HRM Mobene III, The Pere-Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh-Warri Kingdom which condemned the recent bombings of oil installations, saying the “Military can’t protect oil facilities because of lack of knowledge of the terrain” .
The Ogbe-Ijoh-Warri Monarch made the declaration when he played host, today (Thursday) to the Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism led by the Delta State Deputy Governor, Barr. Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, which sought partnership and collaboration in ending the ongoing spate of bombings in the delta.
Otuaro said with a budget hinged on borrowing, taxation and 2.2mbd production expectation, we cannot afford more bombings and expect to advance the national economy and fulfill electoral campaign promises.
Former Ijaw Youth Council President, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, and Secretary of the Advocacy Committee, reinforced need for every Ijaw Kingdom to collaborate and stand against vandalism and ward off looming danger, rationalizing: “If a man calls for rain, it falls on all”. He added: “No war is won at the battlefield, but on the table of dialogue”.
The Pere-Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh-Warri recommended the formation of Pipeline Guards, which he said should combine efforts of the locals and the Army.
Assuring the Advocacy Committee of support, Mobene III, said: ‘There is no youth in the Kingdom that would go out there to commit atrocities and return without information coming to me from my youths many of who sleep freely with me in my Palace”.
He advised youths across the Niger Delta that endangering oil facilities was foolish as possible oil company contracts would disappear or relocate with the companies.
He expressed surprise that oil facilities would be vandalized within metres to the house-boats quartering the military only for the military to vent anger on innocent and defenseless Indigenes. He lamented the recent killing of a sand scooper by an over zealous soldier who was in their stock of extorting money from locals by intimidation instead of protecting oil installations.
Hear the he royal father: “I hereby call for court-martial of the soldiers in the vicinity of the bombings who now go about causing more havoc on the Indigenes for their own dereliction of duty”.
The Ogbe-Ijoh-Warri king advised that development was key to solving the Niger Delta question, stressing that it was surprising that a school such as the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, which should have engaged idle minds meaningfully in our area was reportedly taken away.
On the ongoing training of Amnesty beneficiaries, the Ogbe-Ijoh Monarch stated: “How can you spend over 30 million naira on a trainee on a course at the Philippines that can take care of 30 persons in Nigeria?”.
Saying that training was necessary to avoid relapse of militants to militancy, he said only special courses with proper training not possible in Nigeria should be done abroad.
Earlier, Chief Favour Izoukumor, representing Ijaw nationality on the board of DESOPADEC, women leader Madam Queen Azenetolu, youth leader Comrade Christmas Ikare and Barr. Alex Akemotubo, Chairman Ogbe-Ijoh Governing Council had expressed resolve of the Ogbe-Ijoh people to partner with government to stop vandalism of oil facilities.
