Tammy Martins-Brown is the former Chairman of the Asawo of Buoye Omuso Brown Major House of Finima in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State and currently a Principal Member of the House. A renown administrator, human resources manager, and community leader, who has been at the forefront of advancing issues that would attract development and progress to his community and Bonny LGA as a whole, Mr. Martins-Brown is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Chartered Institute of Human Resources Management (CIHRM), Chartered Institute of Administrators (CIA), and Institute of Management Consultants Nigeria (IMC), among others.

In this interview with the Publisher of Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, the ex-Chairman of the BOBH Asawo elucidated on salient issues affecting development in Finima, especially, the trending rumour that indigenes of the area were being denied issuance of Local Government Identification Letters, amongst others. Read through!

There has been some quiet around Finima since the last debacle that almost led to loss of lives regarding your chieftaincy stool, how is Finima now?

As you know, Finima Community has always been quiet, peace loving and law abiding people even though some persons outside have been trying to instigate some characters to create problems and confusion in the community. If you remember, we recently in December 2021 received an Award as Africa’s Most Hospitable Community in Africa by MY MEDIA during my time as Chairman of the BOBH Asawo, amongst other Security recognitions and accolades like Most Security Friendly and Peaceful Community in Rivers State and Niger Delta. We have been there over the years and we hope to keep that commitment and continuous improvement.

We thank God for the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House leadership for always showing leadership by collaborating with the youths and security agencies in ensuring that we maintain the existing peace in Finima. This is so that we can attract investors to come and invest businesses that would in turn enhance progress in Human Capacity Development in Finima and Bonny LGA.

Train 7 is on and there has been this issue about salary benchmark, how would react to that? Should the companies go with the community benchmark or resolve that with the various labour unions?

Well, I heard this as rumour and have my reservations on the subject matter. My approach is we need institutional and attitudinal change in Bonny. We have passed through this phase before from the days of ExxonMobil OSO II construction to NLNG Base Project Train 1 to 6 construction, and, of course, nothing to show for all of these and now we are talking about Train 7 and someone is talking about benchmarking of salary structure.

The first question that comes to mind is who did the salary survey across the industry market to justify the argument before coming up with this position. I guess, as a journalist, you have not seen this data.  According to rumours, that the least worker will earn 360k or about that which is not a problem all things being equal. But the nagging question should be: do such individuals have the competencies for such analysis? What were the components used for each of the positions before comparing to similar projects elsewhere? Where are the market data? These are questions we should be asking ourselves as educated people. Salary related issues are usually between employees and their employers bearing in mind the cost of living, according to the inflationary index, including other variables and components.

Away from industry and labour related issues, we understand indigenes of Finima, Brown House, specifically, are being denied LGA certificate of origin, is this true?

Of course, in affirmative, yes, they are being denied Bonny Local Government Identification Letters to Finima people and in particular, Buoye Omuso Brown Major Duawari House of Finima.

Is there any reason for this development? Like is there any issue Finima or Brown House has against the current administration at the Bonny LG Council?

Well, nothing that I know of at the moment, but this the position for now. I’ll leave that for you as a journalist to investigate and find out yourself because we consider the role of a Local Government Chairman to be a accommodating leader irrespective of our political affiliations or traditional beliefs or interests. So, I believe she has her reasons. That we will be very much interested to know.

What if the Bonny Local Government Council does not recognize any of the two contenders to the Brown House stool yet and maybe does not want to be drawn into the issue until the law courts decide who is the actual chief and head of the House?

I don’t agree with you as we don’t have two contenders to the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House Chieftaincy stool. It doesn’t exist as long as we are concerned. Unless if the Bonny Local Government Council wants to hide under the pretense that there is an issue which is not true. However, we are not bothered; after all, the Council makes huge sums of money from tenement rates on our land with nothing to show for it in Finima. Apart from the period during which our former LGA Chairman, Amasenibo Hon. Barr. Edward Ebenezer Pepple built infrastructures, no other LGA Chairman can point to any project done anywhere in Finima and it’s a big shame.

So, for the LGA or anyone to claim chieftaincy as a reason, will be to deceive and divert attention of the public because of their economic interests. I mean, what proof does anyone need when the entire members of a House or family, in this instance, the Buoye Omuso Brown Major House, a Duawari, had agreed to follow a stipulated constitutional process to nominate, elect and install a Chief and Head of a House in the Palace of the Amadabo of Finima in the person of Chief Engr. Dagogo Lambert Brown? Mr. Evans Clement Brown is not a Chief and everyone, including those with good conscience, knows this.

So, I will advise those creating problems to stop the confusion as it will not help anyone and for them to come and join hands to move Finima forward and other families in Bonny to a greater and enviable height.

What do you think this portends for Bonny Kingdom given the “One Kingdom’ narrative in circulation?

Well, we don’t need to amplify the ‘One Kingdom’ thing because it sounds like a complex issue to people like me when anyone sounds it to my hearing. I am a Bonny man, so, I don’t need anyone to remind me. However, I am a Finima man in Bonny LGA and I keep wondering why a Bonny man or woman will sing “One Bonny Kingdom” and don’t ever name his or her village where his or her father and mother comes from that made us the Bonny Kingdom that we claim to be all the time.

We need to start educating our people before such communities or villages go into extinction. It’s disheartening that most of our younger generation barely know where they come from here in Bonny LGA because of this new narrative of ‘One Kingdom’.

What would you advise the LGA Chairman on the right approach to issues like this?

Like I said earlier, the LGA Chairman should keep a distance from our traditional politics and treat everyone as her people irrespective of which House or family they come from or political affiliations whether APC or PDP, etc. We want to see her as the Chairman of all and not to take sides with anyone but be upright in times of critical decision making for the benefit of all Bonny indigenes and non-indigenes resident in Bonny LGA.

What are the constitutional rights the victims of such discrimination can leverage in this circumstance?

First, the victims of this unwholesome treatment have the right to freedom from discrimination, no matter what part of Bonny Community they are from or family or Chieftaincy House. It’s the individual’s right to get the LGA Identification Letter and no one should stop any Bonny Indigene from getting it. So, it’s amazing or surprising to deny anyone, especially, when his or her family, in this particular instance, the Buoye Omuso Brown Major Duawari House has identified and confirmed with a letterhead for the BOBH. As I speak to you, some are about to lose their opportunities in terms of scholarships and admissions in schools just because of petty traditional political interest. We are following up with the children and we will make a statement should they loss these opportunities.