A Niger Delta youth leader, Comrade Izoukumor Oturubo, has urged Ijaw and Niger Delta youths to stop what he described as persistent attacks, condemnation and character assassination of High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, on social media.
Oturubo expressed deep concern over what he described as the growing criticism of regional leaders by Niger Delta youths. He said it was worrying that hardly a day passes without Ijaw and Niger Delta youths taking to social media to condemn, criticise or attack Tompolo and other Ijaw leaders.
According to him, the youths are getting the issue wrong by failing to understand the history, experiences and contributions of the leaders they criticise.
“𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱.
Oturubo urged Niger Delta youths to take time to understand Tompolo's history and the circumstances surrounding his activities before forming conclusions about him. He argued that the growing hostility towards Tompolo was partly connected to the consequences of extending benevolence and magnanimity without clear boundaries.
According to him, generosity can sometimes be taken for granted and subsequently turned against the person who provided it.
He said this was contributing to what he described as the campaign of blackmail and character assassination against Tompolo.
‘𝗪𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻’
Oturubo said the youthful period was the most significant stage of every person's life because decisions made during that period could shape the future. He expressed concern that Ijaw youths were allowing some individuals to influence them in ways that could ultimately harm their communities.
Citing Jesus Christ, Bob Marley and other notable figures, he said history had shown that young people could make lasting contributions to humanity when they used their youthful years productively.
He therefore urged Ijaw youths to pay greater attention to issues that directly affect the future of their communities instead of concentrating their energy on attacking their own leaders.
‘𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀’
The youth leader also questioned the extent to which decades of oil exploration have transformed oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta.
He asked how many Niger Delta youths currently occupy significant positions within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and other key areas of the petroleum industry.
According to him, Niger Delta stakeholders must become more involved in the structures and decisions surrounding the region's petroleum resources if meaningful development is to be achieved.
He said many oil-producing communities still lacked standard schools, tertiary institutions and basic infrastructure despite decades of oil exploration.
“𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀?” 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱.
Oturubo also questioned why oil-producing communities should not have refineries and industries capable of creating employment and economic opportunities for their people. “What is wrong with having the IOCs building private refineries in our oil-producing communities?” he asked.
He further challenged Niger Delta leaders to identify industries that could sustain the region after oil eventually loses its dominant economic position. He also questioned the poor road network linking many riverine oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta.
𝗢𝘁𝘂𝗿𝘂𝗯𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗜𝗡𝗖, 𝗜𝗬𝗖 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗮 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀
Oturubo called on the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to bring youths from communities across the region together to discuss their grievances and develop practical solutions to the challenges facing the people.
He said such a gathering would provide an opportunity for youths to channel their concerns into constructive engagement rather than continuous attacks on their leaders. According to him, the current pattern of attacking Ijaw leaders on social media was damaging the image and unity of the Ijaw people.
He urged the INC and IYC to take the lead in creating a platform where disagreements could be discussed openly and resolved through dialogue. Oturubo also appealed to Ijaw leaders and youths to work together to address the educational, infrastructural, economic and environmental challenges confronting communities across the Niger Delta.
‘𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗜𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵’
The youth leader appealed to Niger Delta youths to end what he described as a smear campaign against Tompolo and other regional leaders. He stressed that while constructive criticism remained necessary, youths should avoid attacks that could undermine the unity and reputation of the Niger Delta people. “We should put an end to the campaign of blackmail against Tompolo. Enough is enough,” he said.
He urged Ijaw and Niger Delta youths to redirect their energy towards demanding education, infrastructure, employment, economic opportunities and sustainable development for oil-producing communities across the region.
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