Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, a  renowned lawyer and elder statesman from Delta State was  Minister of Police Affairs during the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. In this  interview in his Warri country home, he discusses the politics surrounding the recent acquisition of warships by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo for a government agency, says President Goodluck Jonathan is in good position to win the presidential election, ethnic relations in the Niger Delta among other issues. Excerpts

By Akpokona Omafuaire

As a former minister of police affairs with insight into security matters, are you worried by insinuations that the recent purchase of warships for NIMASA by Chief Government Ekpemupolo’s company could be a cover for ethnic and other political battles in the Niger Delta?

First of all, military or security equipment are always procured through contractors. The army or police, whenever they want to purchase equipment, put out tender for it and acquisition is made through contractors and the supply is delivered to the police, army, navy as the case may be.

So the mere fact that on this occasion, the contractor is Tompolo makes people feel jittery.

Let me also say that people, that is the former militants you know were on ground in the creeks, they know where the bunkerers go through and where security breaches can happen, so the moment the NIMASA or navy seek assistance to police these areas, they are the persons best suited for the kind of gadgets, the kind of boat that can assist in arresting this kind of bunkering and that explains why you have people like Tompolo assisting in the West and the likes of Asari Dokubo assisting in the East because they know the terrain and what the issues are so they assist government and NIMASA.

I think that the whole thing is politically structured to demonize people like Tompolo and then distract attention from the real issues.

In any event, this thing has been there for over two years, how come that on the eve of the elections this matter resurfaces and Tompolo is being presented as a general who can take on the Nigerian Army or indeed the whole world? I think it is mischievous and politically motivated.

*Bozimo

Now, I want you to draw a parallel with what is happening in the North East, remember on one occasion I had advised that we should have community soldiering as we had community policing and that was the strategy that was virtually adopted and you can see the results with local hunters and vigilante who know the terrain. They are able to take on the Boko Haram and more effectively than soldiers who are well trained but who don’t seem to have the stomach to want to fight.

If Nigerian soldiers really want to fight, Boko Haram is no match but we all know that we have fifth columnists, people who are half hearted about the battle run away when they see the insurgents because they don’t want to engage them but the vigilante groups and the hunters who are committed to defend their territory, do.

You see the result, they are very effective. So drawing a parallel, that is why I say that when you have militants and young men who were fighting in the creeks to redeem themselves of the oppression of oil companies and the injustices in the Niger Delta, these people know the terrain and what the challenges are, so it was only natural for them to assist the authorities the way they have done.

Somebody talks about the vessels having guns installed on them, that is the standard practice, as Minister of Police Affairs, when we got boats from contractors and we gave them to police, the police will always adapt them for their own use, they will mount guns on these boat for their purposes, so it is no big deal for what we are seeing with NIMASA and the patrols.

Now, you find out that because the patrols have been very successful, the bunkerers have resorted to going into the high seas where they go to establish their taps virtually on the bed of the river to get crude oil out.

So, we must be careful, we politicians, let us not politicize this issue. I read in the media where someone said Tompolo has acquired warships and wonders what will happen, bla bla bla an all that.

Re-establishing peace in Warri

We have re-established peace in Warri and we want it to stay that way, we don’t want people inciting the various tribes against each other. For one reason or the other we want peace to endure because without peace certainly development will continue to elude us and our people will not be happy. We know what we went through during the last episode of war between the Ijaws and Itsekiris or indeed the Urhobos and Ijaws, we have had enough of that, we want to live our lives in peace and politicians should stay away from these places and not incite the various tribes against each other.

What is your reaction to the decision of the House of Representatives to investigate the purchases of the warships?

Well, I don’t have any quagmire about that at all, well if in exercise of their oversight functions they want to investigate, why not?

But don’t you think the Itsekiri people should really be afraid of the warships given the friction occasioned by the EPZ disagreement?

I think the fears are unjustified, and let me also say quickly that if you look at the undercurrent or the underlying factors that gave birth to these fears, you find out again that it is all politics.

You know that there are allegations that Tompolo influenced the coming about of the local government Chairman of Warri South West Council Area. So where anything doesn’t go right in Warri South West Council, Tompolo is the chap you batter.

The EPZ project seems to have strained the relationship that existed between the Ijaws of Gbaramatu and their Itsekiri neighbours, what is your opinion?

Well, as you know, I am an Ijaw man and therefore I don’t want to say anything that will give the impression that I am biased, so I move on from all that. But what concerns me is that I was involved in the sense that we felt the full brunt of the Itsekiri/Ijaw war that occurred several years ago. I remember, we had to relocate form Warri every time the bombs and bullets were flying to our various villages.

I believe that the establishment of the EPZ is a very healthy thing, it is good for Ijaw, Itsekiri and Nigeria, there must be a way where we dialogue and resolve it. My personal view is that if acquisitions have been made and the engineers are there they can start, every other outstanding issue can be addressed later. This country is in a hurry for development, our crude oil prices have dramatically dropped, the economy is getting knocks here and there, so anything we should do to prop up the economy, we must do instantly. It mustn’t be dragged down with these arguments.

As far as I am concerned, a rose still smells as a rose, it doesn’t matter what name you gave to it. So naming of the EPZ and quarrel here and there to stop the project from going on I don’t subscribe to it.

Sufficient wars

I believe that we the Ijaws and Itsekiris can strike a balance along the way, whether we like it or not eventually we must jaw-jaw. Nobody can take on war now between the Itsekiris and Ijaws, I know that the Ijaws don’t want war; I dare say too that the Itsekiris don’t want war because we have had sufficient wars. So these so-called people instigating this thing when the bullets will fly they will take off, some to America, Europe, some of them to the villages and disappear and Warri will be left in ashes. We have had enough of that that is my personal view.

The EPZ naming has degenerated to the matter of land ownership; don’t you fret that this can lead to war?

I don’t think so, as I have already said, none of these tribes have the stomach for any more wars that is the first point. But, you will see people posturing, trying to impress the various tribal group saying I spoke loudest, I defended our people more, it is all politicking, that is my view on that. Let me also add that of course land is always at the bottom of these things, but I know also that by virtue of the land use act, all lands within the territory of Delta State is vested on the governor on behalf of all the people of the state. So when you come to the bottom of it all, you see land is important but my view is that it must never obstruct the development of our area because at the end of it we will suffer, the land will be there, all of us will die and go away but the land will be there.

Since the emergence of Sen. Ifeanyi    Okowa as the PDP governorship flag bearer in the coming election, there has been stern bickering amongst ethnic group on who will produce the Deputy Governor, with some ethnic insistent to dump the party if they are not given the slot, what is your view?

Well, I suppose that is what politics and democracy is all about, people get into politics o win power that is all they are there for.

Strongest and biggest party

Politicians want to win power to do good for their people hopefully, at times they even do bad for their people, so that is the to be expected but what one is finding now, it is becoming almost obscene, everybody threatening to leave one party for the other especially the PDP being the strongest and biggest party. People tend to blackmail the PDP for all sorts of reasons, it is very unfortunate, I don’t want to mention tribes but we all know that most of the tribes, their trump card is that it either goes this way or we are going to vote that way en mass, this is the trend and is very unfortunate.

Because I thought that the whole idea of a free and fair playing field was for Nigerians to study the programmes of the parties and vote convinced one way or the other. But the way it is going, it seems as if nobody is interested in the programmes of the parties, all they do is this is what I want if you don’t give it to my tribe then all hell will break lose. I think it is high time honesty and I dare say somebody like Jonathan -he may be smiling all the time but I think the man may surprise everybody – might just say, I will finish and go to my creek and stay.

The man is not that desperate that he will do anything to win power, he has said so, he said he won’t shed any blood of any Nigerian to win power.

And I think that he is honestly and genuinely doing his best for this country but this sort of blackmail from the tribes and all kinds of groups. If I were he, I will just call everybody’s bluff and say okay let’s see, if you cut our nose to spite your face, that is your business, that will be my attitude but it is very unfortunate.

Do you suppose that Jonathan has performed adequately to win re-election as President?

Of course, that is what I am really saying, but for his performance all these blackmails from former heads of state, from all kinds of quarters, from even friends who he ought to trust, from Boko Haram , from this group, from that group, from every possible person wouldn’t be there.

I believe very strongly that at the end of it, truth will prevail and by the time people get to vote they will think carefully that it is not by shouting or grandstanding nor blackmail or threats. At the sober moment, Nigerians will vote right because God is a Nigerian.

What counsel do you have for Deltans as we progress towards the elections?

I must say this to Deltans, I myself and some of us believed that power should shift towards Delta North, from day one that is the position I took, and I am quite happy that the shift has produced a solid person that is Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa.

You know he is very humble, resourceful, intelligent and calm, I believe that he deserves to be voted for as governor. So I advise that all of us, my father’s people the Ijaws, my mother’s people the Urhobos will join hands and deliver Okowa, at the end of it, we will all be happy.

Anything short of genuine decision to vote on the records of the acceptability of the candidate, anything short on that in the long run will spell disaster for us as a state.

Lastly, was it true that it was Tompolo who arm twisted the governor to back down on his senatorial ambition?

Tompolo! how?, Well I don’t know about that, I think you should ask Tompolo, the governor and the deputy governor, but I don’t know that. The governor is a young friend of mine, very sensible man I don’t think he is a kind of man that you just threatened like that, after all Tompolo has been in this state all the while with the governor, so how would he threaten him, that he will kill the Governor or what, I don’t think that is the real thing, I am sure that the real thing is somewhere else I don’t know, I can’t help you there, perhaps you ask them yourself.