A
abujagirl
Guest
‘General’ Isreal Akpodoro, a former militant leader in the Niger Delta in an interview with SAHARA REPORTERS shed light on the crisis in the creeks.
The former militant leader also revealed the outcome of a recent meeting between the federal government and former militant leaders. He said, ''We had a meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, and it was called for by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, National Security Adviser, Monguno, Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Program, Paul Boroh, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
''The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs was also there, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agric was there and so on. At the meeting, I told everybody that Boroh needs to be sacked. I told the NSA that Boroh should be sacked from that office.
On the renewed crisis in the country he said, ''Like I said, the renewed fight in the region has nothing to do with EFCC declaring Tompolo wanted. Before the election, sometime in January 2014, we had a meeting in Bayelsa State, at the Government House. The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson was there, Kingsley Kuku, former Amnesty Program DG was there, all the prominent ex-militants like Tompolo, Asari Dokubo, many other were there. The only person, not present was Ateke Tom. At the meeting, a motion was raised that if our brother, then President Goodluck Jonathan did not win the 2015 election, we would make the country ungovernable for whoever emerges.
''There was a motion to divide the country and blow all oil installations in the region. If you recall, General TY Danjuma replied them at the time. I opposed the move too at the time. I argued that the man who gave us amnesty was a man from the North. This was late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. I said that whoever wins should be who we would work with, that we should not cause any problem. When I said this at the meeting, they almost killed me. They called me a betrayer and spy for Buhari. They then declared war on me. They withdrew all my security personnel.
''I had Mobile Police attached to me. They withdrew all of them from me because of what I said. Now that Buhari has emerged as president, their promise at the time is what we are seeing now. Nigerians should not look at the matter as people agitating over neglect. The neglect in Niger Delta has been long. It was there even before Jonathan came to power. In fact, Jonathan did not address it. We agitated over resource control, marginalization and unequal distribution of oil wells before Jonathan came on board. Jonathan stayed in power for six years but couldn’t address the matter. Look at the East-West Road; he did not complete it. Look at the Umaru Yar’Adua Airport awarded to Bayelsa; Jonathan did not implement it. Jonathan contributed a lot to what has been happening.
''That is why three weeks ago, I told the country that Jonathan is behind the Avengers. Ever since the bombing started again, Jonathan did not say a word. Even ministers who are from the region present Buhari’s cabinet are saying nothing. Yet they still claim to be APC people. The people around the President are also not helping him. The man does not know what is going on in this country. They are not telling him the truth. I have a personal relationship with Buhari. I met him in 2013 and urged him to contest. I told him that we are behind him. When I met him, I told him I was breaking away from the ranks of the ex-militants to support him.
''I met him through Colonel Abdul. He was the one who took me to see him at that time. Buhari told me that there was no problem and that he was ready to work with me. Even before the election, I met with the leaders of APC. I met with Rotimi Amaechi, then governor of Rivers. When I met him and told him that I was coming out to endorse Buhari, he warned that they would kill me. I told him that nobody would kill me and that the worst that could happen is that we end up killing each other. They promised to mobilise funds for me for the endorsement, but they failed.
''I endorsed Buhari on national televisions, on papers, on the internet. I took full pages in newspapers to endorse the president. I did all this with my money and got no kobo from APC. I sent text messages to Amaechi asking whether he saw what I have done in the media. He replied yes. I met Amaechi again at Eko Hotel when Tinubu was having a function there. I told him again of what I did, to which he replied that he saw it all but that we could not talk at the place. I said no problem. Since then till this moment I am talking to you, I have not heard from Amaechi. He has even refused to pick my call. This put me in a bad situation with my people.
The former militant leader also revealed the outcome of a recent meeting between the federal government and former militant leaders. He said, ''We had a meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, and it was called for by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, National Security Adviser, Monguno, Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Program, Paul Boroh, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
''The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs was also there, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agric was there and so on. At the meeting, I told everybody that Boroh needs to be sacked. I told the NSA that Boroh should be sacked from that office.
On the renewed crisis in the country he said, ''Like I said, the renewed fight in the region has nothing to do with EFCC declaring Tompolo wanted. Before the election, sometime in January 2014, we had a meeting in Bayelsa State, at the Government House. The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson was there, Kingsley Kuku, former Amnesty Program DG was there, all the prominent ex-militants like Tompolo, Asari Dokubo, many other were there. The only person, not present was Ateke Tom. At the meeting, a motion was raised that if our brother, then President Goodluck Jonathan did not win the 2015 election, we would make the country ungovernable for whoever emerges.
''There was a motion to divide the country and blow all oil installations in the region. If you recall, General TY Danjuma replied them at the time. I opposed the move too at the time. I argued that the man who gave us amnesty was a man from the North. This was late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. I said that whoever wins should be who we would work with, that we should not cause any problem. When I said this at the meeting, they almost killed me. They called me a betrayer and spy for Buhari. They then declared war on me. They withdrew all my security personnel.
''I had Mobile Police attached to me. They withdrew all of them from me because of what I said. Now that Buhari has emerged as president, their promise at the time is what we are seeing now. Nigerians should not look at the matter as people agitating over neglect. The neglect in Niger Delta has been long. It was there even before Jonathan came to power. In fact, Jonathan did not address it. We agitated over resource control, marginalization and unequal distribution of oil wells before Jonathan came on board. Jonathan stayed in power for six years but couldn’t address the matter. Look at the East-West Road; he did not complete it. Look at the Umaru Yar’Adua Airport awarded to Bayelsa; Jonathan did not implement it. Jonathan contributed a lot to what has been happening.
''That is why three weeks ago, I told the country that Jonathan is behind the Avengers. Ever since the bombing started again, Jonathan did not say a word. Even ministers who are from the region present Buhari’s cabinet are saying nothing. Yet they still claim to be APC people. The people around the President are also not helping him. The man does not know what is going on in this country. They are not telling him the truth. I have a personal relationship with Buhari. I met him in 2013 and urged him to contest. I told him that we are behind him. When I met him, I told him I was breaking away from the ranks of the ex-militants to support him.
''I met him through Colonel Abdul. He was the one who took me to see him at that time. Buhari told me that there was no problem and that he was ready to work with me. Even before the election, I met with the leaders of APC. I met with Rotimi Amaechi, then governor of Rivers. When I met him and told him that I was coming out to endorse Buhari, he warned that they would kill me. I told him that nobody would kill me and that the worst that could happen is that we end up killing each other. They promised to mobilise funds for me for the endorsement, but they failed.
''I endorsed Buhari on national televisions, on papers, on the internet. I took full pages in newspapers to endorse the president. I did all this with my money and got no kobo from APC. I sent text messages to Amaechi asking whether he saw what I have done in the media. He replied yes. I met Amaechi again at Eko Hotel when Tinubu was having a function there. I told him again of what I did, to which he replied that he saw it all but that we could not talk at the place. I said no problem. Since then till this moment I am talking to you, I have not heard from Amaechi. He has even refused to pick my call. This put me in a bad situation with my people.