By Austin Ogwuda 

“… It took Sen Ned Nwoko, a non Urhobo to negotiate the release of Ewu monarch”  – Zik Gbemre, a socio-political critic wrote recently.

The above statement made by Zik Gbemre few days ago in a write-up where he lamented the unfortunate death of the President General of Okuama community,  Pa James Achovwuko Oghoroko, who purportedly succumbed to death as a result of alleged torture in military detention, tells it all.

Renowned Social Critic and Co-ordinator of Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC), Zik Gbemre, had in that writeup registered his displeasure over alleged nonchallance or foot-dragging exhibited especially from Ewu monarch’s kindred notably the influential leaders  there, until Senator Nwoko rose to the occasion by marching to the military authorities in Abuja to solicit the release of the monarch, who, on his own volition, surrendered when he was declared wanted.

Yes,  his two other counterparts – fellow Senators from Delta State namely Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central) and Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South) later joined forces with him but, audacious Nwoko, call him a one-man riot squad, is certainly NOT an overstatement. He took the bull by the horn to initiate the monarch’s release.

Who knows it could become another kettle of fish if something untoward had happened to the monarch as the case with  Pa James Oghoroko, the Okuama President General, who is being mourned.

Gbemre in that piece wrote: “First, the military humiliated Ewu monarch, arrested him like a common criminal. Now the chairman of Okuama has died in military cell with Prof. Ekpokpo and other community leaders still languishing in their custody. Nobody knows their condition as we speak”, he lamented.

Not first time Senator Nwoko is walking into the military gates seeking to free people. Recall that on March 12 this year, the troops of 63 Brigade, Asaba uncovered an illegal arms manufacturing factory at Onicha-Olona, Delta North Senatorial District and arrested eight family members in connection with the discovery.

And while many people were lamenting that the arrested family members might not sight the sunlight for a very long time, Senator Nwoko, precisely, on the 10th of April went to the Brigade for their freedom.

He then announced that “Following my recent visit to the headquarters of 63 Brigade, Asaba and productive discussions with the Brigade Commander, I am pleased to announce progress in addressing the situation regarding the illegal arms factory discovered in the Onicha-Olona community.

“Efforts have been made to ensure fair treatment for those involved, balancing justice with the opportunity for rehabilitation and contribution to society.

“I am pleased to reveal that through collaborative efforts, I have successfully secured the release of four family members implicated in the illegal activity.

“However, our commitment to upholding the law remains unwavering, and endeavors continue for fair judgment and potential pardon for the remaining four individuals”, he emphatically stated.

Having achieved that, some little minds may be saying he waded in to secure the release of the arrested family members because they hail from his constituency. Far from it!

Was it quite long after that he spearheaded the release of the Ewu monarch incarcerated in military detention over the Okuama bloodbath?

The Ewu monarch is of Urhobo extraction (Delta Central), Senator Nwoko is an Anioma son (Delta North) but because of the milk of human kindness, insatiable quest for liberation of mankind, irrespective of creed or color, he took a dive, which eventually yielded positive result to the Ewu monarch’s freedom.

The  Ewu King, HRM Ovie Clement Ikolo, immediately after leaving the military ‘guardroom’ visited Senator Nwoko’s residence in Maitama, Abuja in the company of his wife and some family members and could not hide his feelings.

He said  the visit of Senator Ned Nwoko to his detention cell gave him hope.   

Hear him, “The day you (Nwoko) came to visit me was the day I regained my bearings. Your presence gave me hope”.

  To say that Senator Ned Nwoko’s philanthropic gestures, hunger to quench thirst of mindkind transcends his immediate constituency, (Delta North) or Delta Central as examplified in the intervention of the Ewu king’s anguish but globally is stating the obvious.

To buttress that Ned Nwoko’s quest to redeem mankind from the shackles of slavery, deprivation and so on in a global dimension was evident when he  demanded $5 trillion reparations, apology from colonial masters.

In a communication he sent to them, Senator Nwoko wrote thus, “It would be imperative for the colonial powers to rethink and adjust the dynamics of their relationship with African territories that still struggle with the aftereffects of their atrocities.

“I beseech former colonial masters to invest in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and economic empowerment within African nations, especially those that have endured exploitation.

“I also urge the reparation of culturally significant artifacts taken from the African continent during the colonial period. In recent years, there have been a few instances of selective return of stolen artifacts to the Benin Kingdom.

 However, what justice demands is a wholesome restoration of these items to the peoples and places from which they forcefully and illegally removed them.

And gladdenly, the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Richard Montgomery in response to the Senator’s letter of September 19, 2023, addressed a letter dated December 11, 2023, saying that the demands raised were being addressed.

Said the British High Commissioner: “The British government has acknowledged her role in the slave trade in Africa and pledged to address the shared history with honesty and openness.

“I wish to assure you that these issues and given due consideration by both the British High Commission in Abuja and His Majesty’s Government in UK”, the British Envoy disclosed.

In summary, for want of space, this writer to dig more into the archives to clear the ‘Doubting Thomoses’ that Senator Ned Nwoko is actually a humanist to the core, devoid of any perceived hidden agenda his traducers may be throwing up.

• Austin Ogwuda,  former State Correspondent of Vanguard in Asaba, Editor, The Townhall NG