We are solicitors to the Ugborodo Community in Warri South/West Local
Government Area of Delta State. The following members of the community
namely, Chief Ayiri Emami and Chief Thomas Ereyitomi have briefed us as
follows:
That certain individuals from Gbaramatu Kingdom led by one High Chief
Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tompolo) – who also recently threatened to
kill me – have ganged up to give your Excellency certain conditions upon
which you can be allowed to perform the ground-breaking ceremony of the
Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Project located in Ugborodo on
Friday, November 14, 2014. One of such conditions is that the name of the
project which has since been known and referred to by its location, that
is Ogidigben (which is an Itsekiri community) must be changed to include
the name “Gbaramatu” (an Ijaw community), which is a community that has
nothing to do with the present location of the EPZ Project.
Your Excellency, the Ogidigben people are proud of the great people of
Gbaramatu Kingdom, and are not in any way denigrating them, but there is
no point renaming a project after a city that does not host such a
project. It makes no sense. Unfortunately, these elements who foment
trouble constantly ride on your back as “an Ijaw man” to make their
This is therefore a call for you to rise above such mundane sentiments,
and be the President of the entire country and not just the President of
Gbaramatu Kingdom. Happily, the Delta State Government has graciously
intervened and decided that the name of the project would be “Delta Gas
City” which bears no colouration of any tribe, but surprisingly, those who
claim to be your “brothers”, (to the exclusion of the rest of us), have
rejected this middle-ground approach to the debacle and have threatened
fire and brimstone unless you accede to their demand.
Your Excellency, we are informed that this latest provocation follows a
pattern against our clients and the Itsekiri people that have existed for
some time now. And on each occasion they parade your name as their
“backbone”. A few examples would suffice:
The Maritime University was originally located in Koko (an Itsekiri
Community) when Mr. Temisan Omatseye was the Director-General. In this
location, the University was easily accessible to everybody, including the
Ijaws and Itsekiris. However, when Tompolo installed his own nominee as
the Director-General of NIMASA (which is the agency responsible for the
running and management of the Maritime University), Mr. Ziakede Patrick
Akpobolokemi, the University was relocated to Okorenkoko, (which they
claim belongs to the Gbaramatu people).
However, even the claim of Okorenkoko by the Gbaramatu people is also
another example of forceful usurpation of the rights of the Itsekiris.
This is because judgment in Suit No. W/29/1949, delivered on 13th October,
1951 in the High Court of Justice Holden at Warri, pronounced Okorenkoko
as belonging to Omadino, which is an Itsekiri Community. However, even in
the face of this judgment, the Gbaramatu people are still claiming
Your Excellency, we can go on and on, but these are a few examples of an
individual and his group thinking and boasting that they are above the
law, and threatening everybody to submission in Delta State, including the
Governor himself. Unfortunately, they use your name to perpetrate this
unholy attitude. But at the same time, the various security agencies have
not done anything to dispel this name-dropping. Recall that I sent a
petition to your office and that of the D.G, SSS and the IGP about two
weeks ago, that Tompolo had the temerity to call my phone and tell me of
his plans to kill me. Yet you and your security agencies have refused to
lift one finger over my petition.
Now, they are even threatening you in your exalted office not to come and
perform the ground-breaking of a project, except their demands are met. Do
we have two Presidents in Nigeria? Or two Governors in Delta State? Time
will tell.
However, as counsel to the Ugborodo people and as a stakeholder in Delta
State (a free born of the State), one million Tompolos will not threaten
or intimidate us not to speak out against injustice. Let him come and kill
all of us.
Mr. President, the world is watching you on this issue.
Yours sincerely,
FESTUS KEYAMO, ESQ.