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An Insider, ONIENGYA EREKOSIMA, Reveals
The quest for the protection of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region prompted the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited NNPCL to engage non-state actors in the surveillance job over the several pipelines across the Oil producing states in the federation. Since the last administration took that bold step in engaging Tantita Nigeria Limited as Contractor for this surveillance job, there has been revelations of illegal diversion of oil products inside the deep Atlantic Ocean laced with illegal bunkering points which depleted earnings from the Oil sector of the Nigerian economy.
Here in this interview with Oniengyie Erekosima a proponent of Non-Violence and founder of Peace in Nigeria, a Non-Violence initiative in Niger Delta whose exploits in 2008 lead to the then administration of late President Umaru Yar’Adua to establish Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta Resource Control agitators. Here, City People Magazine Port Harcourt Bureau Chief, EMEKA AMAEFULA (+234(0)8111813069)engaged him in an interview as he regaled on his achievements in bringing peace to Niger Delta region while condemning Rivers State Governor Sir Siminialayi Fubara for his statement that Oil Pipelines surveillance contract should not be given to one man. Read on.
Kindly introduce yourself…
My name is Oniengya Erekosima. I am the President of Foundation for Peace and Non-Violence in Nigeria.
What do you have to say about the Contract Federal Government of Nigeria awarded to Tantita Nigeria Limited belonging to Tompolo Governemnt, and the statement of the River State Governor Siminialayi Fubara’s avowed views on one man not to be awarded such Oil Pipeline Surveillance contract?
Concerning the contract, and the statement from the Governor of Rivers State, the Governor is not being sincere or the Governor is not being truthful. Tompolo bided for this contract and whoever wants a Contract should submit a proposal to the Government. Tompolo was not just given contract as a gift because he is from Niger Delta, let us get this thing straight. Tompolo bided for a Contract that was awarded to him, they did not just allocate it to him. Let’s not divide and spoil the peace in the Niger Delta. Tompolo is doing well. And whoever wants a contract in the Niger Delta concerning any oil should go and submit his proposal.
What Rivers state Gov. Siminialayi Fubara is saying is that the Oil Pipeline surveillance contract should be decentralized and spread to localities for even result as somebody who is from Okrika should not go and man the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA that is a different landscape what is your own take in this?
I must say here again, that the government failed in their duties and that is the reason why they contracted this surveillance job out because they have failed in their duties because if government continue to fail they should involve people to take care of this country.
Those who are asking for this contract cannot do anything. Where were they when Tompolo was doing what he was doing? People should learn how to allow their brother to succeed, see if Tompolo is succeeding they will say he’s succeeding then do your own. The Government will fail if they begin to dash out contract so.
What they gave to Tompolo is because after Government of President Goodluck gave contract to all the repentant agitators Militants Heads Tompolo’s Contract was still running. Do you know that Tompolo bided for his contract? Tompolo bided and they were given gifts as government giving them contract to look after pipelines but Tompolo bided and put up a proposal for this contract that he has. Why are we so wicked as a people? Well if the government think that they can be giving more people this contract and they will have peace in Niger Delta let them try it and see. They should not bring back violence. This divide and rule in Niger Delta is because of this kind of things that the Rivers State governor has just said. How can you bring people who have not bided for a contract which people, who are they and what qualifies them to protect pipelines? You want to bring illegality to protect something that is illegal just because you carry a gun and they are destroying the future of our children? Our children are now looking up to these people and are saying “I will not be relevant. The government doesn’t need any people to protect anything. The government has the power as they will, they can do it and let the government do what they have to do. This thing they are giving out as a gift or a contract is a time bomb that will destroy Nigeria.
You cannot make very few people stronger just because they are called all kind of name, that killed and kidnapped our people, they did all sorts of things and we demanded for amnesty. Because there’s amnesty and there is this they come and show their faces that used to carry guns. It is wrong and we must say it loud .
I am begging you as a media person, it is wrong we must tell the person it is wrong. We cannot be giving credit to the wrong people. It is wrong. If Nigeria wants peace, they should stop recognizing these things we do illegally and giving praises to them because they were violent.
I cannot be in support of something that is wrong. We have all seen that the government cannot do certain things because of the wrong people in government. So, if somebody has registered a Security company well registered and approved by the government there’s nothing wrong in giving him a contract. All that’s wrong is giving a contract to somebody because he has a gun before. All that’s wrong is to compensate people with contracts that they cannot deliver, just because they want to go and make money. That’s what is wrong. But giving contracts to companies identified and approved by Nigeria, a security firm, there’s nothing wrong. Tompolo’s company is well registered and he applied for a contract, there’s nothing wrong about that. Until the government recognizes steps and takes back what it’s supposed to take back and do the right thing. Giving contracts to companies that are registered by Nigerian Law, there’s nothing wrong about it. It doesn’t matter who the ex-Militant is, no matter wherever they are, once you have a contract, they should go and register and apply to get this contract. A governor must not come up and say compensate people or give to people or relevant people. Who are the relevant people?
Is it because I did not carry a gun? Which of these people did what I did? I reconciled all of the Militants in Niger Delta including Atake Tom, Dr. Farah Dagogo, BoyLoaf, Egberi Papa, and others. In fact, all of them as they are alive go and ask them. I reconciled every Militant and if I didn’t do that even amnesty would not work. I took Amnesty to President Umaru Yar’ adua. And today people are claiming it. Nobody has remembered to say give this man a contract. Why will I do a contract, am I a contractor? I am a peace man. If you want to give me a contract to help my peace, thank you. But must we all carry this gun then you now give us a contract. Must we carry guns?
Our leader must think again. Must we carry guns? We make heroes out of these evil people who killed our people in the name of a struggle that’s not there? How long are we going to continue like this? My brother, the government alone cannot do this. People must join the government but because the government has failed. If an individual had registered a company, a security company, bid for a contract, if he has it and he has it. His company will not run away; he has all the qualifications that made him register in Nigeria. Let’s follow that thing. If any human being registered out of his experience, he registered a company, and he demands one or two things and he has put in for that contract, let him be given the contract.
So, these are the issues. You don’t just give people contracts because this is your area and we will give you. It is wrong. Don’t encourage people to take to violence, what the government is doing now is to encourage people to take to violence so as to become relevant. I will never want my children to be relevant in violence God forbid.
All these things we are doing are penny wise and pounds foolish. I have told the world the day the government will listen to me in less than one-year Nigeria will forget that there was anything called insecurity. We must not carry guns to win the killings and insecurity we are seeing. That is what the government does not understand. How many guns did they carry for the Niger Delta struggle to end? I ended the Niger Delta thing they called militancy. And I vow till tomorrow except I die militancy cannot return to Niger Delta. So, what is the government doing? This Pipeline thing is just something that can just go off like that without anybody Guarding it. We will raise the sense of the community and we will end this thing without giving anybody a dime. The government that is not on ground now is putting everybody’s life in danger. It is wrong. When I was asking for amnesty the whole world said “Oh it will not work. How can you give amnesty to somebody who did jailbreak” Somebody who killed or did this or that and today they are enjoying it.
We must use wisdom in this thing otherwise it will cripple our generation. Nigeria must listen. You cannot give what you don’t have? The experience that I have gone through in this country to bring peace nobody has done that. Nigeria is not listening. Nigeria wants to stand thinking that they will do everything by violence. There’s a saying that any nation that continues to buy weapons of mass destruction instead of helping the people with social growth is heading towards doom. Nigeria is heading towards a doom. Those that are in government today, should better think twice. These people will cripple their children. These people will end their names. They should do what is right. We must not keep recognizing violence. We must keep recognizing people who can take to arms and make them heroes of their people. This is evil. So, I am asking and praying that the government will listen and that there’s a way out to stop all the insecurities in this country. Somebody should go and ask Ateke Tom, ask Boyloaf, ask Farah and ask Egberi papa, ask Asari Dokubo and all these leaders what I did for them. I did something for them that nobody did for them yet you don’t hear my name from their mouths.
So, if you think that you want to compensate some people because maybe they would carry you along or they will share the money with you, they will betray you. None of the militant leaders that I helped that cannot tell you what I did for them. I helped all of them, called them and asked them what I did for them. Nobody did for them what I did for them. At a time, I was like a God to them. I saved them. I stood for them as I have never been a Militant and I have never raped a woman in my life. I stood for them. I shone like a light in the midst of darkness, because their deeds were darkness. I did not stand for them because I love them, I stood for them because what they were doing will destroy our generation. They are not owing me anything. Then, the government will compensate people who they don’t owe to destroy the future of others. Why are we so evil? Why can’t we do what is right as a people?
Every day we keep going down talking about insecurity, kidnapping and killing. People should allow Tompolo to rest. That young man wants to help the way he cannot through violence.
Tompolo has not fought anybody that made him who he is. Go and check the records that the young man is working on. I am begging you the media has always been even when it was a lie in Niger Delta, the media helped us. Please know this lie is no longer helping us. We must now tell the truth. And what is the truth? We must not give credit to people because they can take to violence, it is wrong.
If they share this contract the way the governor is saying it, it will be a divide and rule as people will start killing themselves, they will start fighting themselves and they will start competing among themselves. How do you solve such problems? How do you solve a problem when people have started competing among themselves? They have no company registered by Nigerian Corporate Affairs commission standard. There’s nothing wrong if the governor will encourage people to go and register security companies, then come and put up a proposal to take over the contract of protecting oil pipelines and I will not say anything. I am asking where are these people coming from? What are their qualifications? What qualifies anybody to have a security contract? That’s what I am asking. Did the governor consider that by the time you bring in these people there will be war? Because some people will be favoured and some people will think that they are not being favoured. Let’s understand this thing, it is very easy to understand. You come up and say why should they give a contract to one man. Which man are you referring to? Does he have company? Does he have a face? Does he represent something? That’s what I am asking? If he represents something and he’s registered with Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission and they have his papers and he’s issued with papers and he has his particulars. Then there’s nothing wrong in giving him a contract. You are the governor, you may not say anything and give people contracts. But if you have said for public awareness saying that it is wrong. Let’s go back to how this whole thing started. During gov. Odili’s period Ateke, Asari all were doing things together. The government felt they should bring these people on board and along the line there was a problem, Ateke, Asari they all have issues and we then have militancy. Why are we now going back to history? Why are we going back to how this whole thing happened? I am saying by the time the government starts looking at individuals who do not have qualifications to do certain things and you give them jobs you will challenge the system and that system will be threatened. And the people will fight against themselves. This is what we call divide and rule. What the governor said there’s nothing wrong if you’re giving it to the people. When you say non-state actors. Who are not state actors? If you register a company and you’re identified by the system are you a non-state actor? I want to get that clarification. A non-state actor is those people who act outside the law.
Outside what is required for you for you to be a statesman. You are not a statesman if you oppress your people, if you want to be who everybody is looking up to because you have been a militant leader, you have been an illegal oil bunker all that does not make you a statesman. We are asking this government to do the right thing. If I want to get a contract on security, I will register with a security company. That’s how it should be without that and you are dashing people contract because they are community members. This is a time bomb. You must understand this one. It should not be compromised as I have people call me saying ‘please talk to this one let them put my name on this thing’ I will just laugh. What qualifies you to get a security contract. ‘What? Oh you are a militant leader begin to lead so that your people come under your bondage’ oh whatever you say is carried. Only you can have a say.’ No one’ please we must not make anybody bigger than his family as we have already made them. If we are not careful people will be bigger than their communities, because we have already made some of them. I am begging you and I respect the journalists, because wherever we are today in the Niger Delta it’s you guys that took us there. When we say one thing you will expose what we have said to the world. And the world will look at it and say ‘these people are being denied their rights so they listen to us in the Niger Delta. I am begging you please, what the governor has said is not with understanding of what will happen after. Okay, let them go and put my name now and I will go and do what? Let us please do the right thing. The government should do what is right. The fact that I can kill ten thousand people you now recognize me. Then a man who can save one million people without killing anybody, you don’t recognize that man. It is evil. This is evil. In my non-violence approach I was able to save people to bring peace to Niger Delta. Who told you that I cannot take care of oil well? Who told you that my members, those who are following me cannot take care of oil wells and expose those who are doing illegal bunkering and vandalization of our oil well pipes? We can do it better because I have no interest in violence. So, we will all start asking for Oil wells to protect it and let us see…because are you giving them the oil well pipelines to protect with their guns? Of course not. So, why are you not looking at us the non-violence people to protect these oil wells? We shall be giving information so that people will stop doing it? These are the issues we are talking about. But I am saying there are better ways of doing it from my experience in less than one year. If the government will listen, we will not only stop this rubbish of illegal oil bunkering and breaking of oil pipes, we will stop insecurity. We will stop kidnapping, we will stop killing. We will stop these wrong things people are doing. Look at how our young people today have become prostitutes, have become 419, just because things are difficult. we should not make things more difficult for them. They must not go to one godfather or persons somewhere bowing down everyday just to get crumbs from the person. This is wrong now. We should not enslave our people. For the governor what he had said I am saying that there’s something wrong but he lacks understanding of it because the after effects of doing what the governor has said will be dangerous to the society like ours. Thank you.
-Emeka Amaefula
+234(0)8111813069
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