News
Ogulagha Ward-19 Rallies Behind Oborevwori, Pondi, Agediga with Vote Of Confidence
Declares “Where Pondi Go, We Follow!”
By Favour Bibaikefie
Communities and constituents of Ogulagha Kingdom, Ward-19, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, have declared overwhelming support for Delta State Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Rt. Hon. Julius Pondi, the member representing Burutu Federal Constituency and Chairman House Committee on South-South Development Commission, and Amb. Dr. Shedrack Agediga, Chairman of Delta State Bursary and Scholarship Board, in recognition of their impactful leadership and developmental efforts.
This public endorsement was part of a political sensitisation tour led by Pondi,who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The move to the APC was officially made on the floor of the National Assembly on May 6,2025. On June 8, 2025, Pondi returned home to his primary constituency (Ogulagha Kingdom) to brief constituents and explain the rationale behind his political shift.
During the tour, Pondi’s was accompanied by Agediga and other political stalwarts who were received warmly by community leaders and members including Mr. Jeremiah Isayah (Chairman, Yokiri Community) and Mr. Believe Anumu (Chairman, Sokebolou Community), who hosted the team at the Sokebolou Modern Town Hall. The gathering turned into a formal vote of confidence in Oborevwori, Pondi, and Agediga.
Despite not having concluded his address, the hall erupted with chants of “Where Pondi Go, We Follow!” a phrase that became the unifying slogan throughout the tour.
The outreach continued on Monday, June 9, 2025, with stops in several other communities. By 10 am., the team arrived at Obotobo-1, where the community, led by the chairman Mr. Ebiware Owolo, came out in large numbers to show support. Later at 12 noon, Obotobo-2 hosted the group amidst jubilation singing and dancing by women of the community. Their chairman, Mr. James Oyibo, along with Chiefs, praised Pondi’s contributions to development but also seizeed the moment to request the completion of their town hall, a functional borehole, and internal road construction.
By 3 pm, the final stop of the day took place at the Ogulagha Community Town Hall, where residents from Okuntu, Osain, Obuguru, Youbebe, and other neighbouring communities gathered en-masse. The atmosphere was celebratory and filled with gratitude as community members highlighted various developmental projects championed by podi and Agediga-not just in Ogulagha Kingdom but throughout Burutu LGA’s 78 communities.
Each stop echoed the same resounding message: “Where Pondi Go, We Follow!”
The tour ultimately served not just as a political orientation but as a moment as a moment of unity and validation. Votes of Confidence were unanimously passed in all communities visited, affirming the trio of Oborevwori, Pondi, and Agediga as dependable leaders whose work continues to resonate positively across Delta State.
By: Staff Correspondent
In a strong-worded protest lettr, the people of oil rich Kokodiagbene Community, host to the Otunana (Utulala) field, has warned Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, to desist henceforth from its usual strategy of divide-and-rule tactics by it allegedly conniving with the Itsekiri ethnic group to register the above field under the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, as “Abiteye, Makaraba and Utonana (AMU-HCDT) for Itsekiri benefiting communities.”
The warning is contained in a protest letter addressed to the General Manager, PGPA, Lagos; the Area Manager, Warri; and the Operations Manager, Escravos; and that was signed by Comrade Ark Selegha and Gabriel Ukuli, Chairman and General Secretary of Kokodiagbene Community, respectively, on13th June 2025.
The host community of Kokodiagbene said they own the field which is located in the community and is less than 300 km from the main town, and added further that the original name, Utulala field, had been corrupted over time by the Itsekiri as Otunana field.
The letter reads in part: “The people of oil rich Kokodiagbene Community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, write, in a strong-worded protest petition, against as well as reject the ongoing registration of Otunana (Utulala) field by the Itsekiri ethnic group, facilitated by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as Abiteye, Makaraba and Utonana (AMU-HCDT) for Itsekiri benefiting communities.
“It will interest CNL’s management and the general public to know that Kokodiagbene Community is the rightful owner of Utulala now being referred to as Otunana flowstation, situated in the community, less than 5km from the main town of the community.”
The people of Kokodiagbene in the protest letter also alleged that the fraudulent registration of the AMU-HCDT by Chevron is a ploy by the Itsekiri to falsely solidify their claim on the field, and warned that should Chevron fail to stop forthwith with the registration, it will lead to a total shut down of the flowstation permanently.
“It is imperative to send this warning and caution against any purported attempt by CNL, in connivance with some top Itsekiri management staff, to register the flowstation in an attempt to buttress their fraudulent fictitious claim.
“This serves as a last warning against CNL to desist from its old strategy of adopting divide-and-rule tactics by instigating ethnic conflict to enable them employ and deploy their kins men from outside their area of operations.
“We warn again, that we will not condone this evil act which will no longer be tolerated and allowed to continue, and to avoid a total shut down of Chevron operations in the area, as we condemn in strong terms this anomaly and injustice meted on the good and peace loving people of Kokodiagbene Community.”
“We therefore ask that Chevron stops forthwith with any further registration process as it concerns Otunana (Utulala) field. A stitch in time, they say, saves Nine,” they warned.
By Staff Correspondent
The Ijaw nation has expressed profound appreciation to His Excellency, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, the distinguished Senator representing Bayelsa West in NASS, for his consistent, dogged, sagacious, and courageous defence of the Ijaw nation, especially in the face of recent political and economic challenges.
In a statement released to the media, Prof. Okaba commented Senator Dickson for standing up and firm again with the Ijaw people despite visible attempts to intimidate or entice him into compromising his and ljaw collective values and principles that premises on justice and the rule of law. He described the Senator as a true son of the Ijaw cause who remains unshaken.
The INC President recalled Senator Dickson’s stance during the Rivers State political crisis, including his bold face-off with the Senate President and his walkout during the vote to affirm the ill-fated emergency rule-acts that reflected his unwavering commitment to justice and democratic values.
Furthermore, the INC applauded Senator Dickson for recently drawing the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the worsening economic realities in Ijawland and the glaring absence of federal presence or developmental projects in the region. His outspokenness, the statement noted, continues to resonate with the aspirations of the Ijaw people.
The Ijaw Nation is proud of Senator Dickson’s relentless pursuit of equity, justice, and the development of the Niger Delta. We urge other leaders to emulate his example of principled leadership and courage in the face of adversity.
By Divine Perezide
Yenagoa – June 12, 2025. As Nigeria marks June 12, the day set aside to commemorate the country’s democratic struggles and the historic 1993 presidential election, the National President of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Ogele Okaba, has called for a deep and urgent reflection on the state of the nation’s democracy.
In a powerful statement released to the press early this morning, Prof. Okaba began by acknowledging the symbolic weight of the day but cautioned that symbolism alone was no longer enough.
“On this June 12, a day that symbolises Nigeria’s long and often painful March toward democracy, I believe it is important that we reflect not just on the symbolism of the day but on the substance of democratic practice in our country,” he said.
Prof. Okaba described June 12, 1993, as a landmark moment when the will of the Nigerian people was freely expressed but ultimately suppressed.
“June 12 represents the hope and mandate of the Nigerian people, freely expressed in the 1993 elections, and the betrayal of that mandate by anti-democratic forces, But over three decades later, we must ask ourselves: Have we truly moved forward – or merely replaced one form of authoritarianism with another dressed in electoral clothing?
Taking a firm stance, he asserted that Nigeria’s democratic failings are not due to the absence of of elections, but rather the absence of core democratic values.
“Nigeria’s democracy is floundering, not because we lack elections, but because we lack justice, accountability, and true federalism.”
Prof. Okaba cited the centralisation of power, institutional corruption, repression of dissent, electoral fraud, and the continued marginalization of minority ethnic groups-especially those in the Niger Delta-as I dictators that Nigeria is suffering from “a democracy in name only.”
Turning the spotlight on the Ijaw Nation’s historical role in the struggle for justice he invoked the memory of iconic Ijaw freedom fighter, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro.
“For us the *Ijaw Nation,* June 12 also reminds us of the struggles of our own heroes-men like *Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro,and other freedom fighters who stood for emancipation and justice, long before Nigeria was ready to hear it,” he said.
Despite the Ijaw people’s vital contributions to the national economy through oil and gas resources, Prof. Okaba lamented the region’s continued marginalization and neglect.
“Today, our people continue to suffer and grovel under the crumbling weight of exploitation, environmental devastation, and political exclusion despite contributing massively to the nation’s wealth.”
He drew attention to what he described as clear political imbalance in the current administration.
“Are you not surprised that the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria with over 10 federal constitiencies has only one minister in President Tinubu’s Federal Executive Council?”
Prof. Okaba concluded his statement with a clarion call for a democratic reset grounded in equity and inclusion.
“So, my comment on this day is simple: *Nigeria must renegotiate its democracy.* Not in empty constitutional amendments and empty rthetorics, but in a genuine restructuring of power, resource control, inclusivity and the respect for the rule of law.”
In a final a final indictment of the nation’s democratic conditions, he wanted:
“Democracy without justice is hypocrisy. And justice, for the Ijaw Nation and for all Nigerians, must begin now.”
The INC President’s statement adds to a growing chorus of voices calling for not just the celebration of democracy, but it’s renewal and realignment to the will and welfare of all Nigerians-especially the historically marginalized.