The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Delta

  • Polls: Series of complaints in Akwa Ibom, Delta

    The Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Akwa Ibom on Saturday experienced series of complaints ranging from insufficient ballot papers to failure of Card Readers to recognise finger prints.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that there was large turnout of voters in most of the polling units for accreditation.

    Electoral officials, materials and security agents were all available and accreditation of voters started in most polling centres as early as 8.45 a.m.

    In Etinan Local Government area, at Urban Ward 1, Unit 006, the INEC officials complained of inadequate ballot papers, claiming they got 650 papers as against 750 needed.

    An APC party agent at the unit, Mr. Iniobong Jackson, said that the party faithful would not allow voting in the unit until all materials were provided.

    Another complaint of non provision of result sheets was made at Northen Iman Ward 2 in the local government area.

    At 9 a.m., the NYSC members conducting elections at QIC Primary School in Awa Ward 1, Onna Local Government Area, had yet to begin accreditation, complaining of non-payment of their allowance.

    In Uyo Local Government Area, Ward 2, Unit 9 on Ikot Ekpene road, the polling officials complained of slow speed of card readers and non-recognition of finger prints.

    Card readers in Ekong Street, Ward 2, Unit 25, were, however, not configured for the day’s activities.

    Therefore all accredited voters in March 28 elections were rejected by the machine for having been accredited earlier.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Austin Okojie, told NAN that all INEC officials had been instructed on measures to take to curb any challenge encountered in the elections.

    “They are to use incident forms and resort to manual accreditation, where the card readers fail,” Okojie said.

    In Delta, NAN reports that accreditation of voters began at 8 a.m. in Asaba, with voters turning up at various polling stations for the exercise.

    At Uzoigwe Primary School, Ward 9, Oshimili South Local Government Area, accreditation started on schedule in the 14 polling units.

    The Presiding Officer in Ward 9, Unit 1, Miss Uzamere Odion, said that the exercise started as planned and was going on smoothly.

    NAN reports that the card reader in unit 11 of the ward malfunctioned and the voters agitated over the situation.

    One of the voters, Mrs. Ngozi Agada, said that she had been in the polling station since 7 a.m. and would not leave until she got accredited.

    The Presiding Officer, Mr Chijioke Eze, said the device malfunctioned and that he had informed INEC headquarters, Asaba, about it.

    At St. John Bosco’s Catholic Church (Ward 8) and Umudaike (Ward 8) both in Asaba, accreditation started at 8.05 a.m. and the card readers were used.

    At Abuato Primary School Asaba, (Ward 5) the exercise commenced on schedule in the five units at the polling station.

    It was the same situation in Ward 6, units 3 and 4 at Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area.

    However, electoral officials turned up late with voting materials in Yuwuren College (Ward 5) in Warri South Local Government Area.

    The Electoral Officer in the local government area, Mrs. Fidelia Omoile, said the materials were distributed on Friday.

     

  • Guber election: Security agents warn ballot box snatchers, hoodlums

    Guber election: Security agents warn ballot box snatchers, hoodlums

    Ahead of saturday’s governorship and state houses of assembly elections across the country, the 222 battalion, Zone 2 of Sector 1, JTF, Pulo Shield, Agbarha-Otor, Nigeria Police Force, NPF, Nigeria Civil Defense Corps, Vigilance group, Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC and Red Cross Friday embarked on a show of force across its command in readiness for the election.

    Among the local government areas covered during the show of force by the 222 battalion and other security agents were Ethiope East, Ughelli North/South, Udu, Ndokwa North/East, Isoko North/ South, Patani, Okpe and Bomadi local government areas of Delta State.

    The Commanding Officer, 222 battalion, Lt. Col. Mathew Oyekola who led the security agencies across the eleven local government areas of Delta State, warned all ballot box snatchers, desperate politicians, hoodlums, assassins to beware of polling booths or be ready to face the wrought of the security agents.

    Oyekola who said his men and other security agents around his command will not entertained any form of electoral crime before, during and after the general elections, explained that his command will not compromise to any undue electoral process that will deter the smooth process of the today’s elections.

    Speaking further, the Commanding Office, Oyekola said that his command had before now deployed security agents to all strategic areas that are prone to electoral violence and ones spotted as grounds for ballot snatching, hoodlums and political malpractices.

    Oyekola said, “We came out to for this show of force to tell our parents, brothers and sisters around these areas my command is covering that there is no need for them to be afraid since the security agents are there to protect them during the election. They should go and cast their vote without violence.

    “We were not unaware of the prone violence areas in my command and how some of this desperate politician have been carrying out their operation in their areas but we are we out to tell them that we are up to the task and that is what we will continue to maintain throughout today election.

    “You and l know that the Nigeria police are saddled with the responsibility of protecting the ballot boxes and all the polling units, but we will be there to ensure that the electorates who are out to cast their votes are protected without harassment from anybody in the disguise of anything to disrupt the exercise.”

     

  • Polls: Police nab hoodlums in Army uniforms

    Polls: Police nab hoodlums in Army uniforms

    The Delta state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has warned trouble makers to steer clear of the state during Saturday elections in the state even as he announced the arrest of suspected criminals in security uniforms.

    Governor Uduaghan, while addressing a pre-elections’ press conference in Warri Thursday, urged the people of the state to conduct themselves peacefully during and after the elections, warning that security agencies in the state had expressed their readiness to decisively deal with trouble makers.

    The governor also assured the electorate in the state that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had put everything in place to see that everything goes hitch-free even as it had perfected lapses observed in the earlier elections.

    According to the governor, security agencies had obtained certain intelligence information about the use of illegally procured army uniforms by some hoodlums, some of whom he said had been arrested.

    “The security agencies have assured me of their readiness to confront trouble makers and ensure a peaceful conduct of the elections. We can make their work easier by making sure that there is peace.

    “I want to make it abundantly clear that trouble makers will not be given a breathing space before, during and after the elections as the full wrath of the law awaits such people. We have enough intelligence to indicate that people with fake uniforms, especially military uniforms, might be involved in the elections process. In actual fact, some were arrested in Sapele Thursday and they are in police custody,” he said.

    Meanwhile, in an earlier meeting with leaders and stakeholders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Governor Uduaghan expressed optimism that the their party would be victorious in Saturday’s elections in the state.

     

  • ‘Okowa has bright chance in Delta’

    ‘Okowa has bright chance in Delta’

    Despite the power shift at the centre, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State is optimistic that it will win the governorship and House of Assembly polls. The reason for the optimism is simply because of the party’s dominant posture in the state. Since 1999, the party has dominated politics in the state like a collosus.

    Through thick and thin, the party has developed a bond with the people and has built up leaders that continues at different levels to work for the party in spite of occasional desertion. It is the core of these leaders, past, present and serving that the party will rely upon to do the job of mobilising the people as it has done for so many years, in delivering the party at this week’s elections.

    It is also true to a large extent that the party has kept to its core principle of inclusiveness, which includes spread of appointments and projects, spread of benefits and opportunities and ultimately its adherence to the principle of equity and justice.

    In the beginning, it was James Ibori, an Urhobo from Delta Central that governed the state for eight years. He was succeeded by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Itsekiri from Delta South. So, in line with this zoning principle, the party in December settled for Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, from Delta North, as Uduaghan’s successor. Thus, closing the loop of justice.

    In truth, for politics to remain an arena of shared goals and beliefs there must be equity and fairness, otherwise it would become a tool of oppression and exclusion. Delta State PDP abhors injustice, but adheres to the core values of equity and justice, knowing quite well that society must have this critical balance for progress to be made.

    In Okowa, the PDP has a candidate that has shown his readiness for the job. He has campaigned in different parts of the state, with vigour and style. According to observers, he has displayed an understanding and knowledge of the state during such campaigns. Amongst other qualities, Okowa’s antecedents suggest that he comes to the turf ready to deliver.

    Okowa’s stature has left the opposition bewildered, because it it is difficult to judge what they stand for.

    Okowa’s bid is hardly threatened by the candidacy of Mr. O’tega Emerhor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that of Great Ogboru of the Labour Party (LP).  The politics of the two candidates are perceived as divisive. They are seen as spoilers who have no plan for the state.

    The two candidates are have been appealing to the ethnic sentiments of the Urhobos, the largest ethnic group in the state, for support. But, so far the Urhobos have been divided among the three major candidates.

    Thus, observers believe that The kind of politics that the opposition plays may have worked in the past but not anymore. They pander and promote ethnic agenda and seek to situate this as the only route to political Eldorado. But they are mistaken. Having being together in the last 16 years with PDP in the vanguard and with the evolution of politics in the state, our people are wiser and more comfortable on a platform that gives equal opportunity and access to everyone.

    Today, in Delta every component part of Delta feels a sense of ownership of the Delta project. We all feel that given the dimension and direction of things, it is better to be equal part of the whole than to be half of the whole. Okowa and the PDP preach equal part of the whole, while the opposition preaches half of the whole. The danger is that the politics of the opposition frightens people, it disturbs the Urhobos. Because the Urhobos know what is being said and presented is not who they really are.

    People rightly fear politics of domination and control. Everybody wants affirmative right: a right to be seen and respected as a stakeholder.  Half of the whole by the opposition is politics of exclusion and marginalisation.  And this is politics of the past. The 16 years of PDP has stabilized Delta State and created integration in ways many did not know was possible. A vote for the opposition will completely reverse this.

    In this sense Okowa and the PDP in Delta state represents the future of the state. A future in which according to Okowa plan prosperity will flow in Delta state. There will be more investment in infrastructure such as roads, bridges, power and industrial parks. Okowa has promised to further develop the rural economy, there will be great emphasis on agriculture and ago-processing— the value-addition, the economy needs to be able to grow and reduce poverty. Okowa has rightly identified environmental and urban renewal as a focal point which means he will further extend efforts in combating climate change and environmental degradation.

    The Okowa plan is also mindful of the place of education and health care system that will ensure further growth in human capacity. His emphasis on universal health insurance policy for all Deltans is admirable and is the logical next step to ensure that Deltans are healthy. In truth, what Okowa offers is by far qualitatively superior to what the opposition is putting on the table, which is actually nothing.

  • Pipeline fire kills mother, three children in Delta

    A Mother and her three children died in an oil spill fire last week.

    The spill emanated from the Shell owned Riapele-Forcados Trunkline in Odidi, Warri South West of Delta State.

    The Nation gathered that the victims – Mrs Ebosine Photo (36), Siyafa (16), Gift (6) and a toddler, went fishing and got burnt to death while trying to put on a hurricane lamp, unaware the water was polluted by crude oil.

    Confirming the incident yesterday, a community leader, Friday Deinghan, said they had contacted the company.

    Deinghan said no Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) had been put together to ascertain the cause and extent of damage since the community noticed bubbles on the blowout spot and reported to Shell last Thursday.

    “The woman and her children were fishing more than three kilometres away from the spill point, unmindful that the crude oil had spread across the river. It was at night.

    “She made to light a hurricane lamp as they mend their nets and fishing traps. Immediately she lit it and dropped it into the water, the thing caught fire and engulfed the four of them.

    “The community promptly notified Shell, asking them to boom the place to arrest the oil from spreading, but they refused.

    “As I speak, it is a serious humanitarian concern in the community as the people are confused. People can’t go for fishing; something urgent needs to be done,” he said.

  • Delta PDP stockpiling arms, APC alleges

    House of Assembly candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State Mr Robinson Ariyo has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Warri South of stockpiling arms to unleash mayhem on voters.

    Ariyo, a lawyer, is seeking to unseat fourth-term lawmaker Mrs Omamuli Udoh, of the PDP.

    “We have reports that plans have been perfected to repeat the irregularities of last election on Saturday as guns, cutlasses, and axes have been bought to intimidate voters.

    “I can tell you without mincing words that I have suffered most of this vandalisation. I am not in government; I am only a struggling young lawyer, who has submitted himself as an alternative for his people,” Ariyo said.

    He alleged that in the last elections, the PDP stationed thugs at the polling units thereby preventing secret voting as required by the electoral law.

    The lawyer said APC had formally complained to the inspector general of Police, Warri Area Command as well as INEC chairman about the irregularities.

  • Okowa, Emerhor, Ogboru: Who becomes Delta governor?

    Okowa, Emerhor, Ogboru: Who becomes Delta governor?

    Who will the people of Delta State vote for on Saturday? OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE examines the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates and the issues that will shape the election.

    The stage is set for the governorship election in Delta State. The contest is among the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP).

    The APC has O’tega Emerhor as its governorship flag-bearer. Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is the PDP flag bearer and Great Ogboru is the candidate of the LP.

    Zoning, the ethnicity, the strength of political parties and popularity of candidates, rather than governance, have dominated political discourse. But, events during the PDP primaries suggest that Deltans may have transcended such mundane biases in choosing their leaders as shown by Okowa’s victory over other aspirant from the supposedly dominant ethnic groups.

    The clamour for power shift among the Igbo- speaking population in Delta North District and the resolve by the Urhobo in Delta Central senatorial District to wrest power has created conflict between the ethnic groups.

    The Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), the apex Urhobo socio-cultural group has openly canvassed for a governor of Urhobo extraction while the Anioma Congress made up of Delta North traditional rulers led by the Asagba of Asaba, Prof. Obi Chike Edozien, with the support of Anioma political leaders, have backed an Anioma son or daughter to become governor. With neither side willing to back down, the stage appears set for a titanic battle.

    The battle resonated at the last PDP primaries when on the eve of the primaries the UPU urged delegates to vote for David Edebvie, an Urhobo man.

    Deputy Governor Agbe Utuama, an Urhobo, in a statement, said he withdrew from the race on account of the UPU directive, but, Okowa scored a resounding victory over the UPU candidate at the primaries, polling 406 votes to Edebvie’s 299.

    Okowa is from Delta North senatorial District, Emerhor is Urhobo from Delta Central senatorial District. Ogboru is also an Urhobo man from Delta Central.

    The battle is a straight fight among the APC, PDP and the LP. The question is whether there will be an upset at the polls or whether the PDP will maintain its stranglehold on power?

    Emerhor, who hails from Evwereni community, Ughelli North is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a banker, an Insurance guru and a tested turnaround expert. He is a major player in the nation’s financial sub-sector.

    The entry of the APC into the political landscape has changed political calculations in the state. The APC has seen its fortunes grow geometrically with the emergence of Emerhor as its flag-bearer.

    Emerhor’s chances received a further boost when the All Progressive Congress won the presidential election. The Urhobos, not wishing to remain in opposition party, may mobilise support for the APC candidate.

    Emerhor, who contested the Delta Central Senatorial District by-elections in 2013, may be the preferred choice of the Urhobos as they have been shopping for a viable candidate, following the loss of their candidate at the PDP primary elections.

    The APC candidate may benefit from the famous Uvwiamuge Declaration of March 28, 2014, which stated that should the PDP fail to give the party’s governorship ticket to an Urhobo candidate, the Urhobo nation will move en-masse to a political party with national spread.

    Another factor in Emerhor’s favour may be the need by his kinsmen to promote a new face with fresh ideology in the battle for Delta’s top position.

    The Urhobo desirous of reclaiming the governorship after the tenure of James Ibori may settle for Emerhor. Emerhor is a philanthropist, who has donated to Urhobo causes and has quietly built a reputation amongst his kinsmen. He has actively participated in grassroots politics over the years. He was the second highest donor when the UPU was building its secretariat.

    Emerhor had the assumed structures of the late Senator Akpo Ewerhido following the demise of the Urhobo politician and this may stand him in good stead in the election.

    He is the chairman of the UPU Special Fund Management Board instituted to raise funds for the development of the Urhobo nation.

    Emerhor may face an uphill task in his bid for votes in Delta North senatorial district, especially as the Anioma people may choose Okowa over him or Ogboru.

    But, the APC candidate has picked his running mate, ex-CBN Director Vander-Puye Abanum, who hails from the Ndokwa ethnic group with three local government areas, including Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East and Ukwuani.

    This may help APC get votes from Delta North senatorial district a perceived stronghold of the PDP, as the Ndokwa ethnic group have often complained loudly of marginalization politically despite their contributions to the economic wellbeing of the State.

    Delta North, populated by the Ibo-speaking group with nine local government areas, remains the only major ethnic group not to have produced governor.

    Analysts believe Emerhor lacks the capability to translate his prowess in boardroom politics to the political terrain, even though he has mounted an effective campaign in the run-up to the governorship election

    Another snag to his ambition is that Emerhor will have to contend with Ogboru for Urhobo votes as they are both of the Urhobo ethnic stock. Analysts believe this may not augur well for both candidates.

    A prominent Urhobo leader, who preferred anonymity, said: “I worry for the two Urhobo sons contesting in the Delta governorship election. Unless one steps down for the other, our chances may go up in smoke and we remain in political wilderness .It is painful when you consider that we are superior numerically”.

    Ogboru is an astute politician and multi-millionaire business man. He hails from Abraka,Ethiope East, with maternal roots in Ukwuani community in Delta North.

    Ogboru has always contested elections since 2003. In 2011, his party the Democratic People Party (DPP), put up an astonishing performance to win an unheard-of eight seats in the House of  Assembly and a seat each in the House of Representatives and seat. Can the People’s General muster the finances to fight for the number one job in Delta State? Ogboru is a crowd puller and a factor in Delta politics. But, can Ogboru still count on Urhobo support, especially with the emergence of Emerhor?

    Ogboru is a determined and consistent politician. He has wide appeal across the three senatorial district and has experience, having contested elections in the past.

    Analysts are of the opinion that Ogboru’s of running-mate from the Isoko nation, Elder Peter Erebi, the ex-President General Isoko Progessive Union (IPU) may work against his ambition as numerically the Isokos constitute a small political unit in only two local government areas, Isoko, South and North.

    But, Erebi has the support of his Olomoro clan, who have promised to work for the L.P candidate.

    The chairman of Olomoro Community Development Union (OCD) described Erebi as a selfless and trustworthy man. He said: “We are happy for this great opportunity of the choice of our son, Peter Erebi as Deputy-Governor in the April11 election we will vote for the L.P candidate’.

    “When Erebi was President General, he used his hard earned money to run the union without levying any clan throughout his tenure, so there is no going back on the choice of Ogboru and Erebi. It is a battle already fought and won.”

    Okowa is a popular grassroots politician from Owa-Aliero community in Ika North-East. He contested the 2007 governorship election against Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and put up a strong showing that rattled the PDP hierarchy.

    A consummate politician, Okowa has established political structures in the three senatorial districts, clinching the PDP ticket.

    He represents Delta North in the National Assembly where he is Chairman, Senate Committee on Health. His intellectual capacity is also one thing that stands him in good stead for the job. Within three years as a senator, he sponsored 12 bills, including the National Health Bill, which was signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Okowa was the Secretary, Ika Local Government, and first Executive Chairman, Ika North East Local Government. He was Commissioner of Water Resources, Agriculture and Health in the Ibori administration. He also served as Secretary to the Delta State Government during the first tenure of Dr Uduaghan

    Analysts see his choice of running mate in Kingsley Utuaro from the Ijaw ethnic group in the Delta South Senatorial District as a strategic move. The Ijaw is the major ethnic group in Bomadi, Burutu, Patani and, at least, half of Warri South West. The Ijaws are expected to rally round him now that President Jonathan is returning to Otuoke after May 29. It is believed that, if he can carve out some votes from the Isoko nation and parts of Delta Central, he will win in Delta North.

    However, Okowa has been trailed by the allegation that he sold out his candidacy for Governor Uduaghan to emerge at the 2007 PDP governorship primaries in Ogwashi-Uku. While this allegation lacks authenticity, his enemies have always tried to use it against him in Delta North. With pressures from the UPU on Ogboru to step down for Emerhor, a possible gang up between the Urhobo and the Isoko is also a major threat to his aspiration. But, Okowa is a dogged politician, who has fought many political battles. Whether he will come out unscathed in this remains to be seen.

    It is clear that none of the candidates can win by the support of a major ethnic group, not even the Urhobos who claim to be in the majority. The successful candidate must have a simple majority of the votes cast plus 25 per cent in two thirds of the 25 local governments in the state. Out of the 25 local governments, Delta South and Central have eight each while Delta North has nine. Out of the 2million registered voters in Delta state, Delta Central has 38 per cent, Delta South 34 per cent and Delta North 32 per cent. It promises to be a titanic battle.

  • Delta… My convoy is longer than yours

    Driving on any major road, street or highways in the twin cities of Effurun/Warri and other towns in Delta State requires a lot of patience and self-control. No, it is not because of the condition of the roads or the menace of reckless taxi or bus drivers and their tricycle (keke) counterparts, who drive at breakneck speed or pilot unworthy vehicles without the basic safety features like turn indicators, horns or windshield wipers.  Most of the buses and taxis on the road don’t have headlight or tail lights, side or inner mirrors; the safety conscious ones among them simply use bits of their wives’ broken make-up glasses. The ‘mirror’ is placed on the dash board and the driver would conjure them when they need to look out before veering from one lane to the other.

    But these drivers are no longer the biggest threat to road users because this devil the road users know is way better than the crazy security agents they don’t know. Security men attached to ‘big men’ and their wives are the biggest danger now for motorist and even pedestrians.

    Taking your car for a drive on the roads, either for pleasure or when going about your normal business, calls for prayers and divine watch to save you from security and paramilitary operators attached to government officials, top operators of the oil and gas industry, their counterparts in the illegal (bunkering) deals and local thugs. The activities of these ‘security’ agents have turned every Toyota hilux van or any van favoured by these classes of moneybags into vehicles above the law so much so that the sight of one of these pick-ups releases adrenalin and send the hearts of other users of the road palpitating.

    The menaces of these vans, which drive behind and in front of exotic cars and buses at breakneck speed even along narrow streets, have forced cost at least one life and uncountable destructions to other road users or even people lounging in front of their houses.

    A friend once joked that most big men in Delta state move around with their own police station and army barracks; the bigger the men the bigger their escorts and troops. In a clear demonstration of the lawlessness that has pervaded the country, this class of people is above the law and they drive even against traffic at the same speed. The irony is that FRSC official, police and other security agents at on the roads wave them, even kowtow with the hope of getting ‘something for the boys’, thereby legalizing the illegality.

    “They are kill-and-go people”, lamented one of their victims. “Even when they drive against traffic, they bring out horsewhip and flog anybody who stands in their way, not minding that the person has the right of way.”

    It is not only with the common driver on the road that the big men clash, sometimes they clash among themselves. “It could be that one team has regular policemen on its convoy and the other has mobile policemen. In that case the mopol usually win except when they are outnumbered.”

    Similarly, the ultra-rich among them rich use soldiers. This class prefers to convey their security ’aides’ in heavy duty pickup trucks like the petrol-guzzling Ford F150, Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan, just to prove that ‘my convoy is longer than yours, so my money is more than yours.’

    The police’s involvement in this madness querries our belief in the rule of law. With the police and some other security agencies deeply involved in the commotion that driving in Warri has become, it remains to be seen who will save the society. It would have been a different ball game if the culprits are only the ordinary people. My last word here is that this madness must stop. The police and other security operatives must be made to respect the rule of law by their top hierarchy. Enough is just enough!

     

     

  • N9b oil pipeline contracts: Tension in Delta, Bayelsa

    N9b oil pipeline contracts: Tension in Delta, Bayelsa

    The multi-billion naira Federal Government pipeline protection contracts are causing confusion in Delta and Bayelsa states.

    Oil-bearing communities in Urhoboland yesterday gave a week ultimatum to the government to review the contracts, to include the interest of Urhobo in Delta Central.

    Giving the ultimatum in Warri during a chat with The Nation, the Urhobo Host Communities, the umbrella body for oil and gas host communities, said failure to take the ultimatum seriously would prove disastrous for oil facilities on their land.

    The coordinator of the body, Maurice Idiowha, said the leaders and youths in the eight Urhobo-speaking council areas of Delta State were aggrieved that they were excluded from the contracts.

    Idiowha said Urhobo land has major oil facilities, wondering how the Federal Government could expect an Ijaw or an Itsekiri to secure the pipelines in their area.

    He said: “If the Federal Government does not call us within the next one week, the assets and facilities in Urhobo land will no longer be secured. The communities and their leadership, the youths, the ex-militants phase three, every president-general, every youth leader, we will all remove our hands from the leadership and authorise and allow the communities to do as they please.

    “We have been standing in the gap for the Federal Government and the communities all these while, but it seems our letters, our requests and our pleas have been falling on deaf ears. So, in a week from now, if the Federal Government does not call us to sit and review this process. All facilities in Urhobo land will no longer be secured.

    “If the Urhobo nation in Delta Central is not included in the pipelines surveillance contract, we will not be able to guarantee the safety of the assets of the facilities in Urhobo land. Come to think of it, Urhobo is a majority. We have lots of the facilities that sustain the economy of Nigeria; in terms of the WRPC, we have it in abundance, the Otor-Orogun Gas plant that powers Aso Rock, you have it in Urhobo land. The Ughelli Quality Control Centre is in Urhobo land; the Eriemu manifold, one of the largest in West Africa, is in Urhobo land. What is the surveillance if all these assets are not protected? These are what drive the nation’s economy, you don’t expect an Ijaw or an Itsekiri man to come and protect assets in Urhobo land.

    “So, we are saying Federal Government should immediately respond and call Urhobo to be included in the surveillance contract, otherwise all facilities in Urhobo land can no longer be guaranteed safety because the youths, the president-generals, the host communities that are hosting these facilities are very aggrieved right now and the threats are coming to us the leaders of the host communities.

    “We have been holding these people back; we’ve written letters, we’ve written petitions, we’ve given ultimatums, which have all fallen on deaf ears. We are calling that Urhobo be included in the contracts; otherwise, the Federal Government and the companies will face the wrath of the communities.”

    Ex-militants, the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson are also fighting over the pipeline surveillance contracts.

    Hundreds of ex-militants last Friday held anti-Governor Seriake Dickson protests, saying hate songs against their governor.

    The Bayelsa State share of the contracts was the reason why the ex-militants led by a former Commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Eris Paul, popularly known as ‘General Ogunboss, took over the road and disrupted public peace.

    Dickson and the IYC believe it is unfair for the contract to be awarded to only Bajero, a company formed with the initials of ex-militant leaders who hail from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. The ex-militant leaders, who combined their initials to form Bajero are Victor Ebikabowei (Boyloaf), Africa Ukpariasa (General Africa), Joshua Macaiver, Eris Paul (Ogunboss), Pastor Reuben and Osei Clever.

    Youths of from Bayelsa State yesterday protested attempts by ex-militant leaders from the state to corner the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract approved by the Federal Government for the state.

    The youths who marched the streets of Yenagoa, the state capital, voiced their support for the Izon-Ibe Security Company Nigeria Limited, a security company established by the state government to execute the job.

    Hundreds of the youths under the aegis of Yenagoa Youth Forum (YYF), took their protest to the Government House Gate, Yenagoa.

    They created heavy traffic gridlock me frustrated motorists and travelers along the popular Mbiama-Yenagoa Road.

    They were received by the Commissioner for Youth, Collins Cocodia, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Ebizi Ndiomu-Brown.

    The President of YYF, Olomu Norris, said the youths of the area would resist any move by the ex-militant leaders to hijack the pipeline protection contract.

    He said the state-owned security company was in a better position to handle the job as it represents the general interest of the people of the state,including stakeholder groups like youths,women, and traditional rulers.

    “Yenagoa Local  Government  youths say it is enough. Enough is a enough.We are solidly behind Izon-Ibe Security Company.

    “The Federal Government should give the pipeline surveillance contract to Izon-Ibe Security Company because the way the government has made it, youths in the state will be part of it. The company will enhance the living standard of the youths”, he said.

    Norris warned the former Niger Delta militant leaders and their followers to desist from blocking the Mbiama-Yenagoa Road over the NNPC pipeline job.

    The National Chairman, 6166 Presidential Amnesty Phase II, ‘General’ Aso Tambo, said Dickson had concluded plans with the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri, to hijack the contracts.

    “Other states like Delta, Edo, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom are also involved because they have ex-militants like us. The governors of these states did not encroach into these contracts,” he said.

    Eradiri on Sunday raised the alarm over alleged threats to his life. He said ex-militants leaders were threatening him over his insistence that Bajero must not be the sole beneficiary of the contract to protect pipelines in Bayelsa.

    Eradiri said the ex-militant leaders had exposed themselves as selfish individuals who have no interests of the poverty-stricken Ijaw communities at heart.

    He faulted the implementation of the pipeline surveillance contracts, saying they were designed to benefit the oil-bearing communities.

    He said: “I was coincidentally Secretary-General of the IYC when the Niger Delta was on fire and that leadership led by Dr. Chris Ekiyor swung into action to resolve the crisis in the region.

    “We were negotiating with the Federal Government. Many past leaders came together and eventually an amnesty was proclaimed. Now this amnesty was proclaimed for about 30,000 youths that were directly involved in the agitation.

    “When we were designing the programme, we said that if you have 30,000 young people that have been involved in this agitation taken away from the creeks to be trained and reintegrated into the society, you need also to do something to engage the communities, the people.

    “This is because the number of youths who are vulnerable to being used for criminal activities are basically in the communities. I was part of those who wrote that programme for a security surveillance for oil installations in the communities.”

  • Delta LG lawmakers suspend members

    THE legislative arm of the Bomadi Local Government council of Delta State on Friday suspended five of its members.
    The suspended members are Hon. Clifford Labos, Hon Sele-Oge Tom, Hon Manager Bofede, Hon Mekoru Ebikemere and Hon. Susan Preyor.

    They were suspended at an emergency sitting which was presided over by Leader of the House Mr. August Zidideke.

    The legislative arm accused the suspended members of gross misconduct and conspiracy.

    The House, in a statement issued to journalists by its Acting Clerk, Omoun Bluff Courage, disclosed that the resolution for the suspension was as a result of a motion moved by Chairman House Committee on Environment, Mr. Innocent Akpoyibo and seconded by Deputy Leader of the House, Sylvia Mietoruomi and unanimously adopted by members.