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OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, RT. HON. SHERIFF OBOREVWORI, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE, ON THE NEED TO DEFINE THE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE NEWLY CREATED MINISTRY OF RIVERINE AREAS DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE AND IMPACTFUL EXECUTION OF PROJECTS.
OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, RT. HON. SHERIFF OBOREVWORI, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE, ON THE NEED TO DEFINE THE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE NEWLY CREATED MINISTRY OF RIVERINE AREAS DEVELOPMENT, TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE AND IMPACTFUL EXECUTION OF PROJECTS 
Your Excellency,
I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. I am Prince (Dr.) Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie, an indigene of Odimodi town in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State who contested for and lost the PDP Ticket for Delta State House of Assembly, Burutu-1 Constituency to Chief Hon. Peter Asupa Forteta. I am writing to express my profound appreciation for your commendable efforts in establishing a dedicated Ministry for the development of Riverine Areas in Delta State, and for appointing a Substantive Commissioner to oversee its operations. The creation of this all important ministry was one of the major albatross amongst other criticalities that drove and still drives my desire to represent and speak for my dear Burutu Northerners dwelling along the River Forcados, its tributaries, and estuary. This significant move underscores your commitment to addressing the unique challenges faced by riverine communities and ensuring their sustainable development.
I also wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude for recognizing the need for a second commissioner for Burutu Local Government Area, a well-deserved and long-overdue recognition of our LGA’s share size, economic and political contributions, and needs. This gesture is a testament to your inclusive governance approach and your dedication to equitable development across the state.
However, I feel compelled to address a crucial concern that I believe warrants your immediate attention. The creation of this Ministry brings with it high expectations from the riverine dwellers of Delta State. They are looking forward to transformative projects that go beyond the scope of palliative measures previously executed by agencies such as SUBEB and DESOPADEC. It is imperative that the Ministry of Riverine Areas Development avoids the pitfalls that have beset other agencies and instead focuses on substantial and impactful projects that will genuinely improve the lives of our communities.
To ensure the success of this new Ministry, I respectfully recommend that its terms of reference be clearly defined, with a focus on the execution of capital projects that will have a lasting impact on riverine communities. Specifically, I propose the following initiatives for your consideration:
1. Interconnection of Riverine Communities with Access Roads and Bridges:
Amongst the most pressing needs needs of our communities is the development of infrastructure to facilitate connectivity. I recommend that the Ayakoromor Bridge and road extension through Burutu, Ofougbene, Forcados, Odimodi, and Ogulagha towns be prioritized and ceded to this Ministry. Other key road projects include the Omadina-Okerenkoko Road, Camp-5, Krutie, Kunukinuma, Inekorogha, Azama, Oporoza, Opuede/Tebizor, through Ogidigben to Youkri road project, and the Ogbobagbene, Torugbene, Ojobo, Bulou-Ndoro road. These projects will significantly enhance mobility and economic activities in these areas.
2. Connection to the National Electric Grid:
Reliable electricity is essential for the development any community. I urge that this Ministry focuses on connecting riverine communities to the national electric grid. Where this is not feasible, the construction of stand-alone electric grids to power clusters of riverine communities should be undertaken. This will not only improve the quality of life but also spur economic growth.
3. Provision of Potable Water:
Access to clean and safe drinking water has been a perennial challenge for riverine communities. The establishment of this Ministry presents an opportunity to embark on a large-scale Town Service Water Scheme Campaign across these communities. This initiative will address the existential question of potable water and contribute to improved public health.
4. Building of Fishing Hubs:
Delta State Government can generate billions of naira from the vast potential of the Blue Economy buried in the very vast riverine landscape it hosts. This is further enhanced by the constant electric power supply currently enjoyed by communities such as Odimodi and Ogulagha. Your Excellency, if this Ministry collaborates with the state ministry of agriculture to build Fishing Hubs in places like Odimodi and/or Ogulagha towns with functional Fishing Trawllers and Cold Rooms (fixed and boat-mounted), for fishing, sorting, preservation, and transportation of fish for distribution in the city center.
5 Legislative Backing:
To ensure the continuity and effectiveness of this Ministry, I propose the forwarding of an executive bill for its establishment with utmost urgency. This will provide the Ministry with the necessary legal framework, legitimacy, and protection from arbitrary dissolution by successive administrations. A robust legislative backing will empower the Ministry to carry out its mandate effectively and sustainably.
It is vital to acknowledge that if not clearly defined, the objectives and scope of this important Ministry might become diluted, akin to the experiences with other similar ministries/agencies. These organizations have often devolved into undertaking minor projects that fail to meet the substantial needs and aspirations of their host communities. The recurrent shortcomings have resulted in a lack of faith and frustration among the people they are meant to serve, and this makes the government at various levels appear not to have a genuine interest to solve the problems of the Niger Delta Wetlands.
Your Excellency, the establishment of the Ministry of Riverine Areas Development is a bold and visionary step. However, its success hinges on a clear, focused, and ambitious agenda. By concentrating on major capital projects, infrastructure development, and essential services such as electricity and potable water, etcetera, this Ministry can become a catalyst for meaningful development in riverine communities and make Delta State a model for other Riverine States to emulate.
Connect our areas with road access, give us power supply, and watch us turn around the commercial fortunes Burutu, Warri-Southwest, and Warri-north LGAs around, and increase the state internally generated revenue geometrically.
In conclusion, I urge you to consider these recommendations seriously. Your leadership in this endeavour will leave a lasting legacy of development, equity, and prosperity for the riverine communities of Delta State. Thank you for your attention and for your unwavering commitment to the progress of our state.
Yours sincerely,
Prince (Dr.) Peretengboro Klintin Bibaikefie
Former PDP Contender, Delta State House of Assembly, Burutu-1 Constituency
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OPEN LETTER TO THE DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT RE: FALSEHOOD ABOUT WARRI NORTH AND THE HISTORICAL TRUTH OF EGBEMA IJAW MAJORITY
OPEN LETTER TO THE DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT
RE: FALSEHOOD ABOUT WARRI NORTH AND THE HISTORICAL TRUTH OF EGBEMA IJAW MAJORITY
From: Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
Date: [16/8/2025]
Dear Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State,
We read with outrage the recent misrepresentation by your administration claiming that Warri North Local Government Area is “predominantly inhabited by the Itsekiri.” This is false, misleading, and a reckless distortion of history.
The 1999 Constitution binds every arm of government to truth and equity:
S.14(2)(b): “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”
S.42(1): forbids ethnic discrimination in state action.
S.17(2)(a),(d): demands equality and forbids exploitation of human and natural resources against communities.
Your government’s post violates these provisions by attempting to erase the majority status of the Ijaw people of Egbema Kingdom in Warri North.
2. Historical Truth: Warri North is Dual, Not Exclusive
Warri North is made up of two traditional kingdoms:
1. Egbema Kingdom (Ijaw)
2. Itsekiri Kingdom
It is therefore a constitutional and historical fraud to present the LGA as if it belongs exclusively to the Itsekiri.
British Intelligence Reports (1936, 1951) confirm that Egbema Ijaws constitute the majority population in Warri North.
Early European accounts such as Pacheco Pereira (1505) describe Egbema and other Ijaw groups as dominant along the Benin and Escravos Rivers.
Even colonial census records (1921, 1931, 1952, 1963) confirm Ijaw numerical dominance across Warri territories.
3. Geography and Settlement Facts
The physical landmass of Warri North betrays this false narrative:
Egbema Ijaw communities (e.g., Opuama, Polobubo, Tsekelewu and others) occupy vast swamp and riverine territories of the LGA.
The Itsekiri communities, though significant, do not outnumber the Egbema Ijaws.
Court records and colonial leases show Ijaw communities consistently recognized as landowners, while others were settlers or tenants.
4. The Fraud of Manufactured Itsekiri Majority
For decades, colonial distortions and post-independence manipulation inflated Itsekiri status. The fraudulent “6–4” ward allocation (six wards to Itsekiri, four to Ijaw) exemplifies this injustice.
The Supreme Court in Timinimi v. INEC (SC/CV/1033/2023) has already pronounced this structure unconstitutional, unjust, and illegal. INEC has verified through fieldwork in the creeks and communities. The only step left is publication.
5. Our Warning to the State Government
Governor Oborevwori, government cannot function on falsehood. To continue to project Itsekiri exclusivity in Warri North is to deliberately incite tension between communities and to disregard constitutional order.
As Justice Nnamani once ruled: “Equity will not allow the law to be used as an instrument of fraud.” By pushing a false narrative, your administration risks being complicit in the very fraud equity forbids.
6. Our Demand: Tell the Truth and Obey the Law
1. Delta State Government: Retract and correct your false claim. Acknowledge the dual reality of Warri North, Egbema Ijaw and Itsekiri.
2. Federal Government: Direct INEC to publish the Supreme Court–ordered delineation result without further delay.
3. Public and International Community: Reject state-sponsored propaganda that erases the Ijaw majority and sustains political fraud.
7. Conclusion: Truth vs Falsehood
Ijaw (Egbema): Majority, ancestral landowners of Warri North.
Itsekiri: Minority, co-inhabitants but not exclusive claimants.
The Supreme Court has spoken. INEC has verified. Only publication remains.
As Thomas Paine warned: “A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.” INEC’s silence and your government’s propaganda will not bury the truth.
Signed
Chief Tiemopere Joshua
(President)
Chief Ebikeke T. Goodstime
(Secretary)
Ijaw Stakeholders of Warri Federal Constituency
CC:
The Presidency
The National Assembly
The National Security Adviser
United Nations, AU, EU
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Ijaw Youth Council Alleges Ethnic Discrimination, Gross Inefficiency, Wants President Tinubu to Fire Executive Secretary of the NCDMB.
By: Favour Bibaikefie
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has demanded the immediate sack of Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe from his current role as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), alleging inefficiency, ethnic bias, and negligence towards critical youth engagement in the Niger Delta, while calling on President order an immediate probe into his activities.
This was contained in a statement jointly signed by
Comrade Nicholas Igarama – Chairman, Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo – Secretary, and Comrade Tare Magbei – Information Officer, and dated August 14, 2025, which reads in full:
“NCDMB: IYC Demands Sack of Unproductive Ogbe as Executive Secretary
“Leadership in its most rudimentary form defines the essence of absolute responsibility on assigned tasks as bestowed by higher authorities.
“This very phenomenon has been found to be lacking in the leadership of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) headed by Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe.
“As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.
“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.
“Repeatedly has he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.
“As Ijaws, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.
“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.
“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themes to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.
“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded.
“Hence, this call is made for the presidency to probe into Engr. Ogbe’s activities at the NCDMB relieve him of his duties as Executive Secretary of the Board.”
By Divine Perezide
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, the Executive Governor of Delta State, has condoled with the Agediga family over the passing away of the mother of Amb. Dr. Shedrack Agediga, Chairman, Delta State Bursary & Scholarship board. The Governor said Mama Agediga’s death has created a big vacuum and described her death as a huge loss, saying that mama lived an impactful life and her legacy would remain fresh in the memories of the living.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori who was represented by Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme (Senior Policy Adviser) advised everybody to emulate the lifestyle of late Mama Binkayai Uyabrade Enerekpemi Agedigha as she had touched humanity as a virtuous and community woman leader by contributing meaningfully to the development of the society.
The governor disclosed during the burial ceremony of Mama Binkayai Uyabrade Enerekpemi Agedigha and charged everybody, especially mothers to emulate her lifestyle to make their little contributions to develop the society.
“Mama has gone after leading an impactful life and her legacies as a very strong woman and virtuous community leader must be sustained” The governor admonished.
Also, speaking, Barr. Dcn. Kingsley Otuaro, immediate past Deputy Governor of Delta State , Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi, member representing Burutu Federal Constituency, House of Reps. Rt. Hon. Godknows Angele, Commissioner for Housing, Chief (Barr) Funyei Manager, Commissioner for Special Projects and Chief Favour Izoukumor, Executive Director – Social Services, DESOPADEC both extolled the late mama’s contribution to the society and expressed sadness for losing the Nonegerien.the
They acknowledged that she led a fulfilled life and urged society, especially women to emulate the lifestyle late of mama.
Mama Agediga died at the prime age of 104 and survived with 3 Children, 22 Grand Children, 24 Great Grand Children and 2 Great Great Grand Children.
The burial ceremony was attended by the creme de’ la creme of the society, including the Governor of Delta State Chief Sheriff Oborevwori who was represented by Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme (Senior Policy Adviser) Hon. Spencer Okpoye, Commissioner representing Ijaw Ethnic Nationality, DESOPADEC.
Rt. Hon. Solomon Funkekeme (Senior Policy Adviser), Barr. Dcn. Kingsley Otuaro, immediate past Deputy Governor of Delta State , Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi, member representing Burutu Federal Constituency, House of Reps, Rt. Hon. Godknows Angele, Commissioner for Housing.
Others are Chief (Barr) Funyei Manager, Commissioner for Special Projects, Chief Favour Izoukumor, Executive Director – Social Services, DESOPADEC, Hon. Spencer Okpoye, Commissioner representing Ijaw Ethnic Nationality, DESOPADEC, Hon. Chief Dan Yingi former lawmaker Delta House of Assembly, Hon. Emma Amgbaduba former Commissioner Delta state, Chief Vero Tangbeowei, Delta state former PDP women leader, Hon. Godwin Edumogiren, Hon. Paul Kurugbe, Olorogun Vincent Oyibode JP, Chairman Udu Council and others.