Count me out –Ateke Tom

HIGH Chief Ateke Tom was a ‘General’ in the defunct Move­ment for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante Force. He spoke to Saturday Sun in his country home, Okrika, Rivers State, where he cleared the air on what could be termed, his ‘real position’ on Biafra agitation and its agi­tators. He also spoke on the poli­tics of Rivers State, for instance, how he would have led a protest to earnestly beg Governor Nye­som Wike to re-contest, if the Supreme Court had annulled his election, among other issues. He spoke with CHRIS ANUCHA and TONY JOHN. Excerpts:

There was a report in which you warned Biafra agitators to leave Rivers State, though, you had since backpedalled. Now, what’s is your real position on Biafra and the agita­tors?

Biafra agitation concerns the Federal Government, it doesn’t concern Ateke at all. At­eke is not the federal gov­ernment; after all, the federal government and Biafra agitators are already in court. After the legal battle, we will know the winner. But, we don’t want any problem in this country, we don’t want war. And peo­ple should stop using my name for something that does not con­cern me. I never said anything li ke, Biafra agitators leaving Riv ers State because , I am not the federal government.

As a former agitator,  are you saying the issue of Biafra does not con­cern you in one way or the other?

The issue of Biafra does not concern me. It is Nigeria’s mat­ter. We are all one Nigeria, that’s all I know.

How do you see Riv­ers State, under Gover­nor Nyesom Wike?

Everybody in Rivers State knows that Governor Wike is a good governor, he is the one everybody wants, he is a good governor; at least, peo­ple have seen what he is doing in the state, you can see his achieve­ments, without stress or be­ing noisy about them. He is win­ning. Looking at his achievements, you will understand that he is the one Rivers people want, he is the person we want, and God has answered our prayers. Then, I want to use this medium to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for identifying with Rivers people, he is actually helping the state, by giving Rivers indigenes federal appointments. He appointed our brother, the former governor, Rotimi Amae­chi, Minister of Transportation; we are very happy because he is Rivers man. It did didn’t end there; he made our brother again, Dakuku Peterside, the Director General, NIMASA. We thank him too, for that. Before we knew it, he appointed Mrs. Ibim Se­menitari the Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Develop­ment Commission (NDDC). We also thank him for that gesture. These are the kind of thing s we want in Rivers State. We don’t want any problem. So, they should bring good things to us in Rivers State. We congratu­late Amaechi too, for his appoint­ment. Now, they should bring de­velopment to Rivers State. We do not want violence, definitely, we don’t want violence in Riv­ers State.

But you and Amaechi seem to be sworn en­emies, why are you hap­py over his appointment as Minister of Transporta­tion?

I am not his enemy, he is the one who takes me as his enemy. I am not his enemy! It is only God that has been guiding me in everything I do . It is not for me to return abuses to him each time he rains abuses on me . I will not do that. If he does good thing, I will praise him. If he does bad thing, that is his business, but I will always commend the good things they do, and the development we want in Riv­ers State, as Rivers people. When you do good things, we will commend and hail you, and not violence .

If you see Rotimi Amae­chi today, face-to-face, how will you react? Are you going to hug or em­brace him for instance?

I will greet him the way peo­ple are greeted, like, ‘oga, how now’? If he like, let him re­spond to the greeting, if he doesn’t like, that is not my busi­ness.

Is that the way you will greet the former gover­nor of your state and Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

Yes. Since he was our for­mer governor, I will greet him, ‘Your Excellency, you are wel­come’. I will greet him, if he wants to hug me, I will hug him too. No shaking, it doesn’t remove anything from me, we want peace in Rivers State .

The legislative rerun election in Rivers State was declared inconclusive by INEC. What is your ad­vice to the Commission, considering the peace you are now preaching ?

INEC should do what is right, what it is supposed to do. It should not be biased because we don’t want problem in Rivers State. As I earlier said. We want ev­erybody to do things with clean mind, so that this Rivers prob­lem will end; so that we can have a rest of mind . Anybody that wants to be governor should wait till next time. Let the state have some peace for once .

If someone is com­ing into your estate, he is confronted with a banner with inscriptions, advising people to shun kidnap­ping and other crimes. But, kidnapping and oth­er crimes are still on the increase. What is going on ?

That I said peo­ple should stop kidnapping, does not mean it will stop com­pletely. I am not God, I am not the government. But in my own little way, I am contributing my own quota . I am giving kidnappers tough time. I fight and arrest them. So, I condemn kidnapping. They are in the newspapers, kidnap­pings and killings are not good. If you check very well, most of the killings are politically-motivated. I condemn these killings in the state too. If you check very well, the way they are killing now, that was not the way they were killing before. They are too bru­tal now. You must have heard that Okrika is very peaceful; it is the most peaceful place because, I am on ground. So, if every­body could take charge of his area, the way I am doing here, peace will reign in the state.

Still on the need for peace in Rivers State, what is your advice to Gover­nor Wike and Amaechi, on the ways of achieving this much talked about peace?

They should make peace. There is need for them to make peace be­cause what is happening in Rivers State as a result of the problem between the two of them, is also affecting us Rivers people. So, there is the need for them to make peace.

You earlier said the gov­ernor is doing well, which area(s) do you think he is doing well?

The man is trying. They have not allowed him to sit properly, or relax on the executive chair he was elected to occupy, to pilot the affairs of Rivers State , to check the things that are happening in the state, to know what to do for the people. Every­body saw the problem on ground, unemployment, he cleared the arrears of salaries owed to workers, just like that. If he bal­ances well on the executive seat, what do you think would happen?

No, I want him to balance well.

But it appears he has balanced well now?

No, no (Laughs) He has not balanced well, it has been work, work, work . Now , God will help him to balance well , and we will know that he has balanced and the work will begin to flow, and he will achieve more for the people of Rivers State .Imagine the level of work he would do, if he is to relax on the executive chair. After now, you will see many chang­es, more achievements.

How did you react to the Supreme Court judgment which upheld the victory of Governor Wike?

Are you on Facebook? Go to Google now, Google it and see the way I danced, rejoicing . I am very happy that Wike won. I then thought that the problem in Rivers State were over; but before we knew it, the problem started again. But God will still take care of it.

How would you have reacted, if he had lost at the Supreme Court ?

God would still have tak­en care of the situation, the way He is taking care of things now . I know that if he did n ot win at the Supreme Court, he would have won in the re-run governorship election. Wike would have won ! We knew he would still win, if th ere was re-run!

But the governor said during a thanksgiving service in Port Harcourt, that he wouldn’t have re-contested, if the Supreme Court had nullified his election. According to him, he wanted to avert more bloodshed in the state. Now, what would peo­ple like you, his support­ers have done, if the Supreme Court judgment was not in his favour, and he decided not to re-contest?

People will even die while protesting, insisting that he re-contest because, they believe he will give them good gover­nance. I know Wike as a man

who does not promise and fail. I know he could still jet­tison his governorship ambi­tion, to prevent killings be­cause he cares for his people.

At that point, would you have still gone ahead to prevail on him to re-contest?

Yes. His supporters will say, ‘please, come and re-contest’, we would beg him earnestly to re-contest to see if God could change his mind. They, his supporters would cry profusely, begging him to re-contest. Do you know why he made that statement; some persons had vowed that unless they won, people would die. Look at what happened re­cently. Then, do you think Wike was wrong, when he said he wouldn’t have re-contested, if he lost at the Supreme Court? He knew peo­ple would have died, that was why he made the statement.

I would have begged him to contest again. I would have told him, Wike, please, contest be­cause we need you. He might say no; I would have person­ally begged him to re-contest. But if he insisted, I would only sigh, enter into my house, to at least, avoid problem.

Chief, what is your rela­tionship with Dakuku Pe­terside?

He is my brother, my Ijaw brother.

Why didn’t you want your brother to be governor of the state?

Who told you I didn’t want him to be governor ? It is Rivers people that didn’t want him, don’t say I didn’t want him to be governor, any person can win in an election, you are free to vote for any party of your choice. Everybody has a party of his choice.

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