LECTURE - Between advocacy and intervention: The sacrifices of Chief Demas Akpore

Text of speech by Abraham Ogbodo at the 16th edition of the Chief Demas Akpore Memorial Lecture Series held on December 15, 2023 in Government College, Ughelli, Delta State. INTRODUCTION I wouldn’t know what my friend Dr. Otive Igbuzor saw in me to warrant my conscription into this privileged venture. Agreed, I attended Orogun Grammar School, Orogun which Chief Demas Akpore founded in 1966 but I never enjoyed the privilege of close quarters encounter with him. He had left to become the principal of Government College, Ughelli when I entered in 1975. I confess, however, that his shadows were still everywhere in the school and it didn’t look like he was completely absent. We felt him on campus and everywhere in the larger Orogun community. And here I am today before this beautiful and elevated audience to speak about a man that I never met one-on-one but who has remained an unceasing source of inspiration to me and many others. The temptation in instances like this is to wax academic and plunge into the knowledge jungle to excavate well made descriptions and historical parallels to establish the subject-matter who, to me, is not a distant phenomenon. He is still large in the memory of this generation and will be even in the generation next. I have therefore decided to stick to my simple content and what I personally witnessed about Chief Demas Akpore. In other words, the topic: BETWEEN ADVOCACY AND INTERVENTION: THE SACRIFICES OF DEMAS AKPORE is most practical. It is to say in a nutshell that instead of talking, Chief Akpore chose working. Or to dress it in semantic elegance, he walked his talk. Let me also add that I was not constrained in any way to move in this direction. Although not a point, I was granted the poetic licence by the Great Otive to voice in any direction and I have gladly settled for this. The summary of this venture is the deconstruction of the Akpore phenomenon to make it look as simple as ABC. This is the 16th edition of this lecture series which means this initiative has been running for 15 unbroken years. The originators, Dr. Otive Igbuzor and his amiable wife, Ejiro, deserve our applause. The commitment and tenacity they have shown in driving this initiative year in, year out, is uncommon. I thank you both for your steadfastness. I may have to do working definitions of the two keywords – advocacy and intervention. Advocacy is the persuasive communication to prepare the ground. It is the framing of the issues into achievable tasks. Intervention is specific performance to deal with the framed issues. For instance, if the issue is the high rate of illiteracy in society, the advocacy will centre on the need to build and equip schools to impart quality education. Beyond advocacy is intervention. Each has its place. Intervention starts from where advocacy stops. But when advocacy is endless and perpetually holds back intervention from setting in, the situation yields to a completely different description and challenge. It becomes lamentation which is an open expression of helplessness as a result of either inability or unwillingness to combine available factors to turn around ugly conditions. THE DILEMA AND AKPORE’S CHOICE This is the crux of the matter. Simple as it may seem, the application of advocacy and intervention in proportionate measures makes all the difference in the game of life. It is actually what defines the progressiveness of the Western Hemisphere. This is how the average Caucasian approaches the game. After articulating the issues in a sustained advocacy, he rises up to the challenge of walking the talk. Take the COVID 19 pandemic for instance. The intensive advocacy that attended the outbreak only established the lethality of the pandemic and nothing more. Until vaccines were developed to contain the surge, merely talking about how infectious the disease was and its high mortality rate did not change the fatal statistics. People were dying in their thousands. Impact is made when things are done. When things are discussed, hope is created. Hope is, however, finite within the context of what is in contemplation and when things remain perpetually at the level of discussion or hope without impact, there is a precipitation of anxiety that turns hope into despair and even fear. Consequently, confidence is destroyed as every description becomes empty marketing without products for sale. What is more painful is that talking is the standard in our part of the world. Everybody seems to understand what should be done to create realities from dream but nobody follows up with the initiative to do what should be done. This is even more so in the political leadership where sagacity is measured by the degree of failures against promises. Indeed the interpretation of public service in Nigeria is most weird. It is seen as the shortest route to a socio-economic breakthrough which is why people mortgage everything to prosecute election and roll out in massive celebration upon victory. They go for thanksgiving; not necessarily to thank God for providing them the opportunity to serve but to say their investments were not in vain after all. I note, however, that it has not always been so. It is the reason we talk of the good old days that created the Akpore phenomenon. Talking about Chief Akpore is like opening an endless book or trying to crack a mystery. It is extremely difficult to understand his motivations. They went beyond altruism, philanthropy or even patriotism. For want of a better description, I will say he was the man who gave everything to humanity and asked for nothing in return. The man is not strange to people of my generation and a few generations below me. And except now that the teaching of history has become forbidden in school, every secondary school child should know a thing or two about Chief Demas Akpore who was the Deputy Governor of old Bendel State from 1979 to 1983. Notwithstanding and for the benefit of those who might not have followed up adequately on Chief Akpore, I beg to recap. He was born on August 4, 1928 by Mrs Etavwota Itedjere Akpore-Idise (Nee Agbonmiyeri) of Kokori Inland to Chief Itedjere Akpore-Idise of Orogun town in present day Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State. He had his primary education at CMS Primary School, Warri between 1937 and 1944. He was at Government College, Ughelli between 1945 and 1950. In 1951, he was admitted to the University College, Ibadan now University of Ibadan and left in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in Classics. At graduation in 1956, Chief Akpore was only eight years behind the first ever graduate from Urhobo land, Chief Gabriel Macneil Ejaife who returned from Durham in UK in 1948 with a post-graduate diploma in education after a first degree at Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone. It would be absolutely safe, therefore, to say that Chief Demas Akpore ranked among the first 10 university graduates in Urhobo land. He followed up with a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia in 1958. Let me now ask: How many were they then; near and far, that could equate the description of M.A Classics? This brings me straight to the main point. Here was a man who with his master’s degree in 1958 could literally own the world and be anywhere he wanted to be. He could join UAC, John Holt, SCOA, CFAO, etc and become a Chief Executive Officer in almost instantly but he didn’t. He could join the civil service and in the very next promotion become permanent secretary with all the attendant privileges - expansive living quarters, big car, and retinue of domestic servants, all-expenses paid regular over sea trips, power/influence peddling and endless patronage – but he did not. In fact, with a background in Latin, the United Nations or the Commonwealth would have made him an automatic under secretary-general in readiness to becoming the ultimate - Secretary-general. But that was not on his mind. Rather, what was on his mind was to return to develop his Orogun community. And because he did that, generations after him, including mine, had the privilege of an enablement in this hostile planet. I want us to take a breath, cast our minds back and get the perspective right. In 1966 when Chief Demas Akpore founded Orogun Grammar, the number of secondary schools in the entire Delta Province was perhaps far less than the number we have today in Ughelli North Local Government Area alone. I can add that many who couldn’t make it beyond primary school way back then never planned to fail. Failure was imposed, a kind of force majeure that made victims completely helpless. Yearly secondary school enrolments far outstripped the carrying capacities of the available schools and it became a Darwinian game where the not-too strong never enjoyed any form of protection or official affirmation. This was also the period when knowing a secondary school principal was like knowing the president of a country. The secondary school principal was in fact more important than the president whose schedule of duty did not include putting a child in secondary school. The principals enjoyed a small window of discretion which made them extraordinary in the scheme. More or less, they exercised power of life and death in the matter of access to secondary education. One man saw all of these social constraints and decided to act. Let me also say that, it would have been more convenient for Chief Akpore to lay back and join the usual clarion calls on government to build more schools to address the situation. Armed with a Master’s Degree in Classics, he could invent all the compelling communication, written and spoken to place the responsibility entirely on government. He did not. Instead, he relocated to Orogun of 1966 to found a secondary school to address the big issue of the day. Even now, I still find it difficult to understand the spirit of altruism that fired Chief Akpore to forgo all the juicy alternatives and stay back in Orogun to build and nurture a secondary school from scratch to fruition. Orogun town as it is today, that is 57 years after the advent of Akpore and with all the gains in time and space (development), not too many of us seated here right now would be ready to live in it and work conscientiously for posterity the way Chief Akpore did 57 years ago. Rather, we crave to settle in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin, Warri, Sapele, Asaba and such other places that guarantee much more than a rural and peasant economy that Orogun was and still largely is. Kindly permit the emphasis. Orogun of 1966 did not have public electricity, portable water, telephone and good access road. While persons in his class and even much lower bestrode private and public sectors’ bureaucracies as permanent secretaries, directors and managers, Chief Akpore was in Orogun enduring mosquito bites and other environmental hazards to give opportunity to young persons of different orientations and inclinations. Let me remind us once more that we are talking of a man who had a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Classics in 1956 and 1958 respectively. Who else could be better educated within the national space of that time outside perhaps the Great Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe? But even as the ultimate Big Boss, Chief Akpore did not enjoy any special privileges. In Orogun Grammar School, he was founder, principal and a classroom teacher. Outside money, he had invested massively his intellectual resources into his mission to give the new school an adoring uniqueness. Latin was part of the subject bouquet. We may not know what that meant because the language is today considered dead. But know this moment that at some point in the history of western education, this English language that is so entrenched today, was vernacular, exactly the same way that the British colonialists described our local languages when they came. The actual language of scholarship was Latin and that was the language Chief Akpore gave the early boys and girls of Orogun Grammar free of charge! Just how many of the secondary schools at that time offered Latin to certificate level? There is something else I want to reveal about Latin. The English language derived largely from Latin which also formed the basis of English Grammar. Over all, a degree holder in Latin is a better grammarian and speaker of English than a degree holder in English. I can see why, with Chief Akpore, it had to be Orogun GRAMMAR School and not Orogun Secondary School or Orogun College. Going forward, those that didn’t attend a grammar school should please note the huge difference. In addition to all the known and unknown qualities of Chief Akpore, he was English grammar personified. DEVELOPMENT IS DELIBERATE, INTENTIONAL AND NOT HAPHAZARD The point must be further underscored that nothing will be achieved if nothing is done. Even with the most grace, prosperity cannot be gratuitous. It is a consequence of positively coordinated efforts. Therefore, those who wish to get something from nothing, are themselves, enemies of society. As lawyers would say: Nemo dat quod no habet. You cannot put something on nothing. The only economy that is given is the natural economy. Even so, it has to be preserved and protected by deliberate efforts. Every other economy is a derivative of the natural economy through a combination of the given factors such as natural resources and the human imagination. This means that what we call economic activities that create wealth, are triggered by decisions of men and women. Take for instance the English Premiership and any other major football league in the world. The soccer leagues are multi-billion (and perhaps in the trillion dollar threshold) because somebody somewhere related passion with money making and decided to develop and market the sport into what it is today. Outside football, sports generally, is a big and ever growing economy. Sporting activities have no other utility outside excitement. They have only been repackaged by creative minds to make the arising excitement exclusive and accessible to only those that can pay for it. It is called value addition in production science. Same can be said of entertainment which, in traditional African societies, is served free in village squares during festivals and special occasions. For instance, how much of an economy has been created around the Uwheru traditional wrestling competitions? Yet, I can say with near precision that the fast selling wrestling associations in the United States and elsewhere including the Japanese sumo wrestlers might have begun like the Uwheru wrestling festival. Somebody intervened to deliberately harness the energies, exuberance and if you like, tendencies towards violence of youngsters, into regulated combats that can be sold as economic products. The point I am making is that development is like an object. Physics tells us that all objects are in a perpetual state of rest or inertia and shall forever remain so unless acted upon by an external force. That external force is the human factor. It is the initiative to offset the inertia and set things in motion for good purpose. Orogun Grammar School wouldn’t have germinated on its own if the factor of Akpore was lacking. Much as the community desired a secondary school back then, it would have remained a perpetual desire if Chief Demas Akpore did not act. Desires on their own strength do not translate to substance or measurable goals. Practical problems don’t get resolved when we merely speak to them or even pray about them. Not even the Pentecostal radical prayers of binding and casting can resolve things in a vacuum. It is not to say there are no miracles but the objective realities are different. So that it doesn’t get too diffused, I will situate the analogies. We talk today of youth unemployment and the resultant vices of restiveness, drug abusive and violent crime among youngsters. We can start this moment to organise symposia, conferences, seminars, prayer sessions and other talk shows till another one hundred years. All of these huge efforts shall only define the issues for intervention and if governments or good spirited individuals do not take practical steps as in building industries or creating an investment environment through good policies, the issues will not dissolve. Instead, they will fester and grow from bad to worse. Job opportunities do not exist in a vacuum. Neither are they like a game of chance that runs perpetually on probabilities. If you do well to create an economy through industrialisation and investments in social and physical infrastructure, the jobs will flow as direct consequences of these efforts. Just how many of you have visited the Orhomuru – Ugono axis lately? I should not fail to mention that development is composite. It means all the elements must be present in proportionate measures for the outcome to remain sustainable. It also means that physical development cannot be driven in isolation or outside of human development. It reminds me of the motto of the Man O War Movement. It reads: Build The Man, Build The Community. And note the sequence too. It is not build the community before building the man because a built man has near infinite capacity to build the community. On the other hand, situating an undeveloped man in a developed community is like co-habiting the beast with beauty. The arising incongruity will lead to a cancellation of values and take society backwards. Chief Demas Akpore chose to build the man. He refused even to build personal fortune with all the opportunities at his disposal to do so. He concentrated every time, talent and treasure he had in building the man. And the men and women he had built decades ago, have solidly come of age and they have been building great communities. CHIEF AKPORE UNDERSTOOD THE PURPOSE OF GOD From personal observation, I have come to understand that at the core of human problems is our refusal to understand the purpose of God in our lives. In absolute ignorance, we tend to think that life is all about ourselves and nothing about others. As a consequence, we seek to own the world instead of seeking to contribute to the world. In this context, I feel bold to proclaim that Chief Demas Akpore was one man that perfectly understood the purpose of God. He lived almost entirely for others. In giving the subject of economics an existential flavour, Lord John Maynard Keynes had warned that in the very long run, we shall all be dead. Death, as Shakespeare notes, is a necessary end that will come when it will come irrespective of what we think, what we are and where we are. And when death does come, what really outlives us is not our wealth. It is our name. Chief Akpore died on December 28, 1993. He was only 65 years. If we are here today to search for the wealth, in terms of cash and buildings that Chief Akpore left behind, I am afraid, we may not find much. Yet in death, this human icon has remained green and kept rising in value like the stocks of a well managed blue chip company. This immortality is not attributable to the wealth that this modest chief left behind. He bequeathed to humanity something much more and which has in turn given him an indestructible name. And so, I can go ahead to authoritatively proclaim to you that every man and woman on earth has two prized possessions; the soul and the name. At death, one is taken along and the other is left behind. Both are immortal. Just as the soul does not die, a name lives on and it can be remembered for either good or bad. Both are composite and also pair at the same moral degree. That is, a good soul nourishes a good name and a bad soul nourishes a bad name. In situating Chief Akpore in this context, I enjoin us to do exactly what applies in all empirical inquisitions. We shall move from the known to the unknown. The known here is Chief Akpore’s name and there is a complete consensus on this. The name is good. It is rich in morality and service to mankind. If this is so, it follows that Chief Akpore departed, as the cliché goes, this sinful world, with a good soul and he is this moment enjoying eternal peace in heaven. Even so, the responsibility of fair judgment in this matter does not lie entirely on humans. We must accept that the ranking is beyond human manipulation. You may steal, maim and kill innocent people to access resources to build schools, hospitals and churches to create an impression of goodness but in the end your soul would not be made to rise an inch higher from the doldrums of immorality by such seemingly acts of goodness. Chief Akpore lived a most worthy life. He was impeccably transparent. He was an embodiment of good morality. He did not give so much back to his community out of the abundance of ill-gotten wealth; he did out of love. With him, giving was a duty and it was like a dereliction of duty if he didn’t give so much back. CHIE AKPORE: A STUDY IN RESILIENCE From what I know, Chief Akpore was not under any compulsion to be so nice to the Orogun community. His education was not a communal collaboration and therefore by that bond obligated to beneficiate the community in a pay-back arrangement. From scratch to summit, his education was paid for by his father, Chief Itedjere Akpore Idise, who, by the standards of that period was rich and successful. Jomo, Chief Akpore’s son told the story of how his father literally moved against powers and principalities to establish Orogun Grammar School for the benefit of all of us. Even the authorities of the then Midwest State were unwilling to subscribe to the idea of a secondary school in Orogun. Once, the Chief was told that Orogun town was not on the political or development map of the state when he requested government assistance to lay culvert on the access road between the town and the school to stem the perennial flood plaguing the road so that students could pass through it to school. Undeterred, Chief Akpore had secured a bank loan to lay the culvert to stabilize the road and attract students to Orogun Grammar School to meet the enrolment threshold for school’s survival. He shot beyond the shores of Nigeria in search of needed oxygen for Orogun Grammar School. He wrote personal letters to President Lyndon Johnson of the United States and Prime Minister Harold Wilson of Britain for human capital support. In response, two American teachers, Mr. Paul Ingelman and Miss Anne Dillingham and a Briton, Miss Josephine Carmen Durham came to Orogun Grammar School to beef up the teaching staff. Chief Akpore interpreted his life as a call to selfless service and an opportunity to do good. In all the things he did, he never sought personal glory or benefits. Even in the school he built, he had remained farfetched in the overall spectacle. People only heard that he founded the school but outside that, there was nothing in the characteristic branding and labeling of the administrative structures that connected him to the school. In good conscience, he was perfectly entitled to name the school after himself but he chose to name it after the community – OROGUN. After the forceful take-over of schools in 1973, government had also granted the right for proprietors to have their schools named after them but Chief Akpore would not have any of that. In fact, it was recorded that he declined being compensated arguing that the school was not a business venture but a gift to his community and would not want to profit by it. THE MORAL DIMENSION Chief Akpore was defined by two vocations; education and politics. And in either, he set parameters that have remained reference points in good conduct. Schooled in the best traditions, it goes without saying that while alive, Chief Akpore would have read so many books. But it was also obvious he didn’t read from that which describes politics as a dirty game in which only dirty player can survive well. From his undergraduate days at the university of Ibadan as students leader through his stint in the NCNC (National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons later changed to National Convention of Nigerian Citizens) under the Great Zik of Africa to his election as deputy governor to Professor Ambrose Alli in the old Bendel State under the platform of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in 1979, the Chief maintained a character that made politics look most noble. Akpore’s brand of politics was far from what it is now. It wasn’t a call to chop and quench but to work and sometimes on empty stomach and if need be, die for the people. And Chief Akpore did work and die for his people. Not one to compromise for any reason, he somehow became anachronistic in a political scheme that sought things other than service to the people. He resigned as deputy governor of the old Delta State on November 3, 1982. He was to learn in a most brutal way that irrespective of the views he held dear, politics in this part of the world was and is still indeed, a dirty game. For refusing to continue against his conscience, he was marked for liquidation. The attack came few months later and it was meant to be fatal. After they had finished, his attackers left him to die. Death however delayed or came slowly. The injuries and complications from that attack endured and the once bubbling Chief started going down fast. About 10 years later, on December 28, 1993, Demas Onoliobakpovba Akpore died, aged 65 years. CONCLUSION I am just among the team of the blind men that went to unravel the elephant. I can only describe the huge Demas Akpore from my narrow perspective and that is what I have done in this presentation. I am the first to admit that even with this long essay, I have but only scratched Chief Akpore as a subject matter. For instance, I am still not able to say precisely the philosophical, social and spiritual motivations that combined to give Chief Demas Akpore those angelic attributes here on planet earth. But I must end now! Thank you very much for listening. Thank you for listening.

Deaconess Oborevwori hosts first exciting Christmas Party for Delta children

As part of the yuletide celebrations, the wife of the Delta Governor and Founder of the You Matter Charity Foundation, Deaconess Tobore Oborevwori on Monday, December 18, 2023, hosted a Christmas party for children in the state. The heartwarming celebration which took place at Government House Asaba, was the first party organized by Deaconess Oborevwori as First Lady and was attended by over 500 children from the 25 local government areas of the state. Addressing the children, Deaconess Oborevwori and urged them to be of good morals and show commitment to their education to make their parents and the state proud. She reiterated the vision of her foundation, 'creating a world where everybody is somebody', and implored the children to be good ambassadors by honouring their parents and elders. The Governor's wife further encouraged the spirit of sharing during the festive season, especially with vulnerable individuals and members of immediate communities.

She offered prayers of safety, prosperity, and good health for the children and wished them a prosperous 2024 while looking forward to future celebrations in the coming years. Welcoming the children and other guests to the party, the Director General of the You Matter Charity Foundation, Barr Lawrentta Ogbedo emphasized the need to give during the yuletide. In a sermon, Mrs Nkechi Onianwa urged all to draw close to God in this festive season and value one another, which is the core of the You Matter Charity Foundation. The event was filled with fun activities, including various games, dancing competitions, entertainment by Santa Claus, Television cartoon characters, and bouncing castles.

Highlights of the party were a group dance with the wife of the Governor, gift items presentations, prizes to winners of various games, and the cutting of the Christmas cake. The celebration reflects the First Lady's commitment to fostering a sense of community and happiness for children in the state.

DESOPADEC Human Capital Development: The Winning Streak of a Legacy Board

As a mission statement expressly provided in the law setting up DESOPADEC by the Delta State House of Assembly in 2006 and fully activated in July 2007, the Commission is meant “To put smiles on the faces of the people in the host oil and gas producing communities of the State through massive infrastructural and human capital development.” Without undermining one for the other, the current board rolled up its sleeves from the blast of the whistle to deliver balanced intervention across the mandate areas in critical infrastructure, education, health, housing, water, road, transportation sub-sectors, as well as in re-skilling the youth in a well thought-out, all-purpose vocational programme to empower them. The result was the creation of the DESOPADEC Skills Acquisition Academy with the endpoint of making the youth properly skilled, gainfully engaged and productively useful to themselves.

This innovative human capital development template which was officially kick-started in the first quarter of 2020 in a well structured non-formal curriculum saw successful pioneer candidates admitted into the scheme in a grand Matriculation Ceremony. The intent was clear: To give successful trainees a lifetime opportunity in honing their skills in various chosen vocational fields. The skills acquisition scope include Welding and Fabrications; Electrical and Electronic Repairs; Solar Energy Works; Tiling, Interlocking and P.O.P. Works; Catering and Confectioneries; Shoe, Bag Making and Leather Works; Information and Communication Technology, ICT; Health, Safety and Environment, HSE; Fashion Design and Tailoring; Hairdressing and Makeover. The programme entails a 6-month intensive training and practical exposure, and assessment, evaluation and certification by relevant national technical education boards. The DESOPADEC Skills Acquisition Academy started with 160 trainees drawn from all the six ethnic nationalities within the mandate areas. They underwent an orientation programme on financial management and efficient book keeping preparatory for their eventual graduation which held at the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI., Effurun, Delta State. The highpoint of the graduation ceremony was their being well resourced with modern working tools and equipment, aka Starter Packs, to get them to hit the ground running from day one. It must be stated here that besides the huge investment in their training and starter packs, the graduands also generally got a cash backup of N200,000 each. Some graduands got extra N500,000 each for emerging as best trainee in their respective fields while a star prize of N1 million was awarded to the Overall Best Trainee. The extra gestures were borne out of a deep commitment by a responsive team and leadership determined to touch lives in a most salutary and impactful way. The DESOPADEC Skills Academy has graduated two sessions and graduates its 3rd batch by the end of January 2023 after which the 4th batch would immediately commence. Mention must also necessarily be made of the highly impactful annual Bursary Scheme in favour of tens of thousands of mandate areas students in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The impact of this payment to the students is to be appreciated in the fact that many of them have expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Board and Management of DESOPADEC for their responsiveness, especially at the very precarious period of the global COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In keeping with the tradition, arrangement is already concluded for the commencement of payment of for 2022/2023 within the month of February. Without doubt, the human capital development agenda of the current DESOPADEC board has been greeted with huge aplomb and commended by Government and diverse traditional and community leaders as a noble partnership that supports the greater vision of the Okowa administration which is to build as many youths in the state into responsible, financially independent and prosperous citizens. Nothing truly could be too much to achieve this focal objective. Little wonder the awards have kept pouring in in torrents to a Commission that has become the toast of a dozen media and award conferment establishments! Undoubtedly, our testimonial of infrastructure and human capital development interventions evidence a deep commitment to the elevation of human dignity and environmental equity for the people and communities of Delta State oil producing areas. It is a commitment that DESOPADEC will continue to rekindle for the good of the people.

Ned Nwoko commends Royal Mira School, describes Education, best legacy for humanity

The Chancellor of Sports University, Idumuje-Ugboko, and Delta North Senatorial Candidate of the PDP in next month's election, Hon. Prince Ned Nwoko today gave profuse commendation to the management of a private secondary school , Royal Mira All Saints international school Asaba for it's foresight in establishing the school, affiliated to Cambridge school London. Prince Nwoko who took a facility tour of Royal Mira school, accompanied by the founder Hon.Moses Iduh was seen round the class rooms, equipped with smart boards, a 700 -capacity multi-purpose hall, teachers' offices, ICT centre, Solar -powered electricity device, as well as male and female hostels. He described education as the best legacy for humanity and noted that Hon. Iduh had demonstrated exemplary stride in the educational development of the state and Nigeria in general. "I am impressed. The expansive structures and facilities here are commendable. The standards of the learning infrastructure are world class. "The initiator chose a worthy cause of investing in the future of our children. Instead of building a hotel or pleasure spots as we see all over Asaba, he did something unique and different. Hon. Iduh has made a priceless contribution to the advancement of knowledge. "This institution will address our kids’ quest for learning, with the conducive environment. It is a good foundation for the educational and moral growth of the young ones" Nwoko said. In his remarks, the founder of Royal Mira All Saints international school, Hon. Moses Iduh said it evolved from a desire to develop youngsters imbibed with sound education from the elementary stage. Hon.Iduh stated that the School operates primary and secondary arms with another centre located at his Owa homestead, all bearing international ratings. Iduh who is the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party for Delta North Senatorial district said he had always been passionate about education. "I feel fulfilled each time a pupil or student of Royal Mira stop me on the streets to introduce themselves. There is no greater joy than such encounter. "The opportunities offered in the School are limitless. It is internationally recognized as A -levels and IELTS exam centre. The students gain admissions direct to foreign educational institutions. "We have full compliments of highly experienced teaching staff. My wife an educationist in her own right is a great inspiration in the School. Royal Mira is a true fortress of knowledge" Iduh noted, expressing optimism that the School would continue to be a leading light in Nigeria's educational system.

Nobody can impose anybody on Deltans - MSD

MSD accuses online medium of plagiarism, professional misconduct, mischief, says Ibori, Okowa not 'Fighting dirty' over anybody

The Movement for Stronger Delta (MSD) has made a damning case of professional misconduct against an online medium (names withheld) which lifted a story from a newspaper and without attribution and went ahead to twist the story by giving it meaning in a headline not intended by the original writer and medium. In rejoinder to the offending story by MSD National Co-ordinator, Dr. Festus Bomo Patani, the group took a swipe at the online publishing medium, accusing it of ethical misconduct of plagiarism, and distorting the original story of the writer by misinforming readers in the new headline it gave to the story. The group said: "The online publication in question, copied THE STORY verbatim, and then proceeded, for reasons best known to the publisher, to change the headline from the original, without informing the readers or even acknowledging the source and author of the original story; and this, from every professional standpoint, is a crass and brazen display of unethical journalism, bordering on plagiarism. Journalists must be cautioned to avoid sensationalism and inaccurate reportage intended to deliberately mislead the people, especially when they copy stories from other more seasoned and recognized mainstream publications." Below is full text of the MSD rejoinder. January 17th, 2022 2023: IBORI, OKOWA NOT 'FIGHTING DIRTY' OVER ANYBODY The attention of the Movement for Stronger Delta, MSD, has been drawn to a recent publication by a pan-Delta online platform, titled: "DELTA 2023: Okowa, Ibori Fight Dirty Over Successor", and posted on several social media groups and portals on Sunday, January 16, 2021. As a conscious and proactive Movement, determined and committed to ensuring a stronger, peaceful, and united Delta, in the run-up to the 2023 elections and beyond, it behoves us to set a few records straight, concerning this publication, as our own way of educating and informing Deltans with accurate, verifiable information on the true position of affairs and also protecting ourselves from misleading misinformation that is capable of heating up the polity and instigating unnecessary and avoidable conflicts, provocations and conflagrations in the State. 1. The original story was first published with the title: "DELTA 2023: Okowa, Ibori face up on successor...•Gov takes charge but counter-attack looms", written by Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South and Published in Saturday Vanguard, January 15, 2022. 2. The online publication in question, copied THE STORY verbatim, and then proceeded, for reasons best known to the publisher, to change the headline from the original, without informing the readers or even acknowledging the source and author of the original story; and this, from every professional standpoint, is a crass and brazen display of unethical journalism, bordering on plagiarism. Journalists must be cautioned to avoid sensationalism and inaccurate reportage intended to deliberately mislead the people, especially when they copy stories from other more seasoned and recognized mainstream publications. 3. There is a fundamental headline difference between: "Face up" in the original story and "Fight Dirty" in the copied online version, which every journalist worth his salt, especially those knowledgeable enough in the basic use of the English language, which is the major tool and instrument of the profession, should know and apply in their proper contexts. 4. For the avoidance of doubt and for the purposes of educating the Journalist against future ignorances: "FACE UP: means 'To confront or deal directly with someone or something previously avoided", while "FIGHT DIRTY: means, 'To use every possible way and especially the most treacherous way, to beat someone in a fight' 5. Translations. "Face Up" literally means 'to accept the reality that a difficult situation exists and to confront the situation directly and accept responsibility, blame, for whatever outcome emerges. "Fight Dirty" on the other hand literally means 'to use the worst ways, and not playing by the rules or fighting without honour, to achieve a result. 6. In other words, it is already common knowledge in Delta State, that the succession process in the State PDP, with its intrigues and entrenched Interests, is likely going to become a difficult situation if it is not properly guided and managed. This, however, is quite a common occurrence in the political landscape especially when elections approach. 7. Both Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Chief James Ibori, as astute, progressive, and well-experienced leaders of the Delta PDP, understand the situation perfectly and having achieved many successes, both individually and for the party in numerous political battles over the years, have 'faced up' to the reality of the situation and pledged, as the original story confirms, to allow the process unfold in accordance with the rules. They have accepted as leaders, to show example, by 'playing by the rules' and not 'fighting dirty' by any stretch of imagination, so one wonders where the publisher of the online Portal got the information that compelled the change in the title of the original piece. 8. It is important at this juncture to state unequivocally that Comrade Emma Amaize is a highly respected and much-decorated, multiple award-winning, national, and globally recognized veteran journalist, who has brought great acceptability and prominence to the profession. His credibility is impregnable. He takes no prisoners, kowtows to no interests, and his reports and analysis are grounded, corroborated, and substantiated by impeccable, unimpeachable sources. In fact, without any prejudice at all, he can be described as an Institution of reference in Political Journalism and Niger Delta affairs. You can take whatever he has written to the bank and get abundant credit for its veracity. 9. His story on the Delta 2023 succession process, from its title to its conclusion, is objective, factual, concise, and verifiable. There's nowhere in the story that he suggested or even hinted that Ibori and Okowa are 'fighting dirty'. In fact like the thoroughbred professional, with an excellent mastery of the semantics and morphology of the English language, he has chosen the verb 'Face up', which is not only apt in the context but also captures and embraces the collective brinkmanship and attendant auxiliary fallouts that have defined the succession process so far. Young and aspiring Journalists, especially in the largely unregulated online space, can learn quite a lot from the writings of Comrade Emma Amaize. 10. Finally, we want to state categorically once again, that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Chief James Ibori are not 'fighting dirty' over any successor. In fact, the story itself makes that succinctly clear when the writer stated in paragraphs 20 and 21 that: "Thought-provoking, however, is the information corroborated by multiple sources that Governor Okowa had met with the former Governor, Chief James Ibori, to discuss the issue of his successor in 2023. "Saturday Vanguard learned that Ibori pointed out his favourite candidate (names withheld) to Okowa, but the Governor opposed his choice and voiced his first choice (names also withheld) based on competence. Both men differed but mutually agreed that they would settle the score at the primaries if there was no meeting point before then". That, fellow Deltans, ladies and gentlemen, is the true position of things. QED. Political analysts and commentators, as well as compatriot politicians and colleagues, will confirm that if there is one political leader in the country, who has made playing by the rules a sacrosanct and irrevocable principle in his political lexicon and agenda, then that leader is without doubt Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. His political trajectory is replete with impressive examples of his doggedness to ensure that the right thing is done, always. He does not Fight Dirty, but prefers to deploy superior strategic, astute, and pragmatic political acumen to achieve victories that cannot be overturned. A fine example is the 2011 Delta North Senatorial Primaries where he even had to engage and fund national television networks from his own pocket, to beam the event live to the entire world and avoid any controversies. Chief James Ibori, on the other hand, is a veteran of many rigorous, successful and victorious political battles. He has the scars to prove it and it is also on record that he sourced and harnessed the skills and exceptional talents of leading political figures in the State like Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator James Manager, and a host of others, to work in and within his Executive cabinet, when he was Governor of Delta State. That is why today, he is reverentially hailed and addressed as the 'Godfather' of Delta politics. He definitely would not "Fight Dirty" with the same people he has worked together with for years. Only the uninformed or downright mischievous cretins would suggest such a nebulous scenario. As true and responsible party leaders, they have faced up to the challenge(s) which the 2023 succession process may pose. There is no doubt whatsoever that as the situation unravels, both leaders will once again work together with other party leaders, elders, and stakeholders across the three Senatorial zones and the entrenched interest groups and blocks, in rigorous consultations, dynamic negotiations, and harmonious cooperation, to determine and deliver the best man or woman for Delta State in 2023. That, in clear terms, is the SIMPLE Agenda. Signed: Dr. Festus Bomo Patani National Co-ordinator, MOVEMENT FOR STRONGER DELTA (MSD)

Reps Minority Caucus scorns FG on Twitter ban lift, says govt has no right to regulate Freedom of Expression

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has condemned in strong terms the declaration by the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government of Nigeria that it has lifted the ban on the use of Twitter in Nigeria, affirming that the ban in the first place was unconstitutional The Caucus described the “declaration” as a further demonstration of the Federal Government's appetite to suppress constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens in Nigeria. In a statement on Friday by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, the caucus held that freedom of speech and opinion by Nigerians, including expressing such through social media tools like Twitter, are clearly guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and cannot be subjected to partisan approval or regulation under a democratic rule. “That is why at the wake of the ban on the use of Twitter in Nigeria in June 2021, the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives forcefully condemned the decision as provocative, obnoxious and unjustifiable clampdown on the rights of Nigerians which also showed the APC government’s intolerance and aversion to the views, opinions and aspirations of Nigerian citizens, especially the youths, on matters of state. “It was also in the light of that that the Minority Caucus in the National Assembly stood by the law and charged Nigerians to continue using Twitter irrespective of the unconstitutional ban, since they would not be contravening any known law in Nigeria or any international statutes. “Our caucus holds that the declaration of a lift on the ban on Twitter amounts to regulatory approval on freedom of speech, which is completely unknown to our laws. The APC government should rather be apologizing to Nigerians for infringing on their rights as well as for the huge economic losses recorded as a result of the ban,” the Minority Reps stated in the Statement. The Caucus therefore, insisted that instead of seeking to suppress free speech in Nigeria, the APC government should be open to the views of Nigerians and make adjustments for the good of the nation. While commending Nigerians for their resilience, innovations and resistance to suppression by the APC government, the Minority Caucus assured that they will never relent in fighting for the rights of the people at all times.