Niger Deltans have been charged to leave the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III (CFR) out of the unwarranted controversy generated through the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations by a faceless and disgruntled group, Niger Delta State Stakeholders Forum, NDSF, against the revered royal father.
The appeal was made in Warri, during the weekend by Prince Emma Okotie-Eboh a scion of Nigeria first finance Minister, Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.
Prince Okotie -Eboh, ex-regent of Warri kingdom, business man and opinion leader in Warri Kingdom stated in a statement that “greed, lost of economic power, dwindling political and social influence coupled with stomach infrastructural exigencies” underlies the macabre dance of shame by the authors of allegations and misinformation dished out by the NDSF to the gullible public, charging all well meaning individuals to disregard the publication in its entirety.
Prince Okotie-Eboh had noted that the royal father did not ascend the throne of Warri kingdom as a poor man, pointing out that those angling to drag his name into disrepute are pained that they can not manipulate or influence him unduly with their ill -gotten wealth and persist in riding roughshod on the entire itsekiri nation as they did with the immediate past monarch of blessed memory.
According to him, the king has chains of businesses he presides over amongst which is Pipeline Infrastructures Nigeria limited (PINL) that is not even in charge of the Trans-Forcados–Escravos Pipelines security project in Delta State.
Ogiame Atuwatse III CFR is not in competition with High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo alias Tompolo in any pipeline security job. Every contractor has its sphere of operations and they have a cordial relationship.
Morever NDSF do not award contract on behalf of the Federal Government or NNPC and are therefore not in any position to determine a performing or non performing contractor, wondering how the termination of a contract in which the Olu of Warri is one of the director translate into their selfish benefit?
So how come they are so pained to alleged that the monarch is pocketing billions of Naira every month for doing nothing. He further pointed out that PINL doesn’t even control 80% of the entire surveillance job in the Niger Delta as alleged with mispresentation of fact.
According to Okotie-Eboh while PINL is handling Rivers, Imo and parts of Bayelsa states, Tantita is handling Delta, Ondo and parts of Bayelsa states respectively and there are no area of conflict in job execution between the various contractors. So why is the faceless NDSF trying to ignite unnecessary chaos and create bad blood in a venture that does not concern them.
The statement condemned the Itsekiri group for falsely disparaging their royal father in the social media for their self aggrandisement, busy-body and unbridled and wicked jealousy of the monarch.
Okotie-Eboh commended the Ijaw youths Council World-wide, IYC, for scoring the olu of Warri high on execution of pipeline surveillance contract and for contributing massively towards curbing the menace of pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.
He said, the IYC through their President, Dr Alaye Theophilus had on behalf of the Ijaw nation in a statement debunked the NDSF statement that PINL was not doing well in the ijaw areas, noting that, “PINL over the years have shown diligence and professionalism in the conduct of its job in the region, saying that the Olu of Warri is a true son of the Niger Delta”.
The IYC president who stated that the Olu of Warri is a well respected monarch in Nigeria, also charged persons still aggrieved with the emergence of the monarch not to cast aspersions on him but to have a re-think of their misguided actions.
Okotie Eboh who said most royal fathers throughout the globe are into various businesses including King Charles of the United Kingdom, said all those against the Olu of Warri for being a business guru to thank God that they have such a versatile, vibrant, young and intelligent Prince as their royal father that all should be proud of even as he has so many itsekiri in his companies too and is not defaulting in payment of his employees or sub-contractors.
The scion of the first finance Minister in Nigeria stated his persist calls on all those vultures who sat as a demi-god over the Commonwealth of the Itsekiri nation for many years to retrace their steps, seek forgiveness and fall back into line for their own good and that of their followers and generations yet unborn.
He also express concern over the barefaced lies by NDSF against the Olu of Warri and rudely but unashamedly calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into the activities of PINL saying “Our president is knowledgeable and wise enough to read between the lines of the unpatriotic antics of the NDSF and their shenanigans”.
He noted that those in the opposition of the Olu of Warri are few in the Itsekiri nation seeking for relevance but are fast fading into oblivion with their belligerents and sacrilegious actions.
Its the height of their demented imagination for a group of misguided youths to think they can run the Itsekiri nation aground, an action that amounts to day-dreaming.
They better wake up from their deep slumber. A time will come shortly when Itsekiri youths in their numbers will start attacking these miscreants anywhere they are found in the kingdom.
Those that the gods will punish, they first make mad”, Okotie -Eboh, the former Chairman of Chief Great Oboru Campaign Council in the last Governorship election under APGA in Delta state posited.
The PINL are doing very creditably well in their area of operations as attested to by the Ijaws working with the company and even commended His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse lll CFR. That alone has exposed members of the NDSF as being fraudulent in all their claims that is tainted with deep seated hatred, jealousy, envy and bad belle.