Akpabio Panics, Visits Tompolo at Oporoza

Rather than take steps to ensure the inauguration of a board for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC as demanded by various stakeholders in the region, including the Ijaw Youths Council and a repentant Niger Delta warlord, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio is on his way to Oporoza, country home of Tompola, to meet the dreaded activist.
Sources confided in TNN on Thursday that the minister may have decided to go after Tompolo on a peace mission, to plead with and try to convince him to calm down and not keep his promise of causing unrest in the region if the NDDC board was not inaugurated.
The source said Akpabio has been worried since the day Tompolo issued the threat statement. He confirmed that part of the reason for the postponement of a meeting that Akpabio called, which was to hold in Abuja on Thursday, was because he had seen signals that the stakeholders were going to shun the meeting.
It was learnt that the stakeholders considered it insulting that Akpabio would be calling them to a meeting in Abuja, instead of travelling to the region to meet them. The source also said Tompolo was particularly miffed by Akpabio’s attitude “and the minister got the message very clearly; so he decided to call off the meeting and move to Oporoza to see Tompolo.
“As I speak with you now(about 3.30pm on Thursday), Akpabio is on his way to Oporoza to see Tompolo. He knows that there is danger ahead. You know Akpabio is a very smart person. You know he has always said that whatever money cannot do, more money can do it.
“So, maybe he wants to go and meet Tompolo, with the belief that more money can stop Tompolo from actualizing his threat. We will see what will come out of the visit. But I can tell you that Akpabio is scared of Tompolo, hence the trip to Oporoza. He knows who Tompolo is and what he is capable of.”
TNN tried to reach Akpabio’s spokesman, Mr Anietie Ekong, but his phone line did not connect.