Ex-militant leaders under the auspices of Anti Pipeline Vandalization and Crude Oil Theft Taskforce Group in the Niger Delta with the Coalition of Ex- Militant Leaders Forum of Ijaw and Itsekiri in Delta State, on sunday warned one Mr Austin Ozobo to immediately cease and desist from abusing and attacking His Imperial Majesty, The Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR,

The angry ex-militant leaders sternly and strongly warn Ozobo whom they described as a jobless fellow that is being used by his paymasters in the region as instrument of distraction to infuse bad blood between the Itsekiris and the Gbaramatu kingdom Ijaws, after an emergency meeting conveyed by the National Coordinator of the group, Gen, Osama with the Coalition of Ijaw and Itsekiri Ex Militant Leaders Forum, which came up with a statement jointly signed by the two ex Militant Leaders Gen, Oritsegbubemi (AKA) Action Papa, Where they issued the warning.

They said Ozobo’s unguarded press Statement channeled to the Olu is disrespectful, disheartening, insultive, provocative disregard and derogatory rained on the highly respected monarch is demean, and drag his personality before online and social media space is a pure sacrilege to the Itsekiris in totality, which they the ex Militants condemned in entirety and will not be tolerated in any form. “And on the foregoing if Mr Ozobo refuses to tender an open apology to the highly respected Olu Of Warri Kingdom, who is one of the most respected Federal Monarch’s in the Niger Delta who is a member of Council Of Nigeria Traditional Rulers (NTRC) which is the Apex Council of all Traditional Rulers in the country, We will be forced to take drastic decision against Mr Ozobo and smoke him out of his hiding.

According to them, Ozobo was playing a script that is already conceived by his paymasters, whose payroll he belongs to, and vowed to go after him and will smoke him out in no distant time if he refuses to discontinue from such attack to the Olu Of Warri Kingdom, because they are on his trail to track him down already, and Mr Austin Ozobo is too small to match their firepower in the Warri environs and in Niger Delta, if the dance begin.

The statement reads in part, “It is with serious anger we are putting out this, because we are really saddened by the boldness of Mr Austin Ozobo who hails from Ayakoromo community under Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State that is not a host to any of the oil facilities in Niger Delta, neither produce a single drop of Oil, either a host to any pipeline in the Niger Delta to put out such demean disheartening, disgusting and unprintable insultive words to drag the personality of our revered Olu Of Warri Kingdom, who is a peaceful initiator, major unifier of different ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta, A job provider, vanguard of peace building and development, and a foresighted monarch that is highly respected before the international communities with all sense of humility and humour to be described as a non stakeholder in the Niger Delta region and went as far as calling for the Revocation of the Olu Of Warri portion of the pipeline surveillance contract Job being operated by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited PINL, Company in the region.

“It is not surprised to us for Ozobo who is a jobless fellow that is roaming about in Warri environs searching for daily survival, we know very well that Mr Ozobo will always do anything possible to protect his cup of tea, as far as it pleases his paymasters no matter who’s ox is gose, therefore we are not surprised at these outbost, but it is unfortunate and uncalled for, for such disheartening diminishing, disrespectful and provocative comments, for him to carelessly put out a blackmailing insultive and derogatory Statement, which he had the guts to call for the Revocation of the Olu Of Warri portion of the pipeline surveillance contract Job being operated by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) and referred the Olu Of Warri Kingdom to a non stakeholder in the Niger Delta that not supposed to benefit from the pipeline surveillance contract in the region.

“But the ex militant leaders adviced him to refrain from using such unwarranted unreasonable poor senseless insightful carless and demean comments not to be channeled to the revered Olu Of Warri Kingdom any longer in other to do him a good, if not he will be smoked out and pay dearly for such irritating comments, online and social media space henceforth.

The Militant group want to know, what really prompt Mr Austin Ozobo for making such dirty careless comments and unfounded facts about His Imperial Majesty on social media, that the Olu is not a stakeholder in the Niger Delta as such he is not supposed to benefit in the pipeline surveillance contract job in the region, the painful aspect of it all is that, Mr Ozobo also went far as to alleged that it was Tompolo who single handedly fought hard to secure these multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract job, and that the Olu is just a beneficiary to it, as such he is calling for the Revocation of the Olu Of Warri portion of the pipeline surveillance contract. These statement is condemnable highly insultive, discriminative and disrespectful to the Itsekiri Nation as one of the highest crude oil producing Ethnic tribes in the Niger Delta, and to the Olu’s personality and the throne in particular.

“And the fellow who call himself an activist whose Community does not have a single drop of crude oil not to talk of host to any oil facilities and pipeline Infrastructure in the Niger Delta now have the guts, the temerity and the order city to call for the Revocation of the portion of the pipeline surveillance contract that is being by the Olu Of Warri, and also referred the Olu Of Warri to some set of misguided elements in the region who take pride in threatening their fellow ethnic tribes with oppressive methods to always wanting to hijack everything to themselves for every given opportunity in the region. “These is an abomination and a sacrilege before us, and he will not go scott free for those insultive derogatory Statements.

“If you Ozobo refuses to discontinue and retrace your footsteps from such act, we will be left with no option than to declare you wanted and you will be used as escape goat, a word is enough for the wise.”However, the group clarified that, “It is good we should use this opportunity to educate the general public including Ozobo who has played the script of his paymaster and for reference point, for tomorrow’s sake.

“We want the presidency, Nigerians and Niger Deltans to know that, the revered Imperial Majesty OGIAME ATUWATSE III (CFR) the Olu Of Warri Kingdom is the host to the largest bulk of Oil and Gas facilities in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State that is host to Chevron Nigeria Limited and other major oil companies, and host to the Trans Escravos Warri Kaduna NNPC major delivery pipeline, the same time, the Olu Of Warri is host to most of the NNPC/NPDC/Shell Nigeria Limited and Chevron Nigeria Limited Oil facilities under Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

“The same thing applicable to Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, the Olu Of Warri is also host to a major part in the OML30 Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP) that is 48 inch line that cut across over 1,11 communities that is being operated by Shell/NNPC/Heritage Company from the Forcados terminal.

“It is also imperative to point out that the Itsekiri tribe in which the Olu Of Warri is their revered monarch is the largest crude oil producing tribe in Delta State and also the Olu Of Warri contribute a large portion of the over 1.2 to 1.6 million barrels of crude oil daily production output to the Federation that is being shared as revenue to the 36 States and Fct with the 774 Local Government Areas of the country. Therefore Mr Ozobo and his paymasters should take note of this verifiable fact about the Olu Of Warri kingdom and his dominance in Delta state, as a personality.

Lastly Mr Austin Ozobo should wake up from slumber and ignorance about the Tompolo pipeline surveillance contract job that is being operated by Tantita Security Company, that is being awarded by NNPC Limited, to the total amount of $370,807,173.00 annually and not N4 billion that is falsely spread in the public domain to deceive and blind fold timid people like Ozobo who are naysayers that is under their payroll with peanuts, Mr Ozobo and the general public should know that, the above Trans Niger Pipeline (TFP) surveillance contract was awarded to the tune of over ($1. 3billion dollar) which is over N1.trillion naira, and it was shared into three portion, Eastern corridor, Western corridor and Central corridor, and the Western corridor was awarded to Tompolo’s Tantita Security Company at the total sum of $370,807,173.00, in dollars therefore Mr Austin Ozobo and his fellow disgruntled and misguided elements who are naysayers in the region should wake up from slumber and open their eyes, and never again appoint accusing fingers to the Olu Of Warri henceforth. The Militant group warned”

**Describes exclusion of Itsekiri highest oil & gas producer as oppression, marginalization, threat to National unity

The people of Itsekiri ethnic extraction in Delta State have raised an alarm over their exclusion into the new NDDC Board and Management team as about to be reconstituted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Chief Robinson Ariyo 

This alarm was contained in their protest letter weekend addressed to the President and the Senate president Senator Goodwill Akpabio and the Speaker House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, drawing their attention to as a matter of urgency to look into the issue and address it as possible to avert the anomaly in the NDDC Board .

The Itsekiri ethnic group is also urging the federal government to look at the law setting up the NDDC and correct the injustice about to take place in the Commission.

They also described exclusion of Itsekiri ethnic extraction which they stated is the highest oil & gas producing group in Delta State as oppression, marginalization, threat to National unity and legal foundation of the Nigerian state.

The protest letter over the exclusion of the Itsekiri ethnic extraction from the proposed NDDC Board about to be inaugurated was signed by Chief Robinson Ariyo, a Social Activist, Legal Practitioner, of Robinson Ariyo & Co, and a Chief of the ancient Warri Kingdom who is also the holder of the title, “Egogo of Warri Kingdom”, the Traditional Announcer of Warri Kingdom, Delta State, on behalf of the group read in parts:

THE INCESSANT MARGINALIZATION, OPPRESSION AND DEPRIVATION OF THE PEOPLE OF ITSEKIRI ETHNIC EXTRACTION: A FORMAL PROTEST OVER THE MANIFEST SOCIAL INJUSTICE, THREAT TO NATIONAL UNITY AND THE PROMOTION OF THE PREDOMINANCE OF PERSONS FROM ONE ETHNIC OR SECTIONAL GROUP IN VIOLATION OF THE LEGAL FOUNDATION OR BASIS OF THE NIGERIAN STATE AS DEEPENED BY THE RECENT APPOINTMENT OF A NEW BOARD AND MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION, (NDDC).

We act for Chief Robinson Ariyo, a Social Activist, Legal Practitioner, of Robinson Ariyo & Co, and a Chief of the ancient Warri Kingdom; he, being the holder of the title, “Egogo of Warri Kingdom”, symbolized by the gong, meaning literarily, the Traditional Announcer of Warri Kingdom, Delta State of Nigeria, herein after in this petition also referred to as “Our Client.”

Our client informed us as follows:

That our client recently became seized of the information now in the public domain, of the proposed constitution of the new Board and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by His Excellency, the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

That the said information is as contained in a release issued on the 28th day of August, 2023 by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity).

That upon a careful perusal of the said publication, our client discovered that the duo of Mr. Chiedu Ebie , the proposed Chairman nominee from Delta State and Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, the proposed State Representative nominee from Delta State are persons whose Senatorial Districts (Delta North and Delta South respectively) have not only taken their turns in the previous appointment circles, but are persons whose communities’ quantum of oil production compared with that of our client’s is insignificant; regard being had to the express provisions, spirit and intent of Section 14 (1) & (3); 3rd Schedule Part 1 C, Paragraphs 8 (1) & (2) and 7th Schedule ( Oath of Office) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, the NDDC Act and the well-established applicable convention regarding appointment amongst the oil producing ethnic groups in Delta State; an arrangement from which the Senatorial Districts of the proposed appointees have robustly benefited since the inception of the NDDC regime.

That the following facts are worthy of isolation in the extant situation particularly with regards to the allotment of the positions as they affect Delta State:

Engr. Godwin Omene of Urhobo ethnic extraction could not complete his 4-year tenure as Managing Director (MD), of the NDDC Board; Senator Aguariavwodo Edesiri Emmanuel (another person of Urhobo ethnic extraction) was appointed to complete it. Elder P.Z. Aginighan of Ijaw ethnic extraction could not complete his 4-year tenure as Executive Director, Finance and Administration, another person of Ijaw ethnic extraction, Lambert Kobonye was appointed to complete it.

Elder Emmanuel Ogidi of Isoko ethnic extraction served as Commissioner representing Delta State in the Board and could not complete his tenure; another person of Isoko ethnic extraction Chief Solomon Ogba was appointed to complete the 4year tenure.

As reported in the Vanguard Newspaper of October 14, 2003, an Urhobo group, Niger Delta Forum petitioned the Federal Government, calling for the appointment of another Managing Director of Urhobo stock for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), when Godwin Omene proceeded “on accumulated leave”. The Itsekiris added their voices to this call. This good turn is what our client as well as all concerned persons of Itsekiri ethnic extraction are saying deserves another.

In the more recent case, in 2013, Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli of Itsekiri ethnic extraction was appointed based on the aforesaid arrangement into the office of Executive Director, Projects (EDP) on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for a period of 4 years.

When Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli could not complete his tenure and based on the said arrangement which is consistent with the provisions of the relevant statutes and conventions, it was expected that one in the array of qualified and suitable persons of Itsekiri ethnic extraction who were suggested for the position be nominated for the position or at the very minimum the Itsekiris be accorded the first option to produce a qualified and suitable person for the said position but this did not happen and the Itsekiris took their protest to the Federal High Court in Abuja; same was however resolved out of court with the understanding that the lopsidedness would be corrected subsequently.

Since then, the Itsekiris have been circle after circle agitating for the correction of this unjust and inequitable predominance with the emergence of His Excellency, President Ahmed Tinubu our client had high expectations that this wrong would be made right only to be woken up to the shock that again the Itsekiri are about to be excluded.

Your Excellency sir, kindly permit us to humbly invite the attention of your good offices and the red chambers to the fact that the Itserkiris account for the highest quantum of oil production in Delta State; notwithstanding that they may be a minority ethnic group, it is our humble submission that they are entitled to the protection that is anticipated in a union like the Nigerian State as conceived by the Founding Fathers of this great nation.

In humbly buttressing our case we seek in refuge and emphasize the following points with which Your Excellency’s is very much familiar for consideration:

By virtue of the long title of the NDDC Act, it is:

“An Act to provide for the repeal of the Oil Mineral Producing: Areas Commission Act 1989 and among other things establish a new Commission with a re-organized management and administrative structure for more effectiveness and for the use of the sums received from the allocation of the Federation account for tackling ecological problems which arise from the exploration of oil minerals in the Niger-Delta area, and for connected purposes”

The focus on oil production areas and communities is further accentuated by section 2 (1) (a) of the NDDC Act which with the leave of Your Excellency we reproduce below:

S. 2 (1) There is hereby established for the Commission a governing Board.

(a) person who shall be an indigene of an oil producing area to represent each of the following states …

”Form the above, there is no gainsaying that fact that the principal intention of the Act is the restoration of the areas impacted by oil exploration; which makes the areas of oil production and their inhabitants the primary target of the Act.

Section 14 (1) & (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provide:“(1) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice. (Emphasis ours)

(3) The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies”

Paragraphs 8 (1) & (2) of the 3rd Schedule Part 1 C, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provide:

“8. (1) In giving effect to the provisions of section 14(3) and (4) of this Constitution, the Commission shall have the power to:

(2) The posts mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) (a) and (b) of this paragraph shall include those of … the Federal and State parastatals”

7th Schedule (Oath of Office of the President) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provides:

“I, ………….. do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I will discharge my duties to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law”

Your Excellency sir, as constituents of the Federal Republic of Nigeria our client remains bound by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended; same being the fundamental law of our land after which all other laws like the NDDC Act was made and should be considered especially in the circumstances.

It is no doubt the aspiration of our founding fathers that in composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies like the NDDC it should be done in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need for national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of person from a few states or from a few ethnic or sectional (emphasis ours) groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.

We humbly implore Your Excellency to consider our extant petition within the perimeters of the phrases in the afore-cited provisions of the Constitution to with:

The need for national unity

To command national loyalty

Ensuring that there shall be no predominance of person from a few ethnic or sectional (emphasis ours) groups in that Government or in any of its agencies”

We therefore, humbly act on the instructions of our client to protest the incessant marginalization, oppression and deprivation of the people of Itsekiri ethnic extraction over the manifest social injustice, threat to national unity and the promotion of the predominance of persons from one ethnic or sectional group in violation of the legal foundation or basis of the Nigerian state as reflected in the recent appointment of a new Board and management team of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in the circumstances of this case.

We urge upon Your Excellency to wade into this potentially volatile issue accordingly with a view to redressing the situation and restoring the confidence of our client in the Nigerian Project.

We anticipate Your Excellency’s usual swift and smooth response to issues of this nature as our client is always prepared and willing to provide any additional information that might assist the effective and effectual determination of this matter.

Yours Faithfully,Pp: Robinson Ariyo & Co. Chief Robinson Ariyo

CC:
Distinguished Honourable Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker, House of Representatives of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory.

*SAYS CONTINUED DETENTION OF IT’S FIVE BRAVE MEN, SELFLESS NIGERIANS BY NIGERIAN NAVY A DISSERVICE TO THE NATION

Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a company owned by a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, (aka Tompolo) fighting crude oil thieves in the oil rich Niger Delta oil region, on Friday, September 1st, 2023, hit the Nigerian Navy very hard for abandoning their statutory duties and urged the Navy to stop the blackmail, harassment of Tantita security men and the misinformation of the general public.

Tantita Security Service Nigeria Limited made it clear in a statement on Friday that its men were never involved in crude oil theft as alleged by the Nigerian Navy

In a statement by the company sent to Areanewsng.com online Newspaper, dated 1st September, 2023 and entitled; THE ARREST OF TANTITA OPERATIVES AND PARADE BY THE NIGERIAN NAVY – A TRAGICOMEDY OF ERRORS, read thus:

Yesterday the 31st of August 2023 the world woke up to a news story credited to the Commander, NNS BEECROFT of the Nigeria Navy, Commodore Kolawole Olumide Oguntuga, that the Nigerian Navy arrested four Tantita personnel for alleged crude oil theft. It would have been comedy, if it was not also tragedy.

The Navy is a constitutional institution mandated to keep Nigeria’s seaward borders safe from invasion, criminality and free for economic activities. Tantita respects the institution and its constitutional mandate. And it was out of that respect that a couple of weeks ago when there was a face off between the service and Tantita over the MT Praisel, our organisation preferred to leave the Nigerian Navy to have the last word on the issue. It was our belief at the time that the matter was a misunderstanding which could have been better handled for the good of the nation and the common objective of Tantita and the Navy – the prevention of economic sabotage by oil thieves plying their nefarious trade on our nation’s waterways.

However the present incident, coming barely three weeks after, does not seem to support that notion. What seems to be playing is a poorly written tragicomedy. The Nigerian Navy’s story is that in the early hours of August 29, 2023 there was an attempt by Tantita operatives to steal crude which they foiled. They claim to have been responding to distress calls from youths in Itolou Community in the Lekki axis of Lagos, and “reviewing the information, Naval patrol teams immediately launched a response operation. Upon arrival at the scene, the Naval team met 4 individuals dressed in black polo shirts with TANTITA inscribed on the back, trying to recover a dismantled outboard engine from a local. The team recovered the engine and apprehended the 4 Tantita Employees.”

According to the Nigerian Navy’s statement, “It was after this arrest that the patrol team realized that the 4 individuals are part of a movement of a large wooden boat laden with 11 x 1000L Geepee tanks with product suspected to be stolen crude oil.”

So it would be seen that at the time of the arrest, the only crime that the Tantita operatives were alleged to have committed was trying to recover a dismantled outboard engine. Thus, recovering outboard engines is now a crime. More interesting is the absence of a link between the outboard engine recovery story and the sudden epiphany – the realization by the navy patrol team that the four individuals they arrested are part of a movement of a large wooden boat at sea carrying stolen crude oil. The disjoint in the story is jarring.

On the other hand, this is what happened in fact. On Monday the 28th of August 2023 at about 0130hours a Tantita Security Services Patrol team operating in the Ondo State area received credible intelligence that a motorised wooden boat was illegally loading crude oil from an Offshore Oil Well Jacket – in fact the same Well Jacket in OML 110 operated by Cavendish Petroleum Nigeria Limited, where the MT TURA II was caught stealing Crude Oil a few months ago.

An advance team was dispatched to find the wooden boat while a back up team consisting of Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NSCDC) component of the Government Security Agencies (GSA) was assembled to follow through on the lead. While we cannot name the NSCDC personnel for obvious reasons, they were six in number and our personnel were eight not four in number. The advance team with the help of local fisherfolk was able to determine that the motorised wooden boat was heading in the direction of Lagos and gave hot pursuit. Upon noticing the approaching Tantita teams the crew of the motorised wooden boat abandoned the wooden boat for their speed boat. One team of Tantita and NSCDC personnel boarded the wooden boat to secure the evidence while another team gave it a hot pursuit.

There is video evidence of the Tantita team together with NSCDC personnel coming alongside the wooden boat, boarding and attempting to secure the boat.

The video also shows the Tantita crew trying to secure the wooden boat which was taking in water (this could have resulted from an attempt to scuttle the boat by the escaping crew; anyone who understands Yoruba can listen in on the conversations).

Surprisingly the escaping crew of the motorised wooden boat fled in the direction of the Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base at Ibeju-Lekki, so the Tantita and NSCDC personnel followed in hot pursuit believing that the criminals would meet their Waterloo there. They were wrong. Instead of the fleeing crew being arrested, it was the Tantita personnel who came down to apprehend the fleeing crew that was arrested. After arresting Tantita personnel and freeing the crew, the Nigerian Navy personnel then went to the motorised wooden boat and drove out the combined Tantita/GSA team trying to keep the boat and the evidence afloat.

The Nigerian Navy press release was nothing but a smear campaign, the Navy has been sharing pictures in social media of the Tantita staff in their custody in various shades of undress but kept silent about the names of the boat crew whom they were chasing? In short, where is the crew that the Tantita personnel chased into Ibeju Lekki?

Most importantly, where is the boat now? You can clearly see the boat in the video provided below. Did the Nigerian Navy secure the boat? Can the Nigerian Navy explain the whereabouts of the motorised wooden boat? They were the last seen with the boat.

Nigerians can see why we are forced to say that the Nigerian Navy’s press release was nothing but a smear campaign against Tantita and possibly a cover up. Is it possible that the Nigerian Navy deploys costly assets in these days of expensive petrol/diesel to respond communal distress calls involving commercial disputes as to ownership of outboard engines? Again, let us assume for the sake of argument that the distress call was with respect to shooting in Itolou community in Lekki area of Lagos State, what became of that investigation? Can the Navy tell the nation, after four days of investigation, who was shooting?

The time frames here are important. Tantita patrol team took off at 0130hrs (1:30 at night) on Monday 28th August 2023, and spotted the wooden boat at approximately 1400hours (2 in the afternoon) same Monday 28th August 2023 and were arrested by the Navy a few hours later on Monday 28th of August 2023. Why then did the Navy press release say it arrested Tantita personnel on Tuesday 29th August 2023? Why is the Navy saying it arrested 4 persons when in fact it arrested 5?

The Nigerian Navy is quite good at publicising videos of their personnel boarding vessels suspected of conveying illicit crude and refined products. Where is the Navy’s video of boarding this wooden boat and arresting the Tantita personnel? How do you arrest oil thieves you claimed were using a wooden boat to steal crude oil, on land? If indeed Tantita personnel were stealing crude with a boat, why did they need to abandon their wooden boat laden with crude oil, tens of nautical miles away from the crime scene to recover a dismantled outboard engine when the wooden boat had working engines? There are too many gaps in the Navy press release.

In one breathe the Nigerian Navy is saying Tantita employees were caught trying to steal an outboard engine and in another breathe they are saying the Tantita operatives were arrested for trying to forcibly employ the owner of the boat to do their bidding. Quite interesting.

The arrest for four days and parade of Tantita staff by the Nigerian Navy as common criminals is to be deprecated by all right thinking members of society; at a time when our nation is in dire straits with the unparalleled loss of revenue from a monocultural export-based economy, these family men put their lives at risk for the good of the nation and are now being made to suffer ridicule for doing the right thing. It serves to demoralise good men everywhere who have sought and are seeking to do something to better our nation.

High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, (aka Tompolo) and his men on duty 

As soon as these men were arrested the management of Tantita reached out to the Nigerian Navy seeking clarification of the situation, for four days the Navy said they were investigating and that the men would be released. We now have the outcome of their investigation in that poorly digested press release.

Environmental right activist, Chief (Comrade) Sheriff Mulade today said the people of Niger Delta region are suffering from “Sachoma Cancer”. He attributed the cause of the new disease to gas flaring and illegal oil exploration activities in the region.

Chief Mulade said the people are suffering the dreaded disease without their knowledge.

Mulade disclosed this during a lecture he delivered at the just concluded OML42 Youth Forum held in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.

Chief Mulade who is the Coordinator, Centre for Peace&Environmental Justice,CEPEJ said,”You need opthalmologist to help you diagnose to enable you get it. It’s a very serious sickness that’s around the environment.”

He said the people of the Niger Delta need to stop or reduce the rate of gas flaring and illegal oil exploration activities in the region.

Chief Mulade also said an awareness campaign need to be created for the people to be aware of the dangers gas flaring and illegal oil exploration activities has done to their health and bodies.

“Our people need to be aware so that they don’t think it’s just one of those common sickness. That’s why we are also trying to create some level of awareness so that they can have deep insights to it “.

Chief Mulade enjoined the people of the Niger Delta region to be extremely careful saying,”it’s no longer about the environment. It’s about our health now.

“We as a people that are involved in it, must stop it for the safety of our lives and our people.”

While noting that the environment is the right, heritage and pride of the people of the Niger Delta, Chief Mulade warned that if they destroy it, they destroy their future.

Chief Mulade explained that they’ve carried out researches especially in areas where there are sooth.

He said when they visited some hospitals, they discovered some persons from the region were suffering from Sachoma Cancer.

“When we go deeper, we were to discover that it’s as a result of gas flaring and its continued effect on our people.”

He said most of the hospitals cannot treat Sachoma Cancer but can only attend to issues of malaria or other ailments because they cannot detect the disease(Sachoma Cancer).

He explained the few hospitals within the region that could detect the disease will only refer their patients to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital,UNTH, Enugu or Lagos State University Teaching Hospital to treatment.

Chief Mulade said even at that, the hospitals do not know the cure of the disease but can only provide some remedy or fly the person abroad for further medical treatment.

Chief Mulade said patients need to go through several machines that will be avle to detect the diseases in their bodies.

Chief Mulade said government must do the needful stressing,”This is a big problem” just as he called on the oil producing States in the Niger Delta region to provide some of the equipments for hospitals like DELSUTH Oghara in their domains to cushion the effect of the disease on their people.

He insisted that a poor man from major oil state cannot struggle from here to Enugu or LUTH in Lagos.

*48 hrs for diplomat to leave Niger: You don’t have such legal right, France tells junta

France refused the demand, saying the military rulers had no legal right to make such an order.

Niger’s new military rulers have also been engaged in a political battle with Paris, and stripped France’s ambassador of diplomatic immunity and ordered police to expel him, according to a letter seen Thursday by AFP.

The envoy “no longer enjoys the privileges and immunities attached to his status as member of the diplomatic personnel in the French Embassy,” according to their letter, dated Tuesday, to the foreign ministry in Paris.

According to VOA, relations with France spiraled downwards after the July coup when Paris stood by Bazoum and refused to recognise Niger’s new rulers.

Last Friday, the authorities gave French envoy Sylvain Itte 48 hours to leave the country.

France refused the demand, saying the military rulers had no legal right to make such an order.

French military spokesperson Colonel Pierre Gaudilliere on Thursday warned that “the French military forces are ready to respond to any upturn in tension that could harm French diplomatic and military premises in Niger.”

France has around 1,500 troops in Niger, many of them stationed at an airbase near the capital, to help fight a jihadist insurgency in Niger.

On Aug. 3, Niger’s new rulers denounced military agreements with France, a move that the government in Paris has also ignored on the grounds of legitimacy.

An organization set up after the coup named the Patriotic Front for Niger Sovereignty (FPS) has led public demands for the coup leaders to take a hard line.

It is calling for a “massive” march next Saturday on the French base, followed by a sit-in until the troops leave.

Dispatch of troops

A landlocked former French colony in the heart of the Sahel, Niger is battling two jihadist insurgencies — a spill over in southeastern Niger from a long-running conflict in neighboring Nigeria, and an offensive in the southwest by militants crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso.

Bazoum came to office in 2021 after democratic elections — a watershed in a country that had had no peaceful transition of power since independence from France in 1960.

He suffered two attempted coups before finally being toppled by members of his own guard.

ECOWAS responded by warning it could intervene militarily to restore civilian rule if efforts to end the crisis diplomatically fail.

Swift to support their military comrades in Niger, Mali and Burkina have said that any such operation would be deemed a “declaration of war” against them.

Burkina Faso has approved a draft law authorizing the dispatch of troops to Niger, according to a government statement in Ouagadougou on Thursday.

Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, Dr. Michael Tidi, has commended Governor Sheriff Oborevwrori led Delta State Executive Council, for approving the reconstruction of some roads in Warri, saying the roads are strategic to the socio – economic revival of the Oil City.

The Delta State Executive Council, presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwrori, at his inaugural meeting held in Asaba Wednesday August 30, approved the reconstruction of Upper – Lower Erejuwa Road, rehabilitation of Esisi Road from Warri – Sapele Road to Estate Roundabout with spur, to Nana College, linking Ajamimogha, all in Warri City centre.

Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area, Dr. Michael Tidi, who was apparently delighted with the announcement, stated Wednesday night, that Governor Oborevwrori, has begun his promise to bring back the lost glory of Warri, with the planned reconstruction of the aforementioned roads.

The Warri South Council Chief Executive, recalled several remedial works done by his administration with limited resources, through direct labour, to make the Esisi Road and Estate Roundabout motorable.

According to Dr. Tidi, the Upper – Lower Erejuwa Road constructed several decades ago by the late Samuel Ogbemudia administration of the defunct Bendel State, Esisi Road and Ajamimogha, connect major markets and other vital commercial investments in Warri, which is the economic nerve center of Delta state.

He called on residents of Warri, particularly people of the area where the roads will be reconstructed, to support the actualization, expressing optimism that Warri will witness the M.O.R.E agenda of Governor Oborevwrori.

Rwanda and Cameroon have carried out some major changes in reaction to the military coup that sacked President Ali Bongo from power in Gabon.

The coup which took place on Tuesday night shocked the world and forced many nations, including the United Nations and the African Union, to condemn the actions of the military.

The coup in Gabon was the latest in a series of military coups that have seen democratically elected leaders removed from the seat of power in Niger Republic, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Guinea-Bissau.

According to the News Times (Rwanda), President Kagame has approved the retirement of several RDF generals, including senior presidential advisor on security matters, Gen. James Kabarebe.

The senior military officers also include Gen Fred Ibingira, Lt Gen Charles Kayonga, Lt Gen Frank Mushyo Kamanzi, Maj Gen Martin Nzaramba, Maj Gen Eric Murokore, Maj Gen Augustin Turagara, Maj Gen Charles Karamba, Maj Gen Albert Murasira, Brig Gen Chris Murari, Brig Gen Didace Ndahiro, and Brig Gen Emmanuel Ndahiro.

No reason was given for their unplanned retirement, only that it is suspected to help arrest the whirlwind of military coups currently spreading within the African continent.

In Cameroon, President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1975 to help prevent his country from being on the coup list, decided to reshuffle the military with new appointments.

An official document coming from the president himself made its way to Twitter.

The document is in French, the official language of communication and instruction in Cameroon

A dozen mutinous soldiers appeared on Gabonese national television, announcing the cancellation of recent election results and the dissolution of “all the institutions of the republic”.

Wednesday’s announcement came after President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64 was re-elected for a third term, in an election the opposition described as a ‘fraud orchestrated’ by the ruling party.
The Bongo family, one of Africa’s most powerful dynasties, has been in power since 1967.

The president has confirmed he is under house arrest and called for help, urging citizens to ‘make noise’

There have been scenes of celebration in the Gabonese capital, Libreville since the military takeover.

The United States is deeply concerned by events in Gabon, where military officers said they had seized power, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told a briefing.

“We’re following this very, very closely,” he said. “It’s deeply concerning to us…we will remain a supporter of people in the region and supporter of the people in Gabon.”