Ex-Niger Delta warlord, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo has shifted ground on his seven days ultimatum to the Federal Government to inaugurate the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Tompolo had last Sunday issued a 7-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to inaugurate a substantive board for the NDDC, vowing that failure to do so would lead to the nation’s economy particularly in the Niger Delta crumbled.
The ultimatum attracted marathon appeals and interventions by major stakeholders which culminated in Thursday’s visit of Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to Oporoza, headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom to also appeal to the popular freedom fighter to rescind his decision.
Making his decision formally known on the outcome of Akpabio’s visit, Tompolo in a statement on Saturday said, “The outcome of the meeting has been made known to the public by the Minister.
“He promised profusely to start the process of the constitution and inauguration of the substantive board of the NDDC immediately (from Friday, June 4th 2021), and that he should be allowed to drive the process to an end on or before the end of June 2021.
“As it stands now, I have accepted the outcome of the meeting reluctantly.
“It is pertinent to state at this juncture that, I do not want anything to disrupt the relative peace we are enjoying in the region. It was on this premise that I accepted the outcome of the meeting.
“The ultimate goal in this issue is for the Minister to abide by the promise he has made to start the process of constituting the NDDC board now. Government shenanigans must be put away in this matter as constituting the NDDC board is very dear to the heart of the people of the region.”
