From Paul Osuyi, Asaba, Ben Dunno, Warri
Ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo on Saturday sued for sustenance of peace in the Niger Delta region.
Tompolo in a statement called on Niger Delta stakeholders to exercise patience and give the Federal Government till end of June to reconstitute and inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
His appeal is coming on the heels of Thursday’s consultative meeting between Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and stakeholders at Oporoza, Gbaramaru kingdom in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Tompolo had issued a 7-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to constitute the board, failure which there would be dire consequences, a development that obviously forced Mr. Akpabio into the creeks for consultation.
Tompolo in his Saturday statement said his love for the region and Nigeria cannot be compromised by money and other material things, urging all to pray for peace and tranquility in the region at a trying time that other parts of the country were in turmoil.
He said: “Therefore, I welcome the consultative meeting of our revered traditional rulers from the region, Delta State Government, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) led by its president, Professor Benjamin Okaba, leaders from the Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko, Ndokwa and other nationalities with the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio in attendance, at the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom, Oporoza town on Thursday June 3rd, 2021.
“The outcome of the meeting has been made known to the public by the minister. He promised profusely to start the process of the constitution and inauguration of the substantive board of the NDDC immediately (from Friday June 4th 2021), and that he should be allowed to drive the process to an end on or before the end of June 2021.”