The name Prebor Nakpose King-Jerry  may  ring  a bell in the mind of most Nigerians but he remains tucked away from limelight in the confines of his native Bomadi, one of the littoral backwaters of the Niger Delta. Saturday Vanguard  met him recently and he talked about the Niger Delta struggle and the amnesty.
Excerpts:

What has been your contribution to the Niger Delta cause, if any?

Before now, my organization and I have been in the forefront of the agitation against the unnecessary recruitment of foreign nationals in some areas by oil companies in our communities instead of our indigenes who bear the burnt of oil exploration and exploitation. Although we haven’t totally succeeded, but we’ve had a measure of success in that regard.

King-Jerry...At least the Niger Delta militants had a legitimate cause and the whole world recognised it.

Although the issue of armed struggle had been hovering in the background all along ,  it was actually the two million man march accorded General Sanni Abacha that plucked off the scales covering our eyes, so to speak, and opened the eyes of the Niger Delta youths. When they saw the splendour of Abuja and remembered that it was got from the petrol dollars of oil from the Delta and that the area had been long neglected something snapped in them.

Ever since then what has been your contributions to the crisis viz-a-viz its resolution before the negotiated amnesty programme?

Yes, even from our micro enclave outside the Ogbeijaws Gbaramatu from time immemorial we’d been fighting oppression even among our fellow Ijaws. In fact, the formation of Meinbutu town itself came as a result of neglect and oppression by even our own people. We evolved the town to defend ourselves from the oppressive tendencies of our own brothers from the Ogbeijaw Gbaramatu Kingdom.

When this trouble came on board, we vowed to tackle it head-on, taking the bull by the horns since we believe everybody had the right to live. We were the first, even before the Amnesty, to seize guns from armed robbers and send some to the military base and the nearest security agency around.

Have you heard about the Boko Haram threat?

You see, the Boko Haram threat, as you appropriately called it, is a deliberate distraction to this government and it is to ensure the failure of Dr. Jonathan’s tenure as President. Otherwise, why didn’t we hear about Boko Haram when Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, Abdusalami and even Yar’Adua were there as President?

But now that a President from the minority is on the saddle we suddenly see a Boko Haram sect marauding all over the nation, and holding people hostage. So, I say it’s the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob. And really what are they fighting for? At least the Niger Delta militants had a legitimate cause and the whole world recognised it. If they’re saying they don’t want Western education, it’s simple. Let them not go to school or who is forcing education on them?

And really, we would like to warn them. If they don’t desist from their murderous cause we’d take them on. We’re the best ground fighters around. We would storm the North and ensure the security of our son and our nation.

Have you been rewarded through the Amnesty Programme?

No. But the ex-generals of the troops are my people. They’re there and being rewarded in one way or the other, so my joy is fulfilled. But what I won’t compromise on as a leader is people embezzling funds meant for the people in the guise of governing them, since I am always a sticker for good governance.