Kingsley Otuaro still calming militancy waters

The Delta State Deputy Governor, a son of the Izon ethnic nationality became the first Izon son to be elected into the high political office of Delta state as the deputy governor.

It is not an enviable position to find a minority man placed at the number two man of an oil producing state with all the push and pull of restiveness in the creeks of the Niger DELTA.

In his acting capacity as the Governor while Dr. Okowa is enjoying his two weeks annual vacation, the burden of leadership falls squarely on his shoulders.

Viewed against the background of the restiveness emanating from his place of birth within the Gbaramantu Kingdom in Warri South West of Delta state, it becomes doubly imperative that he finds himself in the firing lines of both the
Federal forces- Navy gunboats and Airforce planes hovering around the Kingdom of Gbaramantu where the Palace of the Royal Majesty resides, it is rather scary for his people, largely, fishermen and women who are routinely driven out of their villages into the Mangrove swamps for fear of bombardments from Air and SEA.

Far beyond the powers of state governors and governments to stop the march of divided militant groups- the old Avengers and the new Avengers who recently threatened to start the bombing of oil facilities because according to them the leaders of PANDEF had not given them sufficient reasons to hold the peace in the Oil Wetland.

Caught between alliance to Country and state through his Oath of office during the swearing in ceremony as Deputy Governor, he does not seem to have any hiding place from his disenchanted militant brethren with the county, who feel short changed by the arrogance of Federal Might that drills the God given Oil wealth and carries it to the dry northern axis of the country to develop those distant lands while the areas that produce the Crude is laid waste and abandoned.

Nobody in Barrister Kingsley Otuaro’s shoes would envy his predicament . He is always on his knees pleading that they should not allow unredeemed militancy to undermine Governor Okowa’s government where he is a major stakeholder as Deputy Governor.

Another scary dimension is the linkage between the former militant leader Chief Tompolo who retired into his cell and had openly spoken against any attempt to link him with pipeline bombings.

A faction of the New Avengers are threatening to have a show down with ‘Tom Polo’ or Government Ekpomupolo who had refrained from being dragged into further militant activities.

For our militant Niger Delta Avengers, I think, we should avoid deepening a fresh crisis in the Mangrove swamps because we would be losers at the end of the day.

The continuing dialogue with the Federal authorities initiated by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, we should explore more ways of getting enough from the 8.6 trillion 2018 Budget of consolidation flow down to the Mangrove swamps where roads and bridges are calling for help.

Even the seemingly discredited members of the PANDEF led by the 90 years old Pa Clark could still be relied upon to broker peace with the Federal government.

Out of the 16 Point demands of PANDEL leaders, there is an unresolved issue of pipeline security contracts for the militants who are better placed to supervise the pipeleines without breaking into them. One can vividly recall the Maritime University at Okerenkoko which Bill had been passed into Law is yet to take off academic studies in the 2017-2018 semester.

Such pussy footing by the Federal authorities could be a cause for the serial threats of pipeline bombings by Old and new Avengers in the Creeks.

Let the Budget be specific on the above named two items- pipeline monitoring contracts and the Maritime University still being bugged down by administrative and civil service bureaucracy could save the Niger Delta some relative peace.

With the price of Crude on the upward rise in the international markets hovering around 60 dollars plus, there is no earthly reason for the Federal government to dilly- dally and give the militants some genuine excuses to strike at pipelines and reduce the rising production level from 1.4 million barrels to below zero as promised by the militants in their ‘No Mercy disruptions.’

To destroy is pretty easy but building up destructions of villages will take donkey years to rebuild. I plead for the militants to show restraint and think of the incalculable damages and disruptions on the pauperised villages in the salt water Wetlands. There is sufficient wisdom in keeping the peace as one of our own is number two man in Delta state. I take God beg Una.

William Bozimo