· Says Akpabio pleaded for extension till June ending
BY AUGUSTINE AVWODE, LAGOS
Ex-leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, has withdrawn the seven-day ultimatum he earlier handed down to the Federal Government to constitute a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) or deal with the consequences of the failure to do so.
Tompolo described the withdrawal as “reluctantly” done following passionate appeals from many prominent Nigerians, including Chief E K Clark and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.
Tompolo, in a statement he personally signed on Saturday, said he accepted the pleas of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to give him and the FG till June ending to constitute a substantive board for the interventionist agency.
In his words: “I issued a seven-day ultimatum on the above subject matter on Monday May 31st 2021. There were a lot of concerns expressed by Nigerians on this matter within this period, hence machineries were put in place for consultations among Nigerians, especially from highly placed individuals and organizations from the Niger Delta region, including the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
“As I expressed in my press statement of Monday May 31st 2021, I came into this matter because of love for the region and Nigeria. I make bold to say that I cannot be compromised by money and other material things.
“However, the only thing one can do for Nigeria in these trying times, where all the six geopolitical zones are in turmoil, is to pray to God for peace and tranquility, particularly for the economic hub of the country, the Niger Delta region.
“Therefore, I welcomed the consultative meeting of our revered Traditional rulers from the region, Delta State Government, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) led by its President, Professor Benjamin Okaba, leaders from the Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko, Ndokwa and other nationalities with the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio, in attendance at the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Oporoza town on Thursday June 3rd 2021.
“The outcome of the meeting has been made known to the public by the Minister. He promised profusely to start the process of the constitution and inauguration of the substantive board of the NDDC immediately (from Friday June 4th 2021), and that he should be allowed to drive the process to an end on or before the end of June 2021.
“As it stands now, I have accepted the outcome of the meeting reluctantly. It is pertinent to state at this juncture that, I do not want anything to disrupt the relative peace we are enjoying in the region. It was on this premise that I accepted the outcome of the meeting”, he said.
