Since the passage of the foremost Niger Delta Leader/Crusader, Pa Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, it has been a hard task for the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the umbrella body of traditional rulers, leaders, and stakeholders of the coastal states of the Niger Delta to fill the vacuum he left. We all know the character called Pa E.K Clark. His last book was brutally frank, a man who tells you that black is black and white is white. He gave leadership in his lifetime.
Many names have played up as likely persons to fill the vacuum. They include: Obong Victor Attah, Diete-Spiff who have been co-chairmen of PANDEF; Also tipped is former governor of Bayelsa State, Sen Seriake Dickson; former governor of Cross River State, Chief Donald Duke; President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) Prof Benjamin Okaba and former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, and many others.
Of all these men and leaders, I find Chief James Ibori most suitable to step into the shoes of the great Niger Delta leader, Pa Edwin Clark. From all indications, he had proven to be a leader with capacity and vision in the fight for resource control for the Niger Delta Region.
Leadership is not about titles, positions or floorcharts; it is about one’s life influencing another. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way (John C. Maxwell).
In all, leaders are expected to be inspiring, visionary, trustworthy, and adaptable. They are those who can navigate complex challenges, foster inclusive environments, and drive positive change. Chief James Ibori showed all of these in the struggle for resource control. Great leader, indeed.
It is, therefore, based on this that I find him capable and suitable to fill the vacuum that Pa E.K Clark has left behind, and to make the Niger Delta region and its people sustain their relevance in the Nigerian Nation.
In his struggle for resource control in the Niger Delta, Chief James Ibori was quoted to have said in the book written by former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Obong Vitor Attah that, ‘The struggle for resource control has just begun”. This shows his commitment, doggedness and resilience in his passion to fight the course of the Niger Delta region and its people, even when many, for whatever reasons stayed away from the struggle.
Contrary to the belief in some quarters, he believed that the Niger Delta could control its God-given natural resources for the positive transformation of the region and the overall good of its people, even in the face of challenges and naked opposition. He fought like a lion, he spoke fiercely and showed commitment to the issue like a leader who saw tomorrow for the Niger Delta and its people and generations unborn.
At a time, his voice was like a lone voice in the struggle for resource control for the Niger Delta, yet he continued with the struggle, undeterred by the naked dangers on his way. But like the ‘Odidigboigbo’ that he is, and in the spirit of emancipating the Niger Delta from economic slavery and poverty, he kept his focus to succeed in his struggle. The powers that be were trembled by the great strength and wisdom he displayed during the struggle, and in the end he fought a good fight for the Niger Delta.
During the launch of the book, written by former governor, Obong Victor Attah on Resource Control at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos, Chief James Ibori re-echoed, “Contrary to the belief in some quarters, the struggle for resource control has just begun”.
According to him, contrary to the impression being created, what has been politically settled between the oil-producing states and the federal government was the issue of onshore/offshore dichotomy and not the issue of derivation. The derivation aspect of the agitation for resource control, he said, had not been settled; ‘’we still have a long way to travel.’’
“Let me tell you, during the struggle, every single person in the Niger Delta region supported the advocacy; today, they are still holding passionately to the idea”.
Ibori, who recalled that leaders like then, Governor Bola Tinubu, now President of Nigeria, among others shared the passion as himself, Attah and the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha on the resources control issue.
He lamented that the people of the Niger Delta region who bore the brunt of oil exploration and exploitation still have nothing to show for all their sacrifices, adding that, their woes were being made worse in recent times by the way and manner security agents are destroying the illegal refineries in the region.
He cried that this has created so much environmental degradation that is even worse than when he was in government.
Born to the family of late Chief Ukavbe Ibori and Mrs Comfort Oji Ibori of Otefe in Oghara clan, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief James Ibori attended Baptist High School, Oghareki, now Oghareki Grammar School, before proceeding to the University of Benin, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics. He moved to London, England in the 1980s, where he worked.
Returning to Nigeria between 1994 and 1997, he served as a Consultant to the Federal Government of President Sani Abacha, in the areas of public policy formulation and implementation. In 1999, he contested for Governor of Delta State. His political career began in 1990 when he joined the National Republican Convention (NRC).
In 1991, he was nominated to contest for the Federal House of Representatives seat to represent Ethiope Federal Constituency. He lost the election to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate.
When the Sani Abacha Transition Programme kicked off, he joined the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). The GDM clinched a good number of local, state and federal positions, including one of the three Senatorial seats in Delta State.
When the transition programme was abruptly terminated with the death of Abacha, Chief James Ibori, with the leaders of other defunct political groups in Delta State, formed the Delta National Congress (DNC).
The DNC later merged with many others of like ideas to birth the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was on the platform of the PDP that he contested and won the Jan 9 1999 gubernatorial election. In 2003, he was re-elected as governor for another four-year term.
