Melford Okilo
Encyclopedia
Melford Obiene Okilo had a long and distinguished career as a politician in Nigeria
from the start of independence in 1960 until shortly before his death in 2008.
He was a member of parliament (1956–1964) and a Minister in the Nigerian First Republic
.
He was Governor of Rivers State
, Nigeria
(1979–1983) during the Nigerian Second Republic
.
Later he was Senator for Bayelsa East, in Bayelsa State
(1999–2003) during the Nigerian Fourth Republic
.
, Rivers State
, and was of Ijaw origin.
He qualified as a lawyer, but entered politics at the age of 23.
Okilo was a member of Parliament between 1956 and 1959. In December 1959 he was re-elected to represent the Brass constituency on the Niger Delta Congress
platform.
The Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
, later appointed him Parliamentary Secretary and Minister.
He played a significant role in the enactment of the Niger Delta Development Board (1961), which sought to address problems of the neglected Niger Delta region.
While visiting New York in 1965, he came across a book about Walter Russell
, The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe, which had a profound influence on his thought. Walter Russell's University of Science and Technology later published his books, and in the late 1990s he served as president of the university.
During the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon
, Okilo served in the government in Rivers State first as Commissioner of Education, and then of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (1971–1975).
.
He was Chairman of the Rivers State branch of the National Party of Nigeria
(NPN) (1978–1983), and was elected on the NPN platform as governor of Rivers States in 1979.
As governor, Okilo established the Rivers State University of Science and Technology
. He opened the Independent Power Plant at Imiringi in Ogbia
local government area, now in Bayelsa State
, a major gas turbine power station.
He created fifty development units for the much neglected rural areas, introducing a policy where local people were given the responsibility and power to govern and develop their local communities. He undertook programs to reclaim land, control erosion, construct roads and canals, and build rural housing scheme and industrial estates.
President Shehu Shagari
awarded him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1983.
He was re-elected on the NPN platform in 1983, losing office when General Muhammadu Buhari
took power in a military coup in December 1983.
Soon after taking power, Buhari established military tribunals to try public officers from the Shagari era who had been accused of embezzling public funds. In May 1984, Okilo was found guilty of illegally holding bank accounts abroad, and was sentenced to 21 years in jail.
In July 1986 he regained his freedom following a judicial review of the tribunals.
.
Writing in 1992 on the question of oil revenue sharing, Okilo referred to traditional morality, saying that "when an individual kills or finds a big fish or animal, the villagers or community expresses their appreciation ... by first giving him or her the best part of the animal or fish before the rest of the meat or fish is shared."
He served as Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the General Sani Abacha
regime.
In January 1994 he was a member of a ministerial committee that toured Ogoniland following disturbances by Ogoni
protesters against Shell
activities in the area.
Although the committee's report was sympathetic to the plight of minorities in the oil-producing areas, little was done.
Okilo was dropped from the government in July 1995 as the military consolidated their power.
Returning to the United States, he became president of the University of Science and Technology, which had earlier published his philosophical writings including his 1991 book The law of life.
Okilo was elected Senator for Bayelsa East on the People's Democratic Party
(PDP) platform, serving from May 1999 to May 2003, but failed to be re-elected in 2003.
As senator, he served as vice-chairman of the committee on Natural Gas and chairman of the committee on Identify Card.
He remained a director of the University Of Science And Philosophy, and became a director of the board of Vision In Action, an institute formed in 2003 to share and communicate experience on issues of leadership, creativity, visionary and strategic thinking.
In 2005 he read his own obituary after a mistaken story that he had died. Later he addressed a press conference, saying he was in a trance for four days and was mistaken for dead.
Speaking in July 2006 in Brixton
, London
, Okilo called on leaders of the Ijaw to take their case over sharing oil and gas revenue to the International Court of Justice
. At the same time, he asked youths of the area to give up violence, and seek peaceful means to address their grievances.
After a prolonged illness, Okilo died at the age of 74 in Yenagoa
, Bayelsa State on 5 July 2008.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from the start of independence in 1960 until shortly before his death in 2008.
He was a member of parliament (1956–1964) and a Minister in the Nigerian First Republic
Nigerian First Republic
The First Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 governed by the first republican constitution.-Founding :...
.
He was Governor of Rivers State
Rivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
(1979–1983) during the Nigerian Second Republic
Nigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
.
Later he was Senator for Bayelsa East, in Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
(1999–2003) during the Nigerian Fourth Republic
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
.
Early career
Okilo was born on 30 November 1933 at Amakalakala, BrassBrass, Nigeria
Brass is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Twon-Brass on the coast. It has a coastline of approximately 90 km on the Bight of Bonny. Much of the area of the LGA is occupied by the Edumanom National Forest....
, Rivers State
Rivers State
Rivers State is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. Its capital is Port Harcourt. It is bounded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean, to the North by Imo, Abia and Anambra States, to the East by Akwa Ibom State and to the West by Bayelsa and Delta states...
, and was of Ijaw origin.
He qualified as a lawyer, but entered politics at the age of 23.
Okilo was a member of Parliament between 1956 and 1959. In December 1959 he was re-elected to represent the Brass constituency on the Niger Delta Congress
Niger Delta Congress
The Niger Delta Congress was one of the small political parties in Nigeria's First Republic. The party generated most of its support from minorities in the Eastern Region of Nigeria. The party was formed by Harold Biriye and some southern minority leaders, principally from Degema, Ogoni, Brass and...
platform.
The Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, KBE was a Nigerian politician, and the only prime minister of an independent Nigeria. Originally a trained teacher, he became a vocal leader for Northern interest as one of the few educated Nigerians of his time...
, later appointed him Parliamentary Secretary and Minister.
He played a significant role in the enactment of the Niger Delta Development Board (1961), which sought to address problems of the neglected Niger Delta region.
While visiting New York in 1965, he came across a book about Walter Russell
Walter Russell
Walter Bowman Russell was an American artist and mystic known for his achievements as a painter, sculptor, author and builder and less well known as a natural philosopher and for his unified theory in physics and cosmogony. He posited that the universe was founded on a unifying principle of...
, The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe, which had a profound influence on his thought. Walter Russell's University of Science and Technology later published his books, and in the late 1990s he served as president of the university.
During the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
, Okilo served in the government in Rivers State first as Commissioner of Education, and then of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Resources (1971–1975).
Second republic
During General Olusegun Obasanjo's regime, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly (1977–78) leading to the Nigerian Second RepublicNigerian Second Republic
The Second Republic was the republican government of Nigeria between 1979 and 1983 governed by the second republican constitution.- Founding :...
.
He was Chairman of the Rivers State branch of the National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
(NPN) (1978–1983), and was elected on the NPN platform as governor of Rivers States in 1979.
As governor, Okilo established the Rivers State University of Science and Technology
Rivers State University of Science and Technology
Rivers State University of Science and Technology is a University in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. The University has staff strength of 3,000 and a student population of 17,000.-History:...
. He opened the Independent Power Plant at Imiringi in Ogbia
Ogbia
Ogbia is a Local Government Area of Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Its headquarters is in the town of Ogbia in the south of the area at....
local government area, now in Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
, a major gas turbine power station.
He created fifty development units for the much neglected rural areas, introducing a policy where local people were given the responsibility and power to govern and develop their local communities. He undertook programs to reclaim land, control erosion, construct roads and canals, and build rural housing scheme and industrial estates.
President Shehu Shagari
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
awarded him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1983.
He was re-elected on the NPN platform in 1983, losing office when General Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari was a military ruler of Nigeria and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 presidential elections...
took power in a military coup in December 1983.
Soon after taking power, Buhari established military tribunals to try public officers from the Shagari era who had been accused of embezzling public funds. In May 1984, Okilo was found guilty of illegally holding bank accounts abroad, and was sentenced to 21 years in jail.
In July 1986 he regained his freedom following a judicial review of the tribunals.
Later career
In June 1989 Okilo was a speaker at a conference on World Balance: Action to Save our Planet held in Aspen, ColoradoAspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
.
Writing in 1992 on the question of oil revenue sharing, Okilo referred to traditional morality, saying that "when an individual kills or finds a big fish or animal, the villagers or community expresses their appreciation ... by first giving him or her the best part of the animal or fish before the rest of the meat or fish is shared."
He served as Minister of Commerce and Tourism during the General Sani Abacha
Sani Abacha
General Sani Abacha was a Nigerian military leader and politician. A Kanuri from Borno by tribe, he was born and brought up in Kano, Nigeria. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998....
regime.
In January 1994 he was a member of a ministerial committee that toured Ogoniland following disturbances by Ogoni
Ogoni people
Ogoni people are one of the many indigenous peoples in the region of southeast Nigeria. They share common oil related environmental problem with the Ijaw people of Niger Delta, but Ogonis are not listed in the list of people historically belonging to Niger Delta...
protesters against Shell
Shell Nigeria
Shell Nigeria is the colloquial name for Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiaries—primarily through Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited...
activities in the area.
Although the committee's report was sympathetic to the plight of minorities in the oil-producing areas, little was done.
Okilo was dropped from the government in July 1995 as the military consolidated their power.
Returning to the United States, he became president of the University of Science and Technology, which had earlier published his philosophical writings including his 1991 book The law of life.
Fourth republic
In January 1999, shortly before the return to democracy and while running for office, Okilo was briefly detained by the outgoing military government following disturbances among the Ijaw in the Niger Delta.Okilo was elected Senator for Bayelsa East on the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP) platform, serving from May 1999 to May 2003, but failed to be re-elected in 2003.
As senator, he served as vice-chairman of the committee on Natural Gas and chairman of the committee on Identify Card.
He remained a director of the University Of Science And Philosophy, and became a director of the board of Vision In Action, an institute formed in 2003 to share and communicate experience on issues of leadership, creativity, visionary and strategic thinking.
In 2005 he read his own obituary after a mistaken story that he had died. Later he addressed a press conference, saying he was in a trance for four days and was mistaken for dead.
Speaking in July 2006 in Brixton
Brixton
Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Okilo called on leaders of the Ijaw to take their case over sharing oil and gas revenue to the International Court of Justice
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is based in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands...
. At the same time, he asked youths of the area to give up violence, and seek peaceful means to address their grievances.
After a prolonged illness, Okilo died at the age of 74 in Yenagoa
Yenagoa
Yenagoa is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Yenagoa in the south of the area at.The LGA has an area of 706 km² and a population of 353,344 at the 2006 census....
, Bayelsa State on 5 July 2008.