Ex-Chief of Defence Staff, who is in the fray over the crisis, General Alexander Ogomudia, told his side of the story.
The king of Uzere, your home town, said you are after him. Why?
There is nothing to hide. The statements he has made are the very reasons the whole community is against him as their king. It is not I. I live in Lagos. His being a king is of no consequence to me. He doesn’t feed me. I don’t have anything that I gain from his being a king. I have done more for him in life than he can ever do for me, but what a king must never do is to lie. To say that I met him because of election is a bogus lie. First, in the last two years, we have not been on talking terms. I don’t go to his palace. So, at what point did I meet him to ask him to vote for somebody? No. The issue is that if he decides to support a non-indigene, which I believe is his right, that is his problem. But if I also support an indigene of my community, have I not got that right? The person I am supporting now is prominent and someone who has worked so well for the community. The person who they rigged into the place now, who he is supporting, is there now for the third time. What has he contributed to the community? Zero.
There is flood in the place now. Does he know there is flood and making law? I don’t blame him. He doesn’t come from that community. So, how will that community be his priority? And the king in that community does not even see this. I think his problem is that he is worried about anybody who is superior to him. I rose to be Chief of Defence Staff without the role of Delta. If my rise to the CDS was to depend on Delta, if I were to depend on the people of Delta or Isoko, you know I would never have been. God knows that. But in spite of that God took me to that appointment and today, I thank God, I live happily.
Can you react to his allegation, Sir?
Now, in case you don’t know, a king who is accusing me of not supporting him has got the governor and came together to make sure they destroy the community. The whole Uzere community is flooded. What you have in Lokoja is what you have in the community now, but instead of coming to the aid of the people, they have brought death, destruction and killings. The police are there now committing all manner of atrocities and there you have the man who still thinks he has the mandate of his people? It is not about Ogomudia. It is the people versus him. But my position is that if you can oppress the people and the people ask for my support, I will support them because I have relatives there. That’s where I was born. I grow up there. I am not a Lagos man. So, for him to say that, doesn’t make sense. He is a drowning person. He was just telling people all manner of stories. The issue is not about election.
What is the issue?
Uzere was the second town where oil was found, after Oloibiri in 1956. In spite of that, there is really nothing we can beat our chest about apart from the few things we have done for ourselves. Water to drink is a problem. When I was young we used water from the wells, but today all those wells are bad because of oil activities and all that degradation of the environment. The people only rely on a few of us that have boreholes in our houses. A few ones the government has built, they don’t work because there is no way to power the pumping machine. We have an executive in the town that is supposed to run the affairs of the community, but the king will not allow that. He wants to run everything all alone and by himself. He doesn’t allow the executive to function. So, what do you find? All those issues are working against him. Shell gave him a contract to supply water. They gave him mobilisation of the whole money. Has he done it? He didn’t do it. These are all the issues the community is raising against him. So, they decided they must have an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Shell because Shell is the company drilling in Uzere and that MOU will define how Shell will relate with us, what they will be able to provide for us, how they will empower people in our community, the kind of facilities they can provide; that is what the MOU is supposed to define.
Now, the community went to him and told him they want to demonstrate in Shell. I was not there and I couldn’t have been there at my level. In fact, if I know when the people were going to stage that demonstration, I would have stopped it because I told some people later that the town is too divided for them to go for that kind of demonstration. The police would come and begin to arrest people and with this, police will begin to arrest people not on his side. I don’t run the community; he runs it. But the people in their wisdom, the President General and other people decided they must go on a demonstration to the Shell flow station, they went to the flow station, only to find the police who tear-gassed them and in the confusion, forced Shell to close the flow station. All that was well managed by the police, the immediate past DPO in the area but after that the youths were now going back. This king called soldiers. That was the cause. With that, what do you expect? The angry people stormed his palace and attacked it. A panel of enquiry was set up. He made accusation against everybody but in that commission, I don’t think he mentioned my name. He knows I wouldn’t be involved in all those things.
Why is the crisis still festering?
While this problem is on, everybody who cares to speak with him, on how to resolve the crisis, he is not interested. He keeps boasting he will burn the community because they burnt his palace. And I said the house that was burnt belongs to the community; it is not his own. When you are a king and you don’t carry your people along, anything that happens you have to stay with it. So, it is the community that decided the man should be removed as king. That is why he is afraid of his own shadows and accusing everybody. That is his problem. So, I don’t know what part I played in that. I don’t have anything to do with him anymore. I live in Lagos. Somebody I don’t have anything to do with, what is my issue with him? I have moved on with my life.
Why is the town now deserted?
Look at the level of destruction being visited on the community now. Because they have been waiting for an opportunity to kill and deal with the community. The deputy governor came there to inspect flood, after inspecting the flood, he went to visit the man. This is what I was told, I wasn’t there but of course that was what happened. The youths got angry and blocked the road, somebody spoke to the youths and they stopped, removed the barricades. The deputy governor being a professor, I expect, should know the character of the youths. He went ahead and painted the picture that he was thoroughly molested. Honestly, I don’t want to waste my time on this kind of people. They didn’t stone his car. They didn’t do anything to him physically apart from blocking the road. And because of that, the police now came two days later in trucks and started shooting everybody; unleashing destruction on the community, arresting any male they could see and everybody ran into the bush. Now, the place is a ghost town. The police are now guarding the flood. That is what he wants as a king. And on top of that, he is saying I am after him because he didn’t support somebody. When the people went to the flow station, everybody was there, including PDP, DPP, ACN, Labour all of them. So, it has nothing to do with election. It is the problem facing the community that the whole people wanted to solve. It has nothing to do with election. So, if he is giving it political coloration, that is his own headache. Even, if I were to be given a political coloration, he is still on the other side of the river. Because, as a king if you say it is an outsider you will vote for, it means you don’t want the progress of your own people. And if that is your position, how would you now think they will support you? That is a stupid thing.
Are you saying the deputy governor played any role in the crisis?
In any case, the deputy governor who has painted the picture of molestation, now knows that in this country, you find students protesting on campuses and the vice chancellor will come out, address them and everybody will go away. Youths in the village confronted with flood and so many problems, you go there to play partisan politics you didn’t have the courage to come down and address them with all the retinue of well armed mobile policemen only for you to go and mobilise all the police in Delta to go and destroy Uzere. Is that how to rule a people? The governor himself (Emmanuel Uduaghan) has been assaulted in Oghara. He didn’t bring down heavens because that is the place of his cousin, Ibori. In Oleh, the local government headquarters, they stoned the governor’s car. Did he arrest people? So what is the deal in a deputy governor visiting a community and then they blocked him and based on that, they must kill and destroy the community. As a father, can you say your children will not be rude to you one day?
Why the police all the time? Look we cannot do without them in this country. The unipot Aluu crisis later landed on the police, that they encourage the jungle justice enpose on those 4 students. Now king said, duty governor said, army said, youths said gradualy landed on the. Are the police spirit? Those unavoidable enemy called the POLICE lay their life for the peace of this nation. In 2001 they went on one day strick what happen? Criminals take over. Let give them break.
Why the police all the time? Look we cannot do without them in this country. The unipot Aluu crisis later landed on the police, that they encourage the jungle justice enpose on those 4 students. Now king said, deputy governor said, army said, youths said gradualy landed on the police. Are the police spirit? Those unavoidable enemy called the POLICE lay their life for the peace of this nation. In 2001 they went on one day strick what happen? Criminals take over. Let give them break.
WELL, OUR KINGS ARE NO LONGER SERIOUS. THEIR SUBJECTS ARE NOW INSTRUMENT OF MONEY MAKING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PERSONALLY, AM GRATEFUL TO GOD THAT WE NIGERIANS OF IBO EXTRACTS AND DELTA AS WELL, ARE NOT MERE FOOLS. LOOK IN THE CASES OF THESE SO CALLED EMIRS WHO FOR SELFISH INTERESTS TURNED AND MAINTAINED THEIR SUBJECTS AS MERE BEGGARS AND UNEDUCATED. WITH THESE PERPETUAL CONDITION, THEY SHALL BE BENT ON EACH MINUTE LOOKING OUT FOR PEANUTS, THAT’S ” HAND TO MOUTH SYNDROME”. TO HELL WITH ANY KING THAT HAS NO RESPECT FOR HIS SUBJECTS. IF I CAN AFFORD FOR MYSELF AND SOCIALLY ACCOMMODATES OTHER PEOPLE OWING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF LIFE. WHY ON EARTH DO SOME OF THESE SELFISH IN THE NAME OF KINGS TAKE THEIR SUBJECT FOR RIDE WITHOUT BRAKE ?
SO MY PEOPLE, THE SIMPLE WAY FORWARD IS THE KING OR WHATEVER CEASES TO BE RECOGNIZED.
AFTER ALL, ”TO YOUR TENTS OH ISRAEL” DOES AND BALANCES THE WHOLE EQUATIONS.
(Soon) Members of the elite class in Nigeria will expose and destroy themselves (soon)…. Then the REVOLUTION will start! It is a matter of time!
These kings and the present day goverment official are more of thugs than even rulers, talk less of leaders, just bcos of power, politics and money.
That is d kind of stupid kings we hav in nig, imagine two kings fighting in ogun state last two weeks now is this stupid ogbemudia, he think his is god abi? Were is his kingship without his subject. He is a fool Α̲̅Ω̴̩̩̩̥d̶̲̥̅̊ must remain one until his last breath
My brother d@ is wat we ar facing 4rm d hands of all these crop of criminals we made leaders,is xactly wat we are facing in my community in Amasiri in Ebonyi State(Eze-Ogo Opi)dis is almost d way he conives wth our criminal political leaders
Gen Ogomudia earned my respect because he is a gentleman of high integrity..our kings and emirs are sell out..simply because of worldly things..God will cont to protect de general.
An account depicting a self-centred King who has no love for his people. God help us!
try to reconcile with the king to give peace the chance to reign in the community
Traditional rulers should learn from the Obama of Benin on how to be a good leader.During the Edo election he taught Nigerians how to be a good Obaby standing on the side of his people
Good talk my General. This their Uduaghan will leave the gov house one day and you remain a general for life.
Oba of Bini is a shining light amongst his peers in Nigeria when it comes to decorum and standing by the people. OBA ATOPAYE !!!
I am thoroughly saddened that a man of Igumodia’s status could habour such pedestrian convictions as he has tactlessly expressed in this interview. Such parochial, mundane, egotistic views should rather be more fitting of men of less endowment, not the head of Nigeria’s Armed Forces. Even if he felt that way, he should have moderated his views on the public platform.
Nke bu eziokwu. http://www.radiobiafralondononline.com .today at 9pm live.
That is way past my bed time! Happy broadcasting!
General, sir, stop being proud that delta nor isoko never made you the chief of defence staff, we know but it’s God. You grew up in ur community, when you were in power, soldiers do line up from warri all through to your uzere. What did you do with your office for your tribe. God help you so that you help others, if you says isokos or deltans re bad, you re not left out. Collectively, you people should put your town to peace.
Honestly speaking when you visit these comunities that Nigeria as a country derive its economy from you beging to ask yourself if having in your comunity is a course or blessing. As a youth coper in bayelsa state i was opurtuned to visit some places in bayelsa and delta is there that i saw the true definition of poverty due selfishness of some people that call their self kings, God help us.
Well spoken General Alexander Ogomudia, may God bless you and give you more wisdom to fight for the right of your people and never to be intimidated again in Jesus name…Amen!
IT IS SAD TO HEAR THAT CRISES LOOMS IN VILLAGES WHERE THESE SO-CALLED SENIOR CITIZENS COME FROM. QUOTE ME ANYDAY,GEN. ALEX IS D PROBLEM OF HIS COMMUNITY. HE DISREGARDS D POLICE, HIS KING AND EVEN D DEPTY. GOV. OF HIS STATE.YET HE CLAIMS HE WAS NOT THERE BUT SAID THE POLICE COMMITTED ATTROCITIES,THE KING SUOPPORTED A NONE INDEGENE AND D THAT D DEPUTY GOVS. CAR WAS NOT STONNED. MR. JUDGE.WHEN WILL U BE IN UR VILLAGE MAY BE WHEN U DIE? BETTER AMEND UR WAYS NOW B4 IT WILL TOO LATE U IDOT GENERAL.
Mr General i’m disapointed in u, are u suppose to be interested in a particular candidate as a public servant i regreat to say that you disapointed the Nigeria security Forces with ur comment if u want to join politics resign now and stop lamenting the failure of ur candidate.
Its like you are far from civilization. Gen. Ogomudia is retired. He has not even erred to support a candidate in election.
The case on ground reflects misappropriation of justice. Leadership entails humility, consideration, tolerance and so what. Let the people concern stoop so low in order to feel the pulse of the people they lead.
Please don’t be disappointed because you are not very current about the military hierarchy and current postings. This man was the Ex-CDS, and retired long ago. He has all the rights of a full-fledged civilian now. He can openly support and be supported; vote and solicit for vote and be voted for. I want to observe that the said King is being greedy and wielding the instrument of his office to cheat hos people as they do everywhere. He is only shading the shadows by accusing those not in support of oppression. His days are numbered. He will pay for his wickedness one day.
It is clear that you do not know who the Genral is. Three other senior military officers have served as Chief of Defence Staff after him. So he is long retired. Shame on you.
Good citizen or whatever ur name is, The General has long retired from th Army/public service. so dnt be stupid and talk any how. he can be a politician now, mumu
Oh, wht a bad leadership. D subjects re pittied. Nawao, God help us
Gen.ogomudia….pls seems u are also a politician,and a lawyer too.Presidend bush was asulted,some journalist threw his shoe on the former us dignified president..what happend…..who the hell is that deputy gov.that call himself prof.a word is just enough for d wise.
Never met ogomudia before but from records he is a man of the people for the people and of God.thanks
@ good citizen…..every one in this country has the right to support anyone …u shld hv stoped the man who holds the highest seat in Nigeria GCFR not to support any one.he supported his own brother so it’s not out of place at allllllllllllllllll.
The General is concerned but they are all the same. I think he should leave politics and face his army work or let him leave army and join politics. Moreso, he should do something for his people than boasting with the borehole in his house which runs only when he travels to the vilage as he lives in Lagos, so he says. Or he should buy a generator to power one of the drilled boreholes. I also advice his people to hear him out.
This is what you get when u appoint a ruler that is not God fearing, greedy and does not know history. I wish to hear the so-called king’s side of the story before i conclude. The Deputy governor is a rascal. He does not know anything about community politics
My dear, if what the General is saying is just the truth, the Eze or whatever he is should held responsible for what happened to the community. Again a profesor as a deputy governor who was blocked during his visit should have shown example of leadership, you don’t have any right to group police to chase anybody away because they insulted you, who are you? is it not the same people that voted you in insulted you? you are the deputy and things are this way what if you happened to be the governor or the president who is facing Boko harram issue’s, the whole North will be wipedout. Level of education is not the case but the common knowledge matters.
Why is the king opressing the community.Bad leadership.
Mr General God will bless you for been truthful the problems of delta state is course by these theft who call them self kings when they have sold there birth right,
In reply to GOOD CITIZEN Pls make sure you follow topic very well before making comments Thanks.Do you remember when the General left service
General ogomudia, i commend you for your effort in seeing that your community gets a fair share. Good citizens the general is retired, even if he is not retired he has every right to be interested in whom to support in his community. Our kings just like our politicians have become prostitutes to whoever is in power. If the king of uzere do not change and listen to his subjects, what befell the king of uwehru will also befall him . When you go against the wishes of your people, its just a matter of time before you meet you doom.
mr good citizen or what ever u call ur self,read storeis very well before u make comments,d general has retired since 2007 if u must know!
If what the well trained , experience and professional ex-militray leader is saying is correct, it speaks volume of the kind of short men that rule us in Delta State. Can you imagine a State Police under Uduaghan and Utuama in Delta State? The people of Uzere should bound Akin (uduaghan) and Paw Paw (utuama) from the Community for life. A Professor in law behaving like a thug and abusing his office.
Good citizen or what ever u called ur name pls,the emiable General has retired long ago,he is a citizen of this country,do u want to disenfranchised him because he is a general,u speak like a lefty.
‘When you are a king and you don’t carry your people along, anything that happens you have to stay with it.’ I ONCE SAID SOMETHING SIMILAR IN A REPORT SOME I5 YEARS AGO AND I WAS SO CRUELLY VILIFIED BY THE ERSTWHILE KING AND PERSONS INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE NOW COMPLAINING ABOUT HIM. I WAS OSTRACIZED FROM THE PALACE THAT BELONGS TO THE COMMUNITY AND CALLED ALL SORTS OF NAMES! BECAUSE THEN, I HAD SAID IN THE REPORT THAT ‘power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely’. IF ONLY WE HAD TAKEN STEPS THEN! IF ONLY SOMEBODY HAD LISTENED TO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE SAID REPORT!!!
Mr. Good Citizen, am not sure you are a Nigerian. Do you know the general you are refferring to? The man is retired and he remains a man of repute and integrity. After retirement he has the right to contribute to the good/development of his community, Isoko land, Delta and Nigeria as a whole. Even while in service, he has the right. Gen. Ogomudia is a principled man, a man of his words who does not support evil and oppression. Infact the evil men in Uzere who are pepertuating all the attrocities today are people that have fed from the general. So investigate before you speak.
I now understand d whole story facing my community. Well it nt 2 bad, now dat d entired community is nt yet wipe out by d king n his subject, d fed govt shud do smthg very fast 2 stop d crisis, if nt d story wll go 2 a d/f dimension. Thx 2 our Gen. Who take time 2 xplan his own part of d story. As 4 d evil doers dnt 4get wht happn 2 king Nebukednizer of old. God is watching us.
This king is not a king but rather a business man, a king suppose to be royal to his people but this one instead of fighting for d right of his people are busy making money through the oil company and thier youths are lavishing in poverty. H.R.M pls listen, for your subjects to go the extent of burning ur palace shows that u are incompetent as a king. If u continue to drag this it means you have no shame and regard. Step aside for a more able man to take the mantle as to move the community forward. You are nothing but a business man in disguise as a king.
ANAGHI AZO EZE AZO, O CHI NA EME EZE. (DONT DRAG KINGSHIP, GOD GIVES IT TO ONLY THOSE HE WISHED SO)
General, be calm as usual. The people will fight for the vomself. If you talk too much, you will be suspected of instigating people against the king and the community.
The same thing is happening in my community somewhere in the southeast, the former chairman of our communty with his few suppoters are enjoying contracts and supplies from our host companies but our youth are lavishing in poverty and cultism. No good employment for our youths from the host companies. God help us, those doing kidnapping some times does not go with normal eyes and i think that should now be the option in our community any time they are in the position to inflict the fear on them the greedy group and the companies.
Gen , you have disappointed nigerian’s with your my-opic and mural ideas. What contribution have you made to your community than backing militant and criminals. As a former chief security to this country, can you hear yourself saying all sort of rubbish ? Is your family proud of you ? It seems you want to be the next king.
Its very unfortunate the way some of our people look at issues and sarcastically pass comments as fools. After reading the rtd General’s interview, I have not actually seen why he should be blamed for anything. The deputy Gov did err to acted the way he did simple for making a bad judgement, as a democratically elected guy, he would have seen the flood displaced villagers FIRST, address them then finally pay the unpopular chief a courtesy visit. Our people do have a shallow memory, imagine sending police cum task force to kill the poor masses that put you in power with their votes! Finally, everybody has the right to support whosoever he/she feels will deliver in politics especially when you’re highly placed in your community so as to guide their sense of judgement to wards electing one tht is credible. Therefore the RTD General has the right to support his kinsman in politics. the traditional ruler of that community is supposed to be dethroned for being partisam. As a king he should be non partisam.These quasi kings should learn from KINGS like the Oba of Benin ,Oba of Lagos, Obi of Onitsha etc. If am from that town I’ll not rest untill that foolish king is removed.Thank you General for being on the side of posterity and your people.
The deputy Gov is a big short fool licking Uduaghan’s shoes.short man.
Big SHAME onto that good citizen who actually does not know whether the GENERAL is still serving or retired.before letting the whole world know how stupid and shallow minded he was. ………….AKPERE ! ………..OLOFOFO !…………. Idiotic bastard son of a greedy hungry politician
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Well said and i think i support the general, support your own for development , he who wears the shoe knows where it pinches. end of story. i support the general.
Very disappointed to read such comments from a former CDS. Seems to have no brain but all brawns.