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Tompolo’s NDDC Board Ultimatum: Akpabio’s Overtures Turns Down, Tongue-Lashed Instead
The minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio, Thursday’s overtures trip to the Niger Delta to appeal to stakeholders to soft-pedal on the agitations against the sole administratorship status of NDDC, has been reportedly turned down, BIGPENNGR has learnt.
Akpabio had on Thursday kicked off moves to douse tension in the Niger Delta with his trip to Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom to plead with former militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo and other stakeholders to backdown over the ultimatum on NDDC board reconstitution.
BIGPENNGR reported that Tompolo had on Sunday issued a seven-day ultimatum to Buhari and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to reconstitute the NDDC board or face dire consequences in the Niger Delta.
He however urged President Buhari, members of the National Assembly and Security Agencies to work towards the constitution of the substantive board of the NDDC within a few days to avert a total breakdown of law and order that will equally affect crude oil exploration and exploitation activities in the region.
But Akpabio, four days later flew in from Abuja and took a boat trip to the Niger Delta creek to persuade Tompolo to withdraw his 7-day ultimatum and also meet critical Delta State ethnic nationalities stakeholders who were also hurriedly invited for the meeting.
However, the Minister’s overture reportedly received a cold response from Tompolo and other stakeholders in the region who tongue-lashed him instead.
A source privy to the meeting held at the palace of paramount ruler of Gbaramatu, said that the meeting was so heated that at a point Akpabio attempted to stage a walkout.
The source said that Akpabio was tongue-lashed heavily by the various speakers for treating NDDC as if it was his private enterprise in the meeting which later collapsed into a closed door.
Sources at the meeting said that Tompolo reportedly snubbed meeting Akpabio directly but sent message to him to go back to Abuja and inaugurate the NDDC board without further delay.
Speaking at the meeting, the Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa represented by the Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro said that the position of Delta State Government is that the right thing should be done regarding the NDDC board in accordance with the Act that established the commission.
President of Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), Amos Ogbokor-Etaluku, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof Benjamin Okaba separately expressed dismay that Akpabio was running NDDC with a sole administrator in contravention of the Act that established the commission.
Specifically, Ogbokor-Etaluku said that the entire youths of the Niger Delta region had aligned themselves with the ultimatum proclaimed by Tompolo, warning that the safety of oil workers would not be guarantee in the coming days.
Spokesman of Gbaramatu Traditional Council, Chief Godspower Gbenekeme expressly told the Minister; “The people seated here are not IYC executives that you can just call to Abuja, the presence of soldiers in our region is not the reason for peace, it is because of our resolve, we want that board to be constituted, the ultimatum stands, after the ultimatum and nothing is done, don’t blame anybody”, he said.
Meanwhile, speaking earlier Akpabio, like President Buhari who recently made a controversial but now deleted ‘civil war’ post on Twitter, also made reference to how war out broke situation would be in the Niger Delta if tension continues to grow.
He said that it was necessary for the youths to give peace a chance going by the fragile nature of the Niger Delta region, saying “it is only someone who has not seen a war that would be talking of war.
“…when others are having their issues and they wants to take it on the federal government, we are saying this region should not join them. I am saying this because in the last time a lot of their young ones were killed, as a young man I saw where mothers threw their kids in the pit toilet so that soldiers don’t locate them with the cry of the baby. I saw people slept in the open field of primary schools. I saw where somebody will be walking on the road and the next thing you hear is ‘gbo’ and you see blood gushing out and he doesn’t even know he has been shot so we must not allow our region to boil, we must support the federal government, particularly this present government”, Akpabio added.
He said that his visit was primarily to consult the people on the way forward and also to appeal for peace.
According to him, his consultative meetings with stakeholders would be extended to other Kingdoms within the Niger Delta region.
Tompolo’s seven-day ultimatum expires on Saturday, June 5th.
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