journalistic investigator, political analyst, and media planner. He belongs to the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), and the Institute of Management Consultant as a Fellow. In this interview, Ekpokpobe discusses a number of difficulties and suggests answers based on his extensive knowledge and involvement in the struggle and development of the Niger Delta. Politics is not omitted by him. Excerpts:
The Niger Delta Pipeline Surveillance Contract has been the topic of much public discussion. A vote of confidence in “Tompolo” regarding the deal has just been voted by the Senate. Do you have any thoughts on this matter?
Over the years, the Niger-Delta conflict has been plagued by a number of factors that tend to undermine its foundation. One of these is the contract for pipeline surveillance as well as the Federal Government’s newly implemented Presidential Amnesty Program. I’ll explain how. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) allegedly took the first and most well-known decisive action in the Niger Delta on December 11, 1998, with the Kiama Declaration, which was intended to draw attention to the problems plaguing the Nigeria Delta.
These problems range from environmental damage caused by multinational oil companies to the deprivation of the natural rights of the Nigeria Delta to land ownership and resource control. The result of such announcement was militancy and a demand for resource control from regional leaders.
The Federal Government’s efforts to restore peace included the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and ultimately the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). Did these initiatives successfully end Niger Delta crude oil theft? No, is the response.
Nigeria no longer receives its foreign reserves from the sale of crude oil. Godwin Emefiele, governor of the central bank, recently revealed that Nigeria’s oil-related foreign earnings would go from $3,000,000,000 per month to zero in 2022. Where did our crude go? The ruling class, along with global criminal organizations and investors, has carted everything away.
Another pacification scheme by the federal government is the pipeline surveillance contract, which aims to include natives or residents in keeping an eye on pipelines and facilities for crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta. While I must applaud the fact that the contract was awarded to our illustrious son, High Chief Government Ekpemopolo alias Tompolo, as a stakeholder interested in the Niger Delta development issue, it is important to emphasize that the contract’s intended outcome is in danger of failing because it is increasingly becoming politicized, particularly as it relates to the Isoko nation, which is also covered by the contract.
You asked my view, and I will say that while we will continue to discuss how the Federal Government has used a carrot and stick strategy to destabilize the Niger Delta, our leaders must act honorably and refrain from making our situation worse via their avarice. Isoko has to be given the credit and prominence it deserves in the equation. And any Isoko leader or individuals who, in a sense, support the APC would be worsening their situation.
Your home state of Delta State’s deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, is vying for governor. What do you think about his ambition in relation to the situation?
It is quite a pitiful scenario that the APC should even consider campaigning rather than constant apologies to Nigerians given the APC’s appalling record at the national level. However, that is not the question that you have posed to me. It is more important than ever that the leadership actually hears and comprehends the aspirations of the typical Deltan. Ovie Omo-Agege doesn’t, in my opinion, fit the bill for the type of leader Delta State needs—someone who understands what it means to be a Deltan. Ovie Omo-Agege has become more embroiled in controversy over the years than in actual leadership.
I can state unequivocally that between 2017 and 2022, his full identity was made known. Omo-Agege has displayed all of a despot’s traits. Examine the Labour Party, which resurrected his waning political career. How did he act? When he thought he wasn’t given enough room to take charge, he left it for the APC. The APC he moved to is currently only a ghost of what it once was.
The Cairo Ojougbohs and Victor Ocheis who were initially accompanying him are nowhere to be found. Why did Emmanuel Uduaghan, a former governor, truly leave the APC and join the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)? What is the current state of Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru’s feelings for Omo-Agege? The All Progressive Grand Alliance now includes Ogboru (APGA). Omo-Agege is a far cry from a legislator, who in theory should be the foundation of democracy; he or she neither listens to nor accepts other viewpoints. If you don’t follow his orders, you are expelled.
As the APC’s small support base in Delta State has been taken over by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), additional APC bigwigs are now swarming the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and APGA. This is the same person that complained about Delta State. Omo-Agege has to concentrate more on organizing his home and engaging in sober introspection right now. He claims to be the senator for Delta Central, yet he dragged nearly all of the government-approved projects to his neighborhood.
The state APC chairman, Chief Omeni Sobotie, is constantly walking around with his cap in hand around corridors of power here and there to seek money for party activities as other party members wallow in wantonness while he swims in luxury. I can certainly state that even his party members have disapproved of him and his goals, and I sincerely hope he comes to this realization soon.
Several political analysts have predicted that the PDP will perform poorly in 2023 as a result of the internal strife in Delta State. Do you share the same way of thinking?
The sophisticated web that the PDP has woven in Delta State can lead you, as a key observer and participant in the 2019 election, to almost imperceptibly predict that the party will never lose Delta State. Given the “Federal Would,” as it is referred to American politics, the APC might have been a realistic choice. However, given what Deltans have seen and experienced regarding the Federal Government’s careless abandoning of its citizens during the course of the APC’s nearly eight-year rule, that “Federal Might” is no longer relevant to them. As an analyst, all I can say when people discuss the internal conflict inside the PDP in Delta State is that the PDP has already overcome more difficult obstacles than it is currently facing.
Simply said, it’s a hurricane in a tea cup. The problems have also been conclusively resolved by the courts. Of course, there might be a little bit of resentment here and there, but with time, everyone involved will be placated. The Delta State election in 2023 will likely follow a nearly identical pattern to the one in 1999, with the battle line slightly split between Delta Central and Delta South. Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, the APC’s candidate for the Senate in Delta North, is nowhere to be found, while Prince Ned Nwoko, the PDP’s candidate for the Senate, is actively campaigning there. Not to mention that the incumbent governor and vice presidential candidate of the PDP are from the same Delta North, both candidates for the deputy governorship are from Ndokwa/Ukwauni.
The Isokos have wholeheartedly embraced the Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, #Sheriffied movement for Delta South.
The Hon. Michael Diden, alias Ejele, is the PDP’s senatorial candidate for the Itsekiris. Former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s return has increased visibility and bloated the ranks even further. I must praise Uduaghan at this point for his fatherly leadership style and political maturity, both of which have proven to be well beyond petty behavior. The Ijaw nation, which appears to be heartbroken, is the scene of the conflict.
And while it’s unclear which way their pendulum will swing in light of the pipeline monitoring contract that the APC government awarded their son, it’s likely to tip in favor of the PDP given how firmly rooted they are.
There is no justification for the local governments of Sapele, Okpe, and Uvwie in Delta Central to sacrifice their son, the PDP’s candidate for governor. Chief Great Ogboru has long had a stake in the east of Ethiopia. Both Senator Ighoyota Amori, a PDP candidate for the Senate, and Erhitiake Ibori-Suonu, the daughter of former Governor James Ibori, are running for the House of Representatives in Ethiope West.
Since Ughelli South has never been in contention, Ughelli North is the scene of the conflict. As much praise as the party leadership deserves for persevering in the face of internal conflict, it still has a bigger role to play in maintaining the unity of the party before the election.
According to the information I have available, the party’s candidate has made things simpler with his open door approach. All things considered, although I am not a prophet, I can assert that Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s campaign has metaphysical support.
One can’t help but wonder about the love he receives when one observes it from a distance. While there may be some political casualties in the election, which is entirely normal, the factors in place completely rule out the PDP performing poorly.
After considerable clamor and anticipation, the NDDC Board has been unveiled. Do you currently see a positive development for the commission?
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) hasn’t had the independence it needs to function profitably. However, it is past time to appoint a Board and the necessary management. Sadly, this history of chaos is best exemplified by the APC-led government. All things considered, I must congratulate the new hires.
We as stakeholders hope that the dust will settle quickly so that the proper business of development can resume, despite the fact that there are new disputes on the floor of the National Assembly. As a stakeholder, I am more concerned about the fact that the forensic audit report, which cost billions of Naira, is still secret. The fact that the report is being kept a secret from us offends us. For their own self-promotion, people who have impeded the development of the Niger Delta region must be identified. I sincerely hope that the incoming administration places implementation and enforcement of the report at the top of its priority list.
