By JOHNSON EBIGIDE

Shakespeare wrote about the exploits of the Roman Julius Caesar and how he fought for Romans, but vanquished for his love of Rome.

Julius Caesar is not alone in the bitting ingratitude of humanity, particularly coming from the Brutuses !

Okowa as the former Governor of Delta State stands out as a man out to better the lots of the people of Ika, but unfortunately ended up as the “Egho Aria” Governor from Ika of Delta State. Like a man dancing so well, but not appreciated, Okowa did his best for his people in Ika, but rejected when it mattered most. Who were those that voted against his ambition to be the Vice President of Nigeria at his homestead in Owa-Alero !? Definitely not residents, but his people who stabbed him like Brutus did to Caesar, his closest friend !

Very many politicians who rose through OKowa in Delta State abandoned him too when it mattered most.

But OKowa is undeterred at elevating the welfare of his people. At the eleventh hour of his administration as the Governor of Delta State, he till embraced the principle of Charity beginning at home by giving the approval to illuminate his community with constant electricity supply through an independent power supply !

Even Jesus was crucified for preaching salvation of mankind by detractors and that action is still being rued by mankind. Okowa remains a man who had sleepless nights to better the lots of Ika people throughout his administration as the Governor of Delta State.

The transformation of Owa-Alero from a sleeping suburb enclave to a boisterous university community, housing many establishments, including the Federal Road Safety Corps and many more, was Okowa’s doing.

Like Nnamdi Asikiwe that started with a fanfare as the Zik of Africa and ended up as the Owele of Onitsha, it is hoped that OKowa as a one time Governor of Delta State would be remembered for transforming the entire state through road networks, empowerment of youths and widows, creating the right ambience for investments, repositioning of the civil service and improving the life span of the people through unprecedented healthcare delivery, among others, in Delta State.

The Founder of T-200 Foundation, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamdi Osadebay, has enjoined the selected 200 final year indigent Students who benefited from his Organization’s NECO Enrollment Grant in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State not to allow any obstacle in life to stop them from realizing their goals.

This advice was handed down to the beneficiaries on Friday during the maiden Edition of T-200 Scholarship and Grant Award held in the Main Hall of Osadennis Mixed Secondary School, Asaba.

The Founder also congratulated the students who were beneficiaries as he counted them lucky for being chosen among many.

He encouraged them to seize the T-200 grant as a Springboard for realizing their life goals.

He added that the Initiative was geared towards giving back to the Community he also passed through in the past years.

Osadebay was represented at the Ceremony by Barrister Ekpa Stanley Ekpa who coordinated the Event.

Speaking at the Occasion, the Principal of Osadennis Mixed Secondary, Mrs Aguonye Patience who spoke on behalf of Other School Principals thanked the donor for his initiative to bring succour to the life of indigent Students and their parents.

She said that what she thought was a dream came to pass while adding that the donor has gone a long way to prove to the people that they were still people of integrity in Nigeria.

Speaking further, she enjoined the recipients to cash in on the golden opportunity and to make sure that they represent T-200 Organization well in their various educational pursuits.

Auguonye, however, reminded the students about the benefit of hard work as she encouraged them to study well as it was the only sure way of passing their examinations.

The Chairman of The Nigeria Union Of Journalist (NUJ), Delta State Council, Comrade Mike Ikeogwu who also took his turn to speak, told the students to work hard to justify T-200 Foundation good gesture pointing out that education was a good sure way to self development.

He advised them to remain focussed and shun vices.

” Shun Cultism, exam malpractices and other vices that would not make you good citizens of Nigeria, our dear country. Please, don’t disappoint T-200, don’t disappoint your parents; let all of us join hands to make Nigeria great”. Said the Chairman.

Responding, one of the recipients, Miss Grace Nelson from Asaba Mixed Secondary School, Asaba, thank T-200, the Organisers of the grant promising that all the recipients would not disappoint them.

In a Similar development, Master Okonweze Emeka from Zappa Mixed Secondary School, who also spoke on behalf of the recipients said that the students present were grateful for being selected as he prayed to God to continue to bless Osadebey and his initiative.

Delta State Government on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government to host the National Youth Games (NYGs) for the next four years.

At the ceremony at Government House, Asaba, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare, signed for the Federal Government while Governor Ifeanyi Okowa signed for the state government.

In his remarks, Okowa thanked the minister for his contributions to sports development in the country and for building the youths through sports.

He said that Delta Government had a warm relationship with the Federal Ministry of Sports, and commended Dare for the turnaround sports development had recorded under him.

According to Okowa, as a state, we want to categorically state that we are glad with what you have done and we are proud of you.

“You did not sit back in Abuja as the Sports Minister but you went out relating with the states because the nation is made up of the states and without the states, there is no nation.

“I truly want to believe that whatever achievements we have had, it is because of that stretch out of love to the component parts of the state; to encourage them to develop sports with you.

“We must learn to build together as a nation and that is the best way to develop this country of ours. I also want to thank you for the partnership you have with Delta. You realised from the beginning that we played pivotal role,” he said

The governor assured that the state government would continue to partner Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to discover and grow more talents across the country.

He recalled that in 2018, the state government opened the Asaba Township Stadium with a national assignment where several countries participated.

“We have had several relationships with the national level in both football and athletics. Only recently, we hosted the National Sports Festival.

“We are yet again happy to host the National Youth Games in the next four years. It is a game that has actually become our own. We only hope that other states compete favourably,” he added.

Okowa noted that Delta State was known for encouraging sports development and urged other states to do same, saying “I truly want all states to realise that you must catch them young, and if you are going to catch them young, you must start early.

“Sports is a good way to develop the minds of our youths and it helps us to relate with each other across the nation and as we do so, we are helping to build bonds of unity across Nigeria.

“Here in this state, we do not take it lightly; very soon we will have another youth games. We do it yearly; the football competition and several others. We believe that ‘catching-them-young’ is the best.”

Earlier, the minister had said that Delta State had become the hub for sports development, and commended Governor Okowa for his contributions to the development of new talents across the state and country.

“Delta State undoubtedly has become the home of sports in Nigeria and it has contributed immensely to sports development in Nigeria.

“I am happy to say that in the last four years, Delta State Government has contributed to sports development and in the last NSF, they proved that they are serious in doing that by organizing very robust games.

“Delta graciously agreed to host the National Youth Games for the next four years. Delta is a talent hub for our sports and it is a beacon for development of sports.

“You know that unless you nurture them, the talents won’t blossom. This is why we are very proud of Delta.

“I am happy that in the next four years, our young talents will find succour in Delta State with the signing of this MoU and I have the belief that our sports will be great through this,” he said.

By ‘Fisayo Soyombo

It all started by happenstance. Investigative journalist ‘FISAYO SOYOMBO was in Port Harcourt on November 8, 2022 to track a case at the Rivers State High Court. Seeking directions to Hon Justice e was instead misled to Hon. Justice Elsie Nwanwuri Thompson’s Court 7, where he was dumbstruck by the relaxed, almost playful demeanour of the first defendant’s counsel in an ongoing case while the claimant’s counsel cut a frustrated figure in his futile attempts to convince the judge to shun an out-of-court settlement and begin the trial. As he would discover, it was a case between giant oil company Shell — represented by Michael Amadi from Olaniwun Ajayi LP — and a couple with a brain-damaged and bedridden son. Something didn’t seem quite right, so he started to ask questions, read previous half-hearted publications on the matter, and work his contacts. He found the couple in a matter of days, but they declined to speak, being current employees of the oil company. Over the next five months, he would intermittently text, call and visit them, without much luck initially. He would eventually gain their trust. In March, 2023 they finally opened their doors to him. It was almost half-a-year since the first phone call, and no progress had been made with the much-touted out-of-court settlement.

Chinazam with his mum in his healthy days before the surgery at Shell
Chinazam with his mum in his healthy days
In September 2016, when Stella and Emeka Okoli consented to an appendicitis surgery for their 10-year-old only son Chinazam, the surgeon at the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Industrial Area Clinic in Rumuobiakani, Rumuomasi in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had told them it was a simple, straightforward 30-minute procedure. In fact, it was meant to be so simple the surgeon assured them their son would be discharged within four days of the surgery. Seven years later, Stella and Emeka Okoli are still waiting for their son to be “discharged”.

With the benefit of hindsight, this medical procedure was already primed for botching since the previous month when Stella first took Chinazam to the hospital after he complained of stomach ache. A physician at the clinic examined him and concluded he was fine. However, on Friday September 2, three days before his scheduled resumption of school, he complained of the ache again. Stella returned with him to the clinic and, this time, the doctor who examined Chinazam said he had to see a surgeon at once.

“He referred us to a surgeon,” a sorrowful, crestfallen Stella tells FIJ inside an imposing hospital in Central London when FIJ visited Chinazam for the first time in March 2023, seven years after the surgery. “As they spoke over the phone, I heard the surgeon scream in their language, asking why they let the appendix inflame to that extent.”

When Dr. Aruoriwo Alexander Dimoko, the surgeon, arrived at the Shell Clinic, he repeated his question: why did it take so long to present Chinazam for medical examination? Stella explained again how she had been told at the same clinic a fortnight earlier that the boy was fine.

“This appendix is inflamed and we have to take it out now,” the surgeon was quoted as declaring.

“Now?”

“Yes!”

Since the Shell office of the Okolis was inside the same Industrial Area complex with the Shell clinic, Stella invited her husband Emeka over. The hospital typically didn’t conduct surgeries on Fridays, but this, according to the surgeon, was an emergency. Emeka and Stella were shocked, and uncomfortable. But, reiterating the urgency, the surgeon warned that if they opted to take their boy out of the hospital without the surgery, they had to sign that it was purely their decision.

“We were told we could return to our offices and not necessarily hang around, because it was a minor surgery that would take about 30 minutes,” Stella recalls. “We left at 2pm. At about 3:45pm, I rang his dad and we walked back to the hospital.”

KILLED — BUT ‘STILL ALIVE’

Chinazam after the surgrey at Shell
I no no wetin happen o. Na water water full everywhere o, the brain, the kidney, the this, the that; na water water. I no know o, I no know wetin con happen.

“For me — and this is even where my pain started from — Chinazam went in for the surgery at about 2pm, but from then until 7pm, nobody, I repeat nobody, said anything to us,” laments Stella. “For five hours, we were just standing, sitting, walking up and down. If any door opened, we ran there, and someone told us ‘Oh, they’re just about to finish’. And the hours went by.”

Stella and Emeka were still sitting in the visitors’ lobby when the anaesthetist, Dr. Dafe Akpoduado, exited the theatre to converse with another doctor on the phone. Unbeknownst to the anaesthetist, the Okolis were within earshot. “For the rest of my life,” says Stella, “I can never forget what I heard.”

Dr. Dafe Akpoduado in July 2016, two months before the surgery
“I no no wetin happen o,” she quoted the anaesthetist as saying in pidgin, his hands akimbo. “Na water water full everywhere o, the brain, the kidney, the this the that, na water water, I no know o, I no know wetin con happen.”

Stella stepped out to confront him, prompting the doctor to defend himself: “I was not there o; I was not part of the team; he was just giving me a handover note.”

Emeka walked across the corridor towards the theatre, asking to see his son. The surgeon, Dr. Alexander Dimoko, met him by the theatre door and told him: “Chinazam had a drug reaction but is okay now.” Stella was next to go in. Thinking her boy was dead, she “wept bitterly” until the doctor told her “no; he’s still alive”.

“What I saw on that day, may nobody ever go through this — even people who say they have enemies,” she says. “Oh Jesus! May nobody ever go through this period.”

Shortly after, Chinazam was wheeled out on some life support systems into the Intensive Care Unit as the parents looked on, while the doctors kept whispering to one another.

THREE DAYS AND NO SIGN OF LIFE

Chinazam had slipped into a medical coma, but Stella was unaware until the third day post-surgery when he still wasn’t making eye contact.

“You know, I’ve already made up my mind that I won’t stay in unforgiveness; that’s what has helped me till today,” she tells me. “If you were not sure of what happened, you didn’t need to tell me he had a drug reaction.”

From September 2 until late night of September 9, 2016, Chinazam remained in the Shell IA Clinic ICU while Emeka continued to plead for him to be flown to a trauma centre in  Europe or the Americas. But Shell, in their wisdom, felt otherwise. When he was finally moved abroad in an air ambulance in the early hours of September 10, it was to South Africa.

Emeka speaks about the consequences of Shell’s pussyfooting with surefootedness. “The day this happened, I pleaded with Shell to please take this boy to a trauma centre,” he recalls. “Shell kept him in the hospital for one week before they moved him out. A neurosurgeon in Texas told me he wished he met my son within 72 hours of the surgery; he said they had a protocol that they would have activated and it would have reversed the damage.”

A Shell policy that promises no harm to people seemed unapplicable to Chinazam
A Shell policy that promises no harm to people seemed unapplicable to Chinazam
Emeka maintains Shell “was doing trial and error for one week” while hoping for the worst.  “It appears to me that they were doing those things to wait for him to die, but he didn’t die,” he says.

And this was where Shell started to falter. If what happened in the theatre was a mistake, a human error, holding him back in the hospital was a conscious decision. By failing to fly Chinazam out of the country for at least one full week, and by sending him to another African country, Shell had very intentionally violated the first item on its Commitment and Policy on Health, Security, Safety, the Environment and Social Performance (HSSE): “pursue the goal of no harm to people”.

In the hospital’s communication to the Okolis, they claimed Chinazam lost oxygen during the procedure, but they didn’t know the duration of the loss. “How is it that they had a surgeon, an anaesthetist, someone in charge of the oxygen, and a minimum of two nurses, yet nobody could say how long Chinazam lost oxygen for?” Stella wonders.

SAVING MONEY AT THE EXPENSE OF A HUMAN LIFE

Multiple occurrences after the surgery reflect deliberate parsimony by Shell, Nigeria’s oldest energy company, at the expense of Chinazam’s life. For instance, as of December 2016, three months after he was flown to South Africa, nobody from Shell had visited him to physically ascertain the quality of available healthcare and his recovery. Similarly, when his parents started to question the unavailability of certain essential services in South Africa, Shell did not take them seriously, instead waiting until forever before sanctioning a relocation to the US.

One evidence is a December 8, 2016 email to Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim, Shell Health Manager, Nigeria, in which one of Emeka’s demands was: “The immediate plans for moving Chinazam to an evidence-based Centre for brain injury rehabilitation with innovative and advanced cognitive rehabilitation protocols/interventions, CAST program including robotic therapies, electrical stimulation for gait performance and mobility, spasticity management, independent living tools and all-in-one surgery-induced brain injury management facility like the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Illinois; Kessler Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre, New Jersey; and Good Shepherd (Pediatric) Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania, all in the USA, in conformity with especially Arcles 3 and 24 of the UN Convention on the rights of the child (CRC), as research shows that quality of care plays a significant role in patient’s recovery.”

One of Emeka Okoli’s numerous emails to Shell senior management towards getting the organisation to behave more responsibly
One of Emeka Okoli’s numerous emails to Shell senior management towards getting the organisation to behave more responsibly
Some days before 2016 Christmas, Emeka was back emailing Shell officials to again press for his son to be relocated out of South Africa, given that, the Rehabilitation Facility, one of the two hospitals where he received treatment, had been honest to the Okolis about their equipment and technology limitations, specifically admitting that their rehabilitation was “manually-driven and non-technology-aided”.

Still, Emeka began the following year by pushing for Chinazam’s exit from South Africa. In an email in which he stopped short of massaging the egos of Shell Nigeria’s decision-makers, at whose mercy he had ostensibly found himself, he wrote: “This year, my family and I would immensely appreciate your intervention now more than ever before, as the first 6 months is crucial for laying the foundation for complete recovery (4 months is now gone, on 02 Jan 2017), and the Rehabilitation Hospital in South Africa where my only son (Chinazam) is, doesn’t have all the critical expertise (e.g. Pediatric Physiatrists), technology (Robotics, Electrical stimulation, etc) and Independent Neuro-professional oversight to review/monitor key goals delivery, required to facilitate his complete recovery from this hypoxic-anoxic brain injury, and thus make him independent in the Activities of Daily Living (ADL); as enumerated for this post-ICU ‘acute to post-acute’ rehabilitation phases by the Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Brain Injury Association of America.”

Still, Shell did not move Chinazam to the US until March 2017

‘SHELL FOUND OUT THE TRUTH BUT HAS BEEN HIDING IT’

Ronke Desalu… presided over the panel instituted by Shell that produced the report the Okolis are asking for
Ronke Desalu… presided over the panel that produced the report the Okolis are asking for
After the incident, Shell invited Ibironke Desalu, a professor and consultant anaesthetist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), to probe what had transpired in the theatre on September 2, 2016. Her report, the Okolis believe, would provide evidence of the exploitation, medical negligence, torture, pain and suffering Chinazam was subjected to, leading to the brain injury. It is almost seven years after, and Shell has refused to release the report to the Okolis. Shell claims the report will not contribute to Chinazam’s health in any way. They also claim it does not form part of Chinazam’s medical report, but is only for their internal use.

But when Stella asked Dr. Ibrahim Yusuf “Do I have a right to that report, as Chinazam’s mother?”, the answer was yes.

Still, till this date, Shell continues to deny the Okolis access to the report, in clear violation of its self-designed document on ‘Patient/Family Rights In Shell Hospitals’. Of the many mouth-watering promises in that document, one stands out: “You can ask at any time what is happening to you and why. Everything will be explained to you honestly, in a manner and language you can understand.”

‘HAVE YOU EVER CRIED TEARLESS’?

Stella has cried so much the tears no longer flow
Chinazam was 10 when the surgery happened. Now 17, he has received seven straight years of care, his parents swapping roles to be by his side. As one might expect, the individual and collective toll on the Okoli family is indescribable.

“Have you ever eaten food and it was tasteless, yet you did not have COVID? Have you ever cried but tears could not come out of your eyes?” Stella asks, face sunken, voice sullen, prompting the journalist to momentarily halt the interview to shed tears of his own.

When the interview resumes, she continues: “I have experienced it. As I’m speaking with you, I am crying. But tears cannot come out of my eyes.”

Stella was primed for her Ph.D when the surgery was botched, but all that has now evaporated. For “every single day” of the four months of Chinazam’s South Africa hospitalisation, thoughts of his death flooded her mind just before she knocked on his door after arriving at the hospital from her hotel room. A child who was famed for his athleticism, who taught friends and schoolmates how to backflip and was consequently famously dubbed ‘the somersaulting master’, was now being spoken of to her mum as someone who had suffered a lifelong disability.

“He had all his dreams set up for him,” Stella recalls. “He was going to be a pilot, a footballer or a Robotics/AI Entrepreneur.”

Chinazam’s two sisters were closing in on 13 and 14 just before the surgery. A teary Stella says to care for him, she abandoned her teenage girls at the age when she should have been there for them the most. The impact of her absence, she adds, is something she is “still dealing with today”.

‘IT REALLY HURT THAT MY MUM WASN’T THERE’

Stella’s daughter still upset her mum wasn’t there for her
Those claims were corroborated by Salome, her last girl, who still nurses regrets about her mum missing numerous milestones not only in her life but in her older sister Deborah’s.

“When I achieved a great academic milestone at some point in high school, my mum wasn’t there to celebrate with me and it really hurt,” the 19-year-old college student of Public and International Law confesses. “I wouldn’t say I’ve been a stellar student — I struggled during my junior years — so the milestone upped my spirits. She also missed three of my birthdays and could only celebrate them with me in arrears, which was mostly more than two months after.”

One of Chinazam’s cousins vowed never to pray again — how can a God exist and let an innocent boy suffer a travail of this magnitude?

Stella remains inconsolable by “the fact that you have to look at your child every day, and the only communication you can make is occasionally with the eyes”.

Emeka paints a far gorier picture. “I have practically lost every single thing that has to do with freedom, because my whole life revolves around him,” he laments. “I lived with Chinazam in Texas for more than two years before I went to India with him for a treatment, then Belgium for another, then the UK.”

Emeka now has severe back ache from years of carrying his teenage son
More worryingly, Emeka currently suffers from chronic back ache due to years of carrying Chinazam. His second daughter is verging on her fourth year in university, but April was the first time he visited her in school. The first has spent four years studying Medicine, but Emeka has not yet managed to show up in her school. “This would not have happened, if not for Chinazam, as I used to be a present dad in their lives,” he maintains.

Emeka says the tragedy “has practically wrecked our lives”, leaving him clutching at survival by “talking to psychologists”. The bad news is that there is a trigger that is almost impossible to banish.

“Till date, I struggle to hold myself when I see a man playing with his son, something Chinazam and I used to do,” he says in the most emotion-laden voice you’d ever hear from a father. “It’s something I’m still learning to deal with. It’s PTSD for me; it tears me apart. But this is something I deal with every single day of my life. So my life practically has come to a standstill. And I can’t even begin to talk about closure, because I still do not know what Shell did to my son.”

FROM BANTERS TO THE COURTROOM

The Rivers State Hight Court on the morning of March 20, 2023
“Honesty, integrity and respect for people”. These three form “a set of core values” Shell boasts as “underpinning all the work we do”.

On both its Nigerian and global websites, the multinational corporation so confidently states: “The Shell General Business Principles, Code of Conduct and Ethics and Compliance Manual help everyone at Shell act in line with these values and comply with relevant laws and regulations.”

For many years, the Okolis fell for it, only recently realising that these words, especially in Shell Nigeria, were just lip service.

“Shell’s core values are honesty, integrity and respect for people, and they are ingrained in us; those values resonate with my personal value of care,” Stella says confusedly. “It never occurred to me for once that I’d ever have a conversation about Shell in this manner, much more a court dispute. But when your child is injured and he cannot talk, he cannot walk, he can’t eat, he has a G-Tube — so he cannot fight for himself — then me, as his mother, cannot advocate for him? I’d rather die. I’d rather not be alive, and I’m using very strong words.”

By Stella’s account, Shell and the Okolis were holding periodic conversations at the start. For two years, they met every Tuesday to discuss — talks that sometimes filled Chinazam’s parents with hope. Sometime in the course of those meetings, they started hearing from Shell’s representatives that Chinazam had to return to Nigeria. He was in the US at the time. They did not oppose it, but they worried about the intricacies of the relocation. How would he school, get integrated into society, or access therapy?

Shell did their survey and the Okolis theirs. School, for example, was unclear. The Okolis were managing very serious seizures for Chinazam at the time. He also was not feeding orally; just via the G-Tube. He hadn’t passed his last videostroboscopy, during which food gets put in someone’s mouth and viewed from a computer to see if they are able to cough it out if getting choked. He had suffered a bit of a neurological impairment as part of complications during that catastrophic surgery. The videostroboscopy revealed that if asleep and food goes to the wrong place, Chinazam will aspirate — the fluid goes into his lungs — and die.

Stella checked up to seven Nigeria-based schools labelled ‘inclusive’, and produced a shortlist of two. One, run by a Canadian, lacked staircase access for children in wheelchairs. Once the founder said staff carried the children up on their shoulders, Stella knew Chinazam to Nigeria couldn’t work. To ensure Chinazam’s safety, Emeka invited Shell Medical for a Risk assessment, a key requirement of the Shell’s HSSE and SP Control Framework employed in Shell Contracts, Operations and Projects to ensure Risk mitigation to the ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) criteria for People, Asset, Environment and Reputation. To Emeka’s horror, Shell continued foot-dragging and eventually frustrated the exercise.

To fend off Shell’s spirited attempts to force Chinazam back to Nigeria, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, US, where he was receiving speech, physical, occupational, aquatic and hippo-therapy therapies, wrote a ‘To Whom It May Concern’ in March 2019, warning that “if Chinazam should return home at this time, he will have limited resources and limited access to therapy with no ability to negotiate community as well as limited access to the proper clinical specialist for his ongoing care”.

“In the immediate and short term, Chinazam has several medical appointments with Neurology and ENT, which will aid in his rehabilitation,” read the letter, signed by Gadi Revivo, DO, Attending Physician, Pediatric and Adolescent Program Rehabilitation Program. “We are recommending at least another 6 to 12 months for further evaluation and treatment.”

Chinazam on his dad’s laps
More than a year later, with Shell still scheming to engineer Chinazam’s return to Nigeria, Texas Children Hospital penned a similar letter, writing: “If Chinazam should return to his home country at this time, he will have limited resources and limited access to specialised neuro-rehabilitation and therapies and limited access to proper clinical specialist for his ongoing care.”

“We are recommending at least another six months for further evaluation and treatment as described above,” wrote Mariella Hillerand, MD, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Attending, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, on July 27, 2020.

Shell then began to say they would stop caring for Chinazam once he turned 21, much to the Okolis’ chagrin. At this point, the Okolis still intended to keep things civil. Stella, for example, had been at Shell since 25, working in community development, partnership development and, much later, risk management. Now 51, Shell is where she has spent all her adult life.

“This is a lifelong injury that happened in your clinic, so how can you take care of him with an existing HR policy for dependant healthcare?” Stella, now freshly annoyed, asks. “A child walked into your clinic and came out immobilised and nearly half-dead and you want to care for him on an existing HR policy? How?”

After a long period of mental torture during which the Okolis “tried to keep it gay, laugh and put a human face to it”, after every Tuesday meeting that drained Stella and left her struggling to accept that it was her child being placed on viewgraph, the Okolis shared a US-certified lifecare plan for Chinazam with Shell. This was a plan written by a licensed life care planner, but Shell held it for more than two years. By the time the Okolis got the next sniff of the plan, Shell had literally shredded it, reshuffling its tenets and changing currency conversions via unapproved, non-expert certified personnel, which would have been unthinkable and harshly punished if this had happened on a Shell Crude oil and Gas Asset operation or project environment. It was at this point the Okolis realised they had a real fight on their hands. They had no other option but to go to court. This was August 2021.

THE OKOLIS’ FIRST LAWYER ACTED COMPROMISED

One and a-half years on, the trial has not effectively started, with Shell bringing in any objection at each sitting, and the Okolis also shuffling their legal team.

“I think the first lawyer we went to court with, he compromised at some point, so we had to discontinue with him,” says Stella.

Shell had made the Okolis a monetary offer, which was instantly rebuffed, surprisingly infuriating their lawyer. They would come to meetings and their lawyer would be shouting at them. He told them they would never again, in court or out of it, get anything close to what they’d scoffed at. But the Okolis were always clear: they were not after Shell’s money.

“We told him our rejection was based on the lifecare plan; it was not based on emotion,” says Stella. “We even said to them, don’t pay us any money. Put it in a trust account and whenever Chinazam needs money, charge it from there.”

There have been many settlement meetings since Justice Elsie Thompson took over the case from Justice Weli Chechey, and the Okolis have now decided to absent themselves from further meetings because “it is so mentally draining, so painful”.

SHELL WOULD NOT BEHAVE LIKE THIS ABROAD

Marno de Jong, Senior Vice President Nigeria at Shell
Marno de Jong, Senior Vice President Nigeria at Shell
Asked if Shell would conduct itself differently if this happened abroad, Emeka’s answer was emphatic: “Very differently, extremely differently — because they know that they would have been confronted with the law. They have been doing this with a certain degree of we-have-been-getting-away-with-things-like-this.

“The human rights-literate public, the independent press and the stringently mature rule of law in developed economies would have held Shell so irrevocably accountable, that Shell would have had no option but to do the right thing from day one, beyond what is now evident as lip service to their Policies and Procedures on care for People.”

He recalls how he practically fought Shell to move Chinazam out of South Africa after seeing the limitations of their technology. It took Shell more than two weeks to agree with him. And when they did, Emeka himself — not Shell — handled the drudgery of finding hospitals and specialist physicians in the US and elsewhere for the oil giants to talk to.

“Shell was unwilling to follow through with the work,” says Emeka. “Again, when it was time to move him from Chicago to Texas, I also found the hospital.There were some specialists I asked them to please discuss with, but they ignored me.”

Among the things that continue to irk Emeka is Shell’s insistence, “till date”, that Chinazam had a drug reaction.

“It was further down the line that South African doctors told us this was not a drug reaction but a brain injury,” he says. “The US and UK doctors confirmed it was a brain injury — hypoxia, caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain during surgery. Shell never told us. Shell continued deceiving us that it was a drug reaction and he would be okay. But if I have to lay my life for this boy, I will. They will not get away with this.”

THE SOMERSAULTING MASTER CANNOT MOVE HIMSELF ANY LONGER ☹️

In court, Shell continues to play a conspicuous spanner-in-the-works game that any fair party can effortlessly spot. The proceedings on March 20, 2023 were a replica of FIJ’s first time in court in November 2022. Shell’s lawyer Ismail Balogun from Olaniwun Ajayi chambers was at his annoying best, often chuckling, sometimes laughing, always addressing the claimants’ lawyer Dada Awosika and everyone else with such a sense of camaraderie one would never imagine a human life is at the centre of this suit. Meanwhile, there have been multiple sittings between those two dates.

This time, just as the first, when the case was called, counsel to Shell informed the court that settlement talks were ongoing, and asked for more time; the judge adjourned the case by more than a month after confirming that the settlement had taken too long, then gave Shell more time “for the last time” to reach an out-of-court settlement otherwise the matter would proceed. Guess what? The judge had spoken in a similar tone at the preceding case in February and at FIJ’s first presence in court five months earlier!

Justice Elsie Nwanwuri Thompson’s court on November 8, 2022
Justice Elsie Nwanwuri Thompson’s court on November 8, 2022
Meanwhile, inside the hospital where he is receiving treatment, Chinazam continues to battle for his life, helped by the sterling care of dutiful nurses and doctors, and the obsessive love of his mother and father. The protocol for keeping him healthy, even comfortable, are delicate: his positioning in bed, where and how to touch him, where and how to lift him, the strengthening and positioning of his arms and elbows, how long he should lie down on a spot for, how often he should be turned every few hours, and the number and arcs of the pillows to be used to support his head, neck and legs. It is an endless cast of caregiving procedures in which every minute counts.

In FIJ’s two visits to the hospital, the delicate handling of Chinazam did not totally obliterate pain. He winced occasionally, even at the faintest of touches. Sometimes, he grunted — times when he tried relentlessly but ultimately futilely to talk. His pain in such moments is so visible one can almost touch it.

‘THE BOY CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY HE CANNOT TALK’

It is a pain her older sister shares. “There are times I see he’s trying to talk. He knows he is trying to say something and you can see that he is frustrated or confused, and he cannot seem to understand why it’s so hard for him to talk,” says Deborah, 21, a medical student. “It’s in moments like that when I look at him and see the obvious distress he’s in that it kind of hits me that this is a really sad thing that has happened.”

Deborah considers it all very sad, knowing Chinazam “was honestly someone you couldn’t be sad around”.

“He was obsessed with my mum’s ipads… he loved games. My sister wasn’t interested in those things, so he was always bringing them to me to play with him. We used to bond over that, so we were very close,” she says of their childhood. “He was very energetic, always on the field. He was the kind of person you couldn’t stay angry with for a long time. He just had a lot of love and it was really easy to love him back because of how soft he was. Such a genuine person. He was just so sweet.”

Chinazam’s other sister, Salome, remembers him as “energetic, so full of life, musically gifted and great at Computer Science”.

“He was quite annoying sometimes, but it was endearing because he had a wholesome and overall genuinely positive aura and disposition,” she says. “No matter how many times we argued, we’d still smile and laugh afterwards and I loved it.”

Till today, Salome misses Chinazam’s “energy”. “His absence brought a lot of silence to our house after his surgery,” she laments. “The shift in our family dynamic was very conspicuous.”

Of her personal loss, she says: “The only thing I really regret is not telling him or showing him enough how much I love him. Looking into his eyes after he woke up and talking to him without him replying was quite unsettling and it made me feel like I had lost some part of my brother in a sense.”

NEVER GIVING UP

As expected, some have asked the Okolis: since Chinazam is brain-damaged, why not just let him go? Stella, first to respond, recalls being asked by someone: “Na Jesus?”

“My response to such people is that I don’t wish anyone to go through something like this,” she says with a slight shake of her head. “You know why? Talk is very cheap. So, as long as he is breathing, we would do whatever it takes, as long as it lies within our power, to give him dignity. Dignity, that’s all. Just to have dignity, which is a fundamental human right.”

Emeka is not even entertaining any other thought than seeing his son walk someday. “Science evolves every day, and I believe that science will someday find the cure for my son’s condition,” he enthuses. “However, if that doesn’t happen, I may have to sacrifice the rest of my life by enrolling in a Ph.D programme in Translational Neuroscience to personally find that cure.”

SHELL: TALK TO THE JOURNALIST IF HE’S ‘HELPFUL TO OUR CASE’

Osagie of Shell (far right) with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 when the President received Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Kingdom of Netherlands
Osagie (far right) with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 when the President received Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of Kingdom of Netherlands
FIJ sent emails to Marno de Jong, Senior Vice President Nigeria, Shell; Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN); Ibrahim Yusuf, Shell Health Manager, Nigeria; and Femi Oduneye, VP, Health Group, requesting for comments. Shell initially appeared ready to engage, with Bola Essien-Nelson, SCiN Media Relations Manager, writing: “I’m connecting with you with regards to your messages to Osagie Okunbor and Dr. Yusuf Ibrahim concerning the above-mentioned matter. We are working on your enquiry and will get back to you next week.”

But hours later, Essien-Nelson would send a follow-up email declining to comment. “While we note your interest and request for information as an investigative journalist, we are unable to provide any response to the questions set out in your email as the issues regarding the treatment of Master Chinazam Emeka-Okoli at SPDC’s facility is [sic] already a subject matter of an ongoing litigation. Accordingly, we are legally constrained not to make any comment or interfere with the matter that is sub-judice,” she wrote.

Essien-Nelson, Shell’s Media Relations Manager
Essien-Nelson, Shell’s Media Relations Manager
Her email also carried what appeared to be a veiled threat: “Please note that it will amount to flagrant interference with the administration of justice, and contempt of Court to interfere with the fair trial of the matter in Court or make public statements or comments that may jeopardise the fair trial of the matter before the Court… We trust you are properly guided as parties wait for the final determination of the matter in Court.”

Of worthy note, Essien-Nelson’s first email was a response to a forwarded email from Okunbor, which read: For your review and response to the person if deemed credible and/or helpful to our case. In simpler words, do not talk to the journalist… if he isn’t helpful to our case.

Ibironke Desalu, the chairman of the probe panel set up by Shell, also declined to talk. “No comments. The official report was submitted to Shell,” she simply said.

Speak to my lawyers, says Dr. Alexander Dimoko
The response from Dr. Alexander Dimoko was similar. “Please kindly contact my solicitors,” he said.

From Dr. Dafe Akpoduado, there was no response at all.

One person who did manage to speak with FIJ, though, is Chidi Odinkalu, a professor and former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

“It is staggering in the corporate arrogance and malpractice,” Odinkalu said. “I don’t know how these people sleep with themselves — the company executives, the doctors and their lawyers. No one wants to be human about destroying the life of this boy and hopes of his family. It is heart-rending.”

NOT THE FIRST TIME

This is not the first time Shell Nigeria is facing accusations of medical negligence and subsequent rights violations in its post-damage response. In 2009, Sheri King, a former employee, and her then 17-year-old-son Opeyemi King filed a N500m action against the oil company and one of its medical staff, Dr. Fred Eigbe, for “personal injuries, loss, pain and suffering caused by negligence of the company’s medical centre”.

In her statement of claim, King had said that having attended prenatal care at Shell Medical Centre throughout her pregnancy, she fell into labour in the early hours of November 1, 1992 and was rushed to the medical centre at 2 a.m., but there was no medical doctor, gynaecologist or obstetrician on duty to cater to the obvious emergency, and was left to the second-level medical attention of nurses/midwives who could only conduct routine procedures.

She claimed the medical officer arrived 10 hours later and physically took charge belatedly, causing the child foetus to suffer acute distress before delivery, after which the mother was transferred to LUTH for further treatment. King claims Opeyemi was subsequently unable to achieve the usual milestones of childhood, such as crawling, walking, talking and was constantly having violent convulsions, vomiting, irritability, weak muscular activity and a lack of mental capacity, for which he was taken to the Shell medical centre incessantly. When Opeyemi turned six, for example, he had never walked because his muscles had not developed.

King also said Shell invited her to sign a document absolving them of any liability for her son’s condition, but when she requested to seek advice on the contents of the document, she was denied; and when she refused to sign the document, Shell withdrew its funding of Opeyemi’s therapy.

FIJ also understands that a current Shell employee lost a child at the company clinic under questionable circumstances, but he — just like the Okolis initially did for five months — declined to speak.

WHAT THE OKOLIS WANT? JUST TWO THINGS

By Stella’s account, the first time the case got to court, Justice Weli Chechey looked at Shell’s representative and said: “Looking at you, I’m not sure you’d have the boldness to give Shell this message. However, I like Shell so much and I have read this case copiously; this is not the kind of case Shell should allow to come to court. In this kind of case, you call the parents to one side and ask them: “What do you want?”

With Shell not doing it, I ask the Okolis what they want.

“Obviously, number 1, we want the Desalu Report,” answers Stella. “Secondly, there is a lifecare plan that has been written for Chinazam. Just take care of it. We don’t want their money; just put it in a trust and let the hospital draw from it. Then pay off our legal fees – because we have been paying the lawyers.”

But this is in conflict with what Shell wants, which is not to be associated with Chinazam Okoli any longer. It is to pay the Okolis off. Forever and ever.

Produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation

Independent, public-interest journalism has never been more vital than in times like this when truth is constantly being suppressed. With your support, it will be easier for us to continue speaking truth to power and preserving your right to know

The Senator-Elect, Delta South Senatorial District, Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, spoke with some journalists on issues ranging from his humble beginning, his sojourn in politics, his election as Senator, expectations from NASS and how he intends to represent his District in the 10th National Assembly.

Happy reading;

CAN WE MEET YOU?

My name is Joel-Onowakpo, Thomas Ewomazino but I am popularly known as JOT, being the acronym of my surname and first name. I am an Isoko man from Delta State. Professionally, I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA) and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCTI). I hold a Masters Degree in Technology Management from the Ogun State University, and I am an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School of Government. In 2003, I was listed in the ‘Who is Who in the 21st Century’ by the International Biographical Center, Cambridge. Traditionally, I am the Idudu of Emede kingdom and the Majidadin Kaigama Katsina.

CAN YOU TELL US LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?

I started my career life as a sales boy in Okwegbe and Sons in Oleh, headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State before going to Lagos to look for greener pastures. In Lagos, I worked briefly in Muk-dap Nigeria Limited as Accounts and Admin Manager before moving to Onothome Ofo Thirlwell & Co (Chartered Accountants) to start my professional artisanship. I left the firm as the working partner in 1997 to establish my own firm, Joel-Onowakpo & Co (Chartered Accountants). From 1994 to date, I have ventured into several businesses as an entrepreneur and I am happy to say that the YAAAGLO Holding Limited has come to stay by God’s grace. YAAAGLO Holding is a conglomerate with major interest in Hospitality, Real Estate, Mining, Civil Engineering and General Merchandise.

HOW DID YOU VENTURE INTO POLITICS?

I started my political career in Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Delta State in the 2003 general elections with Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru as the governorship candidate against our national leader, Chief James Onanefe Ibori of People’s Democratic Party (PDP). After the 2003 election, Chief Ibori initiated a move coordinated by Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan and Chief Ighoyota Amori that brought us to PDP in 2004. In 2006, my uncle, Chief Joseph Onothome Udevieme Ofo (of blessed memory) and his friend, Chief Sargeant Uredi projected me for the Delta State House of Assembly election. In spite of the huge support I got from them, which was coordinated by the then honourable member in the House of Assembly representing my constituency, Chief Ross Uredi, I was requested to stepped down a night before the primary election for my opponent, Chief Benjamin Efekodo (who eventually won the main election in 2007) in an intervention meeting attended by Chief Solomon Ogba, Chief Josiah Iroro, and Chief Erezi Esievo.

After the 2007 elections, the then governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, out of the kindness of his heart appointed me as the Transition Committee Chairman of Isoko South Local Government. This eventually made me a Council Chairman {lol}. The same governor at the end of my tenure after few months, appointed me as the first Executive Chairman, Delta State Board of Internal Revenue (DBIR) in 2009. While serving in this Board, God favoured me with inspiration and ideas. My footprints are everywhere in Delta State. We moved Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from N12 Billion to N56 Billion annually, built state of the art infrastructure as offices across the State and created massive employment. In 2016, after the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as President of our beloved country, my mentor, former colleague and friend, Tunde Fowler, was appointed as Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and in his attempt to hunt for the best brains in the profession, I was invited to join the revenue administration as Deputy Director/State Coordinator overseeing Rivers, Edo & Delta States. In 2018, I resigned my position, I left the PDP, and joined the APC to contest the House of Representatives election for the Isoko North and Isoko South Federal Constituency but lost.

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF DELTA, HIS EXCELLENCY, DR. EMMANUEL EWETA UDUAGHAN?

I consider him as my father and mentor. We have a very excellent relationship. He, I will say, perfectly understand my person. He has supported me in all my dreams politically. In two different occasions, I have consulted him about my ambition and critical political decisions that were to impact significantly on my political future and he offered me his very honest and selfless advice. For me that is the height of relationship. When the pressure to contest this senatorial seat was on me, he was the person I called and he encouraged me to run for the position. And he supported me all the way despite the fact that he was constrained and didn’t do all he would have done because of party affiliation. But there was never a day he stopped picking my calls no matter the timing. The wife (I call her mama), is truly a mother and her support has been extraordinary.

LET ME TAKE YOU A LITTLE BACK INTO HISTORY, WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS EXCELLENCY, CHIEF JAMES ONANEFE IBORI?

He is our leader, a father and a mentor. Unfortunately, perhaps, I never had opportunity to work with him directly when he was the governor of the State. His track records are laudable and visible everywhere. Fortunately for me, we became very close during my senatorial race, an avenue where I discovered why many people don’t call him by name but just refers to him as ‘Odidigborigbo’. His words are his bond. From the first day I met him where he offered me his support till today, he has not wavered. He is indeed a political father and I will always honour him.

AS IT STANDS TODAY, YOU ARE THE SENATOR-ELECT, DELTA SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT UNDER THE PLATFORM OF THE ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE AND THE DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT, SENATOR OVIE OMO-AGEGE?

He is my brother, my friend and my leader. He was the vessel God used to make me a Senator. He was the one who saw what was in me and took time to visit me and pressured me to contest for the position and after I finally agreed to run for the office, DSP Omo-Agege stood firmly for me and with me all through the process. I can tell you that he has a kind heart and mean well in all he does. I believe that he is greatly misunderstood sometimes. But the truth is that he has the best interest of his people at heart and always willing to serve to change the ugly narratives. I am telling you this just for you to know that we are good together.

HOW DO YOU FEEL NOW THAT YOUR PARTY DID NOT WIN THE GOVERNORSHIP SEAT IN DELTA?

Well, I have taken it in the spirit of sportsmanship. However, this matter is still before the Tribunal, I am very optimistic that we will win at the tribunal. I encourage all our supporters to remain calm and be prayerful. so I wouldn’t want to speak more. But permit me to say that it would have been better for me if my candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, emerged the winner of the election because that would have made my job seamless. It would have been very easy because his wealth of experience as a distinguished Senator of high repute would have been brought to bear in governing the state while I am in the Senate contributing my quota. In the meantime, I just give glory to God that the party will be having two Senators from Delta State in the Red Chambers while waiting for the verdict at the Tribunal.

HOW DO YOU FEEL AS A SENATOR-ELECT?

Laughs…I don’t feel any different. Maybe it is as a result of the fact that I haven’t began my duties as a legislator. So, I am still the JOT you know. However, I wish to let you know that I feel fulfilled, for it is a dream come true. I will forever remain grateful to God and the good people of Delta South Senatorial District, nay Delta State, for finding me worthy of this important assignment. Besides, this mandate was given to me by the good people of Delta South basically to serve and as a servant, all I think of now is how to serve my people properly. For now, I am glad and appreciative to my constituents, supporters and God for according me this opportunity to be Senator. I just want to get into the Red Chamber and start my job.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR DELTA SOUTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT?

My vision is to serve the people of my Senatorial District to the best of my ability. I want to give them the best of representation. I want them to feel the impact of government and I want to leave the office better than I met it. This is why during the campaigns I anchored my manifesto on the acronym, ‘DUE’, which stands for Drastic Infrastructure Development, Unique Empowerment Initiatives and Effective Legislation. Being one of the senatorial districts that lay the golden egg in terms of revenue generation to the treasury of this country, Delta South deserves more than crumbs. I believe the time has come to accord Delta South what is ‘DUE’ her.

AS AN INDIVIDUAL, WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE 10TH NASS AND HOW WILL YOU FACILITATE SUCH EXPECTATION?

If truly the National Assembly is the second arm of government, I want them to live up to that expectation in a very professional way that is not confrontational with other arms of government, especially the Executive. There should be mutual respect for all arms of government with the sole aim of serving the people of this country. This country is currently in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The National Assembly while supporting the other arms of government, should prevent this country from going into extinction. This is not the time to engage in unnecessary controversy or parochial drives. But a time when all stakeholders sincerely synergize with the interest of moving this country to where we earnestly want it to be. This should show in our services to our people and the nation. The 10th National Assembly should be known for professionalism, selflessness, progress, national integration and unity. Personally, I will try to ensure that what is due the different geopolitical zones is given to them. Some of the major challenges facing this country are divisiveness, selfish interest, and lack of trust. By the time we begin to see ourselves as one indivisible entity, the quest to fight for one region against the interest of another will be a thing of the past.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE CURRENT LEADERSHIP STRUGGLE IN NASS?

I have been away. However, I am aware that there are a lot of persons jostling for the principal positions. To me, what is happening is expected and I have no reservations absolutely. As a first-timer, I will watch carefully, as a loyal party man, the interest of my people and party will come first before another.

IT IS RUMOURED THAT THE A TACIT ENDORSEMENT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO SENATOR GODSWILL AKPABIO AS THE NEXT SENATE PRESIDENT BY THE PRESIDENT- ELECT, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE?

I am not aware, I have heard it just the way you said it. To me, like my name, ‘Thomas’, I consider this as mere speculation. And I want to beg the press not to give the President-Elect unnecessary baggage. The issue about the leadership of NASS is a sensitive one. I will expect that whoever emerges, should be so from a process. It is the duty of the candidates to earn the respect and trust of their colleagues. And these colleagues should be able to take ownership of the leadership. Doing anything to the contrary, will amount to the President-Elect taking side. So, if asked, I will say that, the President-Elect has not endorsed anybody to my knowledge. The field is free for all who are qualified to aspire. And the last thing that this NASS won’t want to be associated with is that, “they are rubber stamp”. Even if we want to be rubber stamp, I am pretty sure that we will do it with some level of dignity. Therefore, let the best man win.

FEW DAYS AGO, THE NWC OF YOUR PARTY {APC} CAME UP WITH A ZONING WHICH STATE IN CATEGORICAL TERMS THE ZONING AND THE PREFERRED CANDIDATES, DON’T YOU THINK, THE ISSUE OF WHO BECOMES THE SENATE PRESIDENT AND OTHER OFFICES IS A SETTLED MATTER?

I also saw the letter, and if it is the letter you are referring to, I think you need to read it again, and possibly read in between the lines and you will understand that some persons are trying to play a fast one and the NWC of our party was so smart to spot the game and quickly did the right thing by issuing a subtle disclaimer. Simply put, the NWC is saying, they were presenter with a report as stated below but because they were not convinced, they have asked that further consultation and harmonization should be done that will safeguard the interest of all concerned. From the above, how do you see that letter has an endorsement or a settled case? Persuasion, interaction, compromise and all instrument of bargain has to be deployed to reach a consensus.

WHO IS YOUR CANDIDATE?

I currently don’t have any candidate. I just came back and I have spoken to all candidates. Since I came back, however, I have met three of the candidates. I am yet to meet with the remaining three. I am still accessing my options and I will finally align with the person that will support my vision in developing my Senatorial district and give the Senate the best of leadership. I have only one vote, I have no control of other Senators vote, and I intend to use that vote wisely. But like I said earlier, the interest of my people and party will top others. I am aware that my people voted for me because they trust me and that I will do the right thing. I do not intend to take that trust lightly. My focus is, what will benefit my people and move Nigeria forward. I am not in NASS to make friends that will not add value to my people and make Nigeria better. Primarily, I am here to be a voice to the constituents of Delta South, a place with massive production of crude oil and gas yet in abject poverty. I want that story to change. I don’t know how the government will be able to do it, but I want our cities to benefit from their God-given resources. I am here to make friends who see reasons to be sympathetic to our plight and who will join me to change the story. Anything short of that, please count me out. And I want to say this for the benefit of all, my one vote has only one condition, the welfare of my people. My vote will not support argument for religious or ethnic imbalance. My vote will go for the best man.

WHILE YOU WERE ON VACATION, THERE WERE SERIES OF PUBLICATIONS BY YOUR OPPONENT CHALLENGING YOUR ELECTION, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THAT?

It was brought to my attention. I didn’t bother to read it. Michael Diden is my brother and friend. We grew up in similar circumstances, and we were offered similar opportunities in life, which have brought us to where we are today. It wasn’t by our power or what we know how to do best that has brought us to this level. Everything we have today is God-given. And I know he is aware of this. He shouldn’t be misled to think otherwise. We went into a contest and I emerged a winner. He has gone to court to challenge that victory which is alright, because it is within his right to do so. Writing in pages of newspapers for a matter you have taken to court shows that he wants to be a judge in his matter. I expected that his advisers would have told him that it is a wrong move. I personally didn’t spend time reading it because, judgement is not going to be given by the many newspapers paid to carry a story. However, I have excellent relationship with him. He knows, we are both made of the same stuff, let him go and find out. It will be in our mutual interest for him not to fight me. We have had enough fight!

WHAT IS YOUR ASSESMENT OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT, SENATOR AHMED TINUBU?

The President-Elect is a man I have tremendous respect for. I am grateful to God that I am a Senator at a time he is the President. I consider this a unique opportunity and privilege to draw inspiration from him. I know he mean well for the country and he is more than determined to do good. My prayer is for him not to lose focus. He should just stick to what he wants to achieve. It is my advice that he shouldn’t meddle with the leadership of NASS because he has so many like minds in the NASS that will help drive his vision. We are all tired of doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result. We want that impactful change, and he has the capacity to do so. I have often joked with friends, when asked this same question, and my answer has always been, I don’t expect too much from our President-Elect. He should just fix power problem in Nigeria same way His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo fixed the issue of telecommunication. I have experience in different fields of human endeavors, from being an entrepreneur, to being a tax practitioner and tax administrator, I am good in finance and financial management. In the midst of his many advisers, I am willing to contribute my knowledge in whatever necessary to advance his goals in bailing this country out of its current situation.

YOUR MESSAGE TO NIGERIANS?

Nigerians should expect a robust 10th assembly. We will strive to justify the confidence reposed in us. Let’s join hands together to build one Nigeria that this present generation and generations yet unborn will be proud of. Meanwhile, we must all know that Nigeria is our only country. We should not be so eager to destroy it as a people. So, I want to appeal to leaders and followers alike to be patriotic citizens by putting the overall interest of the country ahead. We cannot continue painting this country in bad images. The press has a critical role to play in this regards. Leaders should be people-oriented in their approaches and followers should be willing to give the needed cooperation to leaders so as to avoid distraction that will take this country backward.
Thank you so very much

The Senator-elect, Delta South Senatorial District of Delta State, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas has said that the candidate that he will support for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly will emerge through a credible process that is backed by the majority of members.

Joel-Onowakpo, who spoke with journalists in Warri on issues ranging from his humble beginning, his sojourn into politics, his election as Senator, expectations from NASS and how he intends to represent his District, assured Nigerians the the 10th National Assembly will not be rubber stamp.

Reacting to the on-going leadership tussle for the 10th Assembly, Joel-Onowakpo said he was not aware that any individual has been endorsed, saying, “I am not aware, I have heard it just the way you said it. To me, like my name, ‘Thomas’, I consider this as mere speculation. And I want to beg the press not to give the President-Elect unnecessary baggage. The issue about the leadership of NASS is a sensitive one.”

“I will expect that whoever emerges should be so from a process. It is the duty of the candidates to earn the respect and trust of their colleagues. These colleagues should be able to take ownership of the leadership. Doing anything to the contrary will amount to the President-Elect taking side. So, if asked, I will say that the President-Elect, Senator Ahmed Tinubu, has not endorsed anybody to my knowledge. The field is free for all who are qualified to aspire.”

“The last thing that this NASS won’t want to be associated with is that “they are rubber stamp”. Even if we want to be rubber stamp, I am pretty sure that we will do it with some level of dignity. Therefore, let the best man win.”

Joel-Onowakpo stated that he does not have any candidate he is supporting as he has been away on vacation . He however said, I currently don’t have any candidates. I just came back, and I am still accessing my options, and I will finally align with the person who will support my vision in developing my Senatorial district and give the Senate the best of leadership. I have only one vote, I have no control of other senators’ votes, and I intend to use that vote wisely.”

The Chartered Accountant and astute administrator, said his vision is to serve the people of his Senatorial District to the best of his ability, and to give them the best of representation, adding that he wants them to feel the impact of governance and enjoy visible dividend of democracy.

“I want to leave the office better than I met it. This is why during the campaigns, I anchored my manifesto on the acronym, ‘DUE’, which stands for Drastic Infrastructure Development, Unique Empowerment Initiatives, and Effective Legislation. Being one of the senatorial districts that lay the golden egg in terms of revenue generation to the treasury of this country, Delta South deserves more than crumbs. I believe the time has come to accord Delta South what is ‘DUE’ her.”

By Oghenero Orovwuje

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has been commended for appointing Mr. Theophilus Chuks Aguonye as Permanent Secretary in the Delta State Civil Service.

The commendation was given in a resolution by members of Amai G5 during their monthly meeting at Amai in Ukwuani LGA.

The Group in a press statement signed by Ogbuefi Oliver Achugbue, Vice President and Chief Ben-Oscar Nwachukwu, immediate past President, stated that the appointment of Mr. Aguonye, who is their member as a Permanent Secretary can be described as a square peg in a square hole.

Members of the Association also commended Governor Okowa for awarding the construction of Amai/Aragba-Orogun Road, which they said will facilitate easy access to other neighbouring communities by indigenes of Amai kingdom and residents as well, thereby opening up the area to meaningful development.

The Group also called on Governor Okowa to consider the appointment of qualified Amai sons and daughters to the higher bench of the judiciary and also consider them for political appointments in the State.

Also as part of their request from the government, they pleaded for posting of more teachers to Amai Mixed Secondary Commercial School and the Primary School and also the equipping of the Schools and the construction of the township roads in the community.

They congratulated the Governor-elect, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and the Deputy Governor elect, Mr. Monday Onyeme for their victory in the just concluded gubernatorial elections, while pledging their unflinching support and loyalty to the present administration and also to the incoming one.

The University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Asaba Chapter, shall on Thursday, May 11, honour the outgoing Governor of Delta State, His Excellency Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, and his wife, Dame Edith Okowa, both of whom are Alunmi of the premier university, in its 2023 Annual Public Service Lecture.

The event is designed to celebrate the Governor for his excellent achievements in the development of the state and contributions to nation building.

Dr. Kingsley Eze Emu, Chief Economic Adviser to the Delta State Governor, also an Alunmi of the premier university and member of the UIAA Board of Trustees Beyond Borders, has been chosen as the Guest Lecturer, while the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and incoming Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Francis Oborevwori, is expected to attend as Special Guest of Honour.

The event scheduled to hold at the Unity Hall of Government House, Asaba, by 2pm shall be chaired by Prof. Sam E. Oyovbaire, former Minister of Information and Chairman, Delta State Advisory Committee. Also expected in attendance is the Senator-Elect of Delta North Senatorial District, Chief Ted Nwoko.

Chairman of the 2023 Lecture Organizing Committee, Dr. Augustine Isikwei Ojogbo, Ph:D, FCVSN, JP, disclosed these on Monday in Asaba, stating that given the massive development witnessed in the state in the past eight years it was apt and proper to celebrate Gov Okowa through an intellectual exercise like a lecture.

Dr. Ojogbo pointed out that the UIAA Annual Public Service Lecture was a platform used in proffering solutions to challenges in the society, especially in a developing society such as ours, and that this year’s lecture was well primed to focus on service delivery being the hallmark of Dr.Okowa’s effort in governance as he concludes his tour of duty as Governor of Delta State.

Unveiling Dr Kingsley Emu as the Lecturer who will speak on the topic: “The Burden of Leadership”, Ojogbo said he is “a man of many parts” and superbly fit to deliver the all important lecture, especially at this time that the nation and the state are set to usher in new leaders in governance.

“A Banker, Financial Consultant, Entrepreneur and a Public Servant par excellence, Dr. Kingsley Eze Emu had a distinguished career in the private sector spanning over 23 years and has spent almost 12 years in the Public Sector till date”, Ojogbo enthused.

“He was one time Commissioner for Commerce and Industry (2011-2014), later Commissioner for Economic Planning (2015-2019) and currently the Chief Economic Adviser to Delta State Governor. Prior to his appointment by the Delta State Government over the years, he was in the banking Industry for 21 years, starting his banking career with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1989, through the Merchant/Investment Bank (Group merchant Bank; Fidelity Merchant bank; Merchant Banking Corporation-MBC, International Merchant Bank IMB; and later with Commercial banks like Universal Trust Bank, Fidelity Bank PLC, Fin Bank PLC).

“In his 21 years sojourn in the banking industry, Dr. Emu worked in credit and marketing, remedial assets, Investment and Treasury departments. He was divisions head of Treasury and investment banking, credit and marketing, Retail and e-banking and Remedial services. He resigned in 2010 as a Group Executive in charge of Retail and e-business at Finbank before their merger.”

Dr. Kingsley Emu who hails from Owanta in Ika North East Local Government of Delta State, holds several degrees including Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology, Masters of Science degree in Industrial Sociology, and a Masters in Managerial Psychology (MMP) all from University of Ibadan. He earned an MBA (Marketing) from ESUT Business School, Lagos, and holds a Doctorate degree in Management from University of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, a certificate in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School, USA and a Goizueta Management Certificate in Leadership.”

According to Ojogbo, Dr. Kingsley Emu was chosen to deliver the all important lecture given his rich experience garnered over the years in the public and private sector of the economy.

Dr Ojogbo invited stakeholders in leadership positions and the general public to the Valedictory Lecture.

A group of the Obidients Movement in Delta State has revealed that they abandoned the Labour Party candidate to vote for Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori of the PDP in the Delta State Governorship election because they were convinced he would prioritise good governance and foster economic prosperity of the people of the state.

The disclosure was contained in a public statement released over the weekend by coordinators of the Obidients groups in Isoko Nation.

The statement which was signed by Fred Elohor Anthonia and Okawa Leslie Okezi for the Isoko North and Isoko South, respectively, also revealed that their support for Rt Hon Oborevwori was facilitated by the Managing Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Bashorun Askia Ogieh, who particularly engaged them.

The group explained that as a non-partisan movement, they are guided by modest ideologies that promote good governance and, as such, shop for credible personalities around Nigerian political space and support them to victory in elections so as to engender socioeconomic development to the people.

“On that note, the Obidient Movement in Isoko Nation worked for Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori,” the statement read.

Explaining further, the said their disposition was due to the fact that Hon Askia Ogieh, the Udu of Isoko Nation, made firm commitments to them “that Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori would prioritize good governance and foster economic prosperity of the people of Delta State.”

The group said their public statement became necessary “in order to put the record straight and address obvious false claims” by some “faceless and dubious” persons who want to take credit in order to reap where they did not sow in the coming political dispensation.

While re-asserting that Chief Ogieh was the “face and name” of the PDP engagement with the Obidients in Isoko Nation, they congratulated Rt Hon Oborevwori on his emergence and restated their conviction on his capacity to deliver on their expectations.