The late Senator Melford Obiene Okilo, first civilian Governor of the old Rivers State who died in July 2008 will finally be laid to rest at his home town Amakalakala, Ogbia, in Bayelsa State this weekend. May God grant this great fighter for the emancipation of the Ijaw nation, eternal rest.
Melford Okilo became a member of parliament for Brass South in the National Assembly under the banner of the Niger Delta Congress (NDC) party during the First Republic. Due to the alliance of the party with the Northern Peoples Congress in parliamentary Melford was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the late Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the head of the NPC government. That government came to an abrupt end when the military took over government in January 1966.
Later Chief Melford Okilo played a key role as a Commissioner for Education in the first government of old Rivers State headed by Commander (now Chief) Alfred Papapriye Diete-Spiff. After the return to civil rule he subsequently became the first civilian governor of Rivers state (1979-1983). His service to his people continued when he was elected to the senate to represent Brass Senatorial District (1999-2003).
Chief Okilo was launched on the national scene after his unexpected victory at the 1959 Federal elections when he defeated the NCNC candidate to emerge winner for Brass South in the federal parliament.
It will be of great interest for the people of Opokuma to note that the key to that victory was his political comrade and head of his campaign team, Rodger William Obubo of Igbainwari, Opokuma. Without the untiring efforts of Rodger William Obubo who had hitherto been a Secretary-General of the Ijaw State Union and a seasoned community organiser, it was doubtful that Melford Okolo would have won that election. Having served as the first Secretary-General of the Ijaw State Union, Mr. Obubo knew the Ijaw terrain very well and used this unique knowledge to great advantage in the election campaign. Completely out-resourced by NCNC, the dominant party in Eastern Nigeria, in terms of campaign funding, they had to devise strategies to capture the soul of the Ijaw nation, through inspiring speeches and songs. Because of the belief they had in the cause of the Ijaw nation and the need for the Ijaw people to resist subjugation in Eastern Nigeria, they shunned the temptation to join the dominant party to win easy victories.Thankfully those were the days when guns and ballot box grabbing had not come to play a deciding role in winning elections. They were helped in this task by the late singer Chief Sondu of Sampou who helped to electrify the crowds with his melodious and inspiring music of traditional balads before the speeches began at every political gathering during the campaign. Against all odds, the NDC and its candidate, Melford Obiene Okilo, stunned the NCNC by winning the Brass South parliamentary seat.
I recall very vividly that Chief Melford Okilo publicly declared at the eulogy he delivered at Mr. Obubo's funeral in 1992 that the impact of Mr. R. W. Obubo's campaign strategy that saw him through to the Federal House and also revealed that that singular act was instrumental to the appointment of another illustrious Opokuma son, Professor William Ogionwo (now King William, the Opuokun of Opokuma) as the first Secretary to Government of the civilian government headed by Chief Melford Okilo.
