Anenih offered to die in place of Tompolo to secure Niger Delta peace — Kuku

Having completed your assignment as the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, can you in all honesty say that you did the best for Nigeria and the people of the Niger Delta given the money and other resources at your disposal?
As far as I am concerned, between me and God, those who want to be sincere to themselves would be able to say  that I did my best to salvage Nigeria from economic downtown occasioned by a period when Nigeria experienced a sustained drop in oil production from over four  million barrels per day to just over   683,000 barrels.
The job we did from 2007 was not easy. Senator David Brigidi, who chaired the first committee set up by the late President Yar’Adua, of which I was the Secretary,   recommended to him the need for amnesty. I still remember that night how Yar’Adua who had almost slept came down from his bedroom to meet us at the Villa once he heard that Kuku and Brigidi were waiting to submit a report on the Niger Delta situation to him. From that moment, the peace process began. Many  governors, political actors, among others, did not believe that there should be amnesty apparently because many of them had grouses against some ex-militant leaders from their states. But this thing was a general thing that was   to be done for the good of all. There is need to always remember the wonderful disarmament job that the committee under Brig-Gen. Godwin Abe did that took us to where we are today.
We need to remember the wonderful work done by elder statesman, Chief Tony Anenih, who staked his life and integrity and played a strategic role in pulling Tompolo out of the creeks.  At a point, Anenih agreed to submit himself to be killed in case the Federal Government arrested and prosecuted Tompolo in Abuja. Anenih offered himself as a sacrificial lamb to be slaughtered by the Ogboroza people if he would not bring back Tomplolo after his meeting with President Yar’Adua. To further convince the daring and skeptical community leaders, Anenih dropped out of the helicopter we were given by the Presidency to go and fetch Tompolo and opted to remain with the roaring men until Tompolo was brought back safely. But our people reasoned that there was no need to take the life of   an old man like Anenih in place of Tompolo, who is seen as the hero of the community. So, they left Anenih to go in peace. Yar’Adua did the right thing and got us the Amnesty and Abe, Timi  Alaibe and others did their best to give practical meaning to the process.