Editorial
OKUAMA/IGBOMOTOROU/ THE MILITARY: A SPRING OF BITTER TRUTHS.
OKUAMA/IGBOMOTOROU/ THE MILITARY: A SPRING OF BITTER TRUTHS.
By Tobouke JEMINE
It is a painful, tormenting, and devastating separation from life. The mortalities on both sides will be hard for the mourning mornings and uneventful evenings to forget. Again, our sympathy and condolences to the families, loved ones, friends, colleagues and well-wishers of the departed souls.
About two days ago, while responding to the military version of a dear brother regarding the present fate of Okuama and Igbomotorou on a WhatsApp Town Hall, I said to him that, the sticks of a bunch of broom used to kill a fly may appear united, but by their lengths, or widths, or colours, or positions you may discover that the dirt of guilt is not smeared on all the sticks.
No one with a sane mind will justify the gruesome killing of the military doves. Countless times, that awful act against the official men of arms will be condemned. And numberless times, let the haphazard and amateurish retaliation of the army against those human habitations be condemned as well.
There are people in Okuama and in Igbomotorou, I choose to believe, who may not fight a just war, even if they are pushed or legally backed. They are probably among the victims now. Should such peaceniks suffer torture ,loss and death on account of the sins of others? Are we taking precedence into consideration when we burn the crops and the weeds together because they are from the same soil?
I’m sure not every child, not every pregnant woman, not all the aged, not all the sick, not all the elders and not even all the youths in Okoloba and Okuama give lethal endorsement as the best means of resolving the land dispute, talk less of endorsing the murder of a military peace-mission. Yet the professional empathy of the armed forces looked away from these facts and launched retaliatory actions against Okuama, and more unfairly, Igbomotorou. How just is that?
I came across a legal statement made by the renowned and formidable lawyer and human rights activist, Femi Falana concerning the military reprisal, where he said:”Nigeria domesticated the Geneva Convention in 1960 and under Article 33 of the the Geneva Convention, collective punishment is prohibited. Innocent people cannot be attacked, even in a war situation.” And that is enough to settle this case in a sane clime.
But we are still in that continent and in that society that was once notoriously dominated by military dictatorships, and they brutalized at will, destroyed impulsively, decreed death with impunity and give no place to national conscience in their dealings.That horrible background is still influencing the foreground of military operations in our country till date.The military in societies without the appalling experience of military dictatorships don’t talk and act like our own men of arms.
In this country, we have soldiers go online boasting that they can-do-and-undo. They claim to be mightier than the Law that established that institution and spelt out their functions and obligations. They put civilians through cruel indignities. They want civilians to see them as demigods. They want even our innocence to tremble at their presence, treating civilians as if they are subordinate citizens, and as if they are less human.
Once upon a time the Nigerian military had the mentality of ruling this country successively… but certain civil weapons were deployed to recreate that mindset — the military reunited with her constitutional place as protectors of the sovereignty of this country and guardians of the life, property and dignity of the citizens, leaving AsoRock for civilians. Those civil methods are needed again to give the army further schooling in military-civilian relationship.
There is obviously the need to present a bill in our national law-factories to stop military bombardment of communities over the crimes of individuals or groups. Culprits should be professionally fished out and made to face the interpretation of the Law of the land. Even if the king of a kingdom commits crimes against the state or the army, he and he alone, or he and his accomplices should be the ones to answer the questions of the Law, not the entire land. Slaying the innocent and destroying properties that have the mark of Legal Passover on them because of some criminals is cruel, crude, brute and barbarous.
Criminal elements that can bring this sort of military doom to a family, a community or a clan are not fated to Okuama and Igbomotorou alone. Your community can make the next news headline for a similar fate. But if we feel that it is right for the military to take down a whole community because of the iniquities of some persons, then a day will come, and it is already here, when we will be discouraged from building houses and setting up businesses in our ancestral homes — and finally we will end up seeking safety in another man’s land. May that day never manifest when humanity is still drawing life’s meaning from acquatic wonders and from the Breath of the Sea.
I dare to emphasize that, Might is not a synonym for Justice.Military terrorization and subjugation of coastal communities in the Nigerdelta has always been the triumph of Might, not Justice; only Machiavellian stratagem, biased exteriority — and probably with a pricking internality — will make us to say the contrary.
We condemn the reprisal attack, not just because of the innocents in Okuama, but because it has been the manner and method of the Nigerian Military Force whenever a crime of this nature is perpetrated in coastal Niger Delta. History is replete with proofs.
One of my maternal communities, Agge in Ekeremor LGA of Bayelsa State was unfortunate with the military. It was burnt down on August 4th, 2009 by the army based on an unverified information that some Agge youths were among those who carried out crimes against the state. This peace-loving people woke up to the savegeness of the military on that day without any premonition of the doom that awaited their Innocent Sleep.
MEND’S Camp 5 and others were stationed in the creeks far away from communal habitations, but when the military invaded Gbaramatu Kingdom in 2009, Oporoza, Ekenrenkoko, Kurutie and others were not spared, they were razed in the guise of manhunting the Priest of Nigerdelta and the MENDists. How fair?
Today, if you go to that my maternal community by the Atlantic Ocean, there are military checkpoints where you will have to put out your hands in the air before further passage will be granted you. And yet the same disdainful treatment is not given to travellers in the north where bandits commit all sorts of atrocities against civilians and the military.
I was in a northern town of recent where we heard exchange of gunshots between the army and bandits both day and night, yet I didn’t get to witness road users being harassed, or the town being invaded or turned to detritus.
Many crimes have been committed against coastal Nigerdelta, and the Nigerian civil populace in Nigeria by the military, yet no measure of justice has been meted out against that institution. They have pauperized, rendered homeless and killed thousands of innocent souls in their search for criminals in littoral Nigerdelta and gone scot-free. Today, if our cry is limited to justice for the gruesome killing of the military pacifists, and not to the innocents in Okuama, Igbomotorou and nearby communities, we should know that we are not sincere, fair and just in this issue.
Those who are one-sided on this issue like Governor Oborevwori and Henry Daniel-Ofongo, an indigene of Igbomotorou, and former Member, Federal House of Representatives, who are not addressing the savage retaliations of the military, are sure saying that those civilians killed indiscriminately and extrajudicially are not human enough and that there is a law in this country that permits the military to kill at will and raze a community over an individual sin. That is too tormenting to humane and sane sensibilities to deal with.
Thanks to Prof. Benjamin Okaba who stood for justice; the lawyer and human rights activist, Liborous Oshoma who spoke Truth to power, and the Urhobo youth leader, Blessed Ughere who while condemning the killing of the military officers, also cried out against the murderous return of the military against his people. I feel ashamed that our own man from Igbomotorou whose community is not the actual scene of the act was speaking trash on a national television. The likes of Ofongo are wrong voice for the Ijaw cause.
Let not the innocent go down for the crimes of the guilty; let the innocent live that he may preach the Beauty and Precepts of a Society where Justice is highly prized to his children and his children’s children.
Hate me if you wish, but I beg you not to hate the Truth I speak here, because you may need this same Truth by your side one day.
Karma, I like to say, is not a myth.
The wisdom of Jesus Christ will forever be relevant: “Do unto others what you would like to be done unto you”.
Your Excellency,
SUBJECT: Strategic Proposal to Leverage Dangote’s Bayelsa Visit and Unlock Delta’s Coastal Industrial Corridor
Warm greetings to Your Excellency and continued appreciation for your stewardship over the affairs of Delta State.
I write to you with a sense of strateg urgency and patriotic commitment, in light of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s recent visit to Bayelsa State, which has reunited national attention toward private-sector-led industrial development in the Niger Delta. As commendable as that engagement is, Delta State holds even more viable, strategic, and economically advantageous alternatives that demand immediate prioritisation and promotion.⁸
Deltas Host to Tree of the Many Oil Terminals in Nigeria
Delta State is host to Escravos Oil Terminal, Forcados Oil Terminal, and the Agbami Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading offshore facility (FPSO). This and many more makes Delta the highest Oil Producing State in Nigeria today. It is our firm belief that the Delta State Government can approach the Dangote Group or any other local or international oil and gas consortium to build mega/Modular Oil Refineries incorporated with power plats near these export terminals, construct a railway and dual carrage highway, and power transmission networks from the incorporated power plants to Warri city. This way, constant oil supply to the Refineries is guaranteed, constant power supply is guaranteed, constant supply of Petroleum products is guaranteed, and the issue of motorable road infrastructure from the city centre to the creeks/coastal coastal communities of the Niger Delta creeks is resolved. More than that, road access makes it more efficient for securing the oil-rich swampy terrain of Delta State.
Delta Coast Corridor: A Hidden Goldmine
Communities such as Pepper-Ama/Oporoza in Gbaramatu Kingdom, and Youbebe/Ogulagha in Ogulagha Kingdom, and Forcados/Beniboye in Iduwini Kingdom, located along the Coastline of Warri-Southwest Local Government Area and Burutu Local Government Area respectively, offer a rare confluence of economic advantages that make them ideal for:
a. A modular or full scale Crude Oil Refinery or petrochemical plant
b. A deep water Offloading depot and marine Terminal
c. A seaport connected to international shipplanes
d. A motorable road and rail linking the creeks to Warri city, the East-West road, and beyond
Unlike some other locations in the region, these areas are resources-rich, geostrategically positioned, relatively peaceful, and welcoming to industrial development.
Why Delta State MustAct Now
You Excellency, Delta must not be a spectator in the race to attract transformative investments. With Dangote, Ibeto, etc, and/or other industrial giants exploring new Refinery locations, the time is ripe for Delta State to present a unified, attractive, and superior proposition.
Here’s why this corridor stands out:
1. Superior Geographic Advantage
Pepper-ama, Ogulagha, Youbebeb, Forcados, and Beniboye lies along navigable coastal waters with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, making them ideal for a deep-sea port and marine logistics hub that can serve the South-South, South-East, North-Central, and North-East regions.
2. Proximity to Existing Oil and Gas Fields/Installations
These communities are surrounded by operational oil and gas assets, iwned by major IOCs and national companies. A Refinery or depot sited here would reduce reliance on Lagos ports, minimizes inland transportation cost and problems that often lead to massive traffic jam due to influx of big Petroleum tankers sharing Limited road facilities with other users, by decentralizing fuel distribution.
3. Untapped Blue Economy Potential
With maritime infrastructure, these coastal areas can become hubs for logistics, ship repairs, offshore support services, and even export-based industrial and agricultural processing zones.
4. Community Willingness and Land Availability
The people Gbaramatu Ogulagha and Iduwini Kingdoms have consistently demonstrated hospitality towards industry, making land and support available-if development is inclusive, environmentally sounds, and consutative.
Key infrastructure Priority: An All-Se Road Network
To fully unlock this region’s economic value, the construction of a durable, all-season motorable road from the creeks to Warri and onward to other urban centres is non-negotiable.
This road will ensure seamless distribution of Petroleum products from future reginry/Offloading depots.
It will integrate these coastal communities into the broader Delta economy and reduce travel times and transport costs.
With federal alignment, it could feed into the East-West road, facilitating cargo movement to the South-East, North-Central, and North-East geopolitical regions.
Recommendations for Strategic Actions
1. Host a Coastal Investment Summit in Warri
Invite key investors, including Aliko Dangote, BUA, NNPC Ltd., Waltersmith, Renaissance, Transcorp Group, etc., and other global operators.
Showcase Delta’s Coastal Corridor as a viable industrial zone ready for investment.
2. Commission a Joint Feasibility Study
Assess Pepper-ama, Youbebe, Ogulagha, Forcados, and Beniboye communities for a Refinery, Offloading depot, and seaport.
Include road infrastructure needs and environmental safeguards.
3. Establish a Delta Coastal Development Authority (DCDA) or use the Delta State Ministry of Riverine Communities Development
Tasked with coordinating infrastructure planning, PPP engagement, and land/community integration.
4. Lobby Federal Government, NNPC, and other critical stakeholders
Secure destination of the area as a strategic industrial development zone.
Explore subsidy, tax, and logistics waivers to incentive private-sector eng.
Conclusively, let Delta take the lead
Your Excellency, it is time for Delta to reclaim its historic leadership as the industrial and economic heartbeat of the Niger Delta. By proactively showcasing our superiors’ sites and unlocking our creek-to-hinterland logistics corridor, we can attract investment that will create jobs, build infrastructure, and catalyze long-term prosour people.
Let us not watch others harvest the fruit of opportunities planted better our own terrain.
We look forward to bold leadership and swift action.
Yours in service and development,
Peretengboro Bibaikefie
Thanks you
Editorial
A-Z on How AI Can Help You Design Your Future; Hear Ngozi’s Story from Technology to Transformation
From the Editor’s Desk – IduwiniVoice
In an age where artificial intelligence is reshaping industries and disrupting traditional careers, Award-winning entrepreneur Ngozi Elobuike is proving that living your dream life is more possible than ever before. And she’s not just talking about it-she’s living it.
Once sleeping on her sister’s couch, Elobuike has since transformed her lowest point into a global, AI-powered life of purpose and creativity. Now splitting her time between the U.S., Ireland, France, she’s built a life that reflects both ambition and intention. From founding Ireland’s first black-led wine club and launching two luxury beverage brands to publishing an AI-powered travel book and teaching over 500 creatives how to use AI to unlock their potential, Elobuike’s story is a living blueprint for the modern dreamers.
“Most people stay stuck in lives they don’t love because they think transformation takes years,” Elobuike said in her recent TEDx talk, which has generated over 200,000 views. “They believe dreams lives belongs to other people-the lucky ones.”
For Elobuike, AI is more than just a tool-it’s a catalyst for reinvention. She sold her social media agency in 2021 and used AI to build her next business, handing off repetitive tasks to technology so she could focus on the things that matter: writing for Forbes, competing in powerlifting and living as a digital nomad across 35 cities.
“Your dream life is closer than you think with AI as your partner,” she said.
At the heart of her philosophy is the belief that life is a laboratory.
“What does a scientist do? They think about life as an experiment,” Elobuike explains. “You have dependent variables and you have independent variables. You have things that you can control in your settings.”
To her, AI is the Independent variable that “has the ability to act as an enzyme. It lowers the activation energy needed to complete a task.”
Identify what drains you, and delegate repetitive tasks to AI. Tools like Claude for writing, Zapier for automation, and Perplexity for research can reclaim hours of your day and give you space to create.
One of her most innovative ideas? Creating an AI advisory board-a team of specialized AI personas to advise on business, creativity, and personal growth.
“Instead of asking your friend who may be a naysayer, ‘hey, I’m thinking about starting this new idea venture, ‘ consider asking AI,” she suggests. “Prompt ChatGPT and say I have an idea for X. Give me advise as if you were Oprah.”
Elobuike also urges people to test their ideas with small, smart experiments.
“You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow, Want to write? Use AI to pushing one article. Want to Launch a wine? Don’t start with the wine-start with a product mockup and gauge your audience’s reaction.”
While many remain sceptical-only 32% of adults believe AI will benefit them, with scepticism highest amongst women and older adults-Elobuike sees a window of opportunity.
“While others debate whether AI is good or bad, you can be building,” she advises. “That hesitation is head start.”
The real magic, she says, comes from a mindset of continuous improvement.
“Growth hacking is what startup entrepreneurs created as a term back in 2010. What is growth hacking? Imagine if you got 1% better every day, but 10% better every day.”
Her advice is clear: Stop playing with AI like a toy. Start using it as a system. Use it to build, scale, and magnify things that make you uniquely you.
In a word still catching up to the power of artificial intelligence, Ngozi Elobuike is already living in the future-and showed the rest of us how to get there. Let Elobuike’s story fire your marrows and power your dreams today.
Editorial
Taming the Swampy Creeks, Bridging the Future: Bayelsa’s Nembe-Brass Coastal Road Begins to Take Shape
IduwiniVoice
The long-anticipated Nembe-Brass Road project, a monumental infrastructure initiative in Bayelsa State, is making steady headway as construction advances into its second phase, with the second major bridge now rising from the creeks, Arogbo-IbeVoice Newspaper reported.
Launched in June 2022, the 21-kilometre Nembe-Brass Road is designed to link the historically isolated Brass Island to Nembe and ultimately to the mainland, opening a new corridor of access and opportunity for the people of Bayelsa East Senatorial District.
New images emerging from the site offer compelling evidence of the ongoing work. Concrete pillars for the second bridge now tower above the swamplands, while heavy machinery continues the arduous task of road expansion through the difficult terrain.
Describing the pace of the project, a site engineer who spoke under anonymity noted: “We are tackling one of the most technically challenging sections now, and the progress is remarkable given the terrain. The second bridge is a critical component, and once it’s complete, we can begin surfacing the next stretch of the road.”
The road, when completed, will not only facilitate easier movement between Brass and Nembe but also serve as a strategic link to the Atlantic coastline — vital for trade, tourism, and security. Locals have long expressed hopes that the project would transform the economic and social landscape of the region.
Speaking at a recent inspection tour, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering the project: “We are determined to see this road completed. It is not just a road; it is a lifeline for our people, an artery of development that has been long overdue.”
Many community leaders and stakeholders have praised the government’s persistence in driving the project despite fiscal and environmental constraints. Chief Ebikesei Ben-Wills, a traditional leader in Brass, remarked: “This is not just concrete and gravel — this is our future taking shape before our eyes.”
As the second bridge nears completion and more sections of the road take form, optimism grows that Bayelsa’s coastal communities may finally be lifted from decades of isolation.
The Nembe-Brass Road is more than infrastructure; it is a symbol of long-awaited inclusion, bridging the gap between forgotten communities and a modern, connected Bayelsa.