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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Elders and youths in the Niger Delta, who are part of various peace advocacy groups, have showered encomium on the foremost ex-agitator, Chief Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, also known as ‘Boyloaf’ as he marked his birthday.
According to the elders and youths, the contributions of General Boyloaf in the region from the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to late President Umaru Musa Yardua and beyond led to the end of militancy across the oil rich Niger Delta region and gave rise to the establishment and reactivation of intervention agencies including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and the Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs.
High Chief James Terebo-Julius, in a statement issued at the home of Chief Victor-Ben in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said the various groups of well-wishers prayed for many more years ahead for him and conferred on him the title of ‘Man of Peace and Nation Building.’ Terebo-James, said while many former militant leaders were reluctant to embrace peace as offered by late President Yardua, “Boyloaf took a bold step forward to embrace the Amnesty deal which convinced others to embrace the peace that we are enjoying today.
“His contributions led to the astonishing increase in crude oil production from mere 900 thousand barrels per day eventually to over 2.4 million barrels per day, His efforts and navigational skills also led to the drastic reduction in crude oil theft and illegal bunkering across the waterways of the region, leading thousands of his followers to call him The Master and Commander of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Guinea.”
Terebo-James described the former co-founder and leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) as a phenomenon whose struggle has given thousands of Niger Delta youths the opportunity to be trained in Universities and vocational institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and around the world.
The group stated that they are excited about the achievements of the celebrant within the region and the nation at large and called on other leaders in the region to emulate him for the development of the region.
The elders and youths also used the opportunity to condemn the killings of soldiers in Okuama community of Delta State and commiserate with the Federal Government on the sad incident, remarking that peace remains indispensable in the quest to make the Niger Delta the safest place to live and do business.
