EXCLUSIVE

Unity with fraudsters as a formidable team is unacceptable –Isibeluo

Evang. Gabriel Isibeluo hails from Isoko ethnic nationality and currently he is the chairman of HOST communities producing oil and gas, Delta state chapter. He was formerly the state Hostcom secretary general and Isoko ethnic chairman.

Evang. Gabriel Isibeluo

In this interview with our correspondent, Martins Eduje, he raised some issues on areas of disagreement among members and efforts to resolving them while stressing the importance of unity. He also unveils his plans of development for the state as the state Hostcom chairman.

Excerpt

Can we meet you sir?

My name is Evang. Gabriel Isibeluo, an Isoko man and currently I have just been elected and inaugurated as the chairman of Host communities of Nigeria, producing oil and gas Delta state chapter. Before now I was formerly the Isoko ethnic chairman and secretary.

There seems to be many crisis in delta Hostcom, How are you going to resolve that?

I think, in my opinion, I will say there are no crisis but, differences, especially in the areas of ideology and some group are using that to claim as the national officers of the association. On how I can resolve it, I know when two people had differences especially in organisation like this, the court is more appropriate place for settlement which the court has done.

The problem started when some people makes attempt to elongate their tenure. What really happened is that as the Hostcom was growing, there was a concerted effort by every member to ensure that the aims and objectives are not deviated from and on that basis we decided that the leadership arrangement of the organization should reflect the amount of oil production and based on DESOPADEC statistics, we found out the Ijaws has the highest oil production followed by the Itshekiris, the Urbos, Isokos before the Ndokwas. So the Ijaws took the 1^st shot as the chairman and it came to the turn of the Itshekiris, Hon. Benjamin Iwetan emerged as the chairman and I was made the chairman of the Inauguration committee. The Inauguration took place at P.T.I conference hall, the exact place my inauguration took place.

Against our constitution, Hon. Benjamin seeing the benefits that will accrue to him, he decided to extend his tenure and we say no to him. He went to court to challenge it and the matter was in the high court 3 in Warri, and the presiding judge, justice Mrs. Acholufu who presided over the case dismissed the case for lack of merit before she was transferred to Otor-Udu high court. You will be surprised that after two years, the case came up again, this time without wasting time, we decided to approach the same court for warrant in law. Warrant in law means when a substantive judge handling a case is transferred, you meet the chief judge for a warrant to transfer the case along with the judge and it was granted at Otor-Udu high court, the case was dismissed for the second time and the court therefore advised us to hold an AGM and we aired it two weeks to the time, the AGM eventually took place at Mas & Cliff hotel, Okpare in 2016 to reaffirm the constitution and to inform the government that we are not elongating our tenure in office. We just had another AGM on the 11^th January 2018 at Cyprian Hotel Ekpan in honour of our late past chairman.

Something happened recently, we were astonished when Hon. Benjamin went to court again on the day we were holding a meeting at Yenegoa, Bayelsa state, asking the court to interprete the judgement against him. In my little knowledge, I know that a high court cannot interprete the judgement obtained from a high court, except you approach the appeal or Supreme court. And do you know what happened, the court refused to grant his prayers, instead the court asked them to go to the government for settlement and the case was dismissed again.

So what is the way forward now?

Well, I must say that the way forward is very clear. I have just been inaugurated. I mean my executive has just been inaugurated and if you were there, you can attest to the fact that the dignitaries that graced the occasion, including traditional rulers across the state is a testimony that we are on ground.

Let me tell you that we have started receiving letters from other groups asking for reconciliation. I will give them room for that but, with condition. I know with time everything will move right and there will be no dissidents among us anymore. Let me show you something, if you go out there you will see a signboard. The government gave us N40 million to buy this building and another N50million which is being used to renovate the building, the house belongs to HOSTCOM. Usually I know, in a family, there are always differences and as a chairman, it is my responsibility to resolve them amicably and I will continue to do my best.

We learnt Isoko Development Union (IDU) step into this issue, how come it has not been resolved yet?

The Isoko Development Union is a social cultural body which is the umbrella body and mouth piece of the Isoko ethnic nationality. As far as IDU is our umbrella body they can only play an advisory role to Isoko Hostcom. I had always told the kings, President-Generals, right from the time of Erebi’s days as IDU President-General when there was crisis between my group and Utunye group headed by Ogagarojo, we visited Olomoro severally to see Erebi. Erebi at that time saw it clearly that someone from somewhere was funding the other group against us to destabilize our plans and the man told them to go and work with HOSTCOM and not Isogaf and that was why we were able to move on them. If you doubt me, you call some of my exco them, Ejenaha was my PRO and the current president General of Ozoro community, Mr. Nicholas Arebe was my secretary, they are living testimony to what I am telling you, now. At that time I had always invited IDU if, there are critical issue to look into on behalf of Isoko. Do you know that Mike Emu was our active national PRO and in April 2012, he called a meeting to his house and issued a statement that Evang Gabriel Isibeluo has been deposed.

one funny thing is that how can I be deposed when I am not a king and that prompt them to write a letter of vote of no confidence on me and Hon. Benjamin Iwetan was there as the state chairman. However, while the matter was still dragging on and no solution on sight, the late Iyenbubo took a decision to set up a committee jointly with the state chairman, Benjamin Iwetan and the matter went to IDU and because of crisis of confidence in IDU during the tenure of Elder Erebi, chief Akeni became the political solution to douse tension and the matter could not be resolved them until when chief Akpojene emerged as the president General. Chief Akpojene decided to refer the matter to the late senator Okpozo when he discovered that, Okpozo, Chief Esigie and chief Atanuku was their patron and senator Okpozo committee exonerated me and a copy of their findings were sent to the IDU and HOSTCOM state chapter. All these reports are with me. It will interest you to know that the state HOSTCOM also set up their committee and both parties were invited and I was exonerated for the second time and Benjamin Iwetan as the state chairman wrote me a letter of validation of office duly signed by him as the state chairman and Mr. Simon Asijeh as the state secretary and I completed my tenure as Isoko ethnic chairman of HOSTCOM.

Was there anymore problems after your tenure?

Yes, somehow there were still some problems, because when I emerged as the state secretary people were asking us to re-unite and I tried as much as possible I can at that time but during Gen Paul Omu (Rtd) as IDU President-General, he wrote a letter of recognition and gave it to Lucky Odiri and I took a letter of protest to him along with the state chairman. Peter Akadi Ogedegbe and I presented my case to him in the presence of his secretary comrade Julius who was also secretary during the era of chief Akpojene. I gave reasons why the secretary Julius has misled Gen. Omu to spoil his image and it was on that day I told Gen. Omu how he emerged as the President General.

One thing I must say here is that the emergence of High Chief Iduh Amadhe as the President General has not help us because when some issues came up recently he acted as if he was not privy to the matter whereas he was the vice chairman of the committee set up by Gen. Omu and I reminded him on that day that the best he can do is to review the report as prepared by him. I also want to note here that the IDU, Warri branch called me on phone that the parent body has mandated them to look into the matter and unite us but I told them that Warri branch is not fit to handle such a sensitive issue because when you set up a committee for settlement, you don’t create an illegality to settle illegality that, it is only the parent body can handle the matter.

Since then, the branch president has not forgiven me. One thing for sure is that until they appealed the judgement of the high court and a verdict is obtained, the matter has ended for now.

So do you think the matter has ended?

Yes, just as I had earlier told you that the matter went to court twice and a competent high court of jurisdiction struck or dismissed the prayers of the plaintiff for lack of merit, so to me the matter has ended.

Don’t you think if you come together as a formidable force, you will achieve more?

Yes, I want to agree with you on that because unity is strength but i will not be in unity with fraudsters as a formidable team. As we are talking somebody has collected money from over 50 jobless youths in the name of giving them jobs, is he not deceiving himself? As at today, no youth will come to my office asking for a job when I did not train or collect money from them for forms and if by any opportunity, forms for employment are available, it will be given out for free of charge to the youths from all oil producing areas.

What are your developmental plans for the state as the state HOSTCOM chairman?

I think my priority will be channeled to the development of human capital development by training the youths on different skills acquisition. You must not forget that DESOPADEC was created to meet up with needs of oil producing communities and for that reason, my administration will ensure that we meet with the state government regularly to release the 50% out of the 13% derivation fund to DESOPADEC to meet up its obligation to the oil producing communities.

How far have you gone about the pipeline surveillance issue?

I must say that, initially, the issue was a little bit technical, but when we met with the federal government a solution came because the federal government has advised us to register a security company to enable us bids for security jobs, especially in the areas of pipeline surveillance. The FG also advised that each ethnic group should appoint a retired General as director of the security company and we obliged. At this junction, we nominated General Alexander Ogomudia (Rtd) as one of the directors representing the Isoko ethnic nationality. The Ijaws, Itshekiris, Urhobos and Ndokwas also brought their nominees as directors. Today I can confirm to you that Delta HOSTCOM has been registered as a security company which can bid for any security job in the state.

What is your last word?

I want to use this opportunity and medium to call on the federal and state governments, including the oil companies to make effort to develop the oil producing communities now that the product is still available because nothing lasts forever. You can see that today we are clamouring for restructuring and Fiscal federalism, meaning if it scaled through, states will be allowed to develop their resources and pay tax to the centre. One of the objective of HOSTCOM is to see that HOSTCOM member is pushed into the board.