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ABIA EX-MILAD DENOUNCES MARGINALIZATION OF OKPE KINGDOM
ABIA EX-MILAD DENOUNCES MARGINALIZATION OF OKPE KINGDOM
· RECOUNTS HOW OBOREVWORI EMERGED AS GOVERNOR
· ATTRIBUTES URHOBO AGENDA TO OKPE BACKWARDNESS
· SLAMS UGHELLI LEADERS OVER SCRAMBLE FOR GOVERNORSHIP SLOT
· URGES OKPE LEADERS TO BRACE UP FOR 2027 CHALLENGE
By: Our Reporter
Air Vice Marshal (rtd) Frank Ajobena may have stirred another round of controversy among Delta political leaders where he observed that the Okpe Nation was the least in the pecking order in Delta Central.
‘’There is a pecking order in the state. Every time something good comes to Delta Central, it has to go first to the Ughelli people. The next in the pecking order are the Ethiope East people, the Agbon people. The Okpe, who are majority, are the least in the pecking order. You could see it even when the contest for the governorship was on. There was a gang up. They didn’t want an Okpe person to be governor. It took a lot of canvassing and the grace of God for the Okpe person to emerge as governor. That position is still being contested by those by those who think they are born to rule Delta State’’
Ajobena spoke in Lagos at the 95th anniversary of Okpe Union.
‘’The identity of a people is fundamental to their emancipation. If you look at the Bible, the issue of identity was the reason Jesus Christ came to the earth. If you look at Psalm 82, verses 5-7. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the Most High. But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. Each time Jesus Christ tries to introduce man as a divinity, they try to stone him’’.
The military administrator of Abia State from 28th August 1991 until January 1992 maintained that Okpe was not Urhobo.
‘’The issue of identity is fundamental. I don’t know why our brothers are apprehensive of Okpe establishing itself as a nationality. If you go to Google and you look at the definition of ethnic nationality, it is well defined. It is a people that share a common ancestry. We do not share a common ancestry with Urhobo people. It further defined people that share the same language. We do not share the same language with the Urhobos. If you speak Okpe in the midst of Urhobo people, they will say you are speaking in tongues. They don’t understand what you are saying. All these questions that Okpe is Urhobo is for political adventure and political gains. They want to project the Urhobo as a large ethnic nationality. So, they use Okpe to feather their own nest’’
Ajobena stated that the political position of the Okpe Nation must be reviewed to save the kingdom from further backwardness.
‘’Whatever comes to the geographical space that is being referred to as Delta Central today is seen as Urhobo matter. The Okpe people are treated as second class citizens within that space. As long as we remain tied to the apron strings of Urhobo, we will not achieve anything. We need to let them know’’.
He said the actions of leaders in the state have thrown Okpe Kingdom into the back burner position in the political affairs of Delta Central.
‘’Urhobos are our friendly neighbors. We are not quarrelling. We intermarry. I don’t see reason for this apprehension’’.
He, however, warned those celebrating Okpe as the largest Urhobo ethnic nationality to admit their mistake and work for the recognition of Okpe identity.
ABIA EX-MILAD DENOUNCES MARGINALIZATION OF OKPE KINGDOM
Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
By: Zagazola Makama
Ambassador Yusuf Mamman, former Nigerian envoy, has lauded the leadership and reforms of retired Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, former Chief of Army Staff, describing him as a “soldier’s soldier” whose tenure transformed the Nigerian Army’s doctrine, structure, and innovation.
Mamman, who chaired the public presentation of the book Life Principles for Greatness from the Life of Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, said he accepted the role without hesitation because the work offered lessons for Nigeria’s youth.
He recalled that Buratai rose from a cadet in the Nigerian Defence Academy to become Chief of Army Staff at a time the country faced the existential threat of Boko Haram insurgency.
“He came at a very challenging and difficult time in our national history, when Boko Haram posed the biggest existential threat to Nigeria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity since the civil war,” Mamman said.
According to him, Buratai spearheaded deep and profound changes that reshaped military doctrine, operations, and troop welfare, laying the foundation for the ongoing modernisation of the Nigerian Army.
“He never sought to take credit, but his works were very evident and clear. The master plan for the Army’s modernisation we are following today was driven by his vision,” he added.
Mamman also linked Buratai’s example to the need for youth empowerment, noting that Nigeria’s young people are making significant contributions in technology, media, and the creative industry.
“We must give them the enabling environment to harness their creativity for national greatness. Our future relies on the resilience, creativity, and scholarship of our youth,” he said.
The event, held in Abuja Intercontinental Hotel attracted dignitaries including Senior Military Officers, both serving and retired, Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’adua, Chairman Senate Committee on Army, and other prominent Nigerians.
Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
Kachalla Alti kills rival bandit kingpin, Dankarami Usaini in Zamfara community
By: Zagazola Makama
A feared bandit kingpin, Kachalla Alti, has killed a fellow gang leader in Matsuki village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in what residents described as a deadly supremacy battle.
Zagazola gathered from sources that the incident, which occurred at about 4:45 p.m. on Monday, has left the community tense and largely deserted.
Witnesses said the slain bandit, identified as Dankarami Usaini, 40, a Hausa native of Matsuki, had long operated from the Dangajeru forest, allegedly extorting residents and attacking those who resisted.
According to locals, Dankarami was in the village to collect levies on behalf of Kachalla Alti, the younger brother of notorious armed gang leader, Adamu Alero.
However, discontent had been brewing among residents over the “excessive harassment” by Dankarami. They reportedly reached out to Kachalla Alti to intervene. Kachalla Alti stormed the village with his men and shot Dankarami dead on the spot.
Following the killing, many residents fled to nearby villages, fearing retaliatory attacks from Dankarami’s loyalists.
Local sources said tension remains high, with sporadic gunfire heard in nearby forest routes.
Kachalla Alti kills rival bandit kingpin, Dankarami Usaini in Zamfara community
Police, hunters search for kidnapped septuagenarian in Gombe
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Gombe State, in collaboration with local hunters, have launched a search for a 60-year-old man abducted by gunmen in Funakaye Local Government Area.
Sources said the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 12:30 a.m., when about seven armed men stormed the Ganti area of Abuku village via Ribadu Bajoga and kidnapped one Muhammadu Lawal to an unknown location.
Upon receiving the report from the village head of Bage, a joint team of police operatives and hunters mobilised to comb nearby communities in an effort to rescue the victim unhurt.
The sources said no arrests had been made as of the time of filing this report.
Police, hunters search for kidnapped septuagenarian in Gombe
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Ambassador Mamman hails Buratai’s legacy, urges youth mentorship
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