Opinion: What Makes Democracy Die: Lessons from Nigeria_By: Peter Obi

Today, 17th September, I participated in an international Conference in Accra, Ghana, organised by the 2025 Goodluck Jonathan Foundation Annual Democracy Dialogue with the theme “What Makes Democracy Die?”

Democracy is fundamentally about accountability, prioritising service to the people, ensuring security, providing education and healthcare, and lifting people out of poverty.

Democracy dies when it ceases to be accountable to the people and when it no longer prioritises their needs.

Nigeria is a typical example of where democracy is dying because it no longer serves the needs of the people and is no longer accountable to them.

In Nigeria, democracy has become a process of elite state capture, granting access to public resources for personal and family interests.

To reverse this situation, Nigerians must take democracy and elections seriously by ensuring that only people with competence, capacity, character, compassion, and commitment to service are elected.

A new Nigeria is possible.

PO

Just-In: Sen. Douye Diri Bags Best Governor Award as he Clears N12Billion Naira Bayelsa LG Pension, Gratuities Arrears

Local Government Councils in Bayelsa State have cleared the N12 Billion arrears of pensions, gratuities and death benefits owed retired workers in the various LGAs.

At a programme to celebrate the success of Local Government reforms in the state with the theme: “Promoting Local Government Workers' Welfare: The Bayelsa Model" at the Banquet hall, Yenagoa, the governor received an award as the "Best Governor on Local Government Area Reforms in Nigeria” from the national leadership of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees(NULGE) and Medical and Health Workers' Union of Nigeria (MHWUN).

In his remark, Governor Diri appreciated the union leaders for the award, and promised to continue to prioritize the welfare of local government workers and pensioners in line with the new reforms.

"When we started the reforms at the local government level, the challenges were overwhelming. Local governments were owing backlog of debts, pensions and gratuities.

Our reforms transformed the local government councils. Our local government Chairmen started performing. They were able to clear the backlog of debts, pensions and gratuities, embarking on infrastructural projects and several other things they were unable to do.

Governor Diri acknowledged the diligent supervisory role of the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in the success of the reforms.

Dignitaries at the event were the Deputy Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Ogbere, Leader of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Obolo Bubou, Hon. Richard Ibegu, Chief of Staff Government House, Dr. Peter Akpe, Deputy Chief of Staff Government House, Mr. Irorodamie Komonibo, Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Governor's office, Mr. Gowon Toruwouyei, Commissioners, National Leadership of NULGE, Local Government Chairmen and other top government officials.

TENSION IN WARRI: Mulade Calls on Gov. Oborevwori to Intervene; Appeals for Stakeholders to Embrace Peace

A renowned peace, justice and environmental advocate, Comrade (Chief) Sheriff Mulade, PhD, has called on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to act swiftly in addressing the current tension among the three ethnic nationalities of Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaw in the Warri Federal Constituency before the tension degenerates into a full blown crisis.

Mulade's call comes on the heels of recent reports of heightened tension between Itsekiri and Ijaw youths over the alleged removal by the former, of the 10th coronation anniversary banners of the Pere Ama-Okosuwei of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Monbene III, from strategic locations in Warri Metropolis on Tuesday.

The United Nation's peace ambassador, who noted that the recent tension in the Warri constituency resulted from the recent ward delineation exercise conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), called on the Governor to initiate a dialogue to foster peace and unity in Warri Area.

He also charged the security agencies of government to rise up to the occasion, to be professional in their duties and not allow themselves to be used by those who do not mean well for the growth and development of the State, particularly Warri and its environs.

He said, "I call on the Governor Sheriff Oborevwori-led administration to act swiftly to tackle this brewing tension before it escalates to a full blown crisis," and added, "The government is for all. So Governor Oborevwori should, if there is need, come down to Warri and have a town hall meeting with all relevant stakeholders in the communities in Warri, to interact with the traditional rulers and other major stakeholders."

"I call on the security agencies of the state and the federal government to move in swiftly to nip the tension in the bud so that it doesn't escalate. The relevant security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police, need to be professional, should not create a wrong impression that people can use them to perpetrate their selfish interests," he cautioned.

Speaking further, he said, "The traditional rulers in the area should also call their subjects to order irrespective of every provocative actions. Peace is better than violence and at this moment, what we want is peace and unity for the sake of development," he noted. 

Mulade, who is the Ibe-Serimowei of the Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, cautioned the youths to refrain from acts that could jeopardize the investment efforts of Delta State, as well as  government's infrastructural strides. He also charged the INEC to finally resolve the pending Ward delineation issues relating to the Warri Federal Constituency.

"There has been relative peace all this while, and that is why we are able to talk of infrastructural development so that investors and more companies carry on their projects. But if there is crisis, those constructions, all the State Government projects will be halted, and we don't need that," he said.

"Therefore the youths should not give room to violence or be used to foment crisis in the state. They should know at this stage that peace is more golden than conflicts," Mulade stressed.

"Lastly I urge INEC to close out this Warri ward delineation because that is the root cause of this fresh phase of ethnic violence that is breeding in the area of recent. So, the INEC and the federal government must be neutral and comply in line with the Supreme Court judgment and close out these issues so that we can put them behind us," Mulade advised.

Opinion: How Oil Companies and Community Leadership Collude to Underdevelop Urhoboland: THE EYARA COMMUNITY EXAMPLE_By: Emmanuel Ogheneochuko Arodovwe

It is an undeniable fact that Urhobo land and her people are blessed by nature. In resource endowments, Urhoboland ranks among the richest in Nigeria. In intelligence, creativity and resourcefulness, the average Urhobo individual can compete favourably with his counterpart from elsewhere. Despite this fact, the contradiction remains that Urhoboland is about the poorest, least developed and backward in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria!

Despite the continuous drilling of oil and gas, and the discovery of new wells, there is the irreconcilable situation of worsening underdevelopment and biting poverty among the people.

The present case with the Eyara Community of Ughievwen where I come from has helped me in devising an explanation to this hydra-headed oxymoron, which is that the oil companies sort out some gullible greedy saboteurs within the communities, lavish them with cash the size of which they had never seen, then promise them further percentages of what was suppose to belong to the community as part of the CSR, and then mandate them to go back to their people to keep them quiet, while aiding them with armed force to shut down (indeed shoot down) dissenters. The oil company then have a free reign to operate the oil wells and rake in millions of dollars undisturbed. 

This formula has been operational all across Urhoboland. While the oil-bearing communities retard in development, the few saboteurs enrich themselves, laundering billions, building mansions out of the dirty business of sabotage they have entered with the oil companies. The story is told of a Dutch, a high officer in Shell, who visited Ogunu for the first time in those days and wondered whether this was the same Ogunu they hold in high reverence over there in Holland for its stake in the fortune of Shell and the Dutch economy itself. He had expected to see a city-state with high rise buildings, quality roads and massive infrastructure. What he saw were wretched looking people living in mud houses!

Whereas the representatives report to the headquarters that all is well and their people are in good state, they keep the largesse that is meant for the people to themselves and their collaborators.

To perpetuate this criminal procedure, the companies and these evil representatives make themselves community kingmakers who must influence and decide who become the leaders of the communities, the qualification being willingness to cooperate with the existing status quo of sabotage and betrayal. 

The best example of this practice is the Utorogu Gas Plant hosted by the three communities of Iwhrekan, Otughievwen and Otorudu. The Plant is the largest in sub Saharan Africa and a strategic component of Nigeria's energy source. 

With transparency and due diligence, the whole of Ughievwen 32 communities and Udu 33 communities should feel enormous positive impact of that company. Even more so, the three immediate communities should be mini cosmopolitan cities of their own. But what you find there are mud houses, inhabited by helpless voiceless subalterns, stricken by poverty, through the devises, not of God or nature, but evil men who for their belly have sold out the rights of their people. These callous saboteurs build mansions sandwiched between these rickety houses, so that they are close enough to the Gas Plant and to the largesse that flow from it daily. 

It is these saboteurs in collusion with the oil companies that are the real problems of Urhoboland. That they live on the blood and fortune of their people is not only a dent to their alleged integrity, but a sure visa to hell whenever the clock ticks for them to depart this earthly plane with their evil legacies. 

Eyara Community is just about 3km away from the Utorogu Gas Plant. An oil well which had gone dry for about three decades has suddenly become viable. A company which deliberately left itself nameless, without a signpost or any clue whatsoever, got the Eyara Community Chairman and some easy-to-deceive and greedy layabouts, and before you could say Jack Robinson, equipment had been moved to site and drilling commenced, with full armed military personnel stationed at the gate to intimidate any justice seeker. Not even a simple courtesy of calling for a meeting with community stakeholders at the Townhall for formal introduction of intent as visitors, and engagement, followed by negotiations, were deemed fit. All relations were done through the gullible community chairman, one Mr Etawarien Gbogbo, who, it is doubtful, can produce proof of a secondary school certificate.

Mr Gbogbo is certainly not acting alone. He is in collusion with few members of his cult, a gang of community saboteurs who can now afford permanent rooms in air-conditioned hotels paid for by the company. 

Mr Gbogbo acting as spokesperson for the company called a meeting in which he announced the sum of 15 Million Naira as community fund to the community. No document was given to support this statement. He then distributed this amount both to himself, his Exco and the community hierarchy according to a formula designed and arranged by himself. 

The company through the same Etawarien Gbogbo, in a way to placate the exploited citizens, managed to engage only about 20 people from the community as "employees" - but only as ghost workers! They are prohibited from going beyond certain bounds within the yard, apparently so they do not gain hands-on-experience and acquire skills required to operate the equipment. They are only to report to the food vendor to sign in their names for breakfast and lunch, which guarantees them a salary of three hundred thousand naira per month, and two meals daily.  That list will then be submitted to the headquarters as proof that they have employed members of the community as staff who come to "work" daily. 

The gullible youths who see the three hundred  thousand naira pay as windfall now no longer consider the loss of skill incurred  in remaining  as ghost workers. They also do not care that their Yoruba and Igbo counterparts who are engaged as Staff earn over four times that pay along with privileges attached and experience gained. 

Here is another shocker! The company has no direct dealings with these community ghost workers - whose status, as they see them, are not better than rabbits and goats. And so the company pays their salaries to the same Community Chairman Etawarien Gbogbo, who would then cut out his own chunk before transferring to individual accounts. 

These issues are not only traumatizing, they are also nauseating. And to imagine that among Mr Gbogbo's collaborators is one who poses around as a human rights activist makes the saga even more disgusting. 

It is also truly disappointing that the Ughievwen monarchy, the President General as well as other Ughievwen respected leaders have been ball-watching while this trend is perpetuated. I think institutions all over the world are put in place to check excesses and wrongs such as these. Otherwise, they lose their relevance and propriety.

Definitely, all legal processes will be explored to check this menace for the right thing to be done. The helpless old woman in Eyara Community, the elder who can no longer go to the farm, the indigent student whose dream is to be educated, the untarred road in the community etc., all these must feel the positive blessings of the possession of oil in their land. The oil is not meant to masturbate the account of some riffraffs who would enrich themselves and their cronies at the expense of the collective good. 

_*Emmanuel Ogheneochuko Arodovwe is from Eyara Community in Ughievwen, Delta State.*_

emmaochuko@gmail.com

The Merged Absence and Presence of Asupa Forteta and Julius Pondi_By: Dr. Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Presence births and foregrounds absence  in the architecture of man's journey on earth. Integrally, presence and absence are often part of human existence. The  impactful presence of presence and the impactful presence of absence in  the affairs of man, particularly political affairs, is deeply felt. In the political journeys of Hon. Asupa Peter Forteta and Rt. Hon. Dr. Julius Pondi the impactful echoes of presence and absence tell differing stories rooted in the developmental commitment of the two politicians clearly situated and distinguished by their ideologies of grass roots developmental empowerment through execution of meaningful development projects in their constituencies of representation in the State House of Assembly for the former and House of Representatives for the latter in their legislative engagements.

Vacation of a political or representational space occasioned by electorally imposed absence  is usually celebrated by people  who see the vacuum as a good riddance to a destabilising inhibition or barricade. With pomp and pageantry the vacated space is celebrated with triumphal dance steps. This is triumphally done even where the victim of the vacated space views it through the lens of hibernation.

Lovers of proverbs are not in a hurry to forget that whenever the flood grows too furious, the wisdom-laden Epain tree only lowers its head for the flood to pass over. The Epain emerges after the flood's ferocious fury. However, there are special  cases where absence causes regrets, pains and thoughts of deliberate repentant moves to bring back absence from the vacated space when 'karmically' battered by the cold and heat of the imposed absence.This is exactly how Asupa Forteta 's absence from the representative space is viewed in Burutu politics.

Hon. Asupa Forteta was the representative of Burutu North Constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly who lost his re-election bid in 2023. In his representational days meaningful development projects were legislatively attracted to the communities at the grass roots level. For communities like Akparemogbene, Oyangbene, Gogigbene, Ogbobabougbene and other communities developmentally marginalised for decades, they were given corresponding developmental attention. With the vacation of the space of representation by Hon. Forteta, these communities have receded developmentally. 

Days do appear and disappear like phoenix. With every new day that comes and goes, these communities recite poems of lamentation because there is nobody to carry their afflictions to be sunk in the river so they can rise like the radiant morning sun. Asupa Forteta 's absence has become the breeding ground of developmental afflictions and obscurities. Contrarily, absence has become a river of afflictions and regrets where it is a bliss celebrated in some societies with triumphal abandon.

Asupa Forteta's absence daily hurts the masses because the road to the dividends of democracy seems clogged by water weeds that proliferate here and there. Where absence obtrusively hurts rather than heals the masses, some presence could equally cause havoc.

Developmental havoc is the word where presence wears the scary garment of absence. Yet some presence does heal  and place the masses on a progressive lane. This progressive lane is the one on which  Rt. Hon. Dr. Julius Pondi journeys always in his legislative business. 

Dr. Pondi is the person representing Burutu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives who is accustomed to using the language of development in his daily conversations. In Burutu Federal Constituency there are visible number of developmental project s legislatively influenced and activated by Dr. Pondi. Besides developmental projects, there are also empowerment schemes that revolve around women and youths in his Constituency. 

In Burutu Council there are accredited apostles of development. They are Forteta and Pondi. Pondi's and Forteta's identifiable development projects are not creations of Artificial Intelligence. The presence of Pondi is developmentally felt  in every part of Burutu Council as it has dwarfed the achievements of his predecessors in the legislative business of representation just as the presence of the absence of Forteta is appallingly felt 

Asupa is on  a developmental leave of hibernation to be back more developmentally equipped, though even in his absence his executed development projects announce and reinforce his presence like  Dr. Pondi's presence. Where Pondi daily signals his presence with projects, Forteta announces his presence from absence through his legacy development projects executed while he was still in power. For Asupa Forteta his developmental presence is felt through absence from the space of representation. For Julius Pondi his presence is announced by the presence of developmental projects. For Hon. Asupa and Rt. Hon. Dr. Julius Pondi, absence and presence tell stories of their acceptability and popularity by the people anytime they choose to  journey and fraternise with them on any developmental project. Asupa and Pondi are ideologically given to creation of developmental projects for their people through legislative intervention and influence.

Drawing inferences from the legislative  performance history of Forteta and Pondi, absence and presence are always yoked towards the betterment of  society. Already yoked, the transformation of absence into presence in alliance with the existing presence signalled by Pondi's verifiable development projects, better developmental results would be produced. 

Towards development, a political pact had long been awaited by keen observers of the political journeys of Forteta and Pondi. The anticipated pact of developmental breakthrough driven by effective, functional and result-oriented representation in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State is struck and confirmed when Hon. Asupa Forteta and Rt. Hon. Dr. Julius Pondi mutually create the space for absence and presence to journey together on one canoe where absence grows so radiant it transforms itself and gets merged with presence for synchronised articulation of two reinforced RADIANT PRESENCES  without deflection in Burutu politics.With such political pact mutually okayed and perfected based on the metamorphosis of absence into presence, multiple channels of development are bound to proliferate in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State

Opinion: "Warri Must Not Burn Again, Let Us be Wise Now so That Our Children will Not Curse Us Tomorrow"_By Kedikumo.E

I remember many years ago, when Warri was swallowed by fire.  

It was not a small quarrel; it was war in every sense.  

Houses burned until whole streets became ashes,  

families ran from the only homes they had ever known,  

and the cries of women and children filled the air.  

I saw neighbours turn against neighbours,  

and I saw friends become enemies overnight.  

It was a wound so deep that it stained the history of this land ...

and even now, the scars are still there for those who look closely.  

Today, as fresh reports of clashes between Itsekiri and Ijaw youths spread,  

memories of that dark period are returning.  

This is why it is important for us to pause and ask ourselves:  

what will we gain if this fight grows bigger?  

The truth is clear -- nobody wins a war between brothers.  

Only hunger, loss, and regret become the landlords.  

“When two brothers fight to the death,  

a stranger inherits their father’s house."

If we let this anger grow, outsiders will benefit from our pain  

while we are left picking the pieces of our own destruction.  

Right now, the whole country is going through hard times.  

Prices of food are high, jobs are scarce,  

and many families cannot afford three meals a day.  

Warri should be a place where people unite to survive these times,  

not a battlefield that worsens the hardship.  

When there is fighting, markets close,  

schools shut their doors,  

and businesses suffer heavy losses.  

Even oil companies -- the lifeblood of the Niger Delta economy 

slow down their work, and this affects everyone’s pocket.  

In truth, fighting now is like adding salt to an open wound.  

And we must remember that the Itsekiri and the Ijaw are not strangers to each other.  

They are neighbours, they live along the same streets,  

they marry into each other’s families,  

they work together in politics and business.  

If one community bleeds, the other feels the pain.  

If the violence spreads, it will not stay in one corner....

it will enter our homes and our hearts,  

leaving everyone worse off than before.  

Our elders say: “When the left hand washes the right hand,  

both hands become clean.” 

This is the truth -- only by working together can both sides find peace and progress.  

We must not let anger lead us into self-destruction,  

because when it is over,  

it is still the same land we will share,  

the same river we will fish from,  

and the same markets we will trade in.  

This fight, if it continues, is nothing more than a self-inflicted injury.  

It will take away our peace, our money, and our children’s future.  

And when war is over,  

the same people we are fighting today will still be our neighbours tomorrow.  

So I speak directly to the elders, the youths, and the leaders of both communities ...

call your people back.  

Drop the weapons.  

End the reprisals before they go any further.  

Talk to one another, forgive where you can,  

and let us find solutions through dialogue instead of blades and bullets.  

No matter how deep the hurt feels,  

peace is still cheaper than war.  

The road to war is short,  

but the journey back from war is long and full of suffering.  

Warri is our shared home.  

If we burn it, we all sleep in ashes.  

If we protect it, we all enjoy the shade of peace.  

Let us be wise now,  

so that our children will not curse us tomorrow.  

Let us choose peace -- today, not later..

because tomorrow may be too late.  

EBIKABOWEI KEDIKUMO ,- writes from Ayakoromo Town, Delta State

Featured Article: The Disappearing Market Square_By William Z. Bozimo

Once, the market square was more than a place of trade. It was the parliament of the poor, the university of the curious, the senate of elders, and the playground of children. Beneath the iroko tree, disputes were settled, wisdom was shared, and songs of ancestry were rehearsed for yet another generation. 

Today, the market square is vanishing, not in bricks or dust, but in spirit. The chatter of dialogue has been replaced by the noise of decrees. Where stories once danced like palm wine in the calabash, billboards now scream promises no one intends to keep. The drum that called the people has been silenced by modern loudspeakers that sell propaganda.

The tragedy is not that the square has now disappeared, but that only a few actually notice it ever existed. We have traded the sacred circle of community for the cold geometry of digital platforms. Dialogue has been reduced to just hashtags, and the elders' wisdom is completely drowned in the flood of soundbites. Where people once gathered to hold leaders liable, it is now sadly replaced with online scroll, comment, follow, like, share, and move on.

A nation without a market square is like a nation without a mirror. For it was there that the farmer measured his worth against the weaver, also, the hunters analogised against the fisherman, and the chief against the commoner. In the absence of this mirror, we live in shadows and our leaders will be speaking to empty halls and citizens will be shouting into voids.

But history reminds us that every community needs its square. Athens had its Agora, the Ijaw their council beneath the moonlight, the Igbo their village assembly. These were not places simply built in ancient architectural styles, they were lifelines. Without them, power becomes arrogant, and the people become voiceless.

To restore our disappearing market square is not to rebuild a new physical place, but to rekindle a culture of listening, speaking truth without fear, and reminding our executives that the crown belongs not to the head, but to the people who fashioned it. For if the market square dies, so does the memory of who we are as a people. 

“When the market square loses its voice, power no longer listens, it only announces. A nation without dialogue becomes a stage where actors shout but no audience remains.”

William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

Amnesty: Otuaro visits Julius Berger, PrimeTech to Unlock New Economic Opportunities for Niger Delta Ex-agitators

 

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr. Dennis Otuaro, on Sunday, paid a working visit to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc AFP Furniture Showroom and PrimeTech offices in Abuja. The visit was aimed at exploring strategic collaborations that will open new frontiers of skills training for beneficiaries of the programme.

The discussions focused on harnessing opportunities in high-quality furniture and woodwork, as well as sustainable architectural design and engineering solutions built on global standards. The initiative is designed to equip ex-agitators and other beneficiaries with modern technical expertise that enhances employability, fosters entrepreneurship, and positions them to thrive in an evolving economy.

Dr. Otuaro, speaking during the visit, highlighted that the partnership drive reflects the PAP’s vision of human capital development and meaningful reintegration. He explained that reputable institutions like Julius Berger and PrimeTech bring to the table not only state-of-the-art facilities but also mentorship and innovative technologies that can redefine the future of beneficiaries.

According to Otuaro, said:

" UNLOCKING NEW ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE NIGER DELTA

Intentional skill development remains one of the critical and viable components of human capital development that enables fast-paced regional and national economic growth. Consequently, it was an exhilarating moment yesterday as I visited the Julius Berger Nigeria Plc AFP Furniture Showroom and PrimeTech in Abuja to explore opportunities for high-quality training in furniture making, woodwork, as well as sustainable architectural design and engineering solutions, as we look forward to activating another stream of high-end skill acquisition and empowerment scheme under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), designed for ex-agitators and beneficiaries, and premised on global standards. I am confident that these partnerships will unlock new dimensions of skilled entrepreneurs and workmen and women, fostering job creation and the economic prosperity of our people.

“Our goal is to provide world-class opportunities that empower our beneficiaries to become builders of prosperity, not just for themselves, but for the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large,” the statement added.

However, the move marks another milestone in the PAP’s renewed efforts to broaden post-training empowerment schemes, creating pathways for beneficiaries to transition seamlessly into productive ventures and contribute significantly to the socio-economic transformation of their communities.

Just-ln: Warri ljaw Stakeholders Urges Gov. Oborevwori to call Warri South LGA Chairman to Order, Demand lnvestigation of Warri Area Commander over Removal of Pere of Ogbe-ljoh 10th Coronation Anniversary Banner

The Warri Ijaw community stakeholders have condemned in the strongest terms the provocative and unlawful removal of the coronation anniversary banner of His Royal Majesty, King Couple Mackson Oromoni, Monbene III, Pere Amakosu of Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, which was taken down at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) area of Warri by police officers in company with Itsekiri youths, allegedly acting with the support of Hon. Weyinmi Isaac Agbateyiniro, Chairman of Warri South Local Government Area.

Investigation, Prosecution, and Sack of Officers

The stakeholders demand:

A full and transparent investigation into the roles of the police officers, Itsekiri youths, and the LGA Chairman.

Prosecution of all culprits for their part in this provocative act.

The immediate sack, transfer, or disciplinary action against the Area Commander or any senior police officer who gave the order for police to escort Itsekiri youths in carrying out this illegality.

Call on the Governor

They further call on Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, to urgently call the Warri South LGA Chairman, Hon. Weyinmi Isaac Agbateyiniro, to order before his actions plunge Warri and its environs into another round of crisis.

The stakeholders stressed that the Ijaws are not cowards and will not fold their arms while their culture and traditional institutions are repeatedly disrespected.

Reminder from History

The group reminded agitators of the painful memories of the 1997 and 2003 Warri crises, which caused immense bloodshed and destruction. They warned that those too young to remember should ask their elders about the dangers of fueling ethnic strife.

Cultural Significance

They noted that the coronation anniversary of the Pere of Ogbe-Ijoh is a sacred cultural event that represents peace, unity, and heritage for the Ijaw people. Any attempt to undermine it is an attack on the dignity of the Ijaw nation and a threat to communal harmony.

Final Demands

1. Immediate sack/transfer of the Area Commander or any officer who authorized the police escort of Itsekiri youths.

2. Full prosecution of all culprits involved.

3. Accountability of Hon. Weyinmi Isaac Agbateyiniro and Warri South LGA for any crisis that may result.

4. Urgent intervention by Governor Oborevwori to prevent further provocation.

5. Neutrality of security agencies in handling inter-communal matters.

Signed:

Tariwei Goodman Ebi 

Chairman

Ebiwie Godfrey

Secretary

Burutu PDP Hails Former Delta Deputy Governor, Kingsley Otuaro for Standing Firm With PDP

The People Democratic Party, PDP, Burutu LGA Chapter has commend His Excellency, Dcn Barr Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Delta State for debunking media reports linking him with the All Progressive Congress, APC.

 With this denial, it is now clear to mischievous minds that the former Deputy Governor of Delta State (2015-2023) is a bonafide member of the People's Democratic Party in Delta State.

The Burutu PDP Chairman Comr. Jackson Agbor on behalf of the party commends Otuaro for his integrity, steadfastness, and dedication to excellence, and his avowed commitment to the ideals of the People's Democratic Party, despite the subtle attempt to sway him. You have proven to be an ideological politician, a trait uncommon to leaders in developing countries.

The Burutu PDP will be very pleased and delighted to work with you assiduously tapping from your wealth of knowledge as a consummate politician, inorder to deliver the candidates of the People's Democratic Party in all levels of elective positions in the 2027 general elections.

We look forward to working with His Excellency, Barr.(DCN) Kinsley Burutu Otuaro, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Delta State.

Cyril Arogbo, 

Publicity Secretary,

PDP Burutu Local Government Area.

Ozobo commends Dr Otuaro for deploying over 142 students for postgraduate studies abroad, others to Nigeria varsities

Renowned Niger Delta activist Comrade Ozobo Austin, popularly known as the king of the dragons has praised Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro, Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), for deploying over 142 beneficiaries to pursue postgraduate studies in the United Kingdom. 

He said Dr Dennis Otuaro has given a face left to the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty programme for ex-agitators which was completely bastardized by the previous administrations, urging critical stakeholders to throw their weight behind Dr Otuaro to implement his reforms and programmes.

While commending him, Ozobo said Dr Otuaro is detribalised, accommodating, most friendly and performing administrator of the programme, adding that the PAP beneficiaries, critical stakeholders and all Niger Delta youths should encourage him to do more for the beneficiaries of the program.

He also appealed to people with genuine concerns and challenges to approach him through the appropriate channels, adding he is ever ready to address every genuine concerns so far the presidential Amnesty programme is concerned.

Ozobo, alias the senior advocate of the Niger Delta oppressed people urged Dr Dennis Otuaro to continue his good works and should not listen to the campaign of calumny by sponsored voices by enemies of Niger Delta, adding that he should be rest assured that all well-being meaning Niger Delta people were behind him.

The activist further congratulated the successful abroad scholarship delegates, urging them to use the opportunity to build their future and avoid activities that will make them to be repatriated by foreign authorities.

Recall,  Dr. Otuaro earlier emphasised that the students were carefully placed in competitive and professional courses designed to contribute to socio-economic growth, aligning with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, adding that the initiative aimed to bridge the human capital development gap in the Niger Delta region.

However, at the flag-off event, the beneficiaries expressed gratitude to PAP for the opportunity, promising to make good use of the training and serve as worthy ambassadors of their families, communities, and the Niger Delta. Some officials, including the Technical Assistant to the PAP Administrator, Edgar Daniel, and the Head of PAP's Education Department, Dr. Charles Ariye, delivered talks on social and cultural challenges, diplomatic and security considerations, and academic demands of studying in the UK.

The programme has also distributed laptops to scholarship recipients to support their research and academic work abroad. PAP's focus on human capital development in the Niger Delta region is expected to yield long-term benefits, contributing to the area's socio-economic advancement.

Ozobo's commendation speaks volumes of the positive impact of PAP's efforts under Dr. Otuaro's leadership.

The Man Dennis Otuaro and Tinubu's Agenda_By: Enewaridideke Ekanpou Ph.D.

Chief Dr. Dennis Otuaro is well known in all the communities that make up the Niger Delta. He is a young man from Gbaramatu and Obotebe kingdoms in Delta State who has brought fame to Nigeria right from the day of his appointive engagement as the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Even at the embryonic stage of his engagement, he has already outperformed his older predecessors in the PAP office through his innovative and dedicated touch to all the programmes geared towards the success of the PAP. Dr Otuaro commands a performance success story that outshines Okonkwo of Umuofia in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. In Otuaro one can locate the landmarks of a farmer and welder at work with the right tools.

The Renewed Hope Agenda of President  Bola Ahmed Tinubu is multi-faceted. Multi-faceted, the implementation framework of the agenda is pragmatically engaged at various levels by political appointees, ministries, commissions, parastatals, agencies and departments that constitute the Nigerian government.Tinubu needs reliable personalities to drive his Renewed Hope Agenda at the different strata of society so that the masses can feel the impacts of the envisioned and gradually implemented reforms in the economy of Nigeria. Predictably, engagement of  reliable personalities   would create spaces of honey-like endearment for Mr President  in the execution of his transformative policies. Like High Chief Dr. Tompolo and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Otuaro does exactly this in varied colours and shapes when viewed from  observations tied to his pragmatic moves within the confines of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

Otuaro is a study in multiple performance shapes about whom every observer goes home with a uniquely different story. He is the whale in job-performance whose 'performance meat' is inexhaustible and to whom everyone journeys as a dependable supportive frame. He welds humans and resources to Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda with his many programmes. He clears and ploughs a mechanised farm for thousands of Niger Deltans  to work on and have a sustainable source of income to negotiate the economic undulations in the country. As a metaphorical welder and farmer he works vigorously for the success of Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.

 Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda is meaningless and unworkable without the performance  inputs of Otuaro and others who work from different appointed directions to guarantee the success of it. On scholarship, training, empowerment and human resources development and orientation seminars, Otuaro dishes out the right radiations. He always awakens Niger Deltans to the right path away from restiveness and criminal thoughts because it is only such orientation engagements that can eliminate crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria.

 Otuaro always engages his assigned Amnesty work with the professionalism and certainty of a welder with the right tools.He provides the spaces for people to be trained in Nigeria and outside Nigeria depending on the availability of the preferred course of study. These educational spaces are created through rigorous processes that recognise capability and intelligence, without the tendencies of nepotism infused into the exercise. This transparent and merit-based approaches endear Tinubu to Niger Deltans as they are welded to the Renewed Hope Agenda through the capacity-building engagement programmes mapped out in the PAP. 

As a welder does his work excellently and expects good results from the welded rods so does  Otuaro anticipate great results from his engagement tasks because the capacity-building and educational advancement programmes are seen as welded connecting rods that bring President Tinubu and the Niger Deltans together as progressive partners committed to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

A farmer frequently goes to farm with the right implements to clear and prepare the land for the planting of seeds. A well cleared and ploughed soil quickens seed-germination with a highly productive dance in yields. Like a dedicated farmer, Otuaro has cleared and ploughed large hectares of land for the Amnesty beneficiaries to be differently engaged for their economic and educational advancement. The various empowerment and skills acquisition programmes the Amnesty beneficiaries are exposed to by  Otuaro become the equivalent of his envisioned mechanised operations on the cleared and ploughed land for agricultural revolution. For anything Otuaro does in the PAP, he always produces a better version when comparatively viewed against past records of others in similar positions.

In the language of figuration at the job-performance level,  Otuaro appears irrevocably glued to an avowal to make the Renewed Hope Agenda ring transformative bells at the grass roots level so that the impacts of Tinubu's  visible reforms in monetary and fiscal policies, oil and gas sectors of the Nigerian economy can be felt in positive dimensions. Both as a welder and farmer on job-performance, as metaphorically attested to by Otuaro's principled approach to the Presidential Amnesty Programme, even the children of socially inhibited and degraded parents who have no privileged connecting rods at the corridors of power are offered spaces of participation in the scholarship programmes. The principled devotedness of Dr. Otuaro parallels welders and farmers who do their work excellently. 

In job-performance  Otuaro cuts the image of a welder and farmer. As a welder and farmer, Dennis Otuaro has become a dependable vehicle of President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda.

Well-built, sophisticated and dependable vehicles are needed for the transportation of Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda in Nigeria.  Otuaro has one of such sophisticated vehicles purposely built to do both the work of a welder and farmer in his various PAP engagement programmes. If Dr. Otuaro drives Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda through metaphorically varied clothes of a welder and farmer, teleguided narratives created to demarket Otuaro and render him jobless before the statutory expiration of his tenure are a mere envy-laden diversion likely to make him more popular as the Amnesty boss with a clear vision and mission.The canoe of Otuaro will never never recede to nautical miles of obscurity however the proliferation of teleguided negative narratives on the Amnesty boss.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Akparemogbene, Delta State

Nepal's lnterim PM, Justice Karki Vows to End Corruption, Calls for Calm and Cooperation from Citizens

Former chief justice, Sushila Karki, urged "calm and cooperation" after days of violent protests. Authorities said at least 72 people were killed in anti-corruption protests that led to the ousting of government.

Newly appointed first female interim Prime Minister, Sushila Karki,

said she would stay in office no longer than 6 months.

Nepal's interim Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, on Sunday called for "calm and cooperation to rebuild" the Himalayan nation after deadly anti-corruption protests erupted, in which at least 72 people were killed.

The former chief justice vowed to follow protesters' demands to "end corruption" after "Gen Z" youth demonstrations ousted her predecessor.

What interim Prime Minister Karki said;

"We have to work according to the thinking of the Gen Z generation," said Sushila Karki, in her first public comments since taking office on Friday.

"What this group is demanding is end of corruption, good governance and economic equality," she added. "You and I have to be determined to fulfil that."

Activists had used the Discord app to name Karki as their choice of leader, a process Karki acknowledged.

"The situation that I have come in, I have not wished to come here. My name was brought from the streets," Karki said.

The interim leader said she would not remain in the position long and promised to hand power to the next government.

"We will not stay here more than six months in any situation, we will complete our responsibilities and pledge to hand over to the next parliament and ministers," she added, in a national address.

President Ram Chandra Poudel dissolved parliament and set March 5 as the date for elections based on the recommendation of the new prime minister.

What sparked the protests:

A social media ban by ousted Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli's government led to the violent protests that left at least 72 people dead in two days of violent protests.

A further 191 were injured according to the government's chief secretary Eaknarayan Aryal. 

Despite the ban being withdrawn, unrest raged on over broader issues concerning Nepal's prolonged economic woes.

Subsequently, thousands of young protesters used social media and chat platform Discord to install Karki as their next leader.

It was the worst unrest since the end of a decade-long civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.

Opinion: When the Elders Stop Speaking_By William Z. Bozimo

In every civilization, the elders are the living libraries, the walking archives of memory, and the custodians of wisdom gathered from storms survived and seasons endured. They are the bridges between yesterday and tomorrow, between the stubborn truth of history and the fragile hope of the youth. But today, too many elders sit in silence.

Some have been bought by comfort, their wisdom traded for pensions and patronage. Others are chained by fear, remembering what the state did to those who dared to speak too loudly. Still others are drowned out by the endless noise of a generation that scrolls faster than it listens. A society where the elders stop speaking is a society where the youth inherit echoes instead of guidance. 

They stumble through the same mistakes their fathers made, building houses on the same sinking sands, and fighting wars whose futility should have been lessons, not legacies. Silence, in this sense, is not golden, it is dangerous. Our history teaches us that when elders conversed, kingdoms shifted. A proverb could halt a war. A tale by the fireside could teach a child loyalty, courage, and restraint. 

But when that voice is absent, the gap is often filled by entertainers, propagandists, and charlatans who claim to have wisdom without ever experiencing the harsh realities of life and situations that make them authorities in certain aspects. The result is chaos dressed as culture, and ignorance sold as innovation. What is the worth of longevity if it produces no testimony? 

What is the significance of having white hair if it brings no counsel? The wrinkle on the elder’s face is not just a marker of age; it is a line of scripture written by life itself. To hoard it in silence is to deny the nation its scripture. Yet, the burden is not only on the elders. The youth, too, must learn again to listen because even the greatest griot is useless if no one bends an ear. 

The bridge cannot stand if one side refuses to cross. Let the elders speak again without fear, without any price, and without the temptation to flatter power. Let the youth demand their voices, not in nostalgia but in necessity. The people who silence their elders are often those who choose blindness, walking into the future with no lantern but arrogance.

The day the elders stop speaking is the day a nation begins to forget itself. And a nation that often forgets itself does not need enemies because someday, it will devour itself. May the ignorance of individuals not engulf them.

William Z. Bozimo

Veteran Journalist | Columnist | National Memory Keeper

PAP seeks NCC partnership on beneficiaries' empowerment, as Otuaro describes move to ensure national growth and development

 

PRESS RELEASE 

PAP Seeks NCC Partnership On Beneficiaries' Empowerment

The Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has sought the partnership of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on engagement opportunities for some ex-agitators and beneficiaries of the programme.

Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NCC in Abuja, Dr Aminu Maida, on Thursday, the PAP Administrator, Dr Dennis Otuaro, said that the commission's support would bolster the PAP's post-training empowerment scheme.

Otuaro said there are ex-agitators and beneficiaries of the programme with the requisite qualifications and skills that the commission can employ and enable them to contribute to national growth and development.

According to him, there are many of them who had successfully completed their formal educational and vocational trainings in relevant fields as part of the PAP's effort at human capacity development.

He described them as potential human resources that can be harnessed for the socio-economic advancement of the Niger Delta and indeed the country.

The PAP helmsman said, "We are on a mission to seek support and collaboration with government agencies like the NCC to see how some of them can be engaged so that they can contribute their quota to national development.

"The whole scope of the programme centres on national and human security where the beneficiaries are trained in formal education and vocational skills, including information technology. Many persons have been trained in various professional fields.

"So far, we have over 18000 persons that have been trained. These are potential human resources that should be harnessed for national development. By the design of the programme, we have the post-training, employment and empowerment component.

"So we have an army of human resources that will contribute to national growth when engaged. We also have persons with doctors of philosophy (PhDs) that can be easily engaged, and that is the essence of the human capacity development that we carry out."

In his remarks, the NCC boss expressed the commission's commitment to providing support and equal opportunities to people without bias, stressing that there should also be evidence of value from interventions.

Maida said the commission was poised to carry out its mandate as a regulatory agency while ensuring access to digital connectivity by all citizens.

He, however, called for infrastructure security against vandalism to protect digital assets and sustain digital connectivity across the country.

Signed:

Mr Igoniko Oduma

Special Assistant on Media to the Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme

14/09/2025.