•Zeb Ejiro
Veteran Nollywood filmmaker and co-founder of Film and Broadcast Academy (FABA), Ozoro, Delta State, Mr. Zeb Ejiro (OON) has expressed disappointment in Isoko politicians for failing to represent the people properly in their various political offices since 1999.
The Ozoro-born film producer and director popularly referred to as “The Sheik of Nigeria’s movie industry” vented his anger on politicians from Isoko extraction in Delta State in a press statement he issued today and made available to The Frontier.
According to Ejiro, the Isoko nation deserves far better than what she currently gets, because “politicians representing Isoko at various levels are self-centred and do not care about the people that elected them into offices”. For him this is the reason Isoko continues to suffer abysmal neglect, such as poor power supply.
Ejiro views the current travails of a whistleblower, an Isoko young man Ajiro-Oghene Otagba, a.k.a. MC2 Kingdom, as an affront on the Isoko nation, but blames it on the failure of politicians to give Isoko quality representation at the various levels of governance.
“It took a young man (Otagba) to bring attention to the darkness Isoko has been suffering since former governor, James Ibori awarded the power sub-station contract. So, what exactly is the job of Isoko politicians if for more than 20 years the people they claim to represent still wallow in darkness? This is a complete failure of representation. We cannot allow it to go unchallenged,” he said.
Speaking further Ejiro said, “Is politics only for personal enrichment by Isoko politicians? How many Isoko sons have been commissioners of power and energy in Delta State? Did they not see the abandoned power sub-station in Ozoro? I don’t understand how they deceive Isoko electorate every four years to vote for them in spite of their monumental failures.
“How do they manage to hoodwink the people to queue behind them during elections? This is shameful. Maybe this ugly incident will open the eyes of Isoko people to the reality that those who represent them are their enemies”.
Ejiro said he does not want the matter of the abandoned sub-station to go the way of other projects that enjoyed attention for a week or two and would fade out, and the people would forget.
Giving a specific deadline, he wants Isoko stakeholders to extract firm timelines for the power project completion not farther than nine (9) months from now.
“All parties to the abandoned sub-station must be brought to the table – NNDC, Delta State Government, Income Electrix Engineering, etc – to extract a firm commitment and measurable timelines on completion of the project. “This is no longer a project for next year. It’s a project for now, a project for this year. We can no longer accept excuses,” he said.
“Lastly, for harassing an innocent whistle-blower like Ajiri-Oghene Otagba a.k.a. MC2 Kingdom who has the backing a federal government’s whistle-blower policy, Mr. Matthew Edevbie crossed the red line. I therefore call on Mr. Otagba to immediately institute a legal action against him and his company, Income Electrix Engineering.
“Cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying allegations that Edevbie relied on to intimidate and arrest and subject Mr. Otagba to untold police ordeal are laughable, because the whole world is on social media. Where else would Mr. Otagba have taken his campaign to get Edevbie and his company’s attention if not online? I totally encourage MC2 Kingdom to claim damages on Edevbie and his company for unjust harassment and intimidation.”
As far as Ejiro is concerned, the electricity project in the area has failed and the contactor should be sacked.
“Income Electrix Engineering should hands off the project, so a more credible engineering firm handles it to completion,” he said.
