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Ikantu, Zou-Alagha Communities in Gbaramatu Kingdom Get Road Project After Declaring They Are Gbaramatu laws
By IduwiniVoice News Service / July 22, 2025/ Asaba, Delta State
In a major infrastructural breakthrough for the riverine Communities of Gbaramatu kingdom, the Delta State Executive Council, under the leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, has approved the construction of internal roads in lkantu and Zou-Alagha-two Communities in warri South-West Local Government Area.
The approval, announcement late Tuesday by Governor Oborevwori following the weekly EXCO meeting held at Government House, Asaba, marks a significant reward for the two Communities, which had recently reaffirmed their ancestral identity as part of the larger Gbaramatu ljaw nation.
The move is seen as both a political and developmental milestone, coming after the communities’bold declaration of their ethnic and cultural allegiance to the Gbaramatu kingdom. The declaration is believed to have paved the way for increased attention from the state government, which had previously been accused of neglecting remote riverine settlements.
This is a dream come true for our people,” said a jubilant youth leader from lkantu. “We’ve waited years for this kind of attention. Now that we’ve openly declared who we are-true Gbaramatu ljaws-the government has responded with a project that will change our lives.”
The construction of internal roads in lkantu and Zou-Alagha is among several key infrastructural projects approved by the Council in what is being described as Governor Oborevwori’smost ambitious development rollout yet. Other major projects approved including:
* Design and construction of a flyover bridge at Uromi Junction in Agbor, lka South LGA
* Flyover construction across Ughelli/Patani (East- West) Highway at Otovwodo Junction, Ughelli
Others include;
– Construction of Kolokolo/Tisun Road, Warri North Local Government Area
– Rehabilitation of Bomadi/Gbaregolor Road, Bomadi Local Government Area
– Completion of the construction of Bulu-Angiama Road, off Ughelli/Patani
– Completion of the construction of Ituru Road, Elume, Sapele Local Government Area
– Completion of the construction of Unoghovo Community Road from Benin Expressway to Ovade in Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area
– Construction of internal roads in the College of Education, Mosogar (Phase I), Ethiope West Local Government Area
– Construction of internal roads in Jjaghala, Warri South-West Local Government Area
– Reconstruction and asphalt overlay of Emu-Obodeti-Abbi-Abraka Road (from Emu-Obodeti Junction to Abraka), Ndokwa West Local Government Area
– Construction of internal roads in Kantu, Warri South-West Local Government Area
– Construction of access roads leading to Model Technical College, Obiaruku, in Ukwuani Local Government Area (Phase II)
– Construction of flood control measures from Orikeze Avenue Junction through Obi, Enumah, and Uromi Roads to Orogodo River, Ika South Local Government Area
– Completion of the construction of Olikili Layout Roads (Mike Arinze Street, Ezeweani Way, Tony Bakasi Street, Trust in God Lane, Emeka Obiokolo Street with spur to two closes, off Ibusa Road), Asaba, Oshimili South Local Government Area
– Reconstruction of Dual Carriageway Warri – Sapele Road (from the end of the U-turn at Spare Parts Market, Effurun, to after Ohore Junction, before Omenta Bridge) in Uvwie and Okpe Local Government Areas
– Construction of Oko-Amakom/Oko-Obiokpu/Oko-Anala/Oko-Ogbele Road (Phase II), Oshimili South Local Government Area
– Construction of Okowa Crescent, off Ughelli/Patani Expressway, Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area
– Construction of flood control measures on Summit Road through Nwelih Street, St. Patrick’s College, West End Mixed Secondary School, Uche Medua Igeh Close, Amilimocha Stream, Oshimili South Local Government Area.
According to the Governor, the projects are part of his administration’s “MORE Agenda” to deliver Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms, and Enhanced Peace and Security.
“We give God praise for this successful EXCO meeting toady,” Governor Oborevwori stated. “This government is committed doing MORE for All Deltans, especially those in undeserved communities.”
The recognition and inclusion of Ikatu and Zou-alagha (Jjaghala) in the state’s development plan is also being seen as a victory for traditional leaders and stakeholders in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, who have consistently pushed for the equitable distribution of government infrastructure across their communities.
It will be recalled that, Ikantu and Zou-alagha (Ijaghala) communities laid to to rest and age-long dispute on whether they were Itsekiri or Ijaw communities, by declaring in separate World Press Confidences that, they were Ijaw communities from the Gbaramatu Kingdom. These claims were backed by historical facts linking them to the Gbaramatu people rather than the Itsekiris who have sustained their own claims of these communities being part of the Itsekiri kingdom.
Community and kingdom elders and leaders have described the road projects as “a long-awaited token of justice” adding that the communities eventual declaration of their true identity may have ushered in ancestral blessings as prayed for during the press conferences. They further called on the government to ensure timely execution and local content participation.
With contractors expected to mobilize in the coming weeks or months the people of Ikantu and Zou-alagha are preparing to welcome a new era of mobility, commerce, and inclusion-a long strides from the days of abandonment, and a strong signal that truth, identity, and unity still matter in the politics of development.
Breaking
STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF STATE UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF PROFESSOR AMUPITAN AS INEC CHAIRMAN
The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025.
President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical.
Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity.
In compliance with the constitution, President Tinubu will now send Amupitan’s name to the Senate for screening.
Amupitan, 58, from Ayetoro Gbede, Ijumu LGA in Kogi State, is a Professor of Law at the University of Jos, Plateau. He is also an alumnus of the university.
He specialises in Company Law, Law of Evidence, Corporate Governance and Privatisation Law. He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in September 2014.
Amupitan was born on April 25, 1967.
After completing primary and secondary education, he attended Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, from 1982 to 1984, and the University of Jos from 1984 to 1987. He was called to the bar in 1988.
He earned an LLM at UNIJOS in 1993 and a PhD in 2007, amid an academic career that began in 1989, following his National Youth Service at the Bauchi State Publishing Corporation in Bauchi from 1988 to 1989.
Currently, he serves as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) at the University of Jos, a position he holds in conjunction with being the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Joseph Ayo Babalola University in Osun State.
Among the academic positions he has held at UNIJOS are: Chairman of the Committee of Deans and Directors (2012-2014); Dean of the Faculty of Law (2008-2014); and Head of Public Law (2006-2008).
Outside of academics, Amupitan serves as a board member of Integrated Dairies Limited in Vom, a member of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Governing Council, and a member of the Council of Legal Education (2008-2014), among other roles. He was a board member of Riss Oil Limited, Abuja(1996-2004).
Amupitan is the author of many books on law, such as Corporate Governance: Models and Principles(2008); Documentary Evidence in Nigeria (2008); Evidence Law: Theory and Practice in Nigeria(2013), Principles of Company Law(2013) and an Introduction to the Law of Trust in Nigeria (2014).
He is married and has four children.
Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information and Strategy)
October 9, 2025
By: Divine Perezide
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed media reports suggesting that it has suspended the Delineation of Electoral Wards in Warri Federal Constituency, covering Warri South, Warri South-West, and Warri North Local Government Areas.
The rebuttal followed a report by the Punch Newspaper claiming that an INEC official had hinted at a suspension in connection with the Supreme Court judgement of December 2, 2022. INEC clarified such reports were misleading.
In a statement issued on Sunday, INEC emphasized “the commission has not taken any decision regarding the delineation exercise in the Warri Federal Constituency. Reports alleging suspension are inaccurate and do not reflect the position of INEC.
The Commission noted that it remains committed to upholding the Supreme Court judgment but insisted that due process and broad consultation must guide every step of the delineation process.
A senior Electoral Officer, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, stressed that INEC’s mandate cannot be subjected to misrepresentation. “We must be clear: no suspension has been declared. What we have is an ongoing consultation process to ensure compliance with legal and constitutional provisions,” he stated.
The Supreme Court ruling of December 2022 had directed INEC to ensure fair representation of all ethnic nationalities within the Warri Federal Constituency by reviewing and delineation wards accordingly.
INEC assured stakeholders, particularly in Delta State, that it would communicate its position at the appropriate time, adding that it remains committed to transparent and credible Electoral Reforms.
(c) IduwiniVoice
By: Favour Bibaikefie
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has announced the withdrawal of services at Dangote Refinery and all Oil Installations following what it described as the unlawful dismissal of more than 80 of its members.
In a statement released by the union, the PENGASSAN condemned whT it termed “Dangote Refinery unilateral action to sack ova 800 members of our association for joining our union,” BBC Pidgin reported.
The association further described the move as “an affront to all workers for Nigeria and deliberate violation of Nigeria labour laws, di Constitution, and ILO convention.”
The mass sack has drawn significant concerns across labour circles, with PENGASSAN warning that such practices could set a dangerous precedent for the treatment of workers in the country’s oil and gas sector.
Reacting to the development, Dangote Refinery said it had taken necessary steps within the boundaries of law and industrial practice. While the company the company did not provide a detailed explanation for the dismissal, it insisted its actions were guided by operational realities.
Labour watchers say the dispute could escalate into a major confrontation unless urgent mediation is initiated by the federal government via the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The refinery, commissioned to be a game-changer in Nigeria’s energy sector, now faces its first major labour crisis since operations began.