PEACE RETURNS TO OLUASIRI AFTER ARBITRATION BY OPU NEMBE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS.

The people of Oluasiri clan   have been enjoined to desist from fermenting troubles, shun violence and also to withdraw all pending Court cases with a view to finding lasting peace and prosperity amongst the people in the area.

This was contained in an undertaking/decisions signed by the two ersthwhile factions of Oluasiri clan, five members from both sides, before the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Council of Chiefs during an arbitration meeting.

In the document captioned:

"UNDERTAKING TO KEEP THE PEACE AND ABIDE WITH AND  BY ALL RESOLUTIONS/DECISIONS REACHED UNDER THE OPU.NEMBE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS.IN RESPECT OF THE  OLUASIRI CRISIS" 

reads:

"An arbitration meeting was held on the '19th and 20th of June, 2020 by the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs in respect of the OLUASIRI crisis.

Oluasiri-Ibe is one of the three (3) clans under the Opu Nembe Kingdom.

THE VARIOUS PARTIES HEREBY UNDERTAKE TO DO THE FOLLOWINGS:

1.To maintan peace, law and order within during and after the arbitration meetings.

2. To abide with and by all decisions and resolutions reached and arrived at by the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs on the Oluasiri crisis.

3. To restrain ourselves from taking any resort to violence or anything that can cause a breach of the peace.

4.To support either ourselves or our supporters of whatever  nature from doing anything that is capable of causing violence or anarchy on the ground of these arbitration meetings

5.If any party breaches these undertakings, each agrieved party shall report... back to the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs, for necessary action; and nobody shall resort to self help remedy.
It is hereby agreed that the above resolutions, undertakings and agreements are binding on all of us at all times. Dated this 20th Day of June, 2020."

Signed: by the two parties: 

FIRST PARTY:

1. His Royal Highness King I.C.Awululu (Olua 1, The King of Oluasiri-Ibe

2. Chief Kuromi M. Ibiki Elect

3. Olali Cordinah

4. Newton Joshua

5. Gamage David

SECOND PARTY

1. Orusakwe Aseimiegha

2.Elder Kuro Michael

3.Elder Indokubo Daniel

4. Chief Kuro Gamage Obhai

5. Madad Albert Numoyanabofa

CHIEF D.I.ORIANGO-ORUWARI

Chairman, Opu-Nembe Council of Chiefs) and CHIEF W.I. IVORY-FEKORU

(Secretary, Opu-Nembe Council of Chiefs)

Opening their case, the leader of the complainants, Mr Orusakwe Aseimiegha spoke about  umbilical cord connecting the Oluasiri clan with Opu Nembe Bassambiri as that of father and son relationship, for which the son must whenever need arises come to the father to find solutions to any problem.

He then started to inform the Chiefs Council that Oluasiri was on the verge of extinction due to what he called leadership failure on the part of the Ibenyanabo of Oluasiri, His Royal Highness King I.C.Awululu.

Mr. Orusakwe accused the King among other things:

1. That King Awululu failed to harmonise the Oluasiri clan communities nor bring development to the people and the land.

2.That he divided Oluasiri by creating his own faction and  sidelined majority of the Oluasiri people in the scheme of things especially those not on his side of the divide. 

3. That he had in a bid to secede from Opu Nembe and to declare Independence for Oluasiri, sponsored litigations to that effect, and had refused to withdraw the cases, as directed by the Chiefs Council.

4.That the King, unilaterally disbanded Oluasiri Development Union ODU 'the mother union of Oluasiri founded by Opusiri Noah Otobo (late) before he became the Honorable Member at the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. Mr. Orusakwe Aseimiegha posited that the sack of the 'OLUASIRI DEVELOPMENT UNION',  ODU and succeeding it with 'OIL AND GAS', was wrong and against the interest of majority in the Oluasiri clan.

5. That the King had abandoned the clan for years which according to Mr. Orusakwe resulted in insecurity and underdevelopment.

6. That Oluasiri being an Oil and Gas rich land where millions of Naira had accrued to the people and the land over the years, the King had not accounted for it, and also that he had not implemented a 60/40% revenue sharing formula approved by the Amanyanabo in Council of the  Kingdom of Opu Nembe Bassambiri. which Orusakwe said, the Oluasiri Development Union (O.D.U) would have implemented.

7. Finally, that the King should either resign or be removed by the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Chiefs Council and claimed that; if the King was removed, in a few weeks time he was going to effect election of a new King for the clan.

In his response, the Ibenyanaowei of Oluasiri, His Royal Highness, King Iyerite Chiefson Awululu debunked the allegations as follows:

1. That, he was a Chief in the Opu Nembe Chiefs Council many years before he became the Ibenyanabo of Oluasiri, by the authority of the King and the Council of Chiefs of this Kingdom of Opu Nembe Bassambiri, made a public declaration that he had no secessionist ambition as alleged, and will never allow such to happen during his reign but rather as an ambassador of the King, the Chiefs Council and the People of the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Kingdom he will not relent but continue to serve the interest of the Kingdom..

2. That he had been at Oluasiri as the Ibenyanabo, after building a Palace, he stayed there two or three weeks every month, with the Amadaongu (their Highnesses, the Community Heads), the Chiefs and the entire populace worked together without discrimination. And

by way of clarification, King Awululu avered that Mr. Orusakwe Aseimiegha who made all the allegations against him was amongst beneficiaries of his administrative magnanimity.

 3. The Ibenyanaowei said when he assumed duties as King of Oluasiri, his priority attention was to galvanize all the sectors for development, with some reforms, which he also said was being implemented, yielding positive results, but was truncated by the crisis.

4. On the insecurity of Oluasiri Clan, the Olua1 revealed that, his administration was on the move to contact appropriate authorities to effect security presence of the Military and the Police in the area, for which he said, he needed the support of the people of Oluasiri at home and abroad to achieve set goals.

King Awululu who was a former Vice Chairman of Brass Local Government Area and former Council Secretary of Nembe Local Government Council, while speaking on the 60/40% Revenue sharing formula, said he was ready to implement it and urged the Chiefs Council to constitute an implemention Committee as it is in the Construction.

5. On the allegations that he sponsored court cases against the Amanyanabo of Opu Nembe Bassambiri, the Chiefs Council and the Kingdom and refused to withdraw as directed by the Chiefs Council, King Awululu told the arbitration panel of Chiefs that he didn't. sponsor litigatants, but that they came to him for money to close the said case in court, and he refused because, he didn't sponsor them.

The Ibenyanaowei of Oluasiri, HRH, King I.C. Awululu Solomonically tendered many documents as exhibits to coroborate facts about the transparency of his traditional government.

 He graphically explained that as the King, he doesn't play the role of the Treasurer and anyone or group seeking to know the income and expenditure of Oluasiri should go to the Treasurer.

After putting questions to the two parties following their evidences, the arbitration panel of Chiefs at the exit of the parties, thought provokingly evaluated the evidences and came out with findings that the King was not guilty of any offense to be dethroned.

Calling back the parties, Chairman of the Council, Chief D.I. Oriango Ekpeleyai-Oruwari

announced the decisions as follows:

" The King has not contravened any law known to Nembe traditions or customs to be removed from the throne. Before a King of Nembe must be dethroned, Chief Ekpeleyai-Oruwari said, he must be guilty of rape, robbery, witchcraft, occultism, murder, corruption etc,, and not the issues before the Council.

He announced that for peace and unity to reign in Oluasiri, two major decisions have been considered. 

1. The Oil and Gas Committee constituted by the Ibenyanabo shall stand.

2. The disbanded Oluasiri Development Union (O.D.U) should be reconstituted, and two key officers of that body should be included in the Oil and Gas Committee and to hold the offices of Secretary and Treasurer at all times.

A Committee called: PUBLIC RELATIONS AND meIMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE was constituted to co-ordinate it's affairs with the following members:

1. Chief Fetepigi Itongha - Chairman

2. Chief B.F Amakiri Duo - member

3.Chief Teki Febo member

4. Chief W.S.W Idaulambo - member

5. Chief A. Clinton Ogbu - Secretary.

The Chiefs Council urged the two parties to sink their differences and to withdraw pending cases in earnest, as the way forward for the new beginning.

From investigation, Golden Pen Newspaper reliably gathered that a case was filed:

" IN THE HIGH COURT OF BAYELSA STATE OF NIGERIA IN THE NEMBE JUDICIAL DIVISION HOLDING AT YENAGOA

SUIT NO: NHC/3/2012... BETWEEN

APPLICANTA

1. TUBONA GAMAGE

2. GELEGUKUMA AMAKIRI

3. ALPHEUS MARCUS

4. ELDER OBU LIVINGSTONE

5. DICK SUNDAY DANLADI

6. SEBOBO SAMUEL DAMINGO

7.JOHN LUCKY

(For themselves and on behalf of OLUASIRI Community)

RESPONDENTS

1. CHIEF ROBERT JOHNBULL EFERE

(Chairman Nembe Bassambiri Council of Chiefs)

2. Chief Samuel Ezekiel Ikoli

(Secretary Nembe Bassambiri Council of Chiefs)

3. HRM KING RALPH MICHAEL IWOWARI, MEIN VII

(Amanyanabo of Nembe Bassambiri)

4. THE SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY NIG. LIMITED

5. THE HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF BAYELSA STATE.

GENDER BASED ORGANIZATION LEADS ANTI-VIOLENCE PROTEST TO BAYELSA STATE PARLIAMENT

In the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa, at about 9.45 a.m, Tuesday July, 2020, a group of women carrying placards stormed the Bayelsa State Parliament to place a demand for the domestication of a Law  titled:"VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSONS PROVISION ACT" passed by the National Assembly in 2015.

The Organization called, Gender Response Initiative carrying a banner with a number of placards announced the spate of gender related violence in the state against females involving rapes, assualts, wives brutalization,  other areas of violations include genital mutilations. The group said as follows:

"We are here this morning as a team to present our case. In lrecent time we have seen an upsurge of gender based violence in the past weeks and Bayelsa State is not an exemption.

We recorded over 358 gender based violence cases in Bayelsa State. In May alone we had two rape cases involving 14 years old girl's.

The women group told the lawmakers that culprits of cases of violence against women were going scot-free in the State, due to what they called ' the absence of prohibitions' and therefore pertinently appealed to the Honorable Members to domesticate the "VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSON PROHIBITION ACT" passed by the National Assembly in 2015."

In response, the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon.. Abraham Ngobere, represented by Hon. Koku-Obiyai started with protocol thus:

"The Chairperson, Gender Committee, Hon. Nahomey Ogoli, members of Gender Response Initiative  BYS Chapter, Former Chairperson FIDA, NAWOJ Chairperson, ladies and gentlemen.

" The House make laws that will relieve burden of our constituents, laws that will improve lives and to bring joy and peace to our people...."

She remarked that the Assembly had listened and shared the same feeling with the society that:

"The issue of violence had become a problem to me as a mother and to all of us that are here...

"On behalf of.the Rt. Hon. Speaker... we welcome you and thank you for putting together this peaceful protest and wish to reassure you that the Assembly is ready to domesticate the Child Rights Act and the bill that is before us. In that bill there are a lot of implications even as it concerns circumcision and all sorts of things to the extent that all Bayelsa should be there at the public hearing"

On.her part the Chairperson of Gender Committee at the Assembly, Hon. Nahomey Ogoli said due attention will be given to the public hearing of the bill which according to her had passed first and second reading  Quote:

" When we come to the public hearing we are going to talk about it. When you have children, your eyes should be on them, take care of your children,. train them in the fear of the Lord. Hon. Ogoli emphasized.

The female legislator went further calling the attention of women.not to shy away from speaking out when they see something going wrong in their homes.

"Before these things happen, most of us or husbands might have children outside, and you will see your own husband molesting your oun daughter and you will not say something, means something is wrong."

She called on the people to attend the public hearing to enable the Assembly pass the bill on time.

Giving a vote of thanks, the Honorable Member Representing Nembe Constituency 2.at the State Assembly, Hon. (Chief) Edward Irigha Brigidi thanked all the protesters for their peaceful disposition. Hear him:

" I, thank you all for this peaceful demonstration As the State Assembly, we are ready to pass the bill. We need your support, we don't need any problem, we need peace, and am advising everyone one of you, you have done your part, leave the rest for us and we will do our best."

Chief Brigidi wished them all a peaceful return to their various homes.

LATEST ON COVID-19: JUSTICE ABIRI GIVES KUDOS TO VOICES CAN BE HEARD NGO IN YENAGOA

The Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Her Lordship, Hon. Justice Kate Abiri (CON) had given commendation to

a.Non Governmental Organization (NGO) popularly called 'VOICES CAN BE HEARD' for donating gift items to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the State.

Items donated include:

1 One thousand protective fabric face masks

2.One hundred bottles of 500 ml hand sanitizers

3. Disinfectant products produced by Niger Delta University

4. Improvised buckets with taps to aid in hand washing.

The CJ ably represented by the Chief Registrar, P.O.A Deuoyemiekemo made the commendation after witnessing  the presentation of the donated items in cartons Izal, Dettol, hand sanitizers, face masks etc. for the use of inmates at the Okaka Correctional Center, Old Azikoro road in the all Ijaw state capital Yenagoa in the Niger Delta Region, South-South Nigeria.

According to the Chief Judge who said  it takes the heart of love and compassion for individuals or organizations to donate freely and generously to fellow human beings at the time of their needs like the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world. described the initiative by the donor Organization as a most welcome development, and urged them to maintain the tempo. 

Earlier in an address presented by the CEO of 'Voices Can Be Heard (VCBH), Elizabeth Amaseimogha Ineintiemo represented by Tarimobowei Benson Ineintiemo said the token donated by their Organization was not at all a display of affluence, but rather an expression of hearts to reach out to those who needed love and sharing in this world  of interdependence. 

 Mr. Ineintiemo who spoke well of the Organization noted with concern the challenges of Covid-19 across the world  stated that they came in line with their welfare programs and policies to reach out to the inmates at the Okaka costodial center.

 While appreciating attendees for their time the organization highlighted some of the aims as follows:

" 1. To check the excesses of the unjust legal system in Nigeria

2. Unfair detention and trial

3. Juvenile in adult fascilities 

4.Justice for females especially for the juveniles

5. Check the incidences of bribery and corruption 

6. Illegal search and seizure

7. The help with rehabilitation upon re-entry into society from correctional fascilities.

8. To give hope to the voiceless and more."

 displeasure at incidences of wrongful arrest,  endless cases of awaiting trial, political detentions, incrimination and conviction of the innocent in Courts and setting free the offenders.

 Many of those detained in security cells and costodial centers for correction committed no offense, but being punished at the pleasure of their enemies, their persecutors  who fraimed them up for judgement and condemnation, even for matters that needed caution and release 

Innocent people treated as criminals and convicted culminating in the congestion of costodial centers, creating panic in the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The VCBH Organization commended the Chief Judge of the State Her Lordship Hon. Kate Abiri CON, for being proactive in the dispensation of justice thus decongesting the costodial center in the state. Hear this:

"... I appreciate the effort of the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kate Abiri CON for decongesting the correctional facility and putting a stop to cases of unlawful detentions in the correctional facility."

The body also used the medium to express appreciation to the management and staff at the correctional facility has this to say:

"...I commend services and staff of this costodial center for the great job and service they provide to inmates... maintaining order within the facility..."

In his vote of thanks the Deputy Controller of Corrections, Amayo West Osadiaye thanked all the attendees, especially the Chief Judge ably represented by the Registrar P.A.O. Eduoyemiekemo, the Chairperson International Federation of Women Lawyers, Tariere E. and other dignitaries at the occasion and wished them all journey mercies back to their destinations.

In an interview with the mother of the CEO of the Philanthropic Organization, Lady Immaculata Love Amaseimogha expressed gratitude to God for the gift of a daughter who according to her had started threading the path she the mother throde and was a pace setter.

Lady Immaculata Amaseimogha was Chairman National Association of Nurses and Midwives Rivers State Chapter.

Her mission was to liberate nurses from oppression, and in that struggle nurses became Directors and received improved salaries. And by dint of her legacies, nurses are today Permanent Secretaries competing favourably with other professionals.

In recognition of her works, the highest nursing body, "The West African Royal College of Nursing awarded her with a certificate of Honour and Administration as WACN'S "Florence Nightingale of the 20th Century"

And she received that prestigious Award in the City of Monrovia, Republic of Liberia, March 20 2001.

She was happily married to a legend, Hon. Dr  Janus Asungha Amaseimogha, the Ist Petrochemical Engineer in the Niger Delta, Frontline politician who represented his people at the Federal Parliament at the Constituent Assembly, who is now resting with the Lord.

Lady Immaculata Love Amaseimogha was well known for her generosity and kindness for which she was awarded as a Diamond mother in the Catholic Church and a Knight of St. John.KSJI

In an interview with her on the outing of her daughter's Organization, Lady Immaculata Love Amaseimogha thanked God for the vision of the Organization and wishes them to do all they could for humanity, emphasizing that a gift to man is a gift to God.