By Tejiri Ebikeme/Francis Sadhere/Stella Peredu

National Chairman, Niger Delta Forum for Good Governance, Chief (Col.) Satchie Etoromi, (rtd) has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to call the Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi to order over his recent comment in which he rooted  for the scrapping of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, emphasizing that Hon. Amaechi “did not think properly.”

Chief (Col.) Etoromi Satchie (Rtd).

Chief Etoromi, a leader in Ggbaramatu Kingdom, stated this
in an interview with our correspondents in Warri. He said the statement credited to Hon. Amaechi must have been his own opinion, wondering why a son of the Niger Delta should advocate for the scrapping of a Maritime University located in his region.

He said the Maritime University located in Okerenkoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom, has passed through all the necessary procedures and has been approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) adding that the university will bring development to the region.

Chief Etoromi, therefore called on President Buhari not to scrap
the university, saying that if its scrapped,  the President would be
sending the wrong signals to the people of the region and they may be forced to fight back.

He faulted Amaechi’s reasoning that  nobody will send their
children to the University, saying that he sees no reason why the
Federal Government can lay pipelines from Okerenkoko to Kaduna
refineries and cannot  build a University in that community.

“I think Amaechi’s statements are his personal position and that that of the government. A lot of people have made a lot of comments on this matter, but what I want to say is that citing of the University in Okerenkoko is not a waste. The setting up of this university went
through all the normal procedures and the National Universities
Commission gave its approval.

“So for someone to just jump up and say that the university should be cancelled beats my imagination. We want to call on President Mohammadu Buhari to call Amaechi to order and warn him to stop making statements that will make his government look stupid and antagonistic to a group of people in the country. We believe that President Buhari is matured enough to do the right thing,” Chief Etoromi said.

Speaking on the recent bombings of oil facilities in the region, Chief
Etoromi said that High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo (alias Tompolo) had no hand in the renewed attacks on oil facilities.

He said some unscrupulous elements   carried out the attacks and blamed it on Tompolo.

While condemning the attacks, Chief Etoromi called on the perpetrators to desist from such acts, stressing that nothing good could  come out of attacking oil facilities at this period when oil prices in  the international markets are nose diving.

He also cautioned the military to obey all rules of engagements in
their efforts in looking for the perpetrators of the pipeline
explosions in Gbaramatu kingdom, warning that the situation may
get out of hand if the military decides to invade the communities and
trample on the rights of the citizens.

On the silent of the regent of Gbaramatu Kingdom concerning the
bombings, Chief Etoromi said the regent is silent because he is
working with the Traditional Council of Chiefs  on how to resolve the
matter and prevent it from escalating.

He said the regent has been consulting with government officials both at the Federal and State levels to see how the matter could be solved politically noting that it will be wrong for the regent to come out with any statement when he had not exhausted all other avenues of dialogue.

On the rift between Tompolo and Ayiri Emami, Chief Etoromi called on the duo to settle whatever rift existing between them and not
allow it to escalate into another communal crisis.

Commenting on the issue of cattle herdsmen destroying farmlands,
kidnapping and killing innocent citizens in the Niger Delta region, Chief Etoromi blamed the trend on young Northern army officers who allegedly supply the herdsmen with military weapons which they used to terrorize people in the South/South.

He said young military officers who owned some of these cattle
encourage Fulani herdsmen to perpetrate evil in the region, adding that the Fulani herdsmen are allowed to carry dangerous weapons
without any form of resistance from the military and the police who
know that they are using military weapons.