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Isoko Digest [Type the document subtitle] Mission Statement To create an informed public and actively be of service to the people as mine of information. Vision To constructively engage our people to make informed choices overtime based on knowledge and truth. Editorial Snaps The Isoko people are unique. They are known by their commitment to truth, perseverance, hard work, respect for constituted authority and, above all, unwavering dedication to evangelism and fear of God. But there is a recent twist to these laudable attributes. Developments not unconnected with a number of interrelated factors that are tied to the coat tail of the Niger Delta upheaval and depleting social capital as a result of long years of military rule. Just like most ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta, the Isoko people experienced their own Intifada with its attendant social dislocation, dashed hope, erosion of trust and emergence of rugged spirit of individualism. In some rare instances people resorted to Hobbesian state of nature to feather their nests. The foregoing precarious situation is a riveting point to provide community service in form of creating a platform- Isoko Digest - to better inform our people on developments in their state and their communities. This, to us, is desideratum in order to forestall unnecessary acrimony and conflict in Isokoland. As admirably stated in our mission statement, we intend to create an informed public and actively be of service to the people as mine of information .It is our cardinal vision to constructively engage our people to make informed choices overtime based on knowledge and truth. In this maiden edition of Isoko Digest , we serve you a potpourri of articles that touch on the very soul of the existence of the Isoko man-the imperatives of Isoko Unity. We have a salad of development strides of our people in government. This is necessary for us as a people to separate the chaff from the wheat. You are welcome on board. Aghalino Sam (Editor- in –Chief)

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Page 1: Isoko Digest - ian.org.ng · Isoko Digest [Type the document ... living with his maternal grand- parents at Umutu in Ukwani Local Government of Delta, the ... work as an auxiliary

I s o k o Di g e s t[Type the document subtitle]

Miss io n State m e n t

To create an informed public and actively be of service to the people as mine of information.

Vision

To constructively engage our people to make informed choices overtime based on knowledge and truth.

Editoria l Snaps

The Isoko people are unique. They are known by their commitm en t to truth, persever an c e ,hard work, respec t for constitu t ed authori ty and, above all, unwavering dedication toevangelism and fear of God. But there is a recent twist to these laudable att ribute s .Developmen t s not unconnec t ed with a number of inter rel a t ed factors that are tied to thecoat tail of the Niger Delta upheaval and depleting social capital as a result of long years ofmilitary rule. Just like most ethnic nationali ties in the Niger Delta, the Isoko peopleexperienced their own Intifada with its attend an t social dislocation, dashed hope, erosion oftrust and emerg en ce of rugged spiri t of individualism. In some rare instance s peopleresor ted to Hobbesian state of nature to feather their nests .

The foregoing preca rious situa tion is a riveting point to provide communi ty service in formof creating a platform- Isok o Dige s t - to bette r inform our people on developme nt s in theirstate and their communities . This, to us, is deside r a tu m in order to forest all unnecess a ryacrimony and conflict in Isokoland. As admirably stated in our mission statem en t , weintend to creat e an informed public and actively be of service to the people as mine ofinformation .It is our cardinal vision to construc t ively engage our people to make informedchoices overtime based on knowledge and truth. In this maiden edition of Isoko Diges t ,we serve you a potpour r i of articles that touch on the very soul of the existence of the Isokoman- the imper a t ives of Isoko Unity. We have a salad of developme nt strides of our peoplein governm e n t . This is necessa ry for us as a people to separa t e the chaff from the whea t.You are welcome on board.

Aghalino Sam (Editor- in –Chief)

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SOCIAL CARTHASIS

By

STEPP OFFI

COMRADE S. O. MACAULAY: THE STORY BEHIN D THE GLORY

Sociologis ts and anthropologis t s have, to a great extent, agreed that the most

impor tan t single attribute of people who achieve great success in life is what they call

“Long time Perspec t ive”.

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And Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard Universi ty has defined “Time perspec t ive”

as “the amoun t of time an individual takes into consider a t ion when dete r mining

his presen t actions”. In other words, successful people, in all sphere s of life, work,

caree r , business and personal life, are long term thinkers . This concept of “Long term

thinking” is equally closely related to the concep t of “delayed gratification” or what

could be said to be “depriving oneself of immedia te pleasu r e for a period in order to

have a “fullest and lasting measur e of pleasu r e in future”.

Comrad e Samuel Ovuozourie Macaulay, the Secre t a ry to the Delta

State Governm e n t , can undoub tedly be described as being successful in his

entire endeavour in life. It follows that he has been either consciously or unconsciously

applying the principle of delayed gratifica tion. It may not be appropria t e to look at his

achieveme n t s as Commissione r for Power and Energy without at least, a glimpse at

his earlier leaders hip roles which, certainly, are contribu to ry factors to his monum en t a l

achieveme n t s as the Commissione r for Power and Energy and so far as

SSG for two years.

Macaulay was born October 25, 1960 in Oguta in presen t day Imo State, but hailed

from Owhelogbo, in Isoko North Local Governm en t of Delta State . This young child

instruc t ively shares same month and year of birth with his Count ry, Nigeria. In 1966, while

living with his mate rn al grand- paren t s at Umutu in Ukwani Local Governm en t of Delta, the

Nigeria Civil War broke out and consequ en t ly inter ru p t e d his primary educa tion for three

years. His paren ts , of course were still at the real battle fronts of the war in Oguta, Imo

State . The young Samuel later moved from Umutu to Ughelli where his parent s finally

settled, having left the war- torn Easte r n region. It was in Ughelli, that he continued his

primary school educat ion at St. Ambrose Primary School, Ughelli (now Ogele Primary

School). But he was just in primary four when the cold hands of death snatched his

father away in August 1972. This loss of his father , as it were, made the family to relocat e

to Owhelogbo, where the young man completed his primary school educat ion at C.M.S.

Primary School, Owhelogbo.

By 1974, when he was of high school age, his intelligence and serious mindedn es s

had star ted to show. He secur ed admission into two famous at once schools: James Welsh

Gramm ar School Emevor and St. Michael College Oleh,. Nonethel es s , he later enrolled at

Owhelogbo Gramma r School, his home Communi ty. Since the finger of God has always

been in the life of Comrad e Macaulay, the challenges faced during his formative years

continued to be his source of streng th in later life. And so, when fate smiled on him by his

admission into the Obafemi Awolowo University lle- Ife in 1979 to study law, he could not

proceed for regis t ra tion as a resul t of lack of funds. But the hand of God in his life did not

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cease. Like most young people at that time who finished seconda ry education, he opted to

work as an auxiliary teache r .

His caree r as a foremos t journalis t however star t ed in 1980 when he was employed

by the Federa l Minist ry of Informa tion as Public Enlighten m e n t Assistan t and subseq u en t ly

sent to the National Institu te of Public Information Kaduna, for on- the- job training. Before

this time, driven by the urge to receive good educat ion, he had regis te r ed with the Institu te

of Manage m e n t and Technology, Kaduna, for the Distance Learning Progra m m e , for a

Diploma in Mass Communica t ion. In 1983, he enlisted into the Bendel Broadcas t ing Service

(BBS), as a Junior Editor/Repor t e r .

Today, the man who could not go to one of the famous universit ies to study law at

that time holds a B.Sc degree in Mass Communica t ion and a Maste r s (M.Sc) in Mass

Communica t ion, all from Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT),

Enugu. He has continued to show great interes t in knowledge and study. In 1991, when

Delta State was created , Macaulay moved to Asaba, as a Senior Curren t Affairs Officer in

Delta Broadcas t ing Service (DBS). By 2003, he had become Assistan t Manage r , News and

Curren t Affairs. Having realized it was time to move on and explore other areas , he

volunta rily retired from the DBS.

As earlier stated, Macaulay’s leadership qualities becam e appar e n t at a very early

stage in his life. It all star ted with Trade Union activism in the old Bendel State . Firs t, he

was Chairman of the BBS Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalis ts (NUJ), between 1987

and 1991. He made record as the Pioneer Chairman of the Delta State Council of the NUJ

and set the record for ethnical and moder n Journalism practice in the State. His

achieveme n t s as State Chairman of the NUJ, later saw him winning as pionee r Chairman of

the Nigeria Labour Congres s , Delta State Council. He served two terms 1993 – 1999.

By 2003, Macaulay’s meritorious services in trade unionism prompted his

appointme n t as Commissioner into a strange and challenging newly creat ed office –

Commissione r for Ethnic Relations and Conflict Resolution. This was between 2003 and

2007. Chief James Ibori, then Governor of Delta State spotted the leaders hip qualities of

the young man and went for him. Comrad e Macaulay was in his natura l turf of facing

challenges and creating solutions. It is to his credit, and the amazem e n t of all, that he

went into the creeks, dialogued with the warring groups and brough t peace back to the

Warri neighbour hoo ds and the surroun ding communities .

He played a cardinal role in the 2007 elections which was roundly won by Dr.

Emmanu e l Eweta Uduagh an who appointed him Chief of Staff, Governm en t House for a

shor t period before being deployed to the sensitive Minist ry of Power and Energy as

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Honour able Commissione r . It was in this Minist ry that Comrad e Macaulay made immense

contribut ions towards the actualiza tion of the Governor Uduagh an’s adminis t ra t ion’s vision

for Delta State. He realized the import ance of electrici ty power in driving the economy of

the State . Conseque n t ly, he embark ed on supplying and installing transfor m er s in most

towns of the State.

Comrad e Macaulay ensured that the major towns of Asaba, the State capital, Warri,

Ughelli, Sapele, Agbor, etc had stree t lights. He also initiated the Delta State Independ e n t

Power Project (IPP), to make the State self sufficien t in elect rici ty power supply. Today,

the IPP project is almost becoming a dream come true. It has not been work alone all the

time. He has served in several other capaci ties and attende d several courses , semina rs

and workshops to enhance his performa nc es in the discha rg e of his duties. These include:

Role of Labour in Politics (UK); Civil Society Network for Stable Democracy, Intern a t ional

Labour Organizat ion (ILO), Geneva; Internal Security and Early Warning Signs, Peace

Institute , Canada; Building National Securi ty, Galilee College, Israel; and Media Practice

and Law of Libel, Benin City, Edo State .

Comrad e Macaulay’s passion to serve and his high intellectu al capaci ty paved the

way for him to be appoint ed into various Commit te e s and Organizat ions. In 1994 and

1995, he was appointed Member , Audit Panel on Delta State Oil Palm Company Limited

(OPC), Member , Staff Audit Panel, State Primary Educat ion Board (SPEB) as well as

Member , War Against Indiscipline and Corrup tion (WAI-C). In May, 2011, he led a six-man

delega tion of Nigerian Trade Unions to study Democr a t ic Struggle and Role of Labour in

South Africa. From Novembe r , 1999 to March 1993, he was State Member of the Re-

organiza tion of Political parties during the Babangida era, Member of the Poverty

Alleviation Commit t ee , Delta State from Februa ry 2000 to 2003 and Director , LACOM Bank

Limited, Lagos in 1999.

Comrad e Ovuozourie Macaulay also co- ordina t ed the Delta Manna Founda t ion

Hospital Project from 2001 – 2003. In 2007, he was appointed the Chairman, PDP

Commit t ee , Uduagha n Gubern a to r ia l Political Organizat ion. Of course, this was a clear

recogni tion of his astu ten ess and pragm a tic approach to solving problems. By June 2011,

when Comrad e Macaulay becam e Secre ta ry to the Delta State Governme n t , it was widely

acknowledg ed that he has the vital role of assisting, guiding and modera t ing the activities

of Governm en t Minist ries , Depar tm e n t s and Agencies as well as ensuring that governm e n t

policies and progra m m e s are executed and implemen t e d for the benefit of the citizenry.

It is needless to recount the duties of the SSG, but just to say that the SSG’s Office

is the engine room of the State Governme n t . Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay has so far

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dischar g ed his duties as SSG so well that he has won many awards. These include the SSG

of the year by Global Excellence Magazine, Lagos; Lifetime Achievemen t Award by the

Delta State Council of the NUJ and of recen t , the Role Model to the Male Child by New

Waves Communica tion, Abuja. Macaulay, as display of public spiritedn ess , set up the Elona

Developmen t Founda t ion, which has contribut ed immensely towards the early detec tion

and trea tm e n t of cancer as well as promoting education in Delta State.

He is driven by a firm belief in God and a deter min a t ion to face challenges until he

overcomes . He firmly opera t e s on the philosophy of “long time perspec t ive” or “delayed

gratifica tion” for the over- all future benefit of all. This informs his humility, integri ty, large

hear ted n es s and self- effacing at all times. His consisten t saying is “Power belongs to God

and He alone can give it to those He decides to”. So far, in modes t terms, Comrad e

Macaulay is on the upwar d socio- economic and political mobility in Nigeria.

RANDOM MUSINGS

By

Sam Aghalino

HON. LEO OKUEWH OGOR AND THE AUDACITY OF POLITICS OF CONSTRUCTIVEENGAGEMENT

More often than not, the history of grea t men is chequer e d , full of hiccups, bridges

navigated , rivers dammed and mountains scaled. To a very large extent , the in-depth and

intrica te story of the vicissitudes of their lives is never told due to prevalent issue of

‘recency bias’ or crowd mentali ty. It is beyond doubt that great men fashion out path of

grea tn e ss through dint of hard work, deter min a t ion, vision and pre- conceived projection of

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what could, what should and what is. The story of Leo Ogor is in perfect sync with a man

who said yes and his Chi concur r ed .

Born on 6 th January, 1959 to the illust rious family of Mr and Mrs Okuweh, Leo attend ed the

RCM Primary School Ozoro and also honed his early academic teeth at the revered Notre

Dame College, Ozoro. Aware of the challenges of res t ric ted academic endowme n t , Leo

upgrad ed his mental creden t ials by attending Emile Wolf College of Accountancy, London

and the Char ted Institut e of Adminis t ra t ion, where he was duly certifica ted in this regard .

In the course of his legisla tive duties in the National Assembly (NA) and to imbibe global

best practices , he attend ed training progra m m e s in Successful Negotia tion Stra tegies at

the Cambridge Universi ty, London, in 2012.

Leo is an epitome of consensu a l and developm en t a l politics. To him, politics is a means to

an end - end of which is the need to bring developm en t to the grass root s . He is a main

stream individual because he aligned with John Adams, when in a letter to Horatio Gates,

he proclaimed that “Politics the middle way is none at all”. He is also a strong believer of

politics being a serious business not meant for the lily-levered. Politics in the words of

Dwight D. Eisenhow er is a profession; a serious, complica ted and, in its true sense , a noble

one.

It should be noted that , as early as 2003, with the full suppor t of the Isoko people he

contes ted and won election into the House of Represen t a t ives under the platform of the

Peoples Democr a t ic Party (PDP). One of the banes of politics in the Third World is lack of

continui ty in policy formula tion. Experience is everything and without experience amongs t

one’s peers , one will count for nothing. This unders t an din g has been the driving force why

the Isoko people have always suppor t ed Leo in his ques t for re- election into the National

Assembly. Thus, in 2007, he was re- elected into the House of Represen t a t ives and furthe r

re- elected in 2011 for a third term. This level of acceptabili ty is a function of his

achieveme n t s and good conduc t in touching lives positively. One point of interes t in the

personali ty of Leo is the fact that he is not a lone range r . He works perfectly with Comrade

O. S. Macaulay, the Secre t a ry to the Delta State Governm en t , an avowed, dedica ted and

selfless Isoko patriot . Same could be said also for his seamless relationship with other

Isoko political leaders .

His wealth of experience in the NA has paid off. Chairmans hip of choice commit te e s in the

NA is one sure way of att rac ting dividends of democr acy to Member’s consti tuency.

Without having an influential voice in the House, one will never be considere d for any

serious ranking headship of commit te e . It is worthw hile to note that right from day one in

the hallowed chambe r s , Leo has never been a bench warmer . As early as 2003, he was the

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Chairman Ad-hoc Commit te e that investiga t ed the alleged irregula ri t ie s in the

NITEL/MTEL/PENTASCOPE manag e m e n t contrac t . He was also co- chair, House Commit t e e

that investiga t ed the activities of NNPC and its subsidiaries from 1999- 2011. His headship

of the Commit te e that investiga t ed the transac t ion that took place between the Federa l

Minist ry of Finance and Single Window Systems and Technology limited is a measur e of the

confidence reposed in him by the leaders hip of the House.

Leo brought his experience to bear in the delicate matte r s of the oil business in Nigeria. He

dischar g ed his responsibility without reproach when he chaired the House Ad-hoc

Commit t ee that investiga t ed the illegal transac t ions between the Federa l Governm en t and

Malabu Oil and Gas Limited. His second stint at the NA culmina ted into his chairm ans hip of

the House Commit te e on Governme n t a l Affairs between 2007- 2011. He is curren t ly the

Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Represen t a t ives . A position he has maximised to

the advantag e of the Isoko people and to the envy of his colleagu es .

The quantu m of developme nt a l initiatives Leo has attr ac t e d to Isoko land is only possible

because he is a ranking member of the House. More impor tan t ly, his pursui t of the desire

to transform Isokoland by att rac t ing social infrast ruc t u r e s such as solar power ed stree t

lights, roads, drainag es and wate r projects are loud testimonials of a man keen on

changing the fortunes of his people.

There is no doubt that there is a limit to what the Hon. Member could do because of

separ a t ion of powers in national politics. There is however compelling evidence to show

that a number of Isoko sons and daughte r s have been employed in the federal agencies

such as the Road Safety, Customs, Immigra t ion, the Police Force, Navy and Civil Defence.

This approach to politics which is developm en t a l and const ruc t ive has added a new

nomencla tu r e to the percep t ion of what it takes to be a team player in the National

Assembly.

There is a clear dichotomy in momenta ry satisfac tion of individual needs to that of

collective and communi ty needs which to all intents and purposes are more enduring

because it is for the common good of all. We must reiter a t e that the amenities attr ac t ed to

communities are direc t and pressing needs of the various communi ties in Isokoland rathe r

than white elephan t projects . A catalogue of the projects that Hon. Leo has attr ac t ed to

Isokoland is enough campaign legacy that speaks volume. These laudable achievem en t s are

enough justification for experience and continui ty in politics. Leo has never coerced anyone

into politics. This is due to the fact that in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim

at making proselytes by fire and sword.

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PLEBIAN OBSERVATORY

By

Sim e o n Atadud u

IMPERATIVES OF ISOKO UNITY

It was the renowned female musician, Edna Evi Ogholi who hit the airwaves with the song:

“Every kilomet r e means anothe r languag e”. It was a song meant to celebr a t e the diversi ty

of the Isoko culture and the inheren t differences in the dialec t of the people. And for

anyone who bother ed to enquire, it was not difficult to see the “unity in diversity” which

the musician sought to highlight in her song. Despite the seeming dialec tical complexities ,

one fact resona t e s among her people – Isoko is one.

From Iyede to Emevor, Oweh to Ozoro, Oyede to Okpe- Isoko, Ofagbe, Ovrode, Aradhe and

Ellu in Isoko North Local Governmen t , stre tching to Irri, Uzere, Olomoro, Emede, Igbide,

Enwhe, and Aviara in Isoko South Local Governm en t , the binding cord of a people bound by

common ances t ry, languag e, religion and culture can be identified in all 17 clans that make

up the Isoko nation.

Unfortuna t e ly, the Isoko nation remains fragmen t ed politically. Its trajec to ry is inunda ted

by infantile activism, atavis tic cleavages and until recen tly needless opposition to

governm e n t by a pseudo leadersh ip with opaque vision. The then leadership of the Isoko

nation, which was largely imposed , was unable to articula t e itself and evolve from a

personali ty cult to an institution or a group of persons that derive legitimacy from the

people. Perhaps it is the transit ion from traditional authori ty to the seeming more

organised form of adminis t ra t ion in contempo r a ry Nigerian political system that is partly

responsible for this unfor tuna t e malady. This is because the traditional rulers, acting with

the chiefs and Edios had bet te r grip of their societies through an intrinsic interplay of

relationships that the people accepted . That perhaps explains why the people were able to

maintain their identi ty despi te the overbea r ing influence of their relatively more powerful

neighbou r s .

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But it must be pointed out that wherea s they have been able to resist the cultural

influences of their neighbou rs , the Isoko people still retain some of the vestiges of political

affiliations imposed by colonial adminis t r a tion. Therefore , we cannot discounten a n c e the

influence of the Urhobo, Ijaw and Ndokwa nations on the Isoko people, par ticula rly borde r

communities with these ethnic nationalities . This attach m e n t to extant political entities has

in no small measur e helped to whittle down the political clout of the Isoko people,

par ticula rly in instance s when critical decisions are to be made.

Is it not strang e that a lot of Isoko people happily want to be identified more with their

neighbou r s politically instead of evolving struc tu r e s of their own? Is it not an absurdi ty that

so many of the people would rathe r identify with strang e r s if only to spite the leaders hip?

Yet, this has been the lot of the people in the recent past . The consequ en c e is the loss of

stra teg ic influence at the state and federal levels, absence of major public infrast ruc t u r e

and the confineme n t of the leaders to playing on the fringe in the corridors of power.And

compare d to her neighbour s , we can state unequivocally that the Isoko people have

unwitt ingly short changed themselves in key areas of developm en t . For example, despite

relative higher popula tion figure, the Isoko nation boast s of only two local govern me n t s , as

agains t three and half by the Ijaw and Itsekiri nations which are lumped politically in the

Delta South Senator ial District .

The case of sharing political portfolios is not markedly different eithe r . Those occupying

key political offices today owe their positions more to the relationship they share with the

governor than to the fact that they belong to a particula r ethnic group. This has made some

of them largely unaccoun t able to the people or their plight.Regr e t t a b ly, Isoko Developmen t

Union (IDU), the umbrella socio- cultura l organisa t ion, which ought to be in the vangua r d of

galvanising the people towards a common goal, is in tat te r s . Endless litigations, personali ty

clash and nepotism have become the bane of IDU. Wherea s similar bodies are used to

advance the cause of other nations, the story of IDU is incomple t e without accusa tions of

crass oppor tunism, betrayals and backs tab bing .

The story is made gloomier by the fact that Isoko nation today boast s of more tradi tional

rulers opera t ing from exile, as a result of public revolt agains t greed, divide and rule,

disdain for the youths and outright exploita tion of the people by these so called royal

father s .

At the hear t of the chicane ry, is the activities of multina tional and lately, indigenous oil

companies in Isoko land. These companies , perhap s taking a cue from the colonial maste r s

have made oil more of a curse than blessing to the people. Many communities are

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embroiled in conflict as a result of oil activity, and such divisions are instigat ed ,

encour ag e d , and promoted by the oil majors.Should we allow these feste ring crises in the

land to continue unchecked? Should the conflagr a t ion causing untold devas ta t ion be

allowed to snowball into unimaginable propor tions to the detrimen t of genera t ions unborn?

Is there no pressing impera t ive to accept one leader in Isokoland?

These are some of the challenges confronting us today. Sadly, many are eithe r ignoran t or

unawar e of the dimensions of the daunting challenges before us. Some of those who

perhaps unders t an d aspects of the problem prefer to play the ostrich and second fiddle,

while consoling themselves that they are immune from the conseque n ce s . But playing the

ostrich is only a presc rip tion for disaste r , either now or in the unforeseen future. It is a

prognosis for unmitiga ted flounder ing of the huge potentials of a people endowed by God

Almighty to be leaders of men, with abundan t resources .

It is therefore about time for the Isoko people to realise that they limit their potentials by

the mindless predilec tion towards sub- divisions and projection of uncoordina t ed fronts in

the deman d for social infrast r uc tu r e and quest for more political offices in Delta State and

the nation at large.The elite must be told the hones t truth that the Pull Him Down (PHD)

syndrom e that has become a past time won’t take them far but will furthe r detrac t s from

the goal of moving to the next level. Every time you seek to pull a brother down from the

mounta in top, you go down the hill with him in the end.Now, there are agita tions for

crea tion of local governm e n t s , delinea t ion of new consti tuencies and wards, the only

possibility of the Isoko people benefit t ing lies in forging a common front. Once other

groups suspec t there are divisions they are likely to want to circumven t the process and

gain undue advantag e over the Isoko people.

Similarly, conscien tious effort must be made to establish the process for genuine

leadership to emerg e; it is also about time to truly immortalize our heroes , if only to inspire

the younge r ones to seek higher goals. Better still, there is the urgen t need to rally round

our repres en t a t ives in governm e n t , rathe r than dissipat e energy trying to displace or run

them down. No one should be under the illusion that pulling down these leaders would

pave way for him or her to climb. After all, their emerg en ce stem more from trust earned ,

and it is no mean feat attaining such heights simply by wishful thinking and strife.

It is gra tifying to note however that our leader and Secre ta ry to the Delta State

Governm en t (SSG), Comrad e Ovuozourie Macaulay has blazed a trail quite apar t from his

predeces so r s and contem por a r i es alike. His transpa r e n t humility, depth of vision and

selflessness has endea r e d him to the grass root s as well as the political elite in Isoko, the

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entire Delta State and Nigeria at large. Will it therefor e be too much to project such a

personali ty as a rallying point for the Isoko people, especially in the contes t for political

power? For some of us who have the displeasu r e of being discrimina te d agains t in other

climes, the clarion call for a united front by the Isoko nation remains an urgent one.

Like they say, there is no place as home. But what if the home is divided? Surely, nothing

positive can take place in such a milieu. Its either we come togethe r as one or consent to

being confined to perpe tu al mediocri ty.

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THE LAW AND YOU

By

Iche Ifen ed o (Esq. )

ELEMENTS OF CRIMINAL LAW

Criminal law is that aspec t of law that deals with crime and other anti- social offences. The

Criminal Code Act Cap 34 Laws of the Feder a t ion of Nigeria (2004) defines crime as:

acts or omissions which render the person doing the act or making the

omission liable to punish m e n t under this code or under any act or law is

called an offence .

The opera tive words in this definition are “acts or omission” “violation” and “punishme n t”

which any proven violation of law or deviation from the set societal standa r d s , attr ac t . Such

punishm en t may be correc tive in nature or deter re n t in conception. Some may also be

maximum as could be seen in the case of capital punishm en t presc ribed for certain

grievous crimes or offences prevalen t in our presen t towns and villages such as robbing

while armed with offensive weapons otherwise known as armed robbery, murde r , rape,

wounding with inten t to maim, manslaugh te r and monst rous crime - kidnapping.

The legal consequ en c e of this section corrobor a t e s the age- long principle which states that

where there is no law, there is no sin and where there is no sin, punishme n t can therefor e

not be in existence . For an act to consti tu t e an offence, it must be so defined and the

punishm en t presc ribed by the Criminal Code Act or Penal Code Act or any inst ru me n t

made under them. Where therefore a section of a law does not presc ribe the punishme n t

section, it cannot be a law so properly called and any conviction based on it by a lower

court will be quashed on appeal to a higher court . Offences are categorized into felonies,

misdeme a n o u r and simple offence.

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A felony is any offence which is declared by law to be a felony or is punishable, without

proof of previous conviction, with death or with imprison me n t for three years or more. A

misdeme a n o u r is any offence which is declared by law to be a misdeme a n o u r , or is

punishable by imprisonm en t for not less than six months, but less than three years . All

offences, other than felonies and misdeme a n o u r s , are simple offence.The impor tanc e of

this distinction lies in the method of arres t of the offender , the punishmen t and the type of

force to be used in preventing the escape of the suspec t .

By sec t i o n 5 of the Crimi n a l Code Act , where the offence is a felony, the offender can be

arres t ed without warran t . The division of offences will deter min e the nature of punishm en t

e.g., the offence of armed robbery, murde r and rape which are capital in nature . Sec t i o n

271- 273 of the Crimin a l Code Act permits the police officer or the person effecting the

arres t of a suspect of a felony to use reasonable force to preven t the escape of the suspec t

and may kill the suspect where the offence is punishable with death. This section is heavily

relied upon by the law enforceme n t agents when they are involved in extra- judicial killings

of armed robbery suspec t s , and recent ly kidnapping suspec ts , a monste r crime crippling

rapidly into the fabric of the society.

The police officer is empower ed to arres t anybody suspec ted of having commit ted an

offence in the course of investiga tion of a crime, see sec t i o n s 24 & 25 of the Polic e Act

Laws of the Feder a t i o n of Nige r ia 200 4 . By the provisions of sec t i o n 10 of the

Crimi n a l Proc e d u r e Act , a police officer is empower e d to arres t without warran t any

person who he suspec ts of having commit ted any offence in his presence and for any of the

offences listed under sec t i o n 10 of Crimi n a l Proce d u r e Act . Whethe r a suspec t is

arres t ed without a warran t when he ought to be arres t ed with a warran t , such failure or

defect has been cured by sec t i o n 101 of the Crimi n a l Proce d u r e Act and hence it shall

not affect subseq u en t trail of the trial of the suspec t for the alleged offence, the irregula ri ty

in the arres t notwiths t an ding .

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A crime or an offence is usually an offence agains t the state, although in most cases, it is

the individual that is wronged. It is the responsibili ty of the state to initiate criminal

prosecu tion agains t the offender who when charged to face his trial before a court of

competen t jurisdiction is refer red to as the Accused person insofar as the trial lasts. The

aggrieved person becomes the complainan t and he is used by the state as the prosecu t ion

witness . In order to apprecia t e fully the heinous effect of crime in our society, it can be

equated with the biblical sins or norms of the society which affect the individuals or groups

and they immedia te ly receive spontaneou s disapproval from the people. It is therefore

correc t to regard crime as a public wrong, hence it is the state or the govern m e n t that

takes up the prosecu t ion of the crime in order to bring the culprit to book. The Nigeria

Police Force is empower ed under sec t i o n 4 of the Polic e Act Cap P19 Laws of the

Federa t i o n of Nig er i a (20 0 8 ) to preven t and detec t crime which supposedly gives it the

consti tu tional powers to make arres t when a crime or offence is being or about to be

commit ted , make their proper investiga tion and charge to court for trial.

When the act of any person has assumed a criminal dimension occasioning a violation of

state laws, the police make arres t and based on the outcome of investiga tion, they

deter mine whethe r to charge the person implicated to court or not. They are usually guided

by the provisions of the Criminal Code Act when prefer r ing criminal charge s agains t the

accused persons. For simple offences, the police prosecu t e the offender s in the magist ra t e

court which is a court of summa ry trial, and bail is granted based on the discre tion of the

presiding magist ra t e . However, for simple offence, bail in most cases is granted with

certain terms.

The arres t ed persons face the great e s t ordeal when they are charged for capital offences

such as attempt e d murde r , armed robbery, kidnapping, arson, rape, illegal possession of

fire arms and ammunitions and murde r . The presiding magist ra t e by law declines

jurisdic tion as he lacks same, and the proper order to make in that instance is that the

accused persons be remand e d in prison custody and the case file be duplica ted and sent to

the Director of Public Prosecu t ion (DPP) for Legal advice. This is where the accused

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persons will require the services of a Legal Practi t ione r to apply for his bail at the High

Court . If from the proof of evidence (statem en t of the complainan t and other witnesse s and

the accused persons) a prima facie of an offence is disclosed, the office of the Director of

Public Prosecu t ion (DPP) prefer s the appropria t e charge agains t the accused person and

subsequ e n t ly applies to a High Court Judge for consent to prefer information agains t the

accused person. When consen t is granted , a formal charge as the case maybe has been

prefer r ed against the accused person and whethe r he is granted bail with such conditions

and terms or not granted bail, in which case he remains in prison custody, he shall take his

trial until judgmen t is delivered .

The Hear t of the Mat t e r

Hon. Leo Okuwe h Ogor is the Mem b e r repres e n t i n g

Isoko Federa l Const i tu e n c y in the Hous e of Repre s e n t a t iv e s

and he has proved his mett l e . The quint e s s e n t i a l gent l e m a n

and gras sr o o t s polit ic ia n holds the view that the obs ervab l e

quant u m of divide n d s of dem o c r a cy he attrac t e d to Isoko is

a functi o n of his long stay in the Natio n a l Asse m bly .

You may want to speak about your early back gr o u n d .

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I was born on 6 th January, 1959 to the illust rious family of Mr and

Mrs Okuweh,I attend ed the RCM Primary School Ozoro and I am also of

the revered Notre Dame College, Ozoro.

Sir, what did you do after leavin g scho o l?

When I left the seconda ry school, I first worked with a packaging

company somewhe r e in Iganmu for about six months. I was lucky to have

a job in 1981 with the Centra l Bank of Nigeria, in Lagos which one of

my mentors , Chief Israel Afiemo, who was then the direc tor of

Administ ra tion in CBN, facilitated for me. I worked in CBN for two

years, before I left for furthe r studies in the UK. I came back to Nigeria

and went straigh t into business; first I was in impor t business; the

impor ta tion of pharm ace u t ica ls . I was once a major impor te r of

pharm ace u t ica ls produc ts in Lagos, I was bringing in produc t from UK.

Sincerely, it was wonderful; I was making a lot of money but I was not

getting what I would call job satisfac tion because my desire was to serve

my people.

So you left the busin e s s not beca u s e it was not profitabl e?

Not at all, the business was going on fine. I was making so much money.

I left the business for my younger ones to handle. Like I said, I was

driven by the passion to serve my people. I must say it was a huge

sacrifice because I had a thriving business also in palm oil and kernel

processing with a produc tion outlet in Ughelli. Through my line of

business , I made contac ts , touched lives and when it was time for me to

go into politics, I had so much suppor t .

So servic e to your peopl e was only the drivin g force? But there is

this perce pt i o n that peopl e go into poli t ic s beca u s e they want to

amas s wealt h . How true is this?

Firs t, I think, the interes t then was to serve the people and nothing else.

I believe and I’m convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the great es t

legacy that man can leave behind is the impact you have on the people. I

mean life would come and go but there are things that would stay

behind. My interes t at that part icula r time was that “Leo, the hour has

come for you to serve your people, try as much as you can to bring the

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dividends of democr acy to the people, the Isoko nation precisely”. Then ,

that was my agenda and nothing else.

How was your campai g n ? Was there a manife s t o ?

It was wonderful! Exciting and challenging but I had the suppor t of the

par ty and people like Comrade O. S. Macaulay.

You made promi s e s , what did you tell Isoko peopl e while

camp ai g n i n g in succ e s s iv e elec t io n s ?

Firs t, I wasn’t really a politician per se. I told them that wherever I go, it

is about sharing of resources which I know govern m e n t is all about

sharing of infrast ruc t u r e , I would do all I can that the Isoko people get

their fair share , then, my mindse t was purely the Isoko nation. I was not

really thinking beyond the Isoko people. I remem b e r then, telephone was

just coming in at that part icular time. I told them that if I had the

opportuni ty of being elected , I would make sure that GSM comes to

Isoko land. This was a major promise I fulfilled by exploiting my

member s hip of the House Commit t e e on communica tion. As a fresher in

the House, this was a major achieveme n t . But I must say my first tenure

in the House was more of period of tutelage because I had some teething

problems.

That was your first tenure , how was the seco n d term, 200 7 to

201 1?

During the campaign for the second tenure , I told my people then that

they gave me grea t privilege during my first tenure . I have learn t some

wonderful lessons but I need to go back and build on the dividends of

democr acy and the knowledge I have established in the house. And they

granted me the privilege and oppor tuni ty. Then I becam e the Chairman

of House Commit t ee on Governm en t a l Affairs. I was not too happy with

that position.

Why?

Because as I say, my interes t then was purely to concent r a t e on the

Isoko people. But I realized that as Chairma n of Commit tee on

Governm en t a l Affairs, my responsibility becam e very broad. It was more

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of a national assignme n t . It was a very difficult time for me because I

couldn’t concen t r a t e on bringing infrast ruc t u r e to my people. My oath of

allegiance became very impor tan t to respec t and adopt the consti tu tion

of Feder al Republic of Nigeria without fear or favour. My assignm en t

took me to differen t geo- political zones of the count ry. I rarely touched

the lives of my people as I was expected to do.

So in com p arat iv e term s , your seco n d tenure was more rewardi n g

for your peopl e than the first tenure , wasn’t it?

Like I said before, during my second tenure , I was able to attr ac t a lot of

other projects to Isoko. A lot of projects are there for anybody to witness .

The projects are all over Isoko nation, they are part and parcel of the

att rac tion of the Isoko man that propelled them to believe in my kind of

inclusive politics. The Isoko people are convinced beyond reasonable

doubt that Leo Ogor has the capacity. And by 2011, I was full grown

child with the capacity and the ability to excel.

So how has it been since 201 1 ?

Well, I really want to be sincere . The last two years of my third tenure in

the House is more than the eight years I have spent learning the whole

trade. When you move around the Isoko nation, my consti tuency, the

facts speaks for themselves.

As a principa l offic er in the Hous e , what are the chal l e n g e s ?

My challenges are quite enormous; first the Isoko Feder al

consti tuency that I repres en t is no longer the only consti tuency that

requires my atten t ion at this particula r time. As the leader of the south-

south political zone in the House and also the Deputy Leader , I am

saddled with the responsibility of making sure that I meet the yearning

and aspira t ion of all my colleagues . This is not a very easy job because of

the diverse interes t we must satisfy but we thank God for the privilege

and oppor tuni ty that He has given us in spite of the fact of our minority

status in the House.

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Like you said you com e from a minori ty ethni c group, how have

you been able to navigat e the murky poli t ica l water s of Nig er ia

and attrac t dividen d s of dem o cra cy to your peopl e?

I’m fortuna t e to be one of those decision makers in the House as a

principal officer . I’m convinced beyond reasonable doubt that my

colleagues have confidence and faith in me and, in the process of

sharing, I have not been left out. We have also used the privilege and

opportuni ty of our power of appropria t ion to att rac t infras t ruc tu r e s to

my people.

Now let’s look at your job as a law ma k er .

I think experience counts in this scena rio. As a group, we believe the

clear principles of separ a t ion of power must be adopted in every system

of govern me n t . It is in realiza tion of this that the members of the House

decided that the hour has come for us to pick our own speaker . The

process came in and we picked Rt. Hon. Waziri Aminu Tambuwal as the

speaker of the House; and Emeka Ihedioha as deputy speake r .

As a rankin g me m b er of the Hous e , we expec t e d you are goin g to

be the leader of the Hous e , what went wrong?

Yeah, we had our challenges and I, as much as I don’t want to go into

details of those events , I know I’m from the South- South geopolitical

zone, my presiden t is from the same geopolitical zone with me and it was

more like we take everything. I’m a democra t through and through. The

facts were put before me and I saw reasons. And I said well, it is service

to my people and if that is the decision of my party, so be it.

I am intere s t e d in your job as a lawm a k er , not the man, Leo

Okuwe h Ogor. How has it been as a lawm a k er?

It is quite challenging . You are saddled with so many responsibilities. Let

me star t by stating it clearly that it is impor tan t that we correc t some of

these errors that are there before the public domain. The responsibili ty

of a lawmake r is very clear . It stipula tes that he must make good laws

for the good governan ce of this count ry. This is stated clearly in the

provision of section 4 sub- section 2 of the consti tu tion. The executive

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under the provision of section five of the consti tu tion is also saddled with

the responsibility of executing these laws passed by the National

Assembly, while the Judiciary under the provision of section six is

saddled with responsibility of interp r e t ing the laws. You see, I’m excited

when people ask me what actually is the job of a law maker. The

provisions of 28 and 29 give us the power to carry out some level of

investiga tions and, in the process , check corrup tion, and also carry out

what we call an oversight function in making sure that the funds

appropr ia t ed in line with section 81 and sub- section 4 of the consti tu t ion

are proper ly used and utilized for those project s for which they have

been appropria t e d for. It becomes very import an t for us to tell our

people that the lawmake r lacks the power to award contrac t s . We only

succeed in att rac ting project s to our place by using what we call the

appropr ia t ion power.

You need to be explic i t on the controv ers ia l cons t i t u e n c y

projec t s .

Law makers don’t award contrac t s as I said before. That is within the

jurisdic tion of the executive. You can’t be a judge in your own case.

When the project is placed in the budge t , it’s the executive that awards

these contrac t s . The lawmake r does not know who the contrac to r s are.

It’s the executives that execute these projects . It bleeds my hear t , when

hear people say, oh, he has collected consti tuency allowance. My

personal interes t is to make sure that the project is in my consti tuency,

I’m not interes t e d in the financial gains but I’m interes t ed in the credit

that Leo att rac t e d this project to the constituency. This is enough benefit

to any lawmake r .

You mea n you don’t have input on who m should exec ut e your

cons t i t u e n c y jobs?

No! I don’t. I can’t because there is what we call a bidding process . You

know what we have today is that you must pre- qualify and every

contrac to r must go there and bid for the job. The misgiving that

member s are the ones handling these jobs or member s are being given

this money is totally far from the truth. The truth about it is that we need

to continue to educa te our people to tell them that there is nothing like

that but it is the executive that awards these contrac t s and when the

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projects are not being carried out, it crea t es this fracas between us and

them. That is why we normally insist that there must be total release for

capital project s. This is becaus e when you release funds for capital

project s , the contrac to r s will execute the project s in our consti tuency

and it gladdens our hear t s . When you don’t pay the contrac to r s , you are

const rained and saddled with abandoned projects . That is why you see

some projects in the consti tuencies that are not completed . But for

anybody to say that the lawmake r is given a specific amoun t of money to

execute a consti tuency project is totally false.

Do you have som e of the s e project s? I mea n the input you mad e in

the nation a l budg e t for the ben ef i t of Isoko people .

They are so many and they are visible. There are a lot of water project s

and a lot of roads. I believe and I’m convinced that we have touched

every communi ty in Isoko. There is no communi ty that you will find and I

stand to be correc t ed and I challenge anybody, any Isoko man or woman,

that there are no presence of federal projec ts , be at Igbide, Owhelogbo,

Iyede, Ozoro, Ofagbe and far flung across the river Niger.Let us look at

the area of employment . How far have you fared in this regard . Let me

say right away that the fact that I have attr ac t e d infrast r uc tu r e s to my

people is another way of employment gener a tion as Isoko sons and

daugh te r s work in the various construc t ion sites. But you must also

apprecia t e that unemploymen t issue is a major challenge in this count ry.

Yet I can tell you that if the statis tics before me are very correc t , we

have been able to influence the employment of more than eight- eight

Isoko gradua t e s into federal govern m e n t agencies . I’m not talking about

those at the state level but about Federa l Agencies . We will keep doing

our best to influence employmen t oppor tuni t ie s for our sons and

daugh te r s .

There must be som e Isoko peopl e who have influe n c e d you

posi t iv e ly in your poli t ica l care er .

Sure! I have so much respec t for elders like Gener al Paul Omu, Dr.

Dodo- Umeh, Prof. Ekoko, and Prof Sada of blessed memory, These are

my mentors . They are people I interac t with on daily basis. I tap from

their wealth of experience . I have a fine synergy with my

contempor a r i es . I have fine relationship with the Comrade Macaulay, the

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Secre t a ry to the Delta State Governm en t and healthy friendship with

Chief Solomon Ogba. I am in perfect accord with Hon . Tim Owhefe re

and Hon. Erijo. I avoid making enemies. I’m a man with a large hear t

and wheneve r I feel bad over any situation, I say it and I let go

immedia te ly. That probably has been one of my advantag e s in my

political caree r . I don’t keep grudges .

How is your relat io n s h i p with your co- poli t ic ia n s and other

me m b e r s of the Natio n a l Asse m b ly?

Enriching, diverse and wonderful .

Do you have trust e d friend s amo n g the m?

We are all brother s and sister s . It’s one family. When we are on the floor

of the House, there is no political divide. We work as a family. National

interes t at any given time becomes our interes t .

Do you think your long stay in the Hous e is an advant a g e to your

people?

The facts speak for themselves . Today I’m the Deputy Leader of the

House of Represen t a t ives . If probably I was stopped in my second

tenur e , the Isoko man would come and become another floor member of

the House. Then the next time somebody comes again, you keep being a

floor member of the House. Experience mat te r s here. I must encourag e

our people to unders t an d that the longer a man stays in parliamen t , the

better oppor tuni ty for him or her to occupy some of those wonderful

positions. With those positions, he or she can attr ac t dividends of

democr acy to his or her people. You can clearly see the standa r d in

American where the like of the Kennedys spent so much in the

parliamen t . We must star t adopting that spiri t. It might be Leo Ogor

today but we must try as much as we can to encourag e people . When

that person is in office for such long period of time, he or she must have

been privileged to navigate some of those contours that exist in the

National Assembly as he has already known where the banan a peels are

and he will avoid them. So, I want to adopt the spirit that we must, at

every given time, return our performing legislator s . We must not see the

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office in terms of Naira and Kobo. We must look at the advantag es it can

bring in for the people as a whole.

Is there any hope that one day an Isoko man will be the speak er

of the Hous e or the Pres id e n t of the Senat e?

There is nothing impossible. I believe that power belongs to God.

Final ly Honorab l e , what’s your mes s a g e to the Isoko people?

My people should trust and coopera t e with me because it is my desire to

take to them to the realm of amazing grace, where everyone will have

that privilege and oppor tuni ty of knowing fully that democracy or rathe r

the dividends of democracy are before him or her. It might be very

difficult for me to interp r e t this. Let me state clearly that ‘I love these

people’, my hear t at every given time is with them and I think that

human beings at every given time must have their challenges but I think

I want to be a listening ear to every Isoko man and woman. I want to be

there to make sure that at every given time, we can brains to r m togethe r ,

we can share in their pains and in their joy and I want to be there for

every Isoko man and woman.

Hon. We thank you for givin g us the opport u n i ty to talk with you.

My pleasu r e .

PICTURES DON’T LIE

Compl e t e d and Ongoin g Projec t s - ---court e sy Hon. Leo Okuwe h Ogor

A LIST OF PROJECTS ATTRACTED TO VARIOUS ISOKO COMMU NITIES BY HON. LEO OKUWEH OGOR

OLEH

1. Renovation of gener a l post office oleh- completed . Carried out during first tenure

2. Motorized borehole with overhead tank (Solar- power ed)- Completed in 2 nd Tenure

3. Construc t ion of 1 Block of 3 class rooms at Evoja primary school Oleh

4. Supply of books and furnitur e to Odoro Primary School

5. Provision of Solar- powered stree t lights in Oleh

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OZORO

1. Solar powered motorized borehole with overhead tank at Uruto, Ozoro- complet ed

in 2 nd tenure

2. Construc t ion of 1 Block of 5class roo ms at Ekwerigbe Primary School, Ozoro-

Complet ed in 2 nd Tenure

3. Construc t ion of 1 Block of 3 class rooms with furnitu re , books, VIP toilets &

handpu m p borehole at NDC, Ozoro- Complet ed

4. Solar power ed motorized borehole with overhead tank, NDC, ozoro – Complet ed

5. Solar power ed motorized borehole with overhead tank at Urude, Ozoro –complet ed

6. Solar- powered water with overhead tank in Oramudh u- Complet ed

7. Construc t ion of compreh e n s ive 2-storey ICT in Ozoro Polytechnic- ongoing

8. Construc t ion of auditorium, Delta State Polytechnic –on- going

9. Construc t ion of Solar- powered borehole with overhead tank in Erovie, Ozoro- on-going

10. Construc tion of Solar power ed borehole in Uruamu d h u , Ozoro – Completed

11. Construc t ion of 28km length of roads in Ozoro in 2012 – on- going

12. Supply/Insta lla tion two 500KVA transform e r s to Ozoro – completed

13. Complet e rehabilita t ion of Ozoro old water works –on- going (NDDC)

14. Solar power ed stree t light at Uruamu d h u , Urude, Uruto, Etevie, Erovie, NDC Road

15. Solar- motorized borehole with overhead tank at Etevie, Ozoro

16. Oda electrifica tion project- 7.5MVA substa t ion – yet to be awarded- FGN 12.

17. Provision and installat ion of 7.5 MVA substa tion at Ozoro

OLOMORO

1. Construc t ion of Solar- Powered water project with overhead tank -complet ed

2. 1 block of 3 classrooms at Olomoro primary Sch. Olomoro – on- going (MDG)

IRRI

1. Construc t ion of Solar- powered water project in Irri (MDG)- completed

2. Construc t ion/Equipm e n t of library in Irri Gramme r School (MDG) – completed

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3. 1 block of three class rooms in Omode Pri. Sch. Irri – completed

4. Solar- powered stree tl ights at Irri- on- going

IKPIDE

1. Solar power ed stree t lights at Ikpide (ECN)- complet ed

IDHEZE

1. 1 Block of three class rooms at Idheze Gramm ar School- complet ed

2. Solar- powered stree tl ight at Idheze

UZERE

1. Solar- powered stree tl ight (NDDC)- completed

2. Uzere townhall (MDG) –on- going- almost abandoned

EMEDE

1. Solar power ed borehole with overhead tank – on- going

2. 1 Block of 3 classrooms at Emede Grammar School – Completed

3. Solar –powered stree t light in Emede – ongoing

4. Changing of PHCN wooden poles to concre t e poles – on- going

IGBIDE

1. Solar- powered borehole with overhead tank – 85% complet ed

2. Solar power ed stree t lights at Owodokpo –ECN- completed

3. Provision of 7.5 MVA substa t ion in Igbide –FGN budge t of 2012 (yet to be awarded)

URO

1. Solar- powered stree tl ight at Uro (ECN) complet ed

ORIE

1. Solar- powered stree tl ights at Orie (ECN)- complet ed

UKPUDE- AVIARA

1. Construc t ion of 1 block of 3 classrooms at Aka Primary School, Ukpude- awarded

2. Solar- powered stree tl ights at Ukpude

EROWA

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1. Compreh e n s ive Health Centre –ongoing

2. Solar power ed stree t lights (ECN)- Complet ed

UMEH

1. Solar power ed water NDDC –ongoing

2. Solar power ed stree t light –ECN- Completed

3. Construc t ion /Equipping of Health cent re

AVIARA

1. 1 block of 3 classrooms at Aka Primary School, Ukpude – FGN’12(aw ar d e d)

2. Solar power ed stree t lights at Ukpude (ECN) completed

Iyede I

1. Solar powered stree tligh t (ECN) Otor- Iyede

2. Solar powered wate r at Otor- Iyede- ongoing

Iyede II

Solar power ed stree t light at Oghar a, Ekiugbo & Eboh- Iyede

Emevor

1. Design/Cons t r uc t ion of 16.7km Emevor/Orug u Rd – ongoing (NDDC)

2. Emevor townhall- 80%comple t ed

Otor- Owhe

1. Rehabilita t ion of Otor- owhe waterworks (NDDC) –completed

2. Otor- owhe –Emevor Rd (complet ed) NDDC

Otorig h o

1. Construc t ion of Health Centre (ongoing)

2. Solar power ed stree t lights (ECN)

3. Solar power ed borehole with overhead tank

4. Erowha/Em ag b e li Rd Const ruc t ion

5. Construc t ion/Equipping of Primary Health centre

Ellu/Ovrod e /Aradh e

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1. Solar power ed water project with overhead tank at Ovrode

2. Solar power ed water project with overhead tank at Aradhe- Completed (NDDC)

3. Solar powered water project with overhead tank- Niger Delta River Basin –

Complet ed

4. 1 Block of three class rooms at Ellu primary school – FGN12- completed

OFAGBE

1. 1 Block of 3 classrooms – completed

2. Construc t ion of Townhall –on- going

3. Rehabilita t ion of Ofagbe 500KVA transform e r

4. Solar- powered stree tl ight

OKPE

1. Water project with overhead tank- completed

2. Stree tlight (ECN)- completed

OYEDE

Construc t ion of Oyede township road

PICTORIAL OF HON. LEO’S PROJECTS

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ADVERTISEMENT

PINTOS PLACE AND ENTERTAINMENT SPOT

FELICITATIONS!

The management and staff of Pintos Place and Entertainment Spot felicitate with Isoko Digest on its debut as the authentic mouthpiece of the Isoko nation. As the foremost pioneer entertainment spot in Isokoland, we are proud to be associated with this authoritative publication. We also give kudos to the initiators of this noble project and the political leaders that have helped to make this dream a reality. Pintos Place and Isoko Digest, a partnership that works!

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Signed: Management

ISOKO NORTH LGA

On behalf of the good people of Isoko North Local Government Area, I rejoice with the publishers of Isoko Digest. It is our desire that you will use this medium to project the good deeds of the Dr. Emmanuel Eweta’s administration. We are excited at this bold initiative to show case the Isoko nation. Congratulations

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SIUSOGAG NIGERIA LIMITED

CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The management and staff of SIUSOGAG Nigeria Limited heartily congratulate the publishers of Isoko Digest on the publication of the maiden edition. We are proud to be identified with this noble course.

Signed:

Dr. Aloy Okpelogbo (Chief Executive)

OWHELOGBO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNION

FELICITATIONS!

The Executive Committee, Elders and Branches (Home and Abroad ) of Owhelogbo Community Development Union (OCDU) rejoice with the publishers of Isoko Digest Magazine. We congratulate the initiators of this great idea. We also thank our illustrious son and political leader, Comrade O.S. Macaulay for the uncommon transformation of our community, and the sagacious mentoring of Isoko and daughters.

Congratulations!

Signed:

Simon Enajedu( President General, OCDU)

D-GLOPA PHARMACY NIGERIA LIMITED,

No 433, Nnebisi Road, Asaba

The management and staff of D-GLOPA Pharmacy are proud to be counted on the side of this novel initiative of the publication of Isoko Digest. Count on us for the continued support of this worthy enterprise.

Signed: Management.

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ISOKO GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT (IGM)

The Chairman, Board of Trustees and Members of Isoko Grassroots Movement congratulate Isoko Digeston the publication of its maiden. As the mouthpiece of the Isoko people, the IGM hereby pledges to continue to associate with the vision and mission of the Magazine.

Signed.

Hon. Sunday Elueni

ISOKO ADVANCEMENT NETWORK (IAN)

IAN is proud of this historic fit. This magazine is a worthy companion in our quest for the advancement of the nation. Together we shall make Isoko nation stronger, better by far and an envy in the committee of Ethnic Nationalities in Delta state in particular and Nigeria in Nigeria.

Signed.

Prof. S.O. Aghalino (mhsn) (National Publicity Secretary, W.W.)

MIRATT HOTEL ( A subsidiary of Egwomira Ventures Ltd)

Off Igbrude Road, Owhelogbo,

Isoko North Local Government Area, Delta State.

The management and staff of Egwomira Ventures Limited rejoice with the publishers of Isoko Digest on the debut of their maiden edition. We identify with the mission and vision of the magazine. We also identify strongly with the giant strides of the PDP led government in Isokoland. We salute the courage ofComrade O.S. Macaulay in providing purposeful leadership for the Isoko people.

MIRATT HOTEL…….. A PLACE TO BE!

Signed.

Management

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PICTORIALS of Political Engagements in Isokoland

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HON. LEO OKUWEH OGOR IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBY

PICTORIALS