[b]Etim Ekpimah

Hundreds of youths from the Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have protested against the paramount ruler of the community, Edidem Akpabio Ukpa over oil spill compensation, which had allegedly been paid to the ruler by an oil company.

The protesters, who converged on the ruler’s palace on Wednesday, said the compensation belonged to them and not the ruler.

They said when they discovered that their area had been affected by the spill, they presented the issue before Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited for compensation.

Leader of the protest, Mr. Sam Akpan, lamented that Ibeno, Esit Eket, and Eket local government areas which followed the same procedures, had been paid their compensation.

He explained that when the first compensation was paid, the youths gave the N960m to Ukpa. He added that the paramount ruler together with members of his council and a few other people spent the money without giving the youths their share.

According to him, when the youths asked Edidem Ukpa and members of his council about the money, they asked them to be patient until the last set of compensation was paid.

“Last year, Mobil had little problem with the community based on oil spill. We selected people to confirm the areas where the spill occurred. They did and brought the report which we presented to Mobil for possible compensation.

“When the first compensation of N960m was paid, we took it to our paramount ruler. When we later asked them for our share of the money, they asked us to wait for next one. When the next one came, they asked us to wait for the third one.

“This is the third one; we need our own share now, we cannot leave this place. His wife and the Divisional Police Officer had addressed us on the issue. We told them that the only thing that would make us leave the paramount ruler’s premises is for our own share of the money to be given to us,” he said.

Attempts to speak with Ukpa on the issue proved abortive as he did not answer calls put across to his telephone. He also did not respond to a text message that was sent to his phone.[/b]
http://punchng.com/n960m-oil-spill-compensation-pits-youths-against-ruler/

I have always harboured this belief that I cannot be enslaved in my house or community by a stranger without internal collaboration.
The number one enemy of the people of ND are the political/community leaders

Those guys ain't smiling at all. The traditional ruler better give them their share before they unleash serious kasala.

South South people don't have leaders.

Oil spill money should be used to clean the oil spill. I think these rulers need to show accountability.

I don't subscribe to sharing the money to the youth in the community. No visionary leader does that. But the investment of the money to solvecommunity problem must be visible.

seunmsg:
Those guys ain't smiling at all. The traditional ruler better give them their share before they unleash serious kasala.

I wish it's that simple. What you are seeing as a united front in the pic is a conglomeration of different interest groups. The leaders know how the game is played. They will eventually pit the youths against themselves after settling the group they deem the strongest. Such 'chosen' group becomes the enforcer of the directives of the leaders.