By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
A Niger Delta coalition, Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders for Peace Group (NDENYLPG), has warned some Ijaw groups against blackmailing the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III over unfounded allegations.
National Coordinator of the group and ex-militant leader, self-styled General Osama (Ijaw Ethnic Nationality) and the national secretary, General Jemine Josiah, also an ex-militant leader (Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality), warned the “Ijaw groups to henceforth stop their tissues of lies and cheap blackmail sponsored by some unscrupulous elements calling for the termination of the contract to the Niger Delta revered monarch of international recognition and repute, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III.”
The group, after a meeting in Edo State on May 2, 2024, said that “the youth leaders of the Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders for Peace Group, NDENYLPG, deemed it fit to gather from all parts of the Niger Delta, where our leaders from Istekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Kalabari, Okrika, Egbema, Isoko, Bini, and others converged urgently on Edo State from the creeks of the Niger Delta on the 2nd of May 2024, for an all-important emergency meeting to deliberate and address some pressing issues that is threatening the fragile but sustained peace that is existing in the heart of the Niger Delta region.
“We totally condemn calls for the termination of the contract of Ocean Marine Solutions company that is handling the Trans-Forcados Pipeline (TFP), which the Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III, OFR, is the chairman.The Itsekiri tribe in Delta State owns over 60 per cent of that Trans Forcados Pipeline, while only 30 per cent of that TFP criss-cross the Ijaw communities in the creek.
“And by virtue of this, who is supposed to be awarded with the responsibility of the security of the TFP pipeline surveillance contract? Definitely it is well deserved for the revered first class monarch, the Olu of Warri kingdom Ogiame Atuwatse the III, OFR, to handle it.
“Therefore, we want to warn that the so-called disgruntled and jobless fellows of the group, Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum NDSF, headed by one Chief Julius Daukoru, from Ijaw ethnic nationality, calling for the cancelation of the surveillance contract handled by Ocean Marine Solutions Company (OMS) chaired by the revered monarch, the Olu of Warri kingdom Ogiame Atuwatse III, OFR, is an insult, aberration and sacrilege to the Itsekiri Nation as whole.
“And calling for it to be re-awarded to Tompolo, an ex militant leader, who is an Ijaw man from Gbaramatu Kingdom, is totally condemnable disheartening and uncalled for, which is adding injury to the matter. We therefore stand against this move by the so-called disgruntled, unscrupulous and notorious group of persons that are playing the script of their paymasters.”l
“In the last few weeks or thereabout in April, there was a group who called themselves Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum, headed by a jobless fellow and disgruntled element that is not known in the Niger Delta struggle.
“He is rather known for cheap blackmail and he is an instigator who creates hatred and animosity between people of different ethnic nationalities in the region, by name Julius Daukoru.
“We sternly warn Mr Julius Daukoru and his paymasters to immediately stop this disgusting action and mischief by dancing naked in the market place, and we know those who are behind him and his fabrications of lies against the Imperial Majesty, the Olu of Warri kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III with the ploy to drag his personality and image including that of Ocean Marine Solutions Company in the mud.
“We will not allow these evil minded persons to throw the Niger Delta into a war zone, we will resist vehemently. We also want the people of Niger Delta to discard whatever the so-called Niger Delta Stakeholders Forum (NDSF), led by Julius Daukuro had published on some online medium.”
The coalition also asserted that, “Ocean Marine Solutions company has never breached its contract terms and guidelines of the contract agreement entered with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, as falsely alleged by Julius Daukuro.
“It is on record that Ocean Marine Solutions had always engaged critical and relevant stakeholders including the host communities in the NNPCL’s Right of Way, RoW, and also it is imperative to let Nigerians and the world know that in the Trans- Forcados and that of Trans-Escravos recruitment, the host communities surveillance guards, both the Ijaw communities and the Itsekiris, benefitted.
“We, the Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders For Peace Advocacy Group condemn in totality the call for the revocation of the Olu of Warri pipeline surveillance contract being handled by a world class and competent oil servicing company with global best practices, Ocean Marine Company.
“We also dismiss as a lie that the highly respected Olu of Warri kingdom was behind a organized in Lagos by some group of persons against Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, who is the chairman of Tantita Surveillance Security Company which is handling the major part of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) pipeline surveillance contract, and such purported accusation is faulty, diminishing, condemnable, and should be disregarded by Nigerians and the entire world.
“We want to dismiss this false claim that the Olu of Warri kingdom is responsible for the largest portion of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) surveillance contract job, that was awarded by the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC-L), up to 80 per cent, while the Tantita Security Services Limited is handling 20 per cent in the pipeline surveillance contract job.
“We stand here to state categorically that this claim is faulty demeaning because it is untrue and far from the truth, and for the purpose of clarity let us bring it to the knowledge of the general public, the Presidency and the entire Niger Delta region know that it was the Tantita Security Services Limited chaired and owned by Tompolo a former militant leader in the Niger Delta from Gbaramatu kingdom that was awarded the largest portion of the contract, for which Tantita Security surveillance company is in charge of the Western corridor, which comprises the entire Delta State, including Uhrobo land, Isoko nation, the Kwale part of Delta North and some parts in Edo State and Ondo State as well. The same Tantita Security surveillance company is also in charge of the Central corridor, which comprises the entire Baylesa State”.
According to the coalition, “The management of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, PINL, under the watch of the great Olu of Warri kingdom never owed any of his sub-contractors neither owed any monthly salary to its surveillance employees like that of the so-called ‘almighty’ Tantita Security surveillance company that is owing its workers and sub-contractors to six and eight months without any single payment.”
“In order to put the record straight again, the management of Ocean Marine Solutions Company do abide by the Nigerian Local Content laws of doing business as a reputable law abiding oil firm.
“The Coalition of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders For Peace Advocacy group is saying that enough is enough and that they should not push us to the world to reveal more dirty lies of the ‘almighty’ Tantita Security surveillance company operations.”
