Ogugumanga Waterfront: We Want Development But Government Should Dialogue With Us – Traditional Ruler

Forthright in his dealings. Pungent in his assertions. Accommodating of Divergent Opinion. Simple ways to describe Se-Alabo Sir Iganima Jack Manilla Pepple, Gboboitemegha Ncheke IV, Chief and Head of the Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom, these may be. In the defence of his people and furtherance of the interest of his community, he sure will be on hand to engage.

In this interview with Kristina Reports Editor-in-Chief, Godswill Jumbo, the revered traditional ruler of the Olom Abalama (Oguede) Community in Bonny Kingdom addressed issues related to a waterfront in his community, popularly referred to as Ogugumanga Waterfront or Coconut Estate Waterfront, providing clarity to the claims of his chieftaincy house on the area, the expectations of his people from the local and state governments, among other critical issues. Please take a peek.

Kristina Reports: We learnt some days ago that the Chairman of Bonny Local Government was in your community to do some inspection in lieu of some development plans the government wants to execute and we understand that you were also there. Can we have details of that engagement?

Well, what you have just said is a statement of fact. I didn’t know. I was driving out to fix my car and on passing by, I saw a crowd at the waterfront. I had to go to the waterfront, which is the property of Jack Manilla Pepple House, of course. Incidentally, I am the Chief and Head of the House. So, I was wondering what was happening. So, I had to drive down to see and be sure of what was happening, and I saw the Chairman of the Local Government addressing the people there. On my arrival, I was expecting that probably she would have beckoned on me to intimate me of what was happening since she is addressing a crowd there at my waterfront. But to my greatest surprise, she did not.  

So, did you like find out later what was to be done there?

It was later I gathered from some members of my House that are dealing on sand and chippings there and even strangers also that are doing their various businesses there, that she came in there and gave them ultimatum of two days, that was on Wednesday, then later extended it to Friday that she doesn’t want to see anybody there; that if she sees anybody there, she will get them arrested.

So, you are saying that prior to this time, no consultation was made to the community or the House about whatever government wants to do at the Ogugumanga Waterfront?

Yes, there is none to my knowledge. At least, today, I am the Chief and Head of the House. I know that if there is anything that has to do with the Jack Manilla Pepple property, I should be the one that will be consulted. Also, by the special grace of God, I am a Chief in Council, a member of the Bonny Chiefs Council. So, even if it goes to the Council, I will also know.  

In fact, it was later I read from Kristina Reports of what ensued there, and I began to wonder – as a person, as a Chief – because I know that Ogugumanga is the property of Jack Manilla Pepple property. I also know what is obtainable, that if a government intends to do any project, the government will dialogue with the community, and give them a sense of belonging, so that the community will have that sense of belonging and also be rest assured that the project will impact on them positively.

And if there is any compensation in respect of that – for example, the property where the Nigerian Navy is situated now, that property was leased through the then leader of the House, Harrigan Pepple. He leased it on behalf of the House, and N110 million was paid by the Odili administration for the land where the Nigerian Navy is situated. I also expect that we should be consulted but unfortunately, as at now, nobody has done so.

There is an aspect of what you have said that we need some clarification. The famous Coconut Estate we’ve been hearing about, people say it was situated where the sand dump is now and that place was leased to the Ministry of Agriculture to use for a coconut plantation. How do we now marry that with what’s happening?

My brother, let me even correct this impression. There is no area called Coconut Estate. The name of where you are describing as Coconut Estate is Ogugumanga Waterfront. The Coconut Estate you are referring to is where the House, alongside other Houses, leased to the Eastern Nigeria Development Corporation in August 1952. In fact, let me bring it to your knowledge. The Coconut Estate you are calling is a plantation and the plantation stretches up to the present Bonny National Grammar School today, both left and right, and there are Houses that jointly own these areas where the plantation is. Like the Jumbo House, like the Hart House, et cetera, et cetera; and all these Houses, they have collected back their lands long, long ago. Only ours is left. This is because there is no evidence of any payment from the Eastern Region or the land.

So, you are saying that the transaction on leasing the land to the Eastern Region was not concluded?

That transaction was concluded only in writing, but the other conditions were not meant. No payment was made, and I make bold to say that if there is any evidence of such transaction whether by the Eastern Region or those that are parading themselves now, like the Ministry of Agriculture, let them present such evidence. As a House, we don’t know the Ministry of Agriculture. The agreement, though not concluded, clearly states the Eastern Region. So, I cannot be calling the Ministry of Agriculture because we don’t have any dealings with them. But if the Ministry of Agriculture has anything to show that there is an agreement, in terms of payment between them, they should produce it. It is on the basis of this inconclusive lease transaction, that’s why the other Houses took back their land. Yes, they took back their land.

As we speak, there is no government presence in Ogugumanga. There is no presence of government there, whether State Government, whether Ministry of Agriculture, or even the Eastern Region, as the case may be. We have been in possession of that place, managing that place for donkey years now. Let me also bring this to your knowledge; in 2002, when the issue of who is in charge came up, the Bonny Chiefs Council led then by the late Chairman, Se-Alabo Idanye Manilla Pepple, and three other chiefs, mediated into it, and invited all the critical stakeholders. The Ministry of Agriculture led by Mr. Koko and Reverend Dappa, now Prelate of the Christ Army Church, and the 2-i-C of SSS were in that meeting. Our dear brother, who is currently the Secretary to the Local Government, was the CLO of ALCON. We also had Nwosu of Shell and a couple of land. Then you have our dear brother, Amaopusenibo Fred S. Pepple, who is a Wariopusenibo of the House. He was the Chairman of the House then. This matter was before these Chiefs, and they looked at the matter and then resolved. Their findings was that the Ogugumanga Waterfront, belongs to the Jack Manilla Pepple House, and it was temporarily leased to the Eastern Region. But since there is no evidence to show that any payment was made, that the lease ceases. I have the documents.

In 2016, our dear brother, Harrigan went to court, before Justice Wordi, on behalf of the House, and secured judgment in suit number: PHC/949/1998 and that judgment, I have it. I will furnish you with that judgment. The judgment restrained everybody from interfering in that portion of land. In that judgment, Justice Wordi did not mince his words. He said that place was temporarily leased by the government but it is exclusively owned by the Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House, and restrained everybody from touching that land. The judgment is there; and even what they are doing presently, the matter is also before Justice Danagogo of the Rivers State High Court in suit: PHC/2772/2016. The same our brother went to court; he took the Kingdom and the Rivers State Government to court, and one of the prayers is that, since there is no performance in the lease agreement, the court should declare that the lease ceases.

My brother, journalists, will it be fair for government to undermine a case that is before the court? We, as a House, are not ready to join issues with the government. We are not ready to join issues with the local government. She is the Chairman of the Local Government, whether anybody likes it or not, and that is what it is. Sim (Fubara) is our Governor, whether anybody likes it or not; that is what it is. (Bola) Tinubu is our President, whether anybody likes it or not; that is what it is. We are not confronting them. We don’t even have what it takes to fight the government.

So, what you are trying to assert and clarify to the public is that your House, your community legitimately and exclusively, according to the court judgment you have referenced, owns the waterfront, not that your community is averse to development?

No.

Not that you are fighting any development effort by the government?

No, who will fight development? Except you don’t understand the importance of development. I understand it as a Chief. My house understands it effectively. We have persons in that House that are well-read like Amaopusenibo Sir Fred S. Pepple, even the Secretary of the House, Clement. They understand. Even a layman in my House understands development. We are interested in development. But if you want to develop, we should be carried along. We must know in our property. And let me also put this on record. All the successive local government chairmen that have ruled, especially, the late Rodaford Longjohn, they have written to us to ask for land where you have the present water board. It was during the time of Rodaford. He wrote to us and we gave, not one letter, not two, not three. I have them to substantiate our fact. So, we are prepared for development, but talk to us so that we will understand what you want to develop. Let us know the extent of what you want to develop. Even though what we are doing now is a ultra vires based on the pending matter before Justice Danagogo.

My dear brother, look at the situation where somebody gets up and comes to your property without your knowledge. It’s not proper. I don’t think there is any government that will want to do that, especially, when we are in a democratic setting, not in the military regime. Will you expect the House to keep quiet? And let me put it on record. All the chiefs in Bonny, in line with Bonny customs and tradition, are duty bound to identify the properties of the House, including the boundaries with other chieftaincy houses, secure them and use them effectively for the overall interest of the House. This is what I am expected to do. And then I can’t fold my hands and somebody invade the property of the House without any recourse to me as Chief and Head of the House.

Thank you for the responses we are getting, so far, but we may need to ask, as it is now, what do you want? What do you want the government to do?

It’s simple, what else do we want as a House? Government should talk to us. You can’t ambush me on our property. You should talk to us. We love development. We are ready for development. We are not against development. Development will be beneficial, not only to us, to the Kingdom, to the State and to the country, as a whole. The successive Chairmen of the Council that have come, talked to us. Rodaford wrote to us for the mini-stadium; all are within the Ogugumanga. Edward wrote to us for the slaughter, which we gave. All are within the Ogugumanga. Rodaford also wrote to us for where you have the water board, it’s our property. We gave, we graciously gave. Today, we are benefiting from the water board, the entire Bonny is benefitting from it. This is what we are looking for.

Even the Polytechnic, on my assumption as the Wari-Alabo of this House, I entered into an agreement with the Polytechnic. A dime was not collected. This House ceded portions of acres of land for developmental purposes, which the TETFund is doing now. If you go there, you can see it visibly, what the TETFund is doing. We didn’t take a dime. We gave to them because it will benefit us, it will benefit the kingdom, it will benefit the country as a whole. I signed alongside three members of my House, the Secretary of my House, Clement Pepple, Amaopusenibo Fred, and Wariopusenibo Aboma Pepple. By the way, we consulted with His Majesty, who is the overall owner of every land in Bonny. We consulted with him, and he consented and signed his signature after I signed to authenticate that agreement between us and the Polytechnic.

So, you can see where we are coming from. My brother just look at the scenario. The Coconut Estate, as they are calling it, which is Ogugumanga, that waterfront is a hub that is helping the entire Bonny. It’s not only the Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House that is benefitting from there. People get materials to build, chippings, sand, rocks, and all that. Even those that, doing other businesses, petty businesses, like water, minerals and all that, also pass through that area. And all the cars in Bonny, if I’m not mistaken, more than 50% of the cars pass through Coconut Estate. You can see the importance of that place. And we are happy that in our own time, the Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House has been able to give all this to the nation. And then if you come without talking to us, you shut down that place, what will happen to these processes? And this is one of the major places where we will get our revenue by virtue of our Ogugumanga waterfront. And it shut us up like that. What will we do? We will react in the way we are reacting now. But react within the ambit of the law. We are not reacting that we want to confront anybody, but we want to make our voices to be heard. So government, we are prepared for development, but talk to us.

So, my brother, that is our position as a house. I am just the head of the house. I am not a dictator. So, it’s the position of the house from time immemorial that I came and met. We are prepared, I repeat again, without any fear or favour that we love development. And we are not challenging government. We are ready for government to come and develop this place. But talk to us.

Okay, look at this scenario now. The chairman came in there with the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, as I heard, and gave ultimatum for two days, from two days to one week. My brother, we are in a civilized society. Where is it done? Two days, one week. Where you have a whole lot of persons benefiting from that place. You have those that are bringing sand. You have those that are carrying the sand. You have those that are helping out. You have those that are selling their petty petty things there. They are agitated now. They are not happy. They are looking at government as a wicked set of people. They are supposed to benefit from government. So, if they have talked to us, there would have been a better dialogue. And a reasonable number of time would have been given for these people to rearrange themselves and begin to come to terms with the realities of life.

So, that is in position. Even my members of my house, I am the Chief and for the past three days this thing happened. They are agitated. My phone does not ring. My house they are coming. What do I need to do? I say calm down. Calm down, it’s government. We will resolve with them. We will dialogue with them. And all that. We are prepared to resolve with them. We are prepared to dialogue with them. But government should understand that we made them. We voted for them. And we voted for them. They cannot fight us now or treat us in this manner. We voted for them wholeheartedly. And we are prepared to vote. We can’t stop voting because we are in the democratic setting, we can’t go to military regime. So, we are prepared to vote for them. So, if we vote for them, we also expect good things in return like projects. But talk to us. We are ready. We are willing. Talk to us. But where you don’t talk to us is where we will not be comfortable because that expanse of land belongs to this house. And the facts are there. I have the documents to show. I have the documents to show. And then, you are a journalist, you can go about Bonny and seek opinion, ask questions. It belongs to us.

So, we are prepared to talk with government. But let government talk to us because as you speak now, I don’t know what they want to do there. I cannot say what they want to do there. I have not been furnished with anything. I am a member of Bonny Chiefs Council; I have not been called for any meeting that the government wants to develop my area. What do I have to say? His Majesty too has not called me. Nobody has called me to say anything. Development is what we want. And I am prepared to not only join the government, I am prepared to join His Majesty in actualizing his developmental vision for the Kingdom.

Some of the things we are benefitting from Bonny today was His Majesty’s blueprint. Like the water board, like the electricity, and all that. So, I will be ready to join His Majesty to develop Bonny in any way, any facet of life he needs me. If I can join His Majesty, what about government? Government has all it takes. So, we are ready. But they should talk to us. Nevertheless, this matter is subsisting before Justice Danagogo, and any right-thinking person should know better than to meddle into the matter that is before a court. As a government, they are supposed to set the template, set the example so that we can follow as our leaders. So, if our leaders go this way, what do you expect us to do? Then we may not have confidence in our leaders. So, we are prepared to talk with them, even though we are a little apprehensive now because this matter is before Justice Danagogo. Are we going to be talking about a matter that is before a competent court of justice? Won’t that amount to contempt of court? So, for now, this is where we are. We are ready to be talked with and we are ready to discuss, provided it will not amount to being disrespectful to the matter before the Honourable Justice Danagogo.