Bayelsa govt sacks palace aides, stops royalty payments to Opuama monarch

Bayelsa State government has announced the immediate termination of all appointments made by the paramount ruler of Opuama Clan in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, His Royal Highness, Kenneth Engo Opukeme.

It also directed the stoppage of all payments of royalties due to Opuama through Chief Opukeme’s personal bank account, describing recent actions by the paramount ruler as a gross violation of the constitution of the community.

The deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who gave the directive at a meeting with the paramount ruler and other stakeholders of Opuama in his office, cautioned traditional rulers to abide by the provisions of the constitutions of their respective communities.

He directed the member representing Southern Ijaw constituency 3 in the state House of Assembly, Hon. Moses Marlon, his Deputy Chief of Staff, Comrade Gowon Toruyouyei; the Commissioner for Sports, Dr. Daniel Igali and the Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Mr. Target Segibo, to ensure the opening of a bank account for the Opuama Kingdom.

Similarly, all the federating communities in the Opuama have equally been directed to open their official community bank accounts into which all community funds are to be paid and disbursed accordingly to promote transparency and accountability.

Senator Ewhrudjakpo, decried the high-handedness of the Opuama paramount ruler for making appointments outside the constitutional provisions of the community and other infractions despite earlier warnings.

The deputy governor maintained that the present administration will not hesitate to deal decisively with any irresponsible traditional rulers, urging those who are diverting community funds into their personal bank accounts to desist from the act forthwith.

“You must know that the way we have the power to give you the staff of office that is intoxicating you, we also have the power to take that staff of office from you.

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“From reports before me, Your Royal Highness is still allocating to yourself the signing of cheques and asking money for royalties and other things to be paid into your personal accounts. Maybe you don’t know the implications of what you are doing.

“You as an individual, you are not the Opuama Kingdom, but you are only a symbol of Opuama as its paramount ruler.

“So, while we are still waiting for the committee to come up with its report, it has become inevitable for us to give some directives and those directives have to be enforced, because we cannot allow you to create a conflict for us.

“The first directive is that within the next 48 hours, the member representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 3, the council chairman, the Commissioner for Sports, my Deputy Chief of Staff, the Chairman of the Bomo Clan Council of Chiefs, the RDA Chairman of Bomo East, should ensure the opening of a bank account for Opuama Community.

“The Commissioners for Community Development and that of Mineral Resources should jointly do a letter to SHELL and all other oil companies that all royalties due Opuama Kingdom should be paid into that account. The signatories to that account will be the paramount ruler, the women leader and the clan youth president.”

In their separate remarks, Hon. Moses Marlon and Dr Igali, thanked the deputy governor for convening the meeting and expressed the belief that the directives would bring about peace and cohesion in the kingdom.