Chief Michael Johnny was on Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 sworn in as the new Chairman of the Chevron sponsored Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation (EGCDF) and in this interview with Tejiri Ebikeme and Frank Efe shortly after taking the oath of office speaks on his plan for the foundation and other matters affecting the two kingdoms. Excerpt:
What does this your new office entails?
It is the Egbema/Gbaramatu Development Foundation. It has to do with Egbema/Gbaramatu communities which are oil producing communities, host to Chevron. It has to do with development of the people on ground. It is not Chevron alone that it deals with, it also deals with other government agencies like NDDC, DESOPADEC, NNPC and other oil companies. The foundation is a wonderful one that assists in the development of the communities and the people. It is a foundation that knows the pains of the people on ground, and it has to be assisted by the federal and state governments that have the interest of Egbema/Gbaramatu and the development of the people of the Niger Delta region at heart. We are going to embark on execution of projects across all the communities, but we must also ensure to live in harmony, and put aside personal interest in order for the foundation to make much progress.
Before you were sworn in there used to be a lot of problems among your people, now that you have been sworn in, what is your message your brothers and sister that were not happy with the Chevron GMoU?
These are internal issues between us and I have been making some moves, most especially between my elder brother, Chief Tompolo and the two traditional rulers of Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms. The protest by Benekrukru people has to do with the people on ground and they will be put into consideration and in no distance time, I think the Benekrukru people will bring their nominees and they will be officially accepted by the new executive of the council for us to unanimously work together because it is not something that I can do alone. I need the support of Benekrukru and every other community to embrace peace and to advice ourselves to come together to speak to Chevron because the funding in the GMoU is poor. You cannot tell me that 400 million naira will be given to the communities yearly, because it is not even up to a major project in one community. It is necessary for Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, to do upward review of the funding of the council. So I am using this opportunity to call on NDDC and the Minister of Petroleum and other government agencies to support the foundation because they know the pains of the people. Being the Chairman now I am working with the people on ground and it is what they tell me to do that I will do. Right now my message to them is we should embrace peace. I want to maintain that it is the responsibility of every son and daughter, including all the oil communities in Egbema and Gbaramatu to ensure that the existing peace and security in the two kingdoms is sustained. And let me implore the various oil communities in Egbema and Gbaramatu to avoid breach of law and order in their areas. Let me reassure our people that the new leadership of EGCDF will work closely, and in harmony with Chevron Nigeria Limited, Federal government, Delta state government, security agencies and all other relevant agencies.
What is going to be your major target as a chairman?
My major target is going to be on youth restiveness. I will want Chevron to give me the opportunity, time and the co-operation for us to see that our young graduates, youths, women and the elderly in the communities are carried along. I will not like to see a situation where Chevron will not be playing a fair game with the people. And I will also not like to see a situation whereby the communities are not playing a fair game with Chevron because I will not appreciate it. I want the two teams to work collectively. I want Chevron to know that we are partners and not slaves. So I need the co-operation of Chevron and other agencies to support this administration in order for us to succeed. I want to commend the immediate past Chairman, Mr. Edmund E. Doyah Tiemo, for his achievements, and I want to equally assure that the new leadership of the foundation will improve on Tiemo’s achievements in order to effect the drastic change being collectively agitated for by all the various oil communities in the two kingdoms.
