Militants threatening fire over Tompolo’s pipeline contract are possessed with spirit of greed -IIA

By Timi Black

The Ijaw Interest Advocates, IIA, alias Izanzan camp has swooped on faceless militants threatening fire over the award of the oil pipeline surveillance contract to High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo by the Nigeria federal government about three weeks ago.

The group disclosed this to Congress newspaper in a statement by its national president Comrade Arerebo Yerinmene Salaco SNR on Monday.

The statement titled: “Pipeline Surveillance contract: The Crab Spirit in Ijaw Land Must be Shamed and Resisted” said: “Our attention has been drawn to a video going round the cyberspace where some faceless Niger Delta youths claiming to be Ijaws threatening some key Ijaw stakeholders over the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to GOC Tompolo.”

The group stated that the threat and campaign of calumny and mischief were a display of greediness by the faceless Niger Delta youths, stressing that their evil threats were shameful and uncalled for as it was so disheartening seeing Ijaws always being antagonistic to each other.

“While we can’t keep mute over the display of greediness by the faceless Niger Delta youths, we are equivocally stating that their evil threats are shameful and uncalled for as it is so disheartening seeing Ijaws always being antagonistic to each other.

“However, we are not too happy with the way peanuts are handed to the Ijaw Nation, Niger Delta by the Federal government anytime their channel of looting our resources are threatened but that doesn’t mean that we will be part of those that will oppose and truncate the effort of those that are struggling to allay the fears of our people.

“I appeal to gun-toting militants to channel their energy to the movement for the total emancipation of the Niger Delta, and not to show weak strength with fellow Ijaw brothers out of greed and envy.

“If the faceless gun gang is so pained and powerful enough, why are they not bothered how Ijaw Nation oil money is shared and used to develop and industrialise Northern and Western states that do not contribute to the sustainability of Nigeria while subjecting the Ijaw people whose land produce and house the oil and multinationals companies to constant hardship and perpetual slavery.

“If they are interested in the well-being of the Niger Delta region why are they mute when our oil money is being used to construct railways, refineries and gas pipelines for the Niger Republic, NDDC money shared in Abuja, Oil blocks are given to northerners and their Emirs in the North as entertainment gifts, and the Niger Delta people are not employed in the IOC’s? Is the oil piped and linked to the Dangote refinery in Lagos from the Niger Delta not deserving their attention and protest?” the group queried.

“It is shameful that the tiny Oil Pipeline surveillance contract awarded to High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, our kinsman has become a problem of a group that tags itself Ijaw group.

“Owing to their gross and misguided outburst, it has become imperative that the attention of the gun gang be drawn to the devastating level of environmental pollution in Niger Delta and suggest that they focus on engaging the federal government on cleaning and remediation jobs and stop breaking their heads over a mere surveillance contract given to Tompolo.

“We, in our magnanimity are also drawing the attention of the self-acclaimed gun-lords to focus on how our people, the Ijaw people would be directly involved in the National Petroleum Products Distribution Scheme and make available Petroleum products to our people at lesser or affordable prices. This would serve a better purpose for the Ijaw nation that produces the oil but suffers and sells both their sweat and blood to buy oil products.

“We are by this statement calling and warning purported gun group parading itself as a pro-Ijaw group threatening High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, High Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva and other Ijaw stakeholders to retrace their steps and desist from such ill-intentioned and ill-fated plans as every step taken by anyone to truncate or destroy the fragile peace we are currently enjoying in the Niger Delta would be resisted at all costs.
Peace is Priceless.” The group asserted.