Takeme Unveils Development Plans for Burutu Local Government Council as IPF Pays a Working Visit

The Executive Chairman of Burutu Local Government Area in Delta State, Dr. Julius Takeme has reaffirmed his commitment to sustainable development across the council.

Takeme reaffirmed his resolve to implement measures that will uplift the developmental status of Burutu on Wednesday, when members of the Ijaw Publishers Forum paid him a courtesy call at the local government Secretariat. 

The visit marked the commencement of an inspection tour across Ijaw local government areas across the country by the conglomerate of media executives. 

Addressing the IPF entourage, Takeme said his administration bears the development umbilical cord of the MORE AGENDA by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

According to the erstwhile Delta South Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Burutu Local Government Area, under his leadership, has recorded visible infrastructural changes under one year.

"Armed with the MORE AGENDA by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, this administration has implemented several visible infrastructural developments in Burutu.

"That mandate has allowed us to give priority to giving Burutu the much needed face-lift under my watch. That resolve has pushed us to construct a combined 1 kilometre leghth of internal road network," Takeme revealed.

The Olotu of Obotebe Kingdom said his government has further invested in public health, environmental cleaningness, housing, and general welfare of civil servants, among whom include senior officers of the Council who had battled great discomfort in the discharge of their duties.

He listed such intervention projects to be the renovation of health centres in Labulouseigha and Ofougbene communities, construction and renovation of senior housing units for senior employees of the Council, and construction of residence quarters for the President of the customary court.

Others include the construction of three modern public toilets, distribution of drugs for health centres, and employment of over 2,000 women for the maintenance of cleaningness in the local government headquarters.

Takeme also revealed that many other projects are on the pipeline awaiting official commissioning ahead of his one year in office celebration.

The IPF led by Niger Delta activist and Publisher of Congress Newspaper, Comrade Austin Ozobo, explained that the tour forms part of the body's mandate to checkmate governance and development across Ijaw nation.

Ozobo encouraged Takeme to do more, urging him to maintain the momentum and to deliver more dividends of governance to the  Burutu people.

Tompolo Congratulates New NNPCL Management on Appointment, Assures Continues Partnership in Safeguard of the Nation's Oil Pipeline lnfrastructures

Chairman, Tantita Security Services Limited, High Chief (Dr) Government Ekpemupolo has commended President Bola Tinubu for the appointment of new management to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, as he congratulates the new Board members.

Tompolo also promised the unalloyed commitment of his organisation to the continued partnership for the betterment of the country.

The Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation made the call in a personally signed congratulatory message to the Press.

According to him, “I, High Chief (Dr.) Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw Nation and Chairman, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL), on behalf of the Management and Staff of TANTITA, extend my heartfelt congratulations to the newly appointed Member Board and Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), led by the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojuolari, the Chairman Ahmadu Musa Kida, and other members of the new Management and Board.

“Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) recognises your appointment as a pivotal moment in the journey of the NNPCL and the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

“We express our profound gratitude to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his visionary leadership and commitment to excellence, as demonstrated by the careful selection of seasoned professionals to steer the affairs of the NNPCL at this critical time.

“Indeed, this decision by Mr. President underscores his administration’s dedication to ensuring that only competent hands are entrusted with optimising the vast benefits of our nation’s oil and gas sector.

“The challenges and opportunities before this new Management and Board are immense, but we are confident in their ability to drive the ongoing restructuring of the NNPCL to greater heights.

“Under their stewardship, we believe that the President’s mandate to ramp up local refining capacity and increase Nigeria’s crude oil production to 2mbpd in record time will be realised and surpassed.

“As our company has always done, TSSNL remains steadfast in its commitment to partnering with the NNPCL to secure and enhance Nigeria’s oil production capabilities.

“Our expertise in oil asset protection and our deep-rooted presence in the Niger Delta position us as a reliable ally in ensuring that the nation’s resources are safeguarded and utilised efficiently for the collective benefit of all stakeholders.

“We also take this opportunity to assure the new leadership team of our unwavering support in executing their mandate. As a critical player in the security of Nigeria’s oil assets, we stand ready to collaborate and contribute to a more secure and prosperous energy sector that benefits the entire nation and aligns with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“As the newly constituted Management and Board embark on this critical journey, we urge them to remain focused, innovative, and diligent in delivering on their responsibilities.

“The expectations are high, but with their proven expertise, dedication and support of all critical stakeholders, we are confident that they will lead NNPCL towards a new era of growth and efficiency.

“Once again, we congratulate the entire Management and Board and wish them a successful and impactful tenure.

“May their leadership usher in unparalleled progress and transformation in the Nigerian oil and gas industry for the benefit of our great nation.” Tompolo said.

Ijaw leaders endorse Ijaw indigenous journalism at Iduwini Voice launch

President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, professor Benjamin Okaba, Professor Benedict Binebai, Chief Mulade Sheriff and others have joined together to promote Ijaw course by giving their full support to Ijaw media organizations..

According to them, the current stage of the Niger Delta agitation is no longer bow and arrows, but the  articulate media reportage of the under development of the Ijaw region to the wider society as voice of the under privileged people. 

Ijaw leaders gave their full support to Ijaw community journalism at the official launch of Iduwini Voice at the weekend in Warri.

In their various speeches, Professor Benjamin Okaba, President of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benedict Binebai, Chief Mulade Sheriff and Chief (Dr) Julius Takeme, chairman Burutu LGA have recognized the role and  power of media in Ijaw communities. 

In his key note address, Chief Sheriff Mulade, chairman of the occasion commended the Iduwini Voice newspaper publisher Prince (Dr.) Klintin Bibakefie and other Ijaw Publishers, especially the Ijaw publishers Forum (IPF) national President Comrade Ozobo Austin for leading the Ijaw publishers to have made Ijaw nation with a formidable force, by promoting the interest  of Ijaw nation and Niger Delta in particular.

INC president Prof. Okaba revealed that the Ijaw nation has been facing series of challenges within  one year, renging from political crisis in Rivers state, death of Ijaw national leader, Pa E.K Clark and others.

He assured that Ijaw nation will secure victory in the Rivers state political impasse, noting that Ijaw nation has not lost a battle from history. 

Professor Benedict Binebai has admonished the Ijaw journalists to be factual, truthful and fearless in the course of their rrlortage saying that journalism started from Ijaw nation with late Earnest Ikoli whose spirit is in Ijaw journalists. 

The erudite professor of Theater Arts of Niger Delta University during his key note lecture had propounded a new concept of journalism in the world which he described it 'Avant Garde'' journalism that is peculiar only to the Ijaw reporters that the news agents and the people in Ijaw nation suffer the same pain of injustice  of political, eceonomic and environmental degrattion. That long pain has powered the local Ijaw community people to have stood up for challenges taking the bull by the hoen to report the injustices in Ijaw nation, after mainstream journalism had failed with distorted news report and skewed editorials intentionally to under report the large scale of marginalization in Ijaw land.

Why Izonebi Thinks Ijaws should Unite_By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Izonebi Alfred is a music philosopher whose serial meditations are always channelled towards the betterment of the Ijaws and mankind in general. For Alfred it was only unity that   could enable the production of Ijaw governor in 2023 and so he musically reiterated the importance and centrality of unity in the Ijaws' move to produce a governor in Delta State. He was musically categorical that the 2023 Delta State Governorship dream of the Ijaws would not be realised if there was no unity. As rightly predicted by Alfred, the Delta Ijaws could not produce the Delta State Governorship because they were disabled and disenabled by dearth of unity and collective vision. Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori democratically became the governor of Delta State in 2023 driven by his clearly situated developmental vision for Delta State. Now all the feelers point to the fact that Governor Oborevwori will be returned democratically in 2027 without opposition because he has convinced Deltans infrastructurally and educationally through his numerous developmental projects and sustained bursary awards payment and offer of scholarships to Deltans.

For Alfred in 2023 whose thoughts were like that of a gifted prophet, he channelled his patriotic meditations in a musical masterpiece entitled 'Traditional Series' which moved interestingly from the beginning to the end without deflection from the surveyed path:  'Story, Story, story, oh story! come together you who are Ijaws; let us sit down together, talk and plan together'. This is the voice of Bekedoumo from Ekeremor town, Okoloba's wife, the daughter of Famoateiya and Koroyemo. 

 'The plans of a poor man do miss their track in the maze of the forest and fall through.' This is the voice of Beinta of Kpakiama town. 

'If we plan very early in the morning, we shall have a house to run into for refuge in the evening'. This is the voice of Izonebi from Ndorobou Forest.

 'Now that the Ijaws have decided to journey together on  one canoe, we shall do something great and remarkable'. This is the voice of Alapala.

Let all the Ijaws dance and jubilate now that all the Ijaws are on one canoe journeying together because we shall achieve something great and remarkable, Wabu. Come over here, you Ekanpou! We shall definitely do something remarkable now that the Ijaws are on a single canoe journeying together jubilantly towards the actualization of the Delta State governorship dream.

Looking at the canoe on which all the Ijaws are journeying away in pursuit of a common vision I can see Clark leading the canoe. Kingsley Otuaro, James Manager, Orubebe and Nicholas are all on the canoe. Kingsley Otuaro is the head of the supportive entourage from Warri South-West Council. Orubebe is leading the supportive group from Burutu Council  just like James Manager who is leading the supportive entourage in Bomadi Council. For Funkekeme, Emmanuel Amgbaduba, Enarede, Kelly Penawou, Chief Okrika, Bosini Ebikeme and Alfred Tortor, their supportive positions are firmly held in Burutu, Bomadi and Warri South West Councils. Sibowei, beat the big drum for the Ijaws since they are all paddling together on a single canoe. Ayama, please  beat the small drum professionally for me.Egole, please give me professional choral accompaniment.Fereborn, please open your mouth very wide and professionally chorus the song for me. Kingsley my brother, dance continuously and wait jubilantly for the remarkable day.

On the single canoe where all the Ijaws have resolved to journey together are Tompolo, Ek. Clark, Kingsley Otuaro, James Manager, Orubebe, Basil Ganagana, Kelly Penawou,Alfred Bubor, Braduce, Dan Yingi, Frank Enekorogha and Julius Pondi. We shall achieve something remarkable as long as all these personalities are on the governorship canoe in different supportive capacities.

Ei - e-e-e-e, come ye all my Ijaw people! Izonebi is using music to gather you all. So come together all the Ijaws. Governorship is metaphorically a mammy-water. Let us unite and work together because if there is no unity, the whole governorship dream will crumble. The governorship office is the home of inexhaustible wealth and developmental possibilities. Because the governorship is inexhaustible like mammy-water, go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws a bag loaded with the goodies of the office.Let the Bomadi man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies; let the Burutu man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office; let the Warri South-West man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office; let the Patani man go to Asaba and bring back to the Ijaws the goodies of the office.If we collectively choose a consensus candidate very early in the morning, we shall succeed and this will do us great good developmentally. It is obviously our turn and we should each be firm in our different ways towards the realisation of our collective governorship dream. However, even if by way of artistic digression, it must be admitted here that this musically anchored  reverberating stylistic call on all the Ijaws for a united front is historically a musical stylistic echo of late Kuro-endi of Ayakoromo. 

I  want you to come together, consensually choose one governorship candidate and massively support the chosen candidate. If you fail to do this, the entire governorship dream will crumble. The would-be Ijaw governor could be from any of the Ijaw Councils in Delta State because   any Ijaw man is qualified to carry the governorship flag and labour for its actualization. Irrespective of the Local Government Area the would-be governorship flag-bearer emerges from -  Burutu, Bomadi, Patani or Warri South-West - he or she should be massively supported by all the Ijaw people.

Kingsley my brother, come out and dance while waiting for the Delta State governorship because the governorship is coming to the Delta Ijaws. Birifou says philosophically that if your family person does not betray and sell you, a person outside your family circle can never buy and claim you. If the Ijaws work together on one canoe without a voice of dissension, the Ijaw governorship dream shall be realised. Even if you don't pay attention to my voice, Izonebi has said his own. Even Fereborn and Eniye Egole have said their own too. Those that write books should spread the gospel that it is the turn of the Delta Ijaws to produce the governor. Ekanpou the writer should write to the world that it is the turn of the Ijaws to produce the governor of Delta state in 2023.

Finally, let me add as a cautionary piece in a deliberately repetitive language like a refrain that the Ijaw governorship dream may not come to fruition like a wilted flower if we fail to speak one language and abandon the collectively rigged ship deployed here as the governorship canoe on which all the Delta Ijaws have resolved to journey together towards the prized destination.Conversely, we are likely to produce the governor of Delta State if we work together as a team on one canoe without voices of dissension because all the things there are OTIETIE BIRDS!

Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State.