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IGWE AFORJI: The Legislator with Uncommon Passion for Youth Development
By Eric Elezuo
It is often said that a child that washes his hands clean will never be denied a sumptuous dinner with kings and princes, and to a large extent with the gods. This is the story of the lawmaker representing Eleme Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Engineer Igwe Obe Aforji. A typical reflection of the age long ‘son of the soil’ syndrome.
Young, vibrant, energetic and rearing to go, Igwe Aforji was born in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State to the family of Obe Isaac. Igwe, as he is fondly referred to, is a proud Mechanical Engineering graduate of the reputable University of Port Harcourt in addition to a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA), also from the same institution.
Mr. Aforji sees himself as the idea whose time has come, and didn’t see it a burden when he left his comfort zone as the Community Relations Officer of Indorama/Eleme Petrochemical Limited to paddle through the murky waters of politics in other to bring tangible development to his immediate constituency, especially the youths, whom he hold close to his chest.
Before undertaking this task, Mr. Aforji has told as many that were listening that his mission to the Rivers State House of Assembly is not just to improve on what his predecessors have achieved but make a resounding difference in the life of the people of Eleme in particular, and Rivers State in general.
Igwe, receiving royal mandate to serve the people
A highly youth-centric person, Aforji, true to his words prior to his election, has began moves towards sponsoring bills that will generate developmental ideas towards creating more factories and industries in the land, thereby absorbing the youths of all cadre for purposeful engagement. His passion as he relayed during an interview while aspiring to be a legislator is basically to get youths “engaged in plastic production, production of fuse and other items with market value.” He added that “I shall equally work hard to make sure that all the entitlement and empowerment that should be given to the host communities are given to them.” He is busy doing that to the applause of his community.
Tested, proven and trusted, Aforji, who has been assistant to many political office holders in the past as well as having held public offices of repute where his integrity was showcased, is not the kind of person that says one thing and does another. And the Lannisters (apologies to Game of Thrones), he keeps his promises. Little wonder it didn’t take time before he started bringing all his campaign promises.
Hear him:
“Giving scholarships and education to the people as well as creating an enabling working environment for our people is key. We shall do environmental plan to mitigate pollution. We shall equally embark on street naming in the 10 clans of Eleme. We shall empower as many as we can in our host communities, using companies.”
Aforji didn’t just say that, he is accomplishing them just a few months after winning the mandate
“We shall convince the state governor to consider Eleme local government that brings Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to the state and needs attention in the area of infrastructural development. Because I have been tested in several positions and I have not betrayed them. I always stand tall and have that confidence that no kind of influence will change me as a legislator. I know that I will make laws and at the same time, I will touch lives. So everything that I have stated clearly should be on record for you to ask me after four years…” the man of integrity had stated.
Receiving INEC Certificate as duly elected legislator
Aforji had distinguished himself with his One Million Youth Project, which aims at creating leverage for the youths to prove their desired mettle. As a youth Ambassador of the project, Aforji was able to produce about four councillors and is determined to do more with the legislative mandate the people has bestowed on him.
Aforji is responsibly married to Mrs Enitan Igwe, and they are blessed with four wonderful children.
He’s got a mission, and he is absolutely focused to bring them to pass. The legislator is one kind that governorship looks good on…by every standard.
Amid rising attacks and abductions by gunmen and suspected terrorists, President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, declared a nationwide security emergency.
In a statement he personally issued, President Tinubu said: “Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.”
By this order, he said both the police and the army have been authorised to recruit more operatives, saying: “The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.”
The president also directed that the police could now use National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as training depots, noting that although he had previously approved the upgrade of police training institutions, the new security reality required immediate expansion of capacity.
He further ordered that officers being withdrawn from VIP guard duties must undergo crash retraining.
According to him, the exercise is to “debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.”
Tinubu also empowered the Department of State Services (DSS) to activate fully the forest security architecture.
“The DSS also has my authority to immediately deploy all the forest guards already trained to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests,” he said, adding that the agency had his directive to recruit additional personnel.
“There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil,” the President said.
Calling the situation “a national emergency,” the President said the federal government was responding by “deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas”.
He appealed to citizens to play their part, saying “the times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.”
President Tinubu commended security forces for recent breakthroughs, including the rescue of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers seized in Kwara State.
“We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage,” he assured.
To military personnel across the country, he delivered a firm charge, saying “I commend your courage and your sacrifice… I charge you to remain resolute, to restore peace across all theatres of operation, and to uphold the highest standards of discipline and integrity. There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence.”
He added that his administration would support them fully to succeed.
Tinubu also pledged federal support to states with existing security outfits and urged the National Assembly to begin a legislative review to allow states that require state police to establish them.
He cautioned state governments against operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas, and advised religious institutions to “constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.”
The President reiterated his administration’s stance on resolving farmer-herder clashes, pointing to the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
He urged herder groups to abandon open grazing and embrace ranching, saying: “I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons. Ranching is now the path forward.”
Tinubu expressed sympathy to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara States.
He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
“Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness. This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe and ensure our citizens live in peace,” he warned.
In a rallying call to Nigerians, the President urged unity and vigilance, saying “I urge you not to give in to fear and never succumb to despair… Report suspicious activities. Cooperate with security agencies. We are in this fight together, and together we shall win.”
President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
The nominees are Kayode Aare (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State).
The letter was read during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio has, therefore, directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to review the nominations and report back to the chamber within one week.
This is the first list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate by Tinubu since he became the President on May 29, 2023.
A former Nigerian External Affairs Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, had argued that, despite internet access to information, diplomacy still required personal ambassadorial contact.
“I believe credible appointments should be made to the vacant ambassadorial posts. We need to fill them,” Akinyemi said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today in September.
“The absence of ambassadors does not deny us information. But diplomacy runs on ambassadorial contact, the interaction between governments and ambassadors,” he added.
The Federal Government had said that several Nigerian diplomatic and consular missions abroad were facing financial and operational challenges, ranging from unpaid staff salaries to mounting debts owed to landlords and service providers.
But while dismissing recent criticisms by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) about delays in ambassadorial appointments in June, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria’s diplomatic missions remain fully operational and effectively represented by seasoned foreign service officers, including experienced chargés d’affaires.
“The appointment of ambassadors is a sovereign function—not a matter to be rushed for political convenience or partisan appeasement.
“President Tinubu, in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to reforming the foreign service architecture to ensure that future postings are driven by merit, competence, national interest, and strategic alignment—not patronage or expediency.
“Nigeria is neither voiceless nor inactive in international affairs,” it said in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
The ministry, while acknowledging long-standing structural and funding challenges that predate the current administration, said that Nigerian diplomats continued to serve with distinction, often under difficult circumstances.
In September 2023, Tinubu recalled the country’s ambassadors.
He had earlier recalled Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the Federal Government’s handling of abductors, and believes President Bola Tinubu’s administration is treating the kidnappers with kid gloves.
Atiku said this in a statement by his spokesman, Paul Ibe, hours after the presidency announced the release of schoolgirls abducted in Kebbi State last Monday.
Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, had said the girls and another batch of students freed in Niger State, and about 38 worshippers from Kwara State, were released without payment of ransom.
However, the Atiku Media Office, in the statement on Wednesday, said: “Under Tinubu, terrorists/bandits have become an alternative government — negotiating, collecting ransom, and walking away untouched — while the presidency celebrates their ‘compliance’.”
“No serious nation applauds itself for negotiating with terrorists it claims to have under surveillance. No responsible government congratulates itself for allowing abductors to walk back into the forests to kidnap again. Onanuga and his ilk should stop insulting Nigerians with propaganda.
“If the security agencies truly had eyes on the kidnappers, then letting them escape is a national disgrace that smacks of complicity,” the statement read.
He described Onanuga’s comment as “a shameful attempt to whitewash a national tragedy and dress up government incompetence as heroism”.
“Truth be told, the release of abducted Nigerians is not a trophy moment; it is a damning reminder that terrorists now operate freely, negotiate openly, and dictate terms while this administration issues press statements to save face,” he said.
“If, as Onanuga claims, the DSS and the military could ‘track’ the kidnappers in real time and ‘made contact’ with them, then the question is simple: Why were these criminals not arrested, neutralised, or dismantled on the spot?
“Why is the government boasting about talking to terrorists instead of eliminating them? Why is kidnapping now reduced to a routine phone call between criminals and state officials?”
