Filmmaker Zeb Ejiro blasts Isoko politicians for poor representation, tasks Otagba to sue

By Godwin Okondo

VETERAN Nollywood filmmaker and co-founder of Film and Broadcast Academy (FABA), Ozoro, Delta State Mr. Zeb Ejiro (OON) has expressed disappointment with Isoko politicians for failing to represent the people properly in their various political offices since 1999. He therefore wants them held to greater scrutiny henceforth. He said the Isoko nation deserves far more than what she currently gets, and accused politicians representing Isoko at various levels of being self-centred and do not care about the welfare of the people that elect them to power.

The Isoko culture icon who recently celebrated his 68th birthday was responding to the expository video a courageous Isoko youth Mr. Ajiri-Oghene Otagba (MC 2Kingdom) made last year on the abandoned power sub-station in Ozoro. The video also landed the comedian and content creator in police trouble after the company that abandoned the power project made a baseless petitioned, claiming the comedian cyber-stalked and cyber-bullied it. Meanwhile, the said power project remains abandoned more than 20 years after it was awarded to the Matthew Edevbie-led Income Electrix Ltd. This is coming after Mr. Edevbie successfully completed two similar power projects in his home base of Ughelli and Afiesere that were awarded to him at the same time with Ozoro sub-station, thus leaving Isoko in darkness in as much number of years.

For Mr. Ejiro the poor representation of Isoko by her political class is the reason the foremost oil-rich ethnic nation continues to suffer abysmal neglect, such as poor power supply under review. He therefore views the current travails of youthful Otagba as an affront on the Isoko nation that must not go unchallenged. Mr. Ejiro is emphatic in blaming the failure of Isoko politicians at the various levels – Senate, House of Representatives (federal), and Delta State, whether as deputy governor, members of State House of Assembly, local council chairmen and the counsellors – for the darkness Isoko suffers. Eh also blames them for the travails of Mr. Otagba who was courageous enough to call out Income Electrix Ltd, a move he described as outstanding and attributable to the fearless nature of Isoko youths in confronting challenges.

“It took one Isoko young man the courage to bring attention to the darkness Isoko has been suffering since James Ibori awarded the power sub-station contract to Income Electrix Ltd,” Mr. Ejiro said from his Lagos base. “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? Is it that they are blind to the people’s suffering? This is complete failure of representation and it must stop. We cannot allow it to go unchallenged. Is politics only for personal enrichment that Isoko politicians practise? 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? What did they do? Now they want to be heroes and heroines foe claiming credit for Ajiri-Oghene’s release. Some will even use it to campaign in 2027. That’s how shameless they can be.”

Mr. Ejiro expressed bewilderment how Isoko politicians have managed to deceive the people to continue voting for them all these years while neglecting their welfare at the same time. He argued that MC 2Kingdom’s current travails should be the wake up call to political action that Isoko needs to show their representatives that they could no longer be taken for granted as has happened in 26 years since the current political dispensation started in 1999.

According to him, “I don’t understand how Isoko politicians managed to 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 Otagba’s ugly incident will open the eyes of Isoko people to the reality that those who represent them are the enemies within. Isoko politicians have held the position of power and energy commissioner in Delta State many times over yet they could not fix the power problem in Isoko or even raise issues with Mr. Edevbie to complete the power sub-station in Ozoro. What does that tell you?”

Mr. Ejiro said he does not want the matter of the abandoned sub-station to go the way of other development issues that enjoy attention for a week or two and die down, and the people are made to forget with other frivolities. He wants Isoko stakeholders to extract firm timeline commitments for the power project completion date 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 Ltd, etc – to extract a firm commitment and measureable timelines on completion of the project,” he said. “This is not business as usual. This is no longer a project for next year. It’s a project for now, a project for this year-end. We can no longer accept excuses like the frivolous and annoying ones that Income Electrix Ltd recently put out as damage control designed to absorb themselves of blame in this saga. You don’t love Isoko and put Isoko in darkness whereas your own Ughelli area is enjoying steady power supply. What kind of love is that? We don’t want it. In fact, Income Electrix Ltd should hands off the project, so a more credible engineering firm takes it over to completion.

“Lastly, for harassing an innocent whistle-blower like Ajiri-Oghene Otagba (aka MC 2Kingdom) who is protected by a federal government’s whistle-blower policy, Mr. Edevbie crossed the red line. I call on Mr. Otagba to immediate institute legal action against him. Cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying allegations that Edevbie relied on to intimidate, 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, social media? I therefore encourage MC 2Kingdom to press damages claims against Edevbie and his company for unjust harassment and intimidation. Isoko is ready to back him all the way. Enough is enough of taking Isoko for granted by all manner of characters – starting with the selfish politicians representing Isoko at all levels.”