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THE MENTION OF THE NAME, PERE OF OLODIAMA CLAN, EVOKES UGLY MEMORIES
In 1986, one Timothy Ofunama, issued a statement saying that Gelegele belonged to Ijaw and that the Oba of Benin had no jurisdiction over it in the welcome address I presented when Omo N’Oba Ewuare II visited Obazuwa on January 28, I enumerated some of the provocative acts of the Ijaws. We wish to state some of them here again.
In 1985, Philips Oil Company established business in Ughoton. It built a Flow Station in Gelegele. Ijaw fishermen, who lived in stilt-houses around the swamps, came out and began to supply labour to the company. Many of the Benin youths in Ughoton and Gelegele had left the villages in search of a better life in the City. When they heard of the new company and the job opportunities if offered, they returned home to seek employment. The Ijaws were not happy at their return. They feared they would displace them (the Ijaws) in competition for jobs. Suddenly, they attacked the returnees. The attack was so violent and widespread that the government setup an administrative panel, headed by Mr. S. Jamgbadi, a Senior District Officer, to look into it. Part of the panel’s report reads:
“… it is however established that the Ijaws have been resident in Gelegele for many years and that during these years they have acquired landed property and cultivate farms but from the facts in evidence they qualify as TENANTS on the land their long period of occupation notwithstanding…”
The Ijaws were not done yet with agitation. They agitated again, the same year, against Philips Company itself. The cause of the agitation was that the company also gave employment to non-Iyaw persons. Government again set up an inquiry to look into the crisis. Part of the panel’s report reads:
“… The inquiry further revealed that the claims by the Ijaws to the monopoly of employment provided by the oil company are not only unpatriotic but also preposterous. The Ijaws have no right whatsoever to prevent the oil company from employing persons of their choice; they should stop threatening the oil company from employing other persons who are not Ijaw…”
On Thursday, November 20, 1986, as said earlier, Timothy Ofunama, in the publication in the Nigerian Observer said that Gelegele belonged to Ijaw and that the Oba of Benin had no jurisdiction over it. The government reacted to the publication through a press statement issued by the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government, Engr. Enoch Ejofodomi. I reproduce the statement here in full.
1. My attention has been drawn to a publication at page 4 of the Nigerian Observer Newspaper of Thursday, 20th November, 1986 titled “Public Notice” and credited to one Timothy Ofunama who styled himself as the “Ama-Okosuwei of Gelegele”. In which he gave the impression that the traditional administration of Gelegele was under the “Pere of Olodiama Clan” and other Ijaw Chiefs in Ovia Local Government Area of Bendel State.
2. From records available in my Ministry, there is no chieftaincy title known as the “Pere of Olodiama Clan” in Ovia Local Government Area. Also there are no chieftaincy titles known as “Ama-Okosuwei of Gelegele” and “Amanana-Owei of Gelegele”, as claimed in the above mentioned publication. In this regards the Government couldn’t have appointed anybody to these non-existent chieftaincy stools.
3. The author of the above mentioned vexations publication also gave the impression that the Oba of Benin has no right to confer the chieftaincy title of “Okao of Gelegele” on Chief I. Iyonmahari and that Gelegele and some other Ijaw towns in Ovia Local Government Area are not under the jurisdiction of the Oba of Benin. In this regard, my Ministry wants to make it abundantly clear that the Oba of Benin who is the traditional paramount ruler in Benin kingdom is the Prescribed Authority for Oredo, Orhionmwon and Ovia Local Government Areas by virtues of Bendel State Legal Notice 44 of 1979 published in the Bendel State Legal Notice 44 of 1979 published in the Bendel State of Nigeria Extraordinary Gazette No. 51. Vol. 16 of 28th, September, 1979; He therefore acted within his constitutional powers: as the prescribed Authority for the area ‘when he appointed Chief I. Iyonmahan as the Okao of Gelegele. It is also pertinent to point out that Gelegele in Ovia Local Government Area is part and parcel of Bini land under the jurisdiction of the Oba of Benin having regard to the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered on 11th August, 1983 which made it clear that the land known as Gelegele belongs to the Binis.
4. In the light of the foregoing, Government sews the action of Timothy Ofunama who calls himself the “Ama-Okosuwei of Gelegele” as an attempt to incite the law abiding Ijaw citizens in Gelegele against their host as capable of causing serious disaffection among the entire community in that part of Ovia Local Government Area. I want to stress that Government will not tolerate that state of affairs which is capable of jeopardizing the peace, order and good government in the area.
5. For the purpose of clarification, it is considered necessary to inform the general public that it is not only contemptuous to reopen an issue on which the Supreme Court had already delivered judgment but that it is also unlawful for anyone to call himself a chief or allow himself to be so called or addressed if he has not been conferred with a chieftaincy title by a competent authority and has not been registered by the Ministry of Local Government as a Chief.
6. Finally, I want to warn that all those who are party to the aforementioned publication should desist forthwith from parading themselves either as traditional rulers or as traditional chiefs as the penalty for their actions under Sections 20 and 26 of the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, 1979 is imprisonment for six months and two years respectively without an option of a fine.
(Engr. Enoch Ejofodomi)
Commissioner for Local Government
Ministry of Local Government
Benin City.
10th December 1986
The Ijaws still claim ownership of Gelegele. Yet, the question of who owns Gelegele had gone through litigation and had long been settled.
At the High Court of Justice, Benin, in suit B/44/1970, Judgment was delivered in favour of Benins by Honourable Justice Ekeruche on December 22, 1978. Part of the judgment reacts.
“…finally, I enter judgment in this case as follows: for the avoidance of all doubts, argument or controversy, I hear say unequivocally, that Gelegele village and its environs and bushes are Benin land. They do not belong to the Ijaws of Gelegele as owners. The Ijaws are tenants of His Highness Akenzua II the Oba of Benin. Apart from above, the plaintiffs’ claims are dismissed in their entirety”.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the Ijaws went to the Court of Appeal, Benin. The court dismissed their appeal and delivered judgment in favour of Benin. The lead judgment was read by Honourable Justice Abdul Ganiyu Agbaje on December 16, 1981.
Still on satisfied, they headed for the Supreme Court. In Suit SC. 131/1/1982, Honourable Justice, Muhamadu Lawani Uwais (CJN) and four (4) others, on August 19, 1983 also dismisses their appeal and up-held the judgment of the lower courts. The CJN concluded thus:
“… For three reasons I am of the opinion that the appellants’ argument in support of the sole ground of appeal should be discountenanced. The appeal therefore fails and it is dismissed with N300.00 costs to the respondents. The decision of the Federal Court of Appeal is affirmed…”
The Supreme Court awarded costs against the Ijaws. Despite these judgments, the various reports and government statements, the Ijaws still claim ownership of Gelegele!
In 1987, they attacked Benin indigenes in Iko and Isekiri and Urhobo settlers there. They destroyed the Ogua-edion in Iko, they moved up-hill, to Ikonoke and unleashed mayhem. Benin indigenes in Ikonoke and in Ikonugboghodo fled, giving room to the Ijaws to entrench themselves in both places. At that time and up till the early 90s, one Pa Igbinosun, a Benin man, was the Odionwere of Iko, they have forayed into Agbomoba, Ozomu, Igbobi, Ekete, Ite, Orogo, Ewudu, Abiala, Eki-ohuan (now known as Ekewan), Okomu and Gelegele. They maim the Benin people in these communities and destroy their properties.
In June 2011, we, offered a parcel of land to Edo State government for the erection of a model school block. The Government sent a team led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, then Mrs. Idaho is now the Head of Service. In anticipation of the inspection, we directed Obazuwa boys to demarcate the plot. As the boys were measuring it, Ijaws militants descended on them with machetes, guns, and clubs. Without any provocation, they brutalized the boys and abducted two of them. Obazuwa boys were unnamed and defenseless.
We sent an S.O.S to the Governor who directed his Chief of Staff, then Barr. Osarodion Ogie, to take up the matter with the Commissioner of Police. The Police Commissioner promptly dispatched a team of policemen from Evbotubu Police Station to rescue the abducted boys. He sent another team from SARS to arrest the militants who brutalized the boys, destroyed their motorcycles and a car. Those arrested were charged to Okada Magistrate’s Court where the case is still pending up till now.
In order to strengthen their claim of ownership of Gelegele, they have now coined names, Gelegelegbene and Gelegele-ama. These names are new. In all their previous write-ups and the dispatches by early European visitors. Gelegele had always been known and spelt as Gelegele. The use of Gelegelegbene and Gelegele-ama which they have only recently coined is ludicrous and intellectually dishonest.
Our people got judgment in the Supreme Court 34 years ago. Now they want to claim their judgment right. Those who were driven away from their homeland, Abiala, and Ikon’oke, want to return home. They want to erect a house in Gelegele for the Okao of Gelegele who was installed there by the Oba of Benin.
The Edo State Ijaws are bellicose, belligerent, militant, quarrelsome and unfriendly. They are fighting the Itsekiris in Warri; they are fighting the Urhobos, the Ibibios and the Ilajes. They are claiming land whereas they traditionally live in swamps along the coastal areas in houses they build on stilts.
The so-called Beni-Ebe, Toru-Ebe Kengama and Abadi States which they requested the Senate to create for them in 2009, traverses the whole of the Nigerian coastline, encroaching of Benin, Ibibio, Ilaje and Itsekiri territories.
We plead for your support in curbing the Ijaw aggressiveness and in enforcing the Supreme Court Judgment for which the Ijaws have rudely insulted the highest court in the Country, Honourable Justice, and the Chief Justice of Nigeria whom they contemptuously described as fraudulent.
This press statement was endorsed by HRH Prince Edun Akenzua, MFR, FNGE, Ogie-Obazuwa and six other Enigie for on behalf of 48 communities in the affected areas in the Benin Kingdom.
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Tinubu has concluded his work vacation ahead of schedule and will return to Abuja on Tuesday, Says Onanuga
President Bola Tinubu will on Tuesday, September 16, return to Abuja to resume official duties after ending his vacation earlier than planned.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the development in a statement on Monday.
He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has concluded his work vacation ahead of schedule and will return to Abuja on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, to resume official duties.”
The President had departed Nigeria for France on September 4, 2025, to spend part of his annual holiday. He was initially scheduled to split the period between France and the United Kingdom.
While in Paris, Tinubu held a private luncheon with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
Both leaders reportedly reviewed key areas of bilateral cooperation and agreed to strengthen partnerships in pursuit of mutual prosperity and global stability.
This trip is Tinubu’s seventh visit to Paris since assuming office in May 2023 and his first since the BRICS summit in July and August’s TICAD9 in Japan.
In the first nine months of 2025, the President has undertaken 15 international trips across 11 countries.
These include high-level summits, bilateral engagements, presidential inaugurations, and annual leaves.
On January 6, Tinubu kicked off his diplomatic itinerary with a visit to Accra, the capital of the Republic of Ghana, to attend the inauguration of President-elect John Dramani Mahama on January 7.
He was in the United Arab Emirates to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Summit from January 12 – 16, where he held side meetings with Gulf investors and officials on trade and energy cooperation.
From January 27-28, he visited Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to participate in the Africa Heads of State Energy Summit.
February saw the President travel to France before attending the 37th African Union Summit in Ethiopia, where he joined other African leaders in discussions on regional security, climate adaptation, and continental trade integration under the AfCFTA.
From April 2-21, Tinubu embarked on a two-week working visit that included France and the United Kingdom.
In mid-May, the President travelled to Vatican City, attending the historic inauguration of Pope Leo XIV in Rome.
From June 28 to July 4, Tinubu undertook a landmark state visit to Saint Lucia, where he addressed CARICOM leaders in Castries.
From Saint Lucia, he proceeded to Brazil, arriving in Rio de Janeiro for the 17th BRICS Summit (July 4–7).
The Brazil visit continued into August, with President Tinubu returning for a two-day state visit.
This came after he visited Japan in the same month to attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, where he pitched Nigeria’s investment readiness to Japanese multinationals and met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on maritime security and digital infrastructure.
Before he arrived in Japan, Tinubu and his entourage stopped over in Dubai, UAE, on August 15 and arrived in Yokohama early in the morning on August 18.
It was his second visit to the Gulf state within the year.
In September, he again embarked on a working vacation to the United Kingdom and France, his third visit to Paris this year and second to London.
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Catholic Bishops Conference : Let us build prosperity together and promoting interfaith harmony, Tinubu urges church leaders
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged faith leaders to join hands with him to build a strong economy in which the people will prosper.
He also urged them to remain steadfast in promoting interfaith harmony and denouncing violence.
He pledged to partner them and their institutions to tackle poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Tinubu spoke at the opening of the Second Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, yesterday. He said his request to the religious leaders was hinged on the fact that faith-based organisations are “a vital bridge for peace, unity and moral renewal in the country.”
‘’Our efforts in tackling insecurity, expanding social investment programmes, strengthening agriculture and revitalising infrastructure are geared towards creating an enabling environment for Nigerians to live in peace and fulfill their potential.
“I reassure you that the Federal Government will deepen collaboration with the Catholic Church and other faith-based Organisations in key sectors as education, healthcare, social welfare and skills development.
‘’Together, we can tackle poverty, reduce inequality and build stronger communities,” the President said.
He was represented at the event by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, attended the event, which was witnessed by the representative of Pope Leo XIV, Apostolic Nuncio Most Rev. Michael Francis Crotty, and some members of the National Assembly.
Tinubu told the bishops that genuine reconciliation and national cohesion can only be achieved when spiritual leaders preach peace, discourage extremism, hatred, and divisive tendencies.
He challenged them ‘’to continue speaking truth to power, not only to government but to society.’’
Read Also: Be patient with Tinubu’s reforms, prosperity will come — Akpabio tells Nigerians
Tinubu, in a statement by Akume’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, reminded the clerics that while ‘’speaking truth to power,’’ they should ‘’offer constructive solutions that will help us build a nation where integrity, hard work and compassion are hallmarks of public and private life.”
He lauded the Catholic Bishops and other clerics across denominations for championing dialogue and tolerance in a diverse nation like Nigeria.
“The Catholic Church has been a credible partner in the journey towards national renewal. Your investments in education, health and social welfare—often in remote and underserved communities—speak louder than words. You have stood with the people in times of hardship, provided comfort in times of grief and raised your voice against injustice and corruption,” Tinubu said.
The President assured them that his administration is committed to addressing insecurity and social unrest, including poverty, unemployment and inequality.
He cited removal of fuel subsidy, unification of exchange rates and efforts to curb leakages in public finances as steps toward stabilising the economy and laying a foundation for long-term prosperity.
These policies, though demanding sacrifices in the short term, Tinubu noted, are necessary to put the nation back on the path of growth and long-term prosperity.
The President emphasised that beyond stabilisation, his government is working to attract local and foreign investments by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
He highlighted reforms in key sectors, such as agriculture, energy, and infrastructure, which are expected to stimulate job creation, boost productivity, and expand opportunities for young Nigerians.
Tinubu said while the results may not be immediate, the reforms are structured to deliver enduring benefits that will uplift lives and secure a brighter economic future for the nation.
He said: “This administration came into office with a firm commitment to renew hope, strengthen our democratic institutions and build a Nigeria that works for all. We have taken steps to stabilise the economy, attract investment and implement reforms that will, in due course, yield enduring benefits for our people.
‘’We recognise that good governance is not just about economic growth, it is about justice, fairness, transparency, accountability and the dignity of every Nigerian.
“It’s also about ensuring that no one is left behind – whether in urban centres or rural communities, whether majority or minority, whether rich or poor.
Tinubu called on religious leaders to complement the government’s initiatives by nurturing honesty, hard work, and compassion in their communities.
He urged the church to continue offering guidance in civic education, environmental protection and youth empowerment.
The President further urged the church to collaborate with the government in advancing civic education, protecting the environment, and empowering young people, so future generations will gain not only academic knowledge but also values needed to uphold the moral fabric of society.
Akpabio urges patience
Akpabio urged Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu administration’s reforms, as they will soon yield results.
“Let me urge my compatriots to be patient with your government as we lay again the foundations of this house. Do not despair when the winds blow strong or the scaffolding shakes,’’ Akpabio said in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media/Communication, Anietie Ekong.
He said it was important for people to note that a country is like a cathedral that cannot be built in a short space of time
“A nation is like a mighty cathedral — it is not raised overnight, but stone by stone, prayer by prayer, hand by hand – They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as Eagles (Isaiah 40:31), he said.
“Let us renew hope in the Nigerian enterprise. Let us believe again that our land can be great, that our children can inherit a future brighter than our present.
“Let us bind the wounds of division, banish the cynicism of despair, and walk together—Church and State, pulpit and parliament, faith and policy—towards the dawn.
“Transformation is not the burden of one arm of society, or the privilege of a select few. It is a covenant of partnership. As St. Paul declares: ‘We are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.’”
Governor Eno noted that the Catholic Church has played key roles all over the world in fighting injustice, enthroning democratic governance and placing the welfare of the people at the centre of its policies.
Eno called for continued support of the Church in delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
‘We offer cheaper fuel despite importing 60% of crude’
Recent attacks against Dangote Petroleum Refinery from some associations in the oil and gas industry were orchestrated to derail the planned free fuel distribution logistics initiative, the management of Dangote Refinery said last night.
It however foreclosed backtracking on the initiative, adding that the attacks lack genuine and patriotic concerns.
In a statement last night, the Refinery said the position of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) lacks legitimacy and has nothing to do unionisation as being claimed.
“Their position”, according to the statement , “have made it abundantly clear that the actions and threats issued by them is not borne out of legitimate concerns about unionisation, but a calculated campaign of economic sabotage that is orchestrated by vested interests who perceive progress as a threat to their entrenched positions.”
Reacting to a press statement by DAPPMAN, which was published, in some newspapers at the weekend, Dangote Refinery accused the association of misleading Nigerians, noting that their claims were contradicted by established facts.
The statement by Dangote Refinery reads: “In January 2022, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) reported that one of DAPPMAN’s members had supplied petrol containing over 15% methanol, well above acceptable limits (Methanol which is not a standard industry practice or procedure for refinery, but blenders use it to prompt up the octane rating to an acceptable level that is well above anti-knocking ratio).
“The result was widespread engine damage for thousands of end users. Yet, no transparent government inquiry or independent investigation was ever conducted to determine the source, intent, or full impact of the adulterated fuel.”
The refinery also described as incorrect, the claim that the price of petrol in Togo is lower than in Nigeria. It revealed that the average pump price in Lomé stands at approximately 680 CFA francs per litre, equivalent to N1, 826.
“This figure reflects the very scenario that DAPPMAN and its affiliates appear to advocate for in Nigeria. The Dangote Refinery has positioned Nigeria as a primary source of affordable petrol feedstock for West Africa, despite the refinery importing over 60% of the crude oil it processes. Remarkably, the refinery is able to offer petrol at prices below the international benchmark within the sub-Saharan region.
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