Oba of Benin not part of controversy in TROMPCOM

By Desmond Agbama, CPS to Oba of Benin

When the AmanayaborTwon Brass of Bayelsa State, HRM Alfred Diete-Spiff paid a personal visit to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II in his Palace in Benin City, on Tuesday
15th August, 2017 no one ever imagined that it would become subject of controversy later.

The Oba of Benin is a Monarch that has respect for everyone, especially fellow traditional rulers of the status of King Alfred Diete-Spiff, the AmanayaborTwon Brass.

Consequently, the Oba of Benin
willingly received King Diete-Spiff even at the shortest notice and
without prior knowledge of why he was visiting. This was done against
the usual protocol observed in the Oba Palace, as every visitor to the
Oba must make known his or her purpose of visiting before he or she is allowed to meet the Monarch. Moreover, it was generally believed that the calibre of King Alfred Diete-Spiff is a man that cannot be doubted.

During the visit, King Diete-Spiff introduced two organisations to the
40th Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II. First was the Traditional Rulers in
Oil, Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCOM) and the Host Communities of Oil Producing States of Nigeria (HOSTCON).
According to King Diete-Spiff, the two bodies were formed to help
address the problems posed by the activities of oil exploration and
gas flaring in the areas, with the view of helping to bring succour to the affected people in the various communities. The AmanayaborTwon
Brass informed the Benin Monarch that he, King Diete-Spiff was a
Patron to the two bodies. He also informed the Oba of Benin that the
Chairmanship of TROMPCOM was rotational after two years, pointing out that it was now the turn of Edo State to hold the position. He pleaded with the Benin Monarch to kindly honour them by accepting to Chairman TROMPCOM. During the visit, King Diete-Spiff sounded as if he was speaking for himself. First he said he had to come personally to plead with the Oba of Benin. Secondly, he did not accompany the offer of nomination of the Oba of Benin to Chairman TROMPCOM with any official letter from the body.
It must be realised by all that the Oba of Benin is not only endowed
with uncommon knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, he is also a
diplomat who knows the difference between verbal and formal
communication. That explains why Oba Ewuare II had to cautiously
accept the offer nominating him as Chairman of TROMPCOM in principle
and requested for a formal letter from TROMPCOM before his final
acceptance and endorsement.

However, less than 48 hours after the visit of King Alfred
Diete-Spiff, the offer was challenged by OwongDr.EffiongBassey of
Akwa-Ibom State in a media report, claiming that he is the Chairman of
TROMPCOM and not the Oba of Benin. He even said that the Oba of Benin was not a financial member of TROMPCOM and had never attended their meeting. He also said that the leadership of TROMPCOM did not send King Diete-Spiff on such errand to the Oba of Benin, saying he acted
on his own. This was quite embarrassing and denigrating to the highly revered Benin Monarch.

Be that as it may, the question now is why should a person of the
calibre of King Alfred Diete-Spiff embark on a mission not approved by TROMPCOM? What is the AmanayaborTwon Brass trying to achieve by misleading the Oba of Benin or conscripting him to become Chairman of TROMPCOM? Anyway, the Oba of Benin is both traditional and spiritual leader and as such cannot be part of any controversy, instead he resolves controversies among people, that is one reason he is “Uku Akpolokpolo”. The Oba of Benin is a highly revered Monarch who cannot be misled by anyone. Moreover, the Oba of Benin is not interested in a body where people tussle for its leadership or behave like politicians.

Little wonder why the aim and objectives of TROMPCOM have not be achieved over the years. Despite the existence of TROMPCOM the people in the oil, mineral producing areas, especially the Niger Delta region are still grappling with under development, lack of basic amenities
and infrastructure like motorable roads, portable water, health care
facilities, electricity, among others.
To all intent and purposes, the reasons for establishing TROMPCOM is very good, but over the years the body has been hijacked by those who did not believe in its philosophy and goals. Investigations revealed that those traditional rulers now laying claims to TROMPCOM were not among its founding members. According to the traditional Prime Minister of Gbaramattu Kingdom in Delta State, High Chief WellingtonOkrika, the idea to form TROMPCOM started in 1994 in the time of the defunct Oil, Mineral Producing Area Development Commission (OMPADEC). Chief Okrika disclosed that it was the Oba of Benin and some other traditional rulers that spearheaded it. Eventually, the Oba of Benin became the Patron of TROMPCOM. Chief Okrika wondered why some
younger traditional rulers in the region are trying to obliterate
facts and change the structure of TROMPCOM. The traditional Prime
Minister of Gbaramattu Kingdom expresses willingness to present the
facts as the records are still available for anyone to verify. He
advised those trying to embarrass the Benin Monarch or denigrate the
Oba of Benin to desist and retrace their steps, pointing out that the
Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo is supreme to any of them laying claim to be either the Patron or Chairman of TROMPCOM.

Also speaking, HRM King Pere S.P. Luke Kalariame VIII, the Pere of Akungbone-Mien Kingdom of Delta State said TROMPCOM member regarded Oba Erediauwa of blessed
memory as the Grand Patron, pointing out that Oba Erediauwa was also a mentor to almost all the kings who are members of TROMPCOM.
That explains why many concerned citizens and stakeholders are calling
for the restructuring of TROMPCOM in order for it to accommodate all
interest groups irrespective of their financial status or ethnic background. If the aim of TROMPCOM is to truly bring succour to the people in the oil, mineral producing states in Nigeria, then
membership ought to be automatic and not tied to other extraneous
considerations. TROMPCOM must not be seen to be hijacked by certain
individuals or group for their selfish or personal interest.