastardised don’t know the effect of what is happening in their environment; two, some of the challenges are from the security agents, like the JTF, assigned to the Niger Delta. They are those we rely on and hope to work with in one way or the other, but they are partially involved in illegal activities. Therefore, you find it very difficult to work with the security agencies. If you do, your life will be in danger because some persons inside the security outfit will expose you to the illegal bunkering operators and you become a target.

Also, the government merely pays lip services to the environmental issues. There are multiple organisations and agencies all doing the same issue. Look at NESDRA, NOSDRA and look at the Ministry of Environment; all of them have different penalties and laws for pollutants. We are advocating that there should be one commission or agency regulating the entire process so that if any of the IOCs or any pollutant is involved, we will have the right channels to take them to.

Sometimes when we tackle the pollutants, especially multinational agencies, on the extent of damage and cause of a spill with NOSDRA, the pollutant will move straight to NESDRA or the Ministry of Environment and the ministry will use its power to bypass NOSDRA and that will be the end of it. So, we want one regulatory body rather than duplication of agencies because they are conflicting as it is now.

DO you think that having one agency as suggested will stop the problem, when the Ministry of Environment is under the government, which is in fact a pollutant by virtue of its stake in the Joint Venture Partnership?

If government must be involved in the oil industry, it should be involved in the revenue end. But in the area of pollution, NOSDRA and the other agencies should be independent to work and be able to bring the FG to bear. We have that problem, for example there is a spill in Bayelsa where the House of Representatives and NOSDRA instructed that Shell should pay a certain amount of money, but because of the government’s involvement in the penalty payment, the government took no action. That is why we are saying the agency should be one and there should be independent.

There are also communities making allegation of connivance between the agencies and IOCs in shortchanging the locals…

Yes, that is true! Because the International Oil Companies have resources and the logistics, NOSDRA has become a tool in their hands. When there is a spill, there is what is called the Joint Investigation Visit team comprising the community, NOSDRA and the multinationals to ascertain the cause of the spill. But the irony is that oil multinational provides logistics, light refreshment and ‘transport allowance’ to those doing the investigation. What do you expect to come out of the JIV? At the end of the day, the JIV would be tailored towards ‘Third Party’ interference, which removes liability from the oil companies, even though the companies have lots of obsolete and constantly failing facilities that lead to spill.

Again, NOSDRA staff are contractors to the multinationals and that is why most of the equipment failures are blamed on illegal bunkering and third party intervention because the company has seen a cheap way to avoid payment of compensations and carrying out proper cleanup. The communities have no power to lobby in the face of the Nigerian problem of corruption. The judiciary has also failed the common man.

You claim that NOSDRA staff are contractors to oil multinationals, can you expatiate on your claim?

Yes, I said so and it is true. When I say NOSDRA and other agencies involved in the area of environment are contractors, I know what I am saying. It may show that I don’t have evidence to substantiate this, but in Nigeria when someone is a contractor and those of us involved know what we are talking about. There is an instance where a NOSDRA official, let me not quote an office, is involved in recommending a contractor for cleanup, he is involved in recommending a particular firm. He accredited and recommended the cleanup contractor, saying ‘this company is competent and reliable’. If you investigate, that contractor is in alliance with that particular official in the agency. Is that staff not a contractor?

NOSDRA, as an agency from the past couple of years, is only effective on papers and documents. With their mandate, we have not seen much from NOSDRA and we are highly disappointment in it. They are only serious in Abuja where there is no spill. I don’t expect the head office of NOSDRA to be in Abuja; doing what? The Director Operation, Spill is also in Abuja and he would wait for his foot-soldiers to get information to him there before he can act. They are supposed to be in Warri, PH or Yenagoa.

Various workshops have highlighted how illicit wealth made from bunkering is distorting the leadership structure in the communities; some say most communities have been coerced into supporting the criminals

Most of the illegal bunkerers, who are illiterates, have become key figures in our local politics up to the state and federal levels, not just in communities. I have carried out a study and realized that the amount of violence you perpetuate will determine your level of recognition in the Niger Delta. Through the illegality, if you are well positioned, you get recognition from government and you start making money. There is no longer hard work or determination to make an impact in the society. What you see is how to make it. Every young man wants to make it in their early 20s, 30s without any preparation and education is no longer the key. That is why I urge Buhari not to compromise his integrity for us to have a better environment.

How can the communities help when illegal bunkering gangs are now the rulers and leaders of several communities?

I agree that they have so much money now, but if government can take action, the money will drain off within months because bunkerers are criminals and for them to sustain the level of affluence they need steady supply of money. They are like armed robbers; they don’t invest. If government strangulates their source of funding and stop bunkering they will lose control and eventually normalcy will return.

May 22, 2015
Rivers’ estate’s occupants battle PHED over power outage

The residents of School-to-Land Estate, an estate owned by the Rivers State Housing Development Authority, have called on the government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Power to wade into the crisis of power outage rocking the area for over seven months.

The estate which was built by the administration of former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili in 2006 has been witnessing serious electric power-related challenges.

After the privatisation of the power sector, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) took over the distribution of power in the area.

But, the residents are presently facing a new crisis of power outage which has lasted for seven months after their major transformer was vandalised. The worst thing is that efforts to fix the transformer and get power back to the area have not only become futile but have succeeded in dividing the residents of the estate.

Trouble started when a committee was set up to work out modalities on how to solve the lingering power problem in the area. The committee resolved to buy a new 500KVA transformer to be connected under 33 lines. Those in one room, one bedroom/ self-contained apartment were asked to pay N7,500. Occupants of two-bedroom and three-bedroom flats were asked to pay N15, 000 each. Three bedrooms and above were to pay N25, 000; while shop owners in the area were to pay the N5000.

One of the groups, led by Mr. Fred Ogbari and Shola Akinlade, said their colleagues at the estate who backed out of the plan to buy a new transformer misunderstood them. Ogbari, who spoke on behalf of the group, said the arrangement on how to get a new transformer was ongoing.

Ogbari said the plan to get a new transformer was to make things easier for them instead of repairing a transformer every year.

“The engineers and NEPA staff who are part of the committee set up advised us that it is better to buy a new transformer than to continue to repair the old one, which they said would not serve us up to one year. So, when we agreed that there is no going back on the new transformer, Mr. Kingsley Onyedeke and group disagreed and decided to back out.

“Instead, they accused us of trying to defraud them with the money shared among residents; they also accused us of using personal accounts to receive the contributions. But we told them that it was because we don’t have money to register the name of the committee; that was why we initiated the idea of personal accounts. It was even one of the bankers in the committee that advised us to use our personal accounts with different signatories to protect the accounts,” he said.

Onyedeke, who led the other group of the estate occupants, accused their neigbours of trying to defraud them. They said the money shared on the transformer was outrageous considering their daily income. They also accused their rival of collaborating with PHED to defraud the estate.

“ We don’t want the proposed 33 lines, we don’t want a new transformer for PHED. There was another estate that had the same problem; they wrote to PHED about their transformer and the problem was fixed. We are saying there is no need to buy a new transformer if we can repair the existing one. Then a committee was set up to discuss with PHED and latter we discovered that PHED did not know about the plan to buy new transformer. That was how we disassociated ourselves from what looked like a fraudulent committee.

“But the committee insisted that they must collect the sum of N7million from the occupants of the estate without the approval of PHED. That was how we started suspecting the committee when they distributed personal account numbers for us to pay the money. We are still wondering why they can’t manage a little bill to repair the transformer instead of insisting on buying new transformer. An engineer told us that with 600,000 the transformer would be fixed.”

At the PHED office in-charge of the estate, an official, Mr. Imeka Anamemena, said his company was not aware of any committee planning to buy a new transformer in the area. He said even though his company does not like interfering on community politics, but the committee set up to task residents must be backed by law as to get the support of the people.

Anamemena said: “My office is doing everything possible to fix the transformer. The head office called to inform me that two transformers will be sent to the station, which means if they do, one will be given to School-to-Land Estate. But one thing I will not assure you is to tell them when the transformer will be received. We are not collaborating with anybody, if they want to repair the old transformer, they can go ahead. But with N1.3million, they will get a new transformer. I want them to know that the old transformer was vandalised and many things were taken away from it.”

May 22, 2015
Akwa Ibom Poly honours NDDC chief, others

This is an uncommon visit of an uncommon governor and it is my second to this polytechnic. But this time, I have come with your in-coming governor.” This uncommon visitor needs no further introduction in Nigeria. He is Godswill Akpabio, the governor of Akwa Ibom State, who prefaces every statement about activities in his state in the last 8 years with the word “uncommon transformation”.

The governor was the special guest at the 5th convocation and the award of fellowships to three distinguished personalities of the state by the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Ikot-Osurua, on May 9. It was an occasion for the award of different grades of diplomas to 9,961 graduates of the institution as well as the award of fellowships to Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC; Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (Rtr), a one time military governor of Akwa Ibom State and Mrs. Ekaette Akpabio, the first lady of Akwa Ibom State.

The convocation ground of the polytechnic was bubbling with life as students and the guests savoured the serene ambience of a particularly clement weather. The arrival of the NDDC boss with his entourage stirred the crowd shouts of joy. But the entry of Governor Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel, the governor in waiting, fired the audience into frenzy.

The governor and his political acolytes went round the arena acknowledging cheers and literally charging the atmosphere into hysteria.

The same up-beat tempo ushered Governor Akpabio to the podium to address the audience. In his usual style, Akpabio could not start his speech without singing his uncommon transformation mantra. On this platform he has a receptive audience on the same page with him because the polytechnic community agrees that he has really transformed their institution.

The governor charged the new graduates to take advantage of the positive changes that had taken place in the state, noting that they were lucky to be joining the labour market that had been watered by the uncommon transformation of his administration. He urged them to join the emerging industrial revolution in the state, adding that they must avoid the danger of seeking riches by all means as well as being involved in cultism and drug peddling.

According to him, ‘’we have accorded utmost priority to this institution as the training ground for middle-level technical and vocational manpower in our State. We have so far left no stone unturned in our commitment of ensuring that the Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic maintains and sustains the needed standard to serve the purpose of producing seasoned, refined manpower to power our emerging economy’’.

The governor maintained that “the role of polytechnic education in the technological advancement of developing countries cannot be overstressed. The demand of history is that he who starts a race late will always remain behind except he runs faster than those who started earlier. We, Nigerians, who started the technological race later, need to run faster, plan better and make better use of our resources and time in order to bridge the widening technological gap between our nation and the developed world. One way to do this is to invest in technological education and innovation. My administration has not failed in this respect.’’

Dr. Akpabio , who is also the visitor to the institution, described his wife as a reliable partner whose work through her pet project, the Family Life Enhancement Initiative (FLEI), has helped to uplift disadvantaged persons in the state and contributed immensely to the success of his administration. The governor congratulated the awardees and the graduating students and charged them to be good ambassadors of their alma mater and the state.

Responding on behalf of the newly-invested fellows of the institution, Sir Dan-Abia expressed their appreciation to the institution for finding them worthy of the fellowship award. He said the award would spur them to do more for the good of the society. He thanked the institution for recognizing those who had contributed in one way or the other to the growth and development of technological education in the Niger Delta, noting that technological education was the bedrock of industrial development and should therefore be promoted by both the government and the private sector.

The NDDC boss assured the polytechnic authorities that the commission would intervene in addressing some of the challenges facing the institution. “We will send our team to come and assess the needs and determine how best we can be of assistance. However, be rest assured that the NDDC will provide a brand new electricity generating set for the polytechnic,” Dan-Abia said.

The Rector of the polytechnic, Dr. Israel Affia, said that the institution had witnessed a steady growth in recent years, leading to the accreditation of most of its programmes by the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE. He gave credit to Governor Akpabio for the transformation that had taken place in the polytechnic.

He said that Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic had been ranked among the ten best polytechnics in Nigeria, largely because of the improved facilities provided for the various academic programmes. He stressed the need for the polytechnic to remain committed to excellence and urged graduates of the institution to form an alumni group that would support the governing board of the polytechnic.

He stated that one of the many legacies for which Governor Godswill Akpabio will forever be remembered long after his administration has ended is in Education. The administration has invested heavily in the sector from its inception. Akpabio initiated a complete turnaround of the state-owned polytechnic

Dr. Affia said that Governor Akpabio embarked on a holistic rehabilitation of the institution, starting with establishment of the e-library there, a digitally mastered learning centre that engenders learning and other research activities. The rehabilitation is total. All the structures have been rehabilitated. The roofs now wear new looks. The hostels have been given a refreshing touch. More water reservoirs have been erected and commercial banks have started establishing branches in the institution to take their services nearer the students.

“But beyond all these is the serenity that has been brought into the campus courtesy of the massive construction of the roads network within the school by the Akpabio administration. From the main entrance, the institution has witnessed total transformation. The roads, which are mostly dualised, are well paved, complete with street lighting facilities. The ambience and well-marked out lawns bring nature closer to everyone on campus and even the visitors alike. Everyone on campus is happy at the uncommon transformation which governor Akpabio has bequeathed to their school. From the rector to the staff and the students, it’s all rejoicing and celebration galore. In all these they can only say a big thank you to the man who has made all these possible.”

The Rector also acknowledged the contributions of the NDDC to the development of the polytechnic. “I know that NDDC has done a lot. I remember that the 500KVA generator that we are enjoying was donated by NDDC. I believe that NDDC will always come to our aid in our times of need”. He said that the polytechnic had in the past benefitted from the 880 computers distributed by the commission to four tertiary institutions in the Niger Delta.

Akwa Ibom State governor-elect Udom Gabriel Emmanuel said the incoming administration would continue to train more lecturers in and outside the country as well as invest in the engineering sector in a bid to produce more qualified engineers for the society. He urged lecturers in the institution to pride themselves in the training of students who would compete favourably with their contemporaries and announced an automatic overseas scholarship award for the best graduating student in the polytechnic.

The Chairman of the Governing Council, Joseph Effiong commended the state government for contributing to the development of the polytechnic and appealed to the school authorities and the students to cooperate in an effort to make the school great. He appealed to the NDDC to assist the institution in providing structures for the training of Mass Communication students. To drive home the urgency in the request, Effiong said that the architectural drawing for the faculty building would be handed over to the NDDC Managing Director.

May 22, 2015
Idibo…Edo community where every household owns a pineapple farm

•Community calls for govt assistance•Farmers seek govt assistance •’We make little or no profit’
Osarenkhoe Enoma is a trained barber. He practised this profession for over 20 years until he decided to venture into farming. He was armed with N30,000. He relocated to his hometown, Idibo, in Uhunmwode Local Government to join his kinsmen in pineapple farming.

Although his farming venture is going on pretty well, Osarenkhoe is not yet a fulfilled man. He earns little income from pineapple cultivation because he uses manual labourers and has not been able to raise any fund through loans to boost his farming business.

•Osarenkhoe

The plight of Osarenkhoe is the same with other pineapple farmers at Idibo, a community where every household is a pineapple farmer. An indigenous Idibo man or women, pineapple cultivation sees pineapple as their ‘oil well’. Hundreds of tonnes of pineapple are harvested annually at the community and taken to fruit juice factories across the country. It is a common sight for first time visitor to see heap of pineapples in front of houses at Idibo.

Idibo was founded in the 15th century and it’s famous for growing crops like plantain, rubber, pineapple and cocoa but the major cash earner for Idibo people is pineapple.

Despite being hardworking and industrious and huge contribution to the juice industry, the absence of basic infrastructure like access roads, water, health care facilities, schools and electricity is hampering growth and development of the community.

The road to Idibo is not motorable; it is an earth road that only few vehicles could pass through during the rains. Traders that could get to Idibo during the rainy season buy the pineapples at a very low price because of the hardship they face in transporting their wares to the market.

The community is still cut off from civilization and villagers rely on traditional herbs and itinerant drug hawkers who visit the community in motorcycles for their medication. To get access to qualified medical personnel, the villagers have to travel about six miles to Obadan village where a primary health centre is located. High Priest Osazemwanye Uwusomwan, the Ohen Airuogiemwinya of Idibo Community, told Niger Delta Report that there are no doctors at the Obadan health centre, just nurses.

The only primary school at Idibo was built in 1955 and it is almost in ruin. It is a block of five classrooms. Chairs, according to

•High Priest Osazemwanye Uwusomwan

High Priest Uwusomwan, were last brought to the school four years ago. There are no staff offices and the head teacher’s office is located at corner in one of the classes. A place that supposedly served as library has only old exercise books.

A visit to the school revealed that the pupils sat on the floor while a large of part of the roof is leaking. It was gathered that there are only four teachers in the school. The absence of a secondary school at Idibo force pupils to Benin City or other neighbouring towns for their secondary education, thereby robbing parents of their assistance in the farm work. There are no boreholes so indigenes of Idibo get water from stream.

The High Priest said the community contribution to the economy through pineapple cultivation has not uplifted their lives or attracted any infrastructural develop
ment like good road network.

“I have over 10 hectares of pineapple. In 1999, after my retirement, I came to the village and saw people cultivating pineapple. I begged them for suckers and planted mine. That was how I started. We have food crops like pineapple, plantain, cocoa, rubber but the road is not motor able for us to convey our products to the consumers. That is the main problem we have. We will be happy if you can help us appeal to the government about our needs. Traders come from Abuja, Kano, Onitsha. Seven lorries loaded pineapple from the community yesterday. We produced 100 of tonnes yearly.”

“We will be happy if the government established a fruit juice company in this community. We are the first community to start cultivating pineapple in Uhunmwode. We don’t have any strong politician that will take our case to the government. Several times, we have appealed to the local government authorities to grade the road because we have earth road. Because of the elections, it was not possible for them to come. We have decided to send delegates to the Council Chairman to come and grade the roads for us.”We don’t have cooperative and have no access to soft loan. We used to have FADAMA Group but we applied for support and they did nothing for us that was why we stopped contributing money for it. We were not aware about any loan from the Edo State government. Nobody informed us about any loan.

Osarenkhoe attributed little profit made by them to the use of manual labourers because the community does own a tractor.

He said: “I started with about N30,000 because there was no where I could raise money through loan. We use manual labourers for our work because we have no tractors. The profit is not encouraging us because cultivating pineapple is tedious. After sales, you realised you have not made much money. The main encouragement we need is for the government to construct our road and other infrastructure The community will make more money if the road is good.”

Eighty-two-year old Omorogieva Okunzuwa said he has been cultivating pineapple for over 30 years but complained that a large part of his farm is usually taken over by weeds because of the use of manual labour.

Another member of the community, Ovienseri Omolusi, 70, said they make money through pineapple cultivation but that he could now only cultivate two hectares.

May 15, 2015
Desopadec restructuring best for Delta

Itsekiri youth leader in Warri North council of Delta State and Niger Delta activist, Comrade Benson Erewa Mengison was one of those who was active in the fight to oust the military from power in the 1990s. Sixteen years after the return of democracy, he spoke with reporters on sundry issues affecting Delta state, including the proposed restructuring of the state intervention agency, DESOPADEC and others.

That is your position on the bill before the House of Assembly for the re-structuring of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC)?

If you create time to study the details of the bill thoroughly, you will agree with me that if becomes a reality, apart from the creation of more employment opportunities for Deltans, particularly oil producing areas, it will also bring development closer to the grass-roots. I, therefore, urge every Deltan to give the desired support it requires to see the light of the day. The benefits are quite numerous and we should not sabotage the process.

I am aware that our Ika brothers and sisters recently protested against the proposed restructuring to the governor of the state instead of channeling their grievances through the member representing their constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly. It is not fair; they could have presented the issue through their member at the Assembly instead of the governor.

When the governor recently constructed and commissioned flyover at Warri and Asaba, towards the end of his tenure, nobody raised eyebrow, why is there so much noise about the proposed restructuring of DESOPADEC?

I was one of those who agitated for the establishment of DESOPADEC; we were led by Chief Willington Okrika and Chief Rita Olori. It has brought so much development to the state today, it’s a dream come true. We have carefully looked at the activities of DESOPADEC from its inception, we have found that it has fared very well. Those who have managed the organisation have made us proud.

How would you assess Dr. Uduaghan’s eight years of governance?

Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan is a man of peace. He maintains his calm nature despite persistent provocations. As a practicing Christian, he believes that vengeance is of the Lord. And he goes about promoting peace as an act of state policy, this attribute of his has started manifesting itself when he was appointed secretary to the State Government (SSG) during the former administration of Chief James Ibori.

As SSG, Uduaghan was the alter ego of that administration in terms of peace advocacy. He was always at the riverine areas of the state predominantly inhabited by the restive youths, making peace and pacifying nerves. In fact, when hostage taking reared its ugly head to Delta State, it was Uduaghan, as SSG, who provided the magic wand. It is on record that about six foreign oil workers who were kidnapped in Delta State were released to Dr. Uduaghan in 2006.

Dr. Uduaghan’s giant strides in areas as diverse as urban development, social welfare and rehabilitation, information, culture and tourism, the environment, youth development, health, power, housing, commerce and industry, transport, energy, water resources, and sports, are legendary. Above all, Uduaghan has pursued reconciliation not just between himself and other aggrieved politicians but also across board because he knows that this is the precursor to peace and development.

If Uduaghan’s strides in physical infrastructure is astounding, his foray into agriculture shows that he has realised that food production would serves as alternative to oil. The state ministry of agriculture has been strategically positioned to meet the Governor’s policy on food production and food security. He has revived commodity boards that will help enhance the growth of agriculture in the state. It is also applicable to education which the governor has given top priority in realisation of the benefits which it brings to society.

As someone who joined the fight to kick out the military from power, do you think Nigeria has fared well after 16 years of democracy?

I am quite excited that Nigeria’s democracy, which is fashioned after America’s presidential system, has begun to take root because of obvious factors. Since, independence on October 1, 1960, Nigeria has had an unstable polity characterised by long years of military leadership. Between 1, 1960 and May 29, 1999 Nigeria has had different military administrations: General Aguiyi Ironsi (January 1966-July 1966), General Yakubu Gowon (July 1966-February 1975), General Murtala Mohammed (February 1975-February 1976), General Olusegun Obasanjo (February 1976-October 1979) etc. General Mohammed Buhari (December1983-August 1985), General Ibrahim Babangida (August 1985-August 1993), General Sani Abacha (August 1993-June 1998), General Abdusalam Abubakar (June 1998-May 1999). What this simply means is that democracy is still in its infancy in the country.

The problems of democracy in Nigeria cannot be limited to just the factors above, but could take their bearing from all of them. Nonetheless, the central impediment to the growth of democracy in Nigeria is the inability of the system to adapt to our local environment.

Right from independence, Nigeria has had two brands of democratic system-the parliament system and the presidential system. Nigeria has had experiment with numerous constitutions. The first was the independence constitution of 1960, which was swiftly suspended as soon

as the military struck on January 15, 1966. Since then, it has become fashioned for a new constitution to emerge each time there is a change of government. The 1999 constitution, which the late General Sani Abacha designed, was eventually promulgated into law by General Abdusalami Abubakar who succeeded him. Due to the hastiness with which it was produced, the constitution was thought by many Nigerians to have hindered our polity. For instance, some critics of the constitution argued that it should have made provisions for the complex nature of our society.

Sir, what would you say was responsible for the situation?

Though, some elites have argued that Lord Frederick Lugard without the consent of Nigerians merged the North and the South for convenience of the British government. It is sad to state that since then, progressive retrogression and continuous injustice have been the lot of the majority of the citizenry. The British colonization brought together three vast and cultural distinctive regions – North, South-East and South-West and at least 250 different language groups, more than any other African country.

Nigeria inherited the British-style of parliamentary system, with Dr. Nnamdi Benjamin Azikiwe (first Nigerian media mogul) as the governor-general and from 1963, President, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of the NPC as the Prime Minister, exercising executive power and Chief

Obafemi Awolowo as the opposition leader. The Northern, Western and Eastern Regions constituted the country’s tripartite structure, until the Mid-Western Region was created in 1963.

The last twenty years in Nigeria have witnessed a multiplicity of tensions, crises and conflicts. The decade of unparalleled difficulties in Nigeria has, to some extent, brought the feeling of nervous, gloom, anxiety, worry, pressure, intimidation and very dangerous condition in the relationship between the people and the various governments, particularly between 1993 and 1998.

The cancellation of the June 12 presidential election, won by the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola which was considered by the international observers as well as Nigeria, the freest and fairest election not only in Nigeria but in Africa. This same election was cancelled by the Babangida junta without giving the masses including the talakawas, any clear-cut reason in his broadcast on June 23, 1993 for its cancellation.

The annulment by the Babangida junta brought in an unprecedented political unrest, ethnic crises and ideological conflict, which eventually brought in the Africa celebrated dictator, General Sani Abacha to power in 1993 between 1993 and 1998, Nigeria experienced the worse years of multiple assassinations, bombing of innocent people and unjust detention, harassments and armed conflicts.

It is crystal clear that Nigeria is groaning under the yoke of widespread poverty characterised by hunger, malnutrition, social vices, decaying infrastructure among others. Over 70 per cent of

Nigerians live below the poverty line, despite the fact that Nigeria is the sixth largest oil-producing nation OPEC.

It is also astonishing that Nigeria ranks as one of the poorest nations on earth. What an irony? Where has the oil money gone? This is a question that is begging and weeping profusely for response. It is no exaggeration to say that the nation’s economy is suffering from internal indiscipline and external shock largely induced by the overdependence on crude oil as the sole pillar of national survival as well greed of some of our leaders.

This country is not going to move forward for prosperity (though I am not a prophet of doom) through some people’s manipulations, but on the basis of truth and nothing but the truth. Manipulation can take place for a very long time but is will never stand the test of time. Our over-dependence and or over-reliance for too long on one single commodity namely petroleum had led to youth’s gansgterism, aggressiveness, and restiveness as well as premature death through inferno as a result of vandalization of petroleum pipelines.

We need to exhibit patience in nurturing democracy and its institutions in Nigeria. It has been said quite often that before the several military coups, which had occurred in Nigeria, some civilians had always invited the junta to take over the administration of the country based on their selfish reasons.

May 15, 2015
Niger Delta Amnesty

I still don’t get the argument of those who want me dead, buried and forgotten. For goodness sake, I am only five. I will be six on June 25, if I am not killed by then. I am a child of necessity, whose purpose in life is far from being achieved.

For some time now, I have been attacked by people who feel I am useless. They say I have only been the means for some people to roll on the lap of luxury, enjoy the extravagancies of women of easy virtues and turn champagne to hand-washing liquid. They are quick to add that I have provided easy cash for some men with brawns and no brains.

May be I should go down memory avenue so that you can appreciate my agony. Decades before my birth, the Niger Delta, where Nigeria derives the bulk of its revenue, witnessed agitations. The people expressed unhappiness over the way they were neglected. Their farms were polluted by oil spills. Their streams were taken over by crude oil. Their health worsened. And their existence was seriously threatened.

Close to the year of my birth, the agitation had taken a new twist. Before the deadly twist, Ken Saro-Wiwa had been judicially murdered by the military junta of Gen. Sani Abacha. Several other people had been killed by security operatives under one guise or the other. With intellectual activists like Saro-Wiwa out of the way, another generation of activists took over. This set believes if you make peaceful change impossible, you make violent change inevitable. They also believe it is illegal to be lawful in a lawless environment. So, they took to arms in their quest to prove a point.

In no time, oil pipelines were damaged at a devastating speed. Military boat houses were bombed. Barrels of oil were siphoned. Oil installations were blown up and oil workers were afraid to go to the rigs and others. The economy bled. The country was losing billions daily.

By that time, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had been created. Its mandate was to develop Niger Delta. But, its activities meant nothing to the militants who were set to bring down the country unless the region was given control over its resources. The impact the NDDC could have made was limited by the fact that its dues were not given to it. The statutory payments that should be made to it were withheld by all arms of government. It ran into trillions and all efforts to get the money released for the betterment of the people did not work.

Things were getting worse by the day. They were still in that terrible statewhen the administration of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was inaugurated on May 29, 2007. That the then president was uncomfortable with the state of war in the Niger Delta soon showed. First, he created the Ministry of the Niger Delta. Pronto, the government set up a technical committee to review all existing reports on the region. The committee, headed by ex-President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mittee, recommended an increase of the derivation fund from 13 per cent to 25 per cent. It also recommended open trial for one of the faces of the arms struggle, Mr Henry Okah who was then in detention in Angola. Another of its recommendation, which led to my birth, is that youths in the region must be disarmed through a credible Decommissioning, Disarmament and Rehabilitation (DDR) process.

The late Yar’Adua knew something urgent must be done to rescue the situation. Aside his love for peace, he also needed to save the country from international embarrassment that the arms struggle had become. By then, there had been reports of militants partaking in piracy activities on the Gulf of Guinea, a development which had seen the governments of Equatorial Guinea and Angola complaining to Yar’Adua at international meetings. Okah, I was told, was mentioned by the two governments as being responsible for the piracy activities against their countries. Okah was a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which had claimed responsibility for many of the kidnappings and the attacks on oil facilities in the region.

Fast forward to April 2009, the then president dissolved the board of the NNDC. Timi Alaibe, who was the Managing Director, however, got another job. He was appointed Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs. His major job, it turned out, was to midwife the birth of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which I am.

Two months after Alaibe’s appointment, Yar’Adua breathed life into me. So, I am not wrong if I say that in the beginning I was without form until Yar’Adua said let there be light.

My birth did not immediately bring excitement. Okah’s detention was a major factor for the insurgency’s leadership’s apathy to embrace me. Yar’Adua recruited Chief Tony Anenih, Dr Koripamo Agary and Dr Ferdinand Ikwang, among others, to assure the agitators that he was truthful about not victimizing them after dropping their guns.

Alaibe traversed the creeks persuading hard-line militant leaders to embrace me. He did not do it alone. He got Kingsley Kuku, the Arogbo-born ex-member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, who had worked with him as Special Assistant at the NNDC, to get Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), Mujahhid Dokubo-Asari, General Shoot-at-sight and many other leaders of the arms’ struggle to sign up to Yar’Adua’s offer.

Okah, who had by then been repatriated from Angolan and was standing treason trial at the Federal High Court, Jos, was a major issue in the refusal of many militant leaders to accept me. But, because Yar’Adua wanted me to live, he agreed to drop charges against Okah and on July 13, 2009, Okah became a free man. Okah’s release did not go down with many in the military circle and elsewhere and it did not convince some militants leaders to embrace me until hours before the deadline of October 4 set by Yar’Adua for them to accept me as the only alternative to lasting peace in the region and more prosperity to Nigeria.

Between June 25 and October 4, 2009, I am told 20,192 militants embraced me by handing over arms in excess of 20,000. Others who did not hand over their weapons initially because of the fear of the unknown later did before the deadline expired. Even after the deadline’s expiration, 6,166 more people, I understand, associated with me.

Alaibe, who took on the task of managing me as the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, left to contest the 2011 governorship in Bayelsa State. President Goodluck Jonathan saw no one else to continue other than Kuku, the man from the fringe of the Niger Delta, who had worked closely with Alaibe.

Through me, over 30,000 ex-militants have been given a new lease of life. Through me also, not less than 2,000 students are abroad studying for one degree or the other. One of them is 21-year-old Gabriel Odidison, who is majoring in Business and Finance at Marist College in the United States. There are several others who have been trained as pilots, marine engineers, underwater welders and experts in various oil and gas fields. And thanks to my existence, brazen criminalities that were before me are no more.

I will be the first to accept that no one is perfect. Yes, bunkering still persists. Oil pipelines are still sabotaged and Nigeria still loses a lot to the activities of illegal refineries and the likes. I also understand that some people claim to be ex-militants but are not enjoying the benefits. There are also others who claim that the leaders of their various camps have robbed them of their entitlements. Still, there are those who feel that the Ijaw have benefitted more. In life, there will always be issues and issues are meant to be resolved but you don’t throw out a baby with the bath water.

Please don’t kill me. You can remold me. You can better me. You can restructure me for enhance performance. Make available more cash for my use. But please let me live and not leave. I am just five and far from achieving my purpose. Killing me may kill the like of Odidison, who are the future of not just the Niger Delta, but Nigeria. So, let me not leave yet.

May 15, 2015
Kuku might stop being Special Adviser but he’ll never stop being honourable’

The Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, received a commendation award and honorary membership of the State of Georgia last Saturday, reports OLUKOREDE YISHAU

Gabriel Odidison, 21, mounted the podium. Black, tall and lanky, he cut the image of a hip-hop star. He actually sings. After greeting his audience, he began his emotional, tear-inducing story: “I finished secondary school in 2009. It was one of the most depressing years of my life. I was very young. I finished secondary school at 15. I am 21 now. I tried to get into college in Nigeria, Lagos to be precise and it was very hard. My friends were not rich but we were managing.”

He paused. Shed some tears, bowed his head and took some seconds before continuing: “To cut the long story short, I left home in 2002 because I could not get into school. My parents loved me but they were ashamed of me because every one of my siblings was in school. I was the only one left at home. I woke up one morning and asked my mother for food one day and she told me all my siblings were in school and I was here asking for breakfast. So, I got tired. I loved singing. So, I went out to find a record label. I had an uncle who worked for a record label. I tried that for a year. It was hard but I believed that some day it would be well. I woke up everything morning believing that somehow I would get something to eat and I ate and grew tall and big.”

His dream of making it on the streets of Lagos did not work out. He decided to seek a way to further his studies like his siblings. He felt an aunt could help and to her he went. That was in 2013.

“I talked to my aunt about getting into school. She asked me to send her my WAEC result. My WAEC result was really good. I sent it to her and she said: ‘Always be by your phone. You might receive a phone call.’ Like two days later, I received a phone call. I think the woman I spoke with, her name is Dolapo, Auty Dolapo. She said you just earned a committee scholarship to study in America. When I heard the news I was like how? She asked me ‘what is your name?’ I thought it was a scam. So, I said ‘my name is Steve.’ She asked me where I lived and I said I lived in Lekki. Meanwhile I was living in Ketu. But she already had my details. So, she told me to come to Lekki Phase 1 in two days. So, two days later when I got to Lekki, I thought it was going to be like now you have the scholarship, go to America. But I realised that we had to take an exam every two weeks in preparation to come here. When I heard that, I thought I would not make it. I thought I had lost my intelligence those years of waiting after secondary school,” he said.

Now, he is a junior at Marist College in the United States, where he majors in Business and Finance. For this, he has one man to thank: Kingsley Kuku, who is the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Affairs and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

As Odidison spoke last Saturday evening at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Atlanta, where the honorary citizenship of the State of Georgia was conferred on Kuku for the ways he has run the amnesty programme, many of his peers in the hall, also studying in the U.S. on the bills of the amnesty office, could not agree less. As the emerging hip-hop singer said: “I thank Hon. Kuku for giving me the opportunity to regain my intelligence, for giving me the opportunity to further my studies,” his peers and others in the hall clapped. But he was not done, as he added the clincher: “I want everybody in this room to know that Hon. Kingsley Kuku might stop being the Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affair, but he will never stop being honourable and he will never stop being Kingsley Kuku.”

Aside the honorary citizenship conferred on Kuku, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC) also gave him a commendation award. Its chair, Rep Dee Dawkins-Haigler, said: “We are honouring a great man tonight. The reason we are honouring you is because we honour those who go out to do right for the masses and you have gone out to do right for the masses of your country. God has seen what you have done. We are honouring you with the highest honour in the State of Georgia.”

The GLBC is the largest black caucus in the U.S. with a membership of 60 African-American state legislators! It is a nonprofit, charitable, nonpartisan and educational organisation, with the objectives of developing good citizenship; and advancing the study and implementation of solutions to problems effecting African-Americans and all people of color in the State of Georgia, among others.

Speaking at the event, Udengs Eradiri, who is the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), said: “You have made Ijaw people proud by the award you have conferred on our brother. We want to thank you very much. Hon. Kuku and the trainees from the Niger Delta have changed the narrative about the Ijaw people internationally. As the president of the Ijaw Youth Council, I want to say you have made us proud…The peace in Nigeria today is because of the Amnesty Programme. We need to sustain the peace. From May 29, a new story about the Niger Delta will begin and we do not want to go violent. We are not the brigandage that they thought we are. We want our story to be told like the Marting Luther-King story…I am a happy president of Ijaw youths because of what the Amnesty Programme has achieved. I can imagine what will happen when all these trainees return home. For those multinationals that used to say we were not employable, now we have the best. Now, we expect they would create opportunities for our people so that we will not go into the next phase of why are you not employing the employable.”

A member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, said: “I feel honoured to be here at this ceremony where Hon. Kingsley Kuku has received a very deserving award. I congratulate you. What you have done in the lives of the Nigerian youths from the Niger Delta is amazing. Hon Kingsley Kuku gave the youths hope. Many of them have lost hope but you have given them hope. Someone else was doing this job before Kingsley Kuku came on board, we never heard much of the programme. But with Kingsley Kuku a lot of things changed and someone like me won’t be here tonight if he wasn’t doing well representing Niger Delta. He is a good representative. Though Kingsley Kuku may be going out of office soon as a new government of GMB takes over on May 29, those of us in the APC will ensure continuity of the programme. Everything will not come to an end. I am assuring you that the programme will be continued for the benefit of that region and the benefit of Nigeria as a whole. GMB has a listening ear.”

For Senator Nurudeen Abatemi Usman, Kuku has shown himself as a friend of all Nigerians. Usman, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District, said the country needs Kuku to continue to drive the amnesty programme, a view shared by Deputy Senate Majority Leader Abdul Ningi.

In Usman’s words:“Kingsley Kuku is a true gentleman. He honours his words. I am proud that he has been honoured today. Kinsgley Kuku has picked a very deserving honour. Kingsley Kuku has made us proud as young Nigerians. The Niger Deltans are greatly proud of their son, but Kingsley Kuku does not even think like a Niger Deltan. I am here, my leader is here. We are not from the Niger Delta. Mustapha is here. He is not from the Niger Delta. We are all friends of his. I have endured the pain to be here in short notice because he deserves it. We implore the incoming government that for this programme to be nurtured and passed on and for the peace we enjoy in the Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku is needed. This is the least award Kingsley Kuku will get. The main award will be when these kids studying here get back home and start giving back to the country’s development in 10 years, 15 years. That is when we will all rise up and give you the highest honour.”

Ningi described Kuku as one of the best young men that have been discovered in the last 10 years of democracy in Nigeria.

“Some of us have been associated with the struggle of the Niger Delta and we have seen pretenders and we have seen people who only talk. Ideas are not the problem in Nigeria or Africa but the problem is the implementation of ideas that will grow and germinate and impact positively on the people. In the last four years, Kingsley Kuku has been able not only to grow ideas but he has had them implemented to achieve good ends. Kuku has turned out to be a brother indeed. Let me call on Gen. Buhari…, if you need the amnesty programme to be well-implemented, we will borrow you Kingsley Kuku. Kingsley Kuku, you are a gift to Nigeria. You are a gift to your generation,” he said.

The shower of encomiums on Kuku continued when Minister of Culture Edem Duke took the microphone. Duke said he was proud of Kuku.

The minister said: “I am very proud of the Special Adviser on Niger Delta. He is a man of great compassion, a man whose service to his nation has cut across tribes and tongues. I want to encourage Kingsley Kuku that the best is yet to come. He is one young man indefatigable who has brought restoration to the Niger Delta. He has re-engineered the commitment of change. He has rejuvenated the spirit of the people to really stand as agents to move the country forward. I congratulate you and I am proud to stand by you, having had the honour of this award some many years back in this same city.”

Nigeria’s Consulate General in Atlanta, Geoffrey Teneilabe, also hailed Kuku, describing him as intelligent and imbued with the ability to transform ideas into reality.

His words: “Kingsley Kuku took on the responsibility of implementing the amnesty programme and has implemented it well. He has been able to transform ideas to reality. The development he fosters today is not only of the Niger Delta but of Nigeria because Niger Delta is the bedrock of the peace in Nigeria. Anybody that is thinking will appreciate what Kuku has done. 30,000 youths have benefitted. Over 2000 students are in ivy league institutions and will contribute to the development of Nigeria. It is no mean task. I thank Kingsley for what he has done. This honour is very well-deserved. I can only wish him the very best. He is an extremely intelligent person. I have listened to him on many occasions. He has been articulate ideas and in the Nigerian polity, he has his ways cut out for hi m and he will go far. I know that this is only the beginning. The future is stretched out. We see him in the development of Nigeria.”

In her keynote address, Senator Steen Miles, a former Georgia State senator, praised Kuku for his accomplishments.

The publisher, African Leadership magazine who worked with the Georgia Black Caucus on the event, Dr. Ken Giami, also had heaps of praises for Kuku.

But, Kuku said the praises should go to President Goodluck Jonathan, who he dedicated the honour to.

He said: “For me, today is about one man. It is about a man who grew from nothing, who grew from abject poverty, a man who rose from being in school without sandals, got to the university, got his first degree, had a Master’s, had his Ph.d. That man had a dream of merely imparting knowledge to fellow Nigerians and mankind. He wished he had just been a lecturer in one university. In 1998, he was called upon to be deputy governor. He declined. They had to look for his uncle, then a jurist, Justice Ibinawari, who spoke to him: ‘Is something wrong with you Goodluck?’ Finally, he accepted to be deputy governor in 1999. One of the greatest minds ever created and lived in Nigeria has been our sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and he said he would love to be president of Nigeria for just one day, 24 hours, so that Nigerians could see what he was going to do. Within a space of 10 years, God made this man deputy governor, acting governor, governor, vice-president, acting president and president elected by all Nigerians in 2011. His name is Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. That man is from the core of the Niger Delta. When opportunity came to select someone to advise him and manage a programme, very sensitive, called the Presidential Amnesty Programme, he left Rivers State, he left Bayelsa State, he left Delta; he came to the fringe of the Niger Delta, Ondo State and picked a nobody to manage the amnesty programme. He discovered me, he brought me to limelight. Whatever we are celebrating today is about Goodluck Jonathan.”

May 15, 2015