by Micheal Abimboye
The National Coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, Gani Adams, said his group is opposed to a former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu and his party, the All Progressives Congress, because Mr. Tinubu instructed governors of the South-West states not to deal with or empower the OPC.
Mr. Adams said this at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday in reaction to reports that his organization plans to disrupt the forthcoming general elections.
He said while Mr. Tinubu plotted to destroy the OPC by denying it of government patronage, President Goodluck Jonathan has been magnanimous, awarding pipeline protection contracts to leaders of the organisation and other militants across the country.
“Deliberately Tinubu instructed all the governors (South-west governors) don’t work with OPC, don’t empower OPC, don’t associate yourself with OPC,” Mr. Adams said.
“Ask our people from the south west, if you threat us very well, why should we get an opportunity from your enemy? If you gave us jobs, if you empower us, we would turn down the offer from the federal government. Because you neglected us, you don’t want the organization to exist anymore.
Mr Adams admitted that he, Frederick Faseun, and another militant leader from Ondo state were given multi billion naira contracts to protect pipelines, saying as Nigerians they have a right to share from the nation’s commonwealth.
He said, “They alleged that some ethnic militia collected nine billion, what I know is that President Goodluck Jonathan gave us a contract to protect pipeline and in that pipeline contract, the analysis is that Nigeria is losing 1.3 trillion naira every year to vandals. And when you see how much they will pay us for a year, in six zones- we have three zones in south west, three in South-South. I have only one in South-West; Dr. Fasheun has one and another guy in Ondo has one.
“The entire money NNPC will spend for us to protect the pipeline is not up to four billion for the six zones. You know what happened, they intentionally wrote the propaganda to affect the rally of last Monday, and at the same time, they haven’t given us a dime for the contract. President Jonathan has not given us money; we are just planning on how to start the job now. You cannot get money, it’s not a contract of buying something.
“As a Nigerian, we have a right to share from the commonwealth and that does not mean they have induced us. Tinubu is the chairman of OandO, and it’s an oil company and hardly will you see any governor in Nigeria that does not have interest in oil business. Hardly will you see any that minister does not have interest in oil business. Look, the south-south has been benefiting from the Amnesty package from the past four or five years. We have never benefited from it.”
The OPC leader described the All Progressive Congress as a party that strives on propaganda. Read full on PT
