BY Guest Writer
BY IPIGANSI OKUMO AND NADIONI ROBERT
Our dear revered leaders,
A request to rename government secondary school Ogbia town in honour of Engr Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku for his sacrifices and contributions to the development of Ogbia kingdom.
Objective
This letter is to call on the leadership of the Ogbia BrotherhoodWorldwide and the Office of the Obanobhan III of the Ogbia Kingdom to consider renaming the Government Secondary School Ogbia Town in honour of Engr. Chief IwolisiDaniel Rex Ogbuku,for his numerous and uncommon sacrifices and contributions to the development of the Ogbia Kingdom.
When the Ogbia Brotherhood Unity Branch Abuja received the sad news of the passing ofEngr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku (the Last Surviving “General” of the Ogbia Brotherhood Old Brigade), congressdiscussed the exceptional exploits and sacrifices of the deceased and resolved thatan appeal be made to the Bayelsa State Government to rename the Government Secondary School Ogbia Town in his honour.
Proposed new name of school: Rex Ogbuku College (ROC) Ogbia Town
It is on record that Engr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku for the love of the Ogbia Kingdom resigned from his Shell BP plume job as a Field Engineer to open Government Secondary School Ogbia Town as its pioneer principal.
We therefore write to intimate you with this decision of the Unity Branch and to appeal to you to take immediate action in this regard so that the process could be concluded before ChiefRex Ogbuku is laid to rest.In our opinion, the State government can announce the change of name on the day of his funeral.
Background
The golden historical books of the Ogbia Kingdom have it on record that, but for the sacrifice of Engr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku, the Government Secondary School (G.S.S) Ogbia Town would not have been established in 1972.The implication is that secondary education in the Ogbia Kingdom would have suffered a setback.
As we all know, apart from harnessing the unity of the Ogbia people, one of the other fundamental aims of forming the Ogbia Brotherhoodin 1940 by our progenitors was to bridge the wide educational gap that existed in the Ogbia kingdom back inthe early 1900s when self-awareness of our backwardness hit the consciousness of our forefathers.Ogbia then was lagging behind educationally, among her neighbouring kingdoms.
The situation in the 19th century and earlier was so appalling that for a letter to be read, Ogbia Communities will have to paddle for days to Nembe, Degema, Abonemaor Okrika, just to find someone that could read the letter.Most of the times, the letter(s) are usually misinterpreted probably because the reader of the letter does not also have a good understanding of the English language. On other occasions, our people had to endure mockery and embarrassment in search of places and people who will read letters for them.
Such was the horrific and pitiable educational state of our people prior to the formation of the Ogbia Brotherhood. Thus, the Ogbia Brotherhood has it top on her agenda to get our people educated in quantity and in quality.
A brief overview of the Ogbia Brotherhood Scholarship Scheme
As consciousness of nationhood dawned on the Ogbia Kingdom, the need for human resource capacity building to pursue the realization of her lofty dreams became very imperative. It is in pursuit of this noble objective that the idea of the Ogbia Brotherhood Scholarship Scheme was midwifed.
The rapid growth of Christianityin the Ogbia Kingdom which started in 1896, through the Anglican Missionaries created the necessity for the missionaries to open Sunday schools to teach the scriptures to their converts. In their effort to further consolidate their work of evangelism and to enable the missionaries teach the Bible effectively, the Anglican Missionaries opened schools to teach pupils how to read and write in English.
The first school that was opened was in 1901. By 1940, a total of aboutforty-one primary schools were opened in the different Ogbia communities. However, the early teachers in the schools were predominantly non- natives. Ogbia teachers were very few. The teachers were majorly from Nembe, Ijaw, Etche,Kalabari, Okrika, Igbo, etc.
The first set of indigenous teachers were a few that had their education outside Ogbia and the brightest pioneer Standard Six products that emerged from the missionary schoolsthen.As our people gradually came to the realization of the indispensability of education and with the growth of the schools, the compelling need for indigenous teachers of higher qualification became obvious.
The idea was to train indigenous teachers to man the schools and to give quality teaching/training to our pupils so that products from the Ogbia schools can effectively compete with their contemporaries elsewhere, especially our neighbouringethnic groups. This was the idea that led to the establishment of the Ogbia Brotherhood Scholarship Scheme, that brought that historic dream to fruition.
The scheme which kicked off in 1941was funded with contributions from all Ogbia communities. Each community paid thirteen (13) shillings to their Anglican church station for the purpose of the scholarship. We understand that the reason for the payment to be channeled through theAnglican church was because the churchowned majority of the schools andcontrolled educational affairs in the Ogbia Kingdom. All the primary schools were name after the Anglican churches that existed in the communities.
Though all communities gladly complied with the payment,it was said that Otuabula II and two others did not. Unfortunately, the best pupil(MrAkuOkioriAbadi) that emerged from the selection process which was done through an aptitude test organized by the Ogbia Brotherhood, was from Otuabula II and he was denied the opportunity. The refusal to consider MrAku was in line with the Brotherhood congress decision that any community that refused to pay the 13 shillings levy will not benefit from the scheme if candidates from defaulting communities emerge successful at the aptitude test.
The target of the scholarship was to select the best seven that will emerge from the process and because MrAkuOkioriAbadi was dropped from the list, the 1st position went to the second person and the 7th position went to the eighth person. The persons who won the scholarship include Chief Wilberforce Amangalaof Oloibiri, Chief Robert Sylvanus Orubo of Otuabagi, Chief Joshua OforArikekpar of Otuakeme, Chief Lawrence AkirigboOkpu of Kolo, Chief ReginaldOnyeoghanAbila of Imiringi, Chief RanamiAbah of Otuasega,andPharmacistDaminiOkpurubia of Okodi.
Under the scholarship scheme, the beneficiaries were sponsoredfor post primary education at the Kalabari National College (KNC) Buguma,Awka CollegeAwka, Dennis Memorial Grammar School Onitsha and Okrika Grammar School (OGS) Okrikaas planned for higher academic qualifications. These persons became the first set of the indigenous teachers of higher standing. They performedvery well and the schools in Ogbia were consequently upgraded as dreamt.
In the euphoria of the great success achieved, the Brotherhood took a courageous step to further thescholarship scheme to includeoverseas tertiary education. Considering the cost of foreign scholarship, the number of beneficiaries wasreduced to just three, one from each Omar. The screening process produced Chief JoshuaOforArikepkarof Otuakemefrom the Omar Olei,ChiefRanamiAbah of Otuesega from the Omar Agholo,and PharmacistDaminiOkpurubiaof Okodifrom OmarAnyamarespectively.
It is on record that the three beneficiaries excelled in the universities they attended and returned home in flying colors and contributed to the growth and advancement of the Ogbia Kingdom. It was also observed that all the beneficiaries from the scholarship scheme took matters of Ogbia Kingdom very serious, personal,and sentimental too for the good of the land.
It is worthy of note that despitethese laudable efforts of the Ogbia Brotherhood, post primary education in Ogbia was a major challenge as no secondary school existed in the whole of Ogbia Kingdom then.The closest secondary schools then, were still too far from the geographical boundaries of Ogbia. Very many of the pupils who have passed out of primary schools and desirous to proceed for post primary education could not do so as their parents and families could not afford the cost of sending their children/wards outside Ogbia.
The First Secondary School in the Ogbia Kingdom
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, the giant strides of the Brotherhood began to pay off. The Kingdom of Ogbia was littered with very brilliant pupils who were out of primary school andhungrily hunting for secondary education. The need for a secondary school to be cited within the Ogbia Kingdom became very imperative. It was a major concern to the Brotherhood and the entire Ogbia communities.
Though the Anglican church ownedmany of the primary schoolsin Ogbia, the Catholic church was also fast spreading and had a few primary schools as well. The Catholic church strong hold in Ogbia then, was Imiringiwhere the churchhad established a primary school.The brilliant pupils who finished from the catholic primary school were also not able to proceed for higher education. The Catholic church therefore was also confronted with the monster of the absence of a secondary school in Ogbia that could service the educational needs of her brilliant members.
The Catholic church identified this problem as a great pain and considered Ogbia in the church programme of opening secondary schools.In 1962,the Catholic church established Mater Dei High School(MDHS) Imiringi.Its pioneer principal was Rev. Fr. Masterson from Irelandand he was ably seconded by Rev. Fr. Oflyn from the United States of America who served as the pioneer vice principal.
The establishment of Mater Dei High School (MDHS) opened the flood gate of secondary education for the teeming school leavers ofOgbia between 1962 up until when the civil war led to the closure of all schools in the then Eastern region.
After the civil war, Chief MelfordObieneOkilo had returned from America and was appointed Commissioner for Education in Old Rivers State. During that period, the Government had taken over the control of schools and with the influence of Chief Okilo, HRMKing Dr.Paul Ikiomoye Nathan of Ayakoro and Epebu was posted to Mater Dei High School (MDHS)as the first indigenous principal to resumed academic activities in 1970.
The School became a melting pot for academic excellence and the pride of the Ogbia Kingdom. Because of the large population of Ogbia, the facilities at the Mater Dei High School became over stressed. Many qualified pupils had to be kept on the waiting list of persons to be admitted into the school. It became obvious to the Ogbia Brotherhood that the Mater Dei High School could no longer cope with the demand for post primary education in Ogbia. Another secondary was therefore needed.
The Second Secondary School in the Ogbia Kingdom and the sacrifice of Rex Ogbuku
Having recognized the importance of expanding access to the frontiers of secondary education in the Ogbia Kingdom, Chief MelfordObieneOkiloas the commissioner for education and as one of the leading lights of theOgbia Brotherhood,undertook toapprove the opening of another secondary school for the Ogbia Kingdom.
Prior to that period, the Ogbia Brotherhood had already accepted Elder Lancelot EsimboApiri’s ideawhich he suggested in 1970 at Marina Lagos,that a neutral town called Ogbia Townbe established to promote the unity of our people in line with the cardinal objective of the Brotherhood.Ogbia Town therefore needed to have an institutionthat will accelerate the integration of our people. It was therefore agreed that thenew secondary school be sited at Itokopiri camp using the abandoned/old corrugated-iron-sheet roofed buildings belonging to Shell D Arcy.
One of the conditions for opening of a secondary school was to have a graduate as the principal of the school. Also, to bring to pass the dream of the Ogbia Brotherhood ofheightening the level of secondaryeducation in Ogbia necessitated the desire for a committed and visionary indigenous person to serve as principal. However, university graduates of Ogbia origin then, could be counted on one’s fingertips and there was no one to serve as principal to open the school. Earlier, Dr. Emmanuel Isukul of Koloas one of Ogbia’s few graduates,was penciled down to serve as the pioneer principalof the new school,but as events unfolded, Dr. Emmanuel Isukul secured a scholarship to proceed abroad to study for his master’s degree.Appeals for him to defer the admission were made but the outcome was not favourable.
At that point, the hope of having the new secondary school began to waiver because there was no available Ogbia son or daughter that was qualified for the assignment.Chief MelfordOkilo did a search but could not find anyone. Faced with the arduous task of identifying willing, vibrant, and committed graduate from Ogbia, who will be self-motivated to sacrifice and commit himself to the development of education in the Ogbia kingdom, Chief MelfordOkilo approached Engr. Rex Iwolisi Daniel Ogbuku of Ayakoro and Epebu.
As at then, Engr. Rex Ogbuku (a graduate of the University of Lagos) was a practicing Mechanical Engineer in the employ of shell DArcy. He was a Field Engineer busy designing, drilling, and completing oil wells and he was billed for a transfer as an expatriate to Shell West Germany.Chief Okilo appealed passionately to Engr. Rex Ogbukuthat he resigned from his posh job with Shell and pick up an appointment as principalso that Engr. Rex Ogbuku could undertake theopening of the new secondary school in Ogbia.
It is important to note the many odds inChief Okilo’s offer. The remuneration for the new job was less that one tenth of what Engr. Ogbuku earned at shell. The school was to besited in the bush without electricity and water supply.Engr. Rex Ogbuku was to abandon a luxurious urban lifestyle for a very unsavory rural one. It was an appeal to voluntarilymove from grace to grass for the sake and love for his land – Ogbia.
It was said that Engr. Rex Ogbukuwas given time to think about it.Chief MelfordObieneOkilo was filled with surprise and excitement when Engr. Rex Ogbuku returned to him in just three dayswith a positive answer that he is ready to resign from his high-class job in Shell D Arcyto undertake the assignment of opening the new secondary school in Ogbia. From that day, Engr. Rex Ogbuku became Chief Okilo’sMan Friday.
When askedwhy he decided to make this near supreme sacrifice, Engr. Rex Ogbukuresponded,“In vain you build the society, if you do not build the man”. Engr. Rex Ogbukuhad said when he was alive that his resigning from Shell to open a secondsecondary school in Ogbia was in line with his personal belief and philosophy that in vain you build the society, if you do not build the man. That though, it was very discomforting, he had no regret because he took that decision (to be the sacrificial lamb that will advance the Kingdom of Ogbia academically) out of love and patriotism for the people of Ogbia.
In 1972, Chief Okilo approved the school and Government Secondary School (G.S.S) Ogbia Town was establishedat Itokopiriwith Engr. Rex Ogbuku as the pioneer principal.He did very well because the academic and teaching environment was not new to him.He had earlier served as a classroom teacher in elementary school after obtaining his standard six certificate with distinctionat St. Michael’s School, Oloibiri.
Engr. Chief Rex Ogbuku during his stay atG.S.S Ogbia Town, distributed free textbooks and uniforms to the students and secured secondary school scholarships for many of them, especially the outstanding ones.Chief Rex Ogbukuwent from community to community, urging parents to send their children and wards who have passed the standard six to G.S.S. Ogbia Town, whether they have money to pay the school fees or not. It was very revealing and inspiring to hear that Chief Rex Ogbuku had to settle most of the student’s school fees and cost of study materials from his meagresalary as principal.
It also on record that Chief Rex Ogbukuas principal of G.S.S,led the students of the schooltoalso participate in the clearing of the virgin forest on which Ogbia Town now exist,alongside all Ogbia communities. While the hand-clearing was going on,HRMKing Chief Maddocks Ogbogi volunteered and brought two D8 caterpillar bulldozers and cleared the whole site free of charge.The contributions of Chief Rex Ogbuku towards the growth of G.S.S. Ogbia Town and the students of the school is enough to write a book.
Like Mater Dei High SchoolImiringi, Government Secondary School Ogbia Town has turned out several graduates too numerous to count for the Ogbia Kingdom.
The Senator Melford Okilo and Chief Rex OgbukuUnforgettable Political Calculus and Mystery that made 5 to be greater than 7.
The close relationship between Chief MelfordObieneOkilo and Chief Rex Ogbuku led the latter to also join politics.Both, believed that with political power, they will contribute more and bring greater benefit to Ogbia, Ijaw, the Niger Delta and Nigeria. In line with this belief and in pursuit of the realization of the greater goal of service to our people, Chief Rex Ogbukuresigned from his teaching career as principal and was electedun-opposed as Councilor in 1976 in the old Brass Local Government Area. He was appointed Supervisory Councilorfor Education.The last station he servedbefore his election as Councilor was at Government Secondary School, Twon Brass.
In 1977 during the Constituent Assembly election, Chief SukuAbrakassaOgbariof Nembecontested against Chief Melford Obiene Okilo. It was a delegate election involving only Councilors to elect representatives that will debate on the Draft Constitution that was submitted to the then Supreme Military Council headed by General Olusegun Obasanjo in preparation to return Nigeria to Democracy.
The Total number of Councilors then was 12 (Nembe 5, Brass 1, Akassa 1 & Ogbia 5). Nembe, Brass and Akassaare one people and they have the majority of 7 already.It was a contest between 5 and 7.An obvious loss on the side of Ogbia, but something mysterious happened.
As previously mentioned, Chief Rex Ogbuku who was also one of the Councilors had earlier served as principal in TwonBrass. Like he did in G.S.S Ogbia Town, he served the people so well and created a very strong bond with the people of Brass and Akassa. Chief Rex Ogbuku was loved by both the old and young, men and women because of his service. Chief Rex Ogbuku leveraged on the relationship. Also, the Councilor from Akassahad through the assistance of Chief MelfordOkilo, earlier served on the Board of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA) as the Executive Chairman.
This made the Akassa people embrace Okilo so dearly. To the Akassa people, the election was a payback time for Chief Okilo’sbenevolence to them.To the people from Brass, it was time to appreciate and reward Chief Rex Ogbuku for his selfless service.
Few days to the election, Chief Rex Ogbukuengaged the Brass and Akassa people at mid night in a caucus pollical meeting, reminding them of how Chief Melford Okilo and his humble self, had being of good and great service to them. Chief Rex Ogbuku was able to convincethe Akassa and Brass people to work for Chief Melford Okilo.Though interesting, the details of that nocturnal meeting may not be necessary for the purpose of this letter. At the end of the meeting, the Brass and Akassapeople and their councilors yielded and promised to give their one vote each to Ogbia.
These movements and discussions were held in top secret and not known to Chief Abrakassa.For Chief Abrakassa, he was already basking in the euphoria of victory because they have 7 councilors already and therefore impossible for 5 to defeat 7. When the result of the election was declared, Chief MelfordOkilohad 7 votes while Chief Abrakassa had 5 votes.What a surprise!
That was how Chief Melford Okilo won fair square, the Constituent Assembly elections of 1977. Indeed,in that election, Ogbiamade 5 to be greater than 7 courtesy Chief Rex Ogbuku and the Ogbia Brotherhood. The Ogbia Councilors that secure the victory for Ogbia in that election were Engr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku, Pharmacist Damini Okpurubia,Chief Abakasi Okrinya, Chief Theophilus Okosigha and Chief Charles Dangana.
Other Contributions of Rex Ogbuku to Ogbia and the Old Rivers State
The contributions of Chief Rex Ogbukuto human and infrastructural development are numerous. It spans beyond the Ogbia Kingdom into the Old Rivers State. When the Rivers State Government wanted to standardize the Government Vocational Training Centre (GVTC) in Port Harcourt, it was Chief Rex Ogbuku that was sent to the School as Principalfor that assignment and he delivered effectively.
The impressive performance and dedication of Chief Rex Ogbuku to the progress of the people of Old Rivers State caught the attention of Col. Zamani Lekwot, then Military Governor of Old Rivers State during the military administration of General Murtala Muhammed.Col.Lekwot appointed Rex Ogbuku as Chairman of Hotels and Tourist Corporation of Old Rivers State. Rex Ogbuku turned around the fortunes of that agency.
In 1979 when Chief Melford Obiene Okilo became the First Executive Governor of Old Rivers State,Chief Okilo saw in Chief Rex Ogbuku a reliable and a dependable partner. He appointedChief Rex Ogbuku as Commissioner for Electricity and Water Supply. During his tenure as commissioner, Rex Ogbuku under the instructions of Chief Okilolit up all the communities in the Old Rivers State that were not connected to the national grid.
He did so by providing over two thousand (2,000)lister diesel generators to the communitieswithout taking even one for himself. Each community received two generators as well as a powerhousewhere the generators wereinstalled.Suffice it to say that Chief Rex Ogbukuunder the guardian of Chief Okilodirectly became the torch bearer of the light to the darkened world of old Rivers State.
Chief Rex Ogbuku during the administration Chief Melford Okilo, also serve as sole Commissioner for Brass L.G.A in charge of projects implementation and Chairman of a task force for the distribution of hospital equipment in the Old Rivers State. In all the positions Chief Ogbuku held, he served selflessly.
The Kolo Creek Gas Turbine that costed Chief Rex Ogbku’s Job as Commissioner.
The Chief Okilo’srural electricity programme to provide electricity to communities not connected to the national grid was in two phases. The first phase was the immediate solution of providing electricity usingdiesel generators. The second phase was the construction of gas-powered stations to constantly supply electricity to the communities.
The pilot project of the second phase was the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine.We are sure that the intricate story surrounding the successful construction of the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine is known to many, especially the Ogbia people. After the due process of selecting a qualified contractor to execute the project, Chief Rex Ogbukuin consultation with Chief MelfordOkilo, Chief RanamiAbah and the leadership of the Ogbia Brotherhood decided that the pilot project be located at Imiringi – Ogbia. In addition,Chief Rex Ogbuku also madefull payment for the job to the contractor in a bid to ensure that the job was executed speedily.
The decision to site the project in the OgbiaKingdom provoked the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The House of Assembly leadership invited Chief Rex Ogbuku for questioning with the intention to revoke the decision of the project site and possible contract cancellation. Majority of the Assembly members were spitting fire that the project site must be changed,or the contract will be cancelled.Toavert the possible loss of the lofty project, the Ogbia Brotherhood met at night to brainstorm on possible solutions to the threat. After several hours of debate and analysis of the different proposed models,the Brotherhood considered the option that required the resignation of Chief Rex Ogbuku. Painfully,Chief Rex Ogbuku was also a participantin that meeting.
The Ogbia Brotherhood decided that since Rex Ogbuku was invited to appear as Commissioner for Electricity and Water Supply,Chief Ogbuku should resign his position as Commissioner. The logic behind the decision was that if Chief Ogbuku resigns, he would no longer appear before the House of Assembly and thus, will save the Gas Turbine project from either being relocated to another part of the state or from being cancelled entirely. Also, since Chief Okilo was the Governor, he will not appoint another Commissioner in replacement until the Gas Turbine Project is executed to a substantiallevel of completion.
There and then, Chief Ogbuku was asked to respond if it is a sacrifice he could make. To the surprise and amazement of all who were in that meeting, Chief Rex Ogbuku accepted to resign for the love and progress of the Ogbia Kingdom so that the project could be saved.In the early hours of the morning on the day that Chief Rex Ogbuku was to appear before the House of Assembly, the Rivers State government announced that Chief Rex Ogbuku has resigned from his position as Commissioner for Electricity and Water Supply. These weresome of the intrigues that led to the success of the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine.
Even when General Muhammadu Buhari forcefully took over the government then and tried to cancel that contract, the government could not succeed because full payment had already been made.Chief Rex Ogbuku was the sacrificial lamb that paid the price with his exalted position. Also, the military administration ofGeneral Muhammadu Buhari detained Chief Rex Ogbukualong with Chief MelfordOkilo and other Commissioners in Port Harcourt prison. Chief Rex Ogbuku was released without blemish after staying in political detention for Eighteen (18) months while Chief MelfordOkilo was moved and detained in Maiduguri prison for Four (4) years and Six (6) months before he too was released without any blemish.
Rex Ogbuku’s Academic Performance and Programme of Educational Development in the Ogbia Kingdom.
Born in 1936, Engr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku was one of the most brilliant scholars of the Ogbia Kingdom with an unquenchable zeal to promote unity and education in Ogbia and beyond. He finished his Standard Six with a distinction and got employed as a pupil teacher. He taught in so many Ogbia Communities and later sat for the Okrika Grammar School Common Entrance Examination and came first in the whole of the then Eastern Region. He thus proceeded to the famous Okrika Grammar School for his post primary education in 1958.
While at Okrika Grammar School, Chief Rex Ogbuku broke academic records. His performance was recognized by the school authority such that Chief Rex Ogbuku was the only senior student in the school that was assigned a junior student, to carry an umbrella to cover his head in a sunny day. The principal of the school said that Chief Ogbuku’s brain was too hot and so, he would not want the content of the brain to evaporate.Chief Rex Ogbukuproved his worth by maintaining the first position in his class from Class 1 to Class 5 and came out in flying colors obtaining A in all his papers in 1962. His name is crested in the Okrika Grammar School hall of fame.
Shortly after his post primary education, Chief Rex Ogbuku won the defunct Easter Region Government scholarship and enrolled at the University of Nigeria Nsukka(UNN) to study Agriculture.His course of study was later changed to Agricultural Engineering because of his excellent performance.At UNN, Chief Ogbuku met Major Isaac Jasper AdakaBorowho was studying Chemistry then and both participated activelyinthe Student Union politics of the University.However, Chief Rex Ogbuku’s tertiary education was terminated by the BIAFRA civil war.
He escaped to Lagos and with the help of Lt. Commander Diete Spiff, Captain George Amangala, Chief RanamiAbah, Professor J.P. Clark and Professor Ayodele Awojobi,Chief Rex Ogbuku was admittedinto the prestigious University of Lagos to study Mechanical Engineering.In 1969, he graduated while the Biafran war was still raging.
Chief Rex Ogbuku’s passion to promote academics could easily be traced taking cognizance of his academic journey.He was not only a brilliant scholar, but he was also a lover of education and took conscious and deliberateactions to promote education.
When Chief Rex Ogbukuwas appointed as Commissioner in the Old Rivers State, he converted two of hisofficial residents at No. 3BEleme Street and No. 6 Opukuma Street, Old GRA Port Harcourt, to a dormitory forOgbia boys and girls under his sponsorship. He accommodated over forty-two (42)students, some in tertiary institutions and others in Secondary Schools, paying their fees and providing their welfare and academic needs for them. Chief Ogbuku trained over a hundred personswhen he was serving as Commissioner. Many of the great sons and daughters of the Ogbia Kingdom today are beneficiaries of Chief Rex Ogbuku’s magnanimity.
It is therefore not out of place to say that Chief Rex Ogbukustands very tall in the enterprise of building the educational manpower for the Ogbia Kingdom.He was a sacred ointment that touched many lives and transformed them for good. By what he has done, Chief Rex Ogbuku will be remembered as one who has written his name in the hearts of men. However, immortalizing him will preserve his great legacies and encourage others to emulate him.
Conclusion
Great leaders are born, great leaders are also made. Ogbia Kingdom is blessed to have produced some of the finest cream of leaders in Nigeria and Africa.
Great leaders such as Rev. GeorgeIgabuAmangala – Founder of the Ogbia Brotherhood;Chief Maclean Harold Dangosu –who mobilized the opening of roads to connect Ogbia communities;Elder Lancelot EsimboApiri – who muttered the idea to establish Ogbia Town;HRM King MadocksOgbogi – who brought in two (2) of his D8 caterpillars from Port Harcourt at no cost to any one and personally operated one of them to clear the virgin forest of Ogbia Town;Engr.Chief Rex Ogbuku – who sacrificed his glamorous job in Shell to open a secondary school in Ogbia Town, as well as sacrifice his position as commissioner to make possible the construction of the Kolo Creek Gas Turbine;Chief RanamiAbah -First African to openly reject Queen Elizabeth’shandshake and major financier of the Ogbia Brotherhood;HE Chief Senator Dr. MelfordObieneOkilo – the man that made Nigeria’s independence possible and First Democratically Elected Governor of Old Rivers State;Barr. OrontoNateiDouglas – one of Nigeria famous environmental/political activist and name among the 20 world’s most influential thinkers;HE Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR–Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the hero of Africa’s democracy, just to mention a few, all hail from the Ogbia Kingdom.
However, Ogbia as an ethnic group lacks the culture of immortalizing her great leaders.The wonderful exploits and good legacies of our leaders are never immortalized. From Emadike to Otuokpoti, from Oloibiri to Ibelebiri, from Okoroba to Amurukeni, you find no monument, no statueor institution,erected or named in honour of any of our heroes (past or present), an indication that their labour and sacrifices were in vain. Could this be one of the reasons Ogbia now produce greedy leaders?
It is time for a new thinking. It is time to institute a new culture to memorialize our leaders. While we urge the Ogbia leadership to come up with a programme to immortalize all our heroes, we can start with immortalizing Chief Rex Ogbuku who has sacrificed so much for the progress of the Ogbia Kingdom.
Chief Rex Ogbuku died on 10th September 2020 and he lived for Eighty-Four years (84). He lived a life of selfless service and made great imprints. Will the current leadership of the Ogbia Brotherhood and the Office of the Obanobhan IIIof Ogbia allow the legacies of Chief Rex Ogbuku to go down the drain?
We have suggested the renaming of Government Secondary School (G.S.S) Ogbia Town as Rex Ogbuku College (ROC) Ogbia Town,to keep his memory and great works alive and we have no doubt that this step will encourage our present crop of leaders to also embark on great undertakings and perhaps make greater sacrifices that will find them worthy to be immortalized even when they are no more alive.
If we want others to honour our leaders, we first must give them the due honour they deserve.
Prayer
The Ogbia Brotherhood Unity Branch Abuja wish to respectfully request the leadership of the Ogbia Brotherhood Worldwide and the office of our revered Obanobhan III, to initiate a process that will request the Bayelsa State Government to rename the present Government Secondary School (G.S.S) Ogbia Town, as Rex Ogbuku College (ROC) Ogbia Town, in honour of Engr. Chief Iwolisi Daniel Rex Ogbuku’s great legacies and sacrifices to the Ogbia Kingdom.
While we anticipate your swift action because of the funeral of Chief Rex Ogbuku which will soon be held, do accept our warm greetings and esteemed regards.
Sir Robert Joseph Nadioni is chairman Ogbia Brotherhood Unity Branch General Secretary, while Engr. Okumo Ipigansi is the general secretary
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