Chief Godspower Gbenekama is the Benemowei of Gbaramatu
Kingdom. He is also the acting secretary-general and official
spokesman for the kingdom. Chief Gbenekama speaks with EBENEZER
ADUROKIYA on the activities of Niger Delta Avengers, the military
siege to Gbaramatu Kingdom, its effects on the people, among other
issues.
A section of Nigerians believes that the Ijaw are aggressive, always
clashing with everybody, including the government. What is wrong
with the Ijaw of Niger Delta?
There is nothing wrong with the Ijaw, but there is everything wrong
with the Nigerian state. In a situation where you are dehumanised or
treated inhumanly, you will react. That notion that the Ijaw are
troublesome, war-mongers or whatever is not really correct. Ijaw
means truth. The Ijaw man’s anger is exposed only when truth is
relegated to the background. The crisis of 2006 or thereabouts was
such that could happen anywhere, anyway. Imagine three Ijaw
kingdoms that are autonomous, given a local government and then
after chairmen and counsellors were elected and sworn in, something
happened and the headquarters, which was initially in an Ijaw
enclave, Ogbe-Ijoh, was taken to an Itsekiri area. That was the genesis
of the Warri crisis. I will not like to open an old wound but the truth
is that we were not the aggressors. Our neighbours were the
aggressors in that crisis. We were pushed to the wall and we reacted.
A group of people calling themselves the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA)
recently destroyed oil pipelines in Gbaramatu Kingdom, causing
Nigerians to believe that members of that group are Ijaw of that
kingdom. Is it true? Are you one of them? Or are you one of the
people recruiting them?
I wish I was the person recruiting them. Then I would have been able
to direct my grievances to the appropriate quarters. I wish Gbaramatu
people were really involved to take a collective decision to say we
want to protest some things that are happening in the country. We
would have been able to direct our grievances to the right quarters.
But as it is now, the avengers, or whatever they are called, are dealing
with the people of Gbaramatu more than any other persons.
In want sense?
Our economy economic life is down. Chevron is the only IOC that you
can see in our area. People may say that they have not done enough
but they are the only company that have been able to do one or two
things in our area through their corporate social responsibility. You
feel their impact in terms of employment and particularly in pipeline
surveillance programme. Chevron employed over 200 youths who
guard the pipelines. If Chevron is shut, all these guys would come
back home. Sincerely, people that are benefiting from that programme
are enormous and that is just one programme. So, when they are
attacking Chevron, they are attacking the economic life of Gbaramatu
because it is the only thing bringing food to our tables for now. There
may be others but Chevron is the most visible one. Attacks on
Chevron facilities are worrisome to us, the Gbaramatu people. If
people are accusing us of attacking our own socio-economic life, it
means that the country will fail. And all these accusations are coming
from fifth columnists who want to paint us in very bad light.
We are not involved. I am not involved. I don’t want to be involved. I
cannot be involved. My people are not involved. We cannot be
involved. We have never been involved. The traditional ruler of
Gbaramatu has given us a marching order to ensure that these things
do not continue in our area.
The Ijaw are known to be strong and defensive of their territory and
possessions. Are you saying that it is possible for outsiders to come
to Gbaramatu Kingdom and bomb pipelines without your knowledge?
What the Federal Government was not able to do, one young man
called Government Ekpemupolo, Tompolo, was able to do. He brought
sanity to the area. But these days, they are kidnapping people. There
are sea pirates, oil thieves and many other criminals in the creeks.
When this young man was not pursued out of the place, he was law.
The people respected him. The fear of him was everywhere. Miscreants
did not tamper with facilities in Gbaramatu, but there are people that
are looking for cheap leadership who have been able to arm-twist the
Federal Government so that the man does not stay in Gbaramatu. Let
me tell you, one of the facilities that were destroyed by these so-
called avengers was just about 100 metres from a military security
house-boat that was saddled with the responsibility of guarding the
pipelines. Am I, a defenceless civilian, the one to stop the arm-
bearing avengers? And when these pipelines you are talking of are
broken, they say Gbaramatu people are involved, arrest them, kill
them, we will deal with them. Are you involving me in the security of
the pipelines? Then I would claim ownership. But you are not
involving me and when some things happen, I would risk my life to
stop it? I will rather keep my life and allow those you have assigned
to take care of the pipelines. That is the situation now.
Are you saying that since the Federal Government is not involving the
Ijaw of Gbaramatu in pipeline surveillance contract, you can now arm-
twist the government to make them do your bidding by bombing
pipelines and creating an unsafe environment?
I don’t think you understand me. There is this local content policy in
the country where the people are involved in things done in their
area. At least some percentages of the job are given to the local
people. But as I speak, in the surveillance contract in NNPC and NGC,
the locals are not involved. Those that are involved are arm-twisted
to say ‘I will pay you 50 kobo. If you don’t take, I will employ other
people.’ We are talking of localising the local content. These people
are just coming and using the military to arm-twist people - those
who are hungry - and they will say ‘I will give you N50, come and
enter boat. If you don’t enter, I won’t pay you.’ That is what is
happening in the area. House boats are all over the place. You don’t
know who supplies them. People are all over the place. You don’t
know those who are guiding the pipelines. And these speed boats that
our people are known for producing and driving....

read full version of the interview. http://tribuneonlineng.com/soldiers-are-destroying-our-people-—gbaramatu-chief

anyway sha I no get talk to talk

Buhari is a dullard sha. As the 'commander in chief', His dullness is affecting our armed forces.

Just imagine sending soldiers to harass innocent citizens in the guise of looking for militants.

SeverusSnape:
Buhari is a dullard sha.

What does it profit u to hold a phd certificate and u are still rule by a waec holder...what a fool

Oladimejyy:
What does it profit u to hold a phd certificate and u are still rule by a waec holder...what a fool

Buhari is a certified ethnocentric bigoted dullard, Brukutu sipping nitwit and a gworo chewing illiterate. E pain you??... Even WAEC, the dullard no get.

Clueless President n now clueless soldiers... What a funny country

Very good thread for people like severussnape. I would like to see him come here and shout "zombie" soldiers.

up NDA

The only way out of this mess created by Buhari's vindictiveness is dialogue. Use diplomacy and achieve peace, when dialogue fails we then use force. Force is usually the last resort but our president feels otherwise. So far so good Buhari's administration is crippling Nigerian economy.

They are clueless just like the new sheriff in town

You dey mad call your son in to order even federal govt has not done what is right yet to me the whole of Niger Delta should be fill up with military.

The man raised some salient issues which the FG needs to look into to solve this NDA menace.

Firefire:
Where are those bragging with NA might?
Fighting multiple war within your territory is equal to failure and super disaster.
Buhary, use your head, dialogue!

The comments here prove a lot of people did not read the article and followed the fraudulent and misleading title.

Where in that article did the man call the Soldiers clueless? These iPads twisted the mans lamentation of the criminals activities into him saying the army is clueless, forgetting that term is reserved for their failed Otueke drunkard.

This is what the man said;

gozmok1:


[b]Our economic life is down. Chevron is the only IOC that you
can see in our area. People may say that they have not done enough
but they are the only company that have been able to do one or two
things in our area through their corporate social responsibility. You
feel their impact in terms of employment and particularly in pipeline
surveillance programme. Chevron employed over 200 youths who
guard the pipelines. If Chevron is shut, all these guys would come
back home.

Sincerely, people that are benefiting from that programme
are enormous and that is just one programme. So, when they are
attacking Chevron, they are attacking the economic life of Gbaramatu
because it is the only thing bringing food to our tables for now. There
may be others but Chevron is the most visible one. Attacks on
Chevron facilities are worrisome to us, the Gbaramatu people. If
people are accusing us of attacking our own socio-economic life, it
means that the country will fail.

And all these accusations are coming
from fifth columnists who want to paint us in very bad light.
We are not involved. I am not involved. I don’t want to be involved. I
cannot be involved. My people are not involved. We cannot be
involved. We have never been involved. The traditional ruler of
Gbaramatu has given us a marching order to ensure that these things
do not continue in our area.[/b]
# http://tribuneonlineng.com/soldiers-are-destroying-our-people-—gbaramatu-chief

- Chief Godspower Gbenekama, the Benemowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom & acting secretary-general and official spokesman for the kingdom.

It is sheer and plain wickedness to continue to cheer on those creek rats while their people cry out from the suffering that their activities are inflicting on them, to the point of even misreporting their cries to fulfill your selfish and evil goals.

Where are those bragging with NA might?

Fighting multiple war within your territory is equal to failure and super disaster.

Buhary, use your head, dialogue!

And these are the people Buhari is relying on to for his invinciblity and almightiness

He better consider diplomatic options over the use of force!!!

Why not Agatu.