TRIBUTE HIGH CHIEF RAYMOND 1951- 2023
By Acheoah Augustin
On 25th of October 1951, the family of William Ayaoghena and Mrs. Alice Aishetu Dokpesi were blessed with one of the greatest sons of Weppa-Uwano people (Agenebode), Edo State, Nigeria and indeed our contemporary world, Chief (Dr.) Aleogho Dokpesi. A scholar of Marine Sciences of renowned repute, a pioneering figure in the Shipping and media sectors, Chief Aleogho Dokpesi has been in active politics for over two decades will be 71 in October, 2022.
Dokpesi’s protégé to the late doyen: Alhaji Bamangar Turkur, political ally with Tofa, Umaru Shinkafi, MKO Abiola, and many Nigeria leading lights are evident of his aptitude to partner across regions and ethno-religious divides that hounds the national peace and unity of post-colonial Nigeria.
A proud son of Late William Ayaoghena, the Osula of Weppa-Uwano, one of the most respected traditional elders of Weppa-Uwano and a closed associate of Late Chief Umaughene, the former Okpe-Ukpi of Iviuopkisa land (the custodians of the good culture and beliefs of the Weppa-Uwano People, both blessed with rare wisdom like Socrates and Plato), Raymond Dopkesi attended Ebenezer African Church School and then proceeded to Loyola College Ibadan and later Immaculate Conception College Benin City. Upon completion of his secondary education, Raymond Dokpesi proceeded to Poland for his tertiary education and earned his B.S.c, M.S.c and PhD. Degrees from Wyzsza Szookta Morska Gdynia and University of Gdynia Sopot, Poland.
Poland remained strategic to contemporary world order. It was after the invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939 that British and France haven undertook to protect Polish border declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939 opening the European Theatre of World War II. Poland was also a founding member of the UN, although it never took part in the San Francisco but honorarily secured the inclusion after signing on 15 October 1945, thus making the 50+1 founding nations of the UN.
With the end of Nazi onslaught in Europe (1939-1945), Dopkesi found in Poland, the peace and intellectual serenity to pursue a career in Marine Sciences (Marine Transport Engineering) and it paid off with support from late Alhaji Bamangar Turkur. Dokpesi lectured at the University of Gnask, Poland as Assistant lecturer in Marine Transport Economics.
Chief Raymond Dopkesi returned to Nigeria upon invitation of the then President who visited Poland and served in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation as the Head of Water Transport Division. When Alhaji Bamangar Tukur had a brief stint as the Governor of Old Gongola State, Chief Dokpesi served under Late Tukur as Chief of Staff in 1983 before the coup ended the Second Republic.
In 1993, Raymond Dopkesi contested the Edo North Senatorial seat under the National Republican Convention (NRC) but lost to the SDP’s candidate Albert Ilegogie from Ekperi. Chief Dopkesi founded the first private shipping firm: African Ocean Lines Limited. In September 1994, Dopkesi’s Radio firm Ray Power 100.5 FM began operation with 32 branches across 32 of the 36 states of the Federation.
On 31 August 1998, he founded DAAR Communication and in December 1996, he founded the free to air TV station: African Independent Television (AiT). For pioneering the a Privately owned 24 hours broadcast outfit AIT, Chief Dokpesi was described as the Ted Turner of Nigeria after the CNN’s founder.
Like Senator Francis Alimikhena (PDP Edo North), testimonies of his philanthropic gestures to countless people from Weppa-Uwano and beyond. An egalitarian par excellence, Chief R. Dopkesi once said.
“We need to give hope to our people and it is only by giving jobs and reducing the level of corruption”
Chief Raymond Dokpesi served as a member of the committee on Decentralization of Nigerian ports PLC in 1983. Chief Dokpesi holds the title of Ezomo of Weppa Uwano Land equivalent to the Chief of Army Staff of the traditional Chieftaincy hierarchy in charge of the Idoghenis (traditional army). The immediate past holder of the title was Late Major-General George Agbazika Innih (26 September 1938-15 August 2002) (former governor of Old Bendel and Kwara State.
Raymond Dokpesi is a recipient of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Entrepreneurial Award (2007) and National Merit Award of Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) 2008.
Although, the name is lager in the Media industry and in the political milieu, Raymond’s wealth of experience in the Marine sector remains invaluable at a time when the world faces the existential threats of Climate Change, Ocean Pollution, Ocean warming, Coral Reef bleaching. Human Security cannot be achieved outside environmental security. The Ocean described as the Lungs of the Earth’ faces big threats from human activities. A UNEP Report (2018) revealed that about 8 million tones of plastics end up in Oceans annually. Nigeria is a Coastal nation, a member of the IMO with her rich geo-strategic position and navigable waters through the Gulf of Guinea to the corners of the globe.
Sir, your interest in politics is yet to touch your primary constituency as a Scholar of Earth Sciences (Marine Sciences) where a lot of solidarity is required to save the Planet. The Marine world is threatened by human activities (the Anthropocene).From COP 24 in Katowice in 2018 world leaders convoked at Madrid Spain for COP 25 in 2019 and then in Glasgow, Scotland for COP 26 in 2021 with Nigeria in attendance seeking the way out of the existential threat to humanity. Come November this year, the world leaders will converge to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt to negotiate on Carbon emission.
Nigeria is one of the littoral states and her territorial waters and access to the Ocean place Nigeria in one of the Elite nations of the world. Nigeria would not have been in OPEC without Commercial quantity of crude oil, or IMO without navigable waters. Approximately 70.8% of the Earth’s is covered by Ocean and Ocean described as the lungs of the Earth represents 97% of the world’s water. The River Niger took its source from Fouta Djallon highlands (Guinea), confluence in Lokoja with River Benue and debauches its waters through the Niger Delta into the Atlantic Ocean. The South South Nigeria is prone to hazards which pollution cause to marine life. Over 200,000 marine species are exposed to hazards: the use of chemical in fishing, overfishing, dumping of Microplastics in water.
The waters in Niger Delta are also exposed to pollution and we saw what happened when the Otoukwe quarters of your home town Agenebode was submerged by rising Niger overflows, your buildings at Late Senator John Umolu (NCNC) Quarters were affected along several other dwellers. As a son of one of the littoral states of Nigeria, what legacy project would you champion to check the threats from hydrological variability as a non-governing political elite given that Climate Change impacts on the ability of the government to provide the basic needs of their people and by that democratic leadership (ecological constraints) amid poor management of ecological funds in the country.
Sir, the people of Weppa-Uwano Salutes you @71, the Etsako, Edo People are proud of your prints in many spheres’ of human endeavors. As a Septuagenarian (see) still in active politics of the country, it will be great you look back at your Primary constituency, the Marine System, the crises and existential threats posed to marine life through pollution as component of your retiring years in the mainstream politics of Nigeria, particularly the implications for environmental sustainability of the South South States with regards to dredging of the Niger and the submerging toll it will take on Coastal dwellers Agenebode Waterside not excluded. This will be of geostrategic importance in terms of policy direction for the country.
Blessed is the a man that feareth the Lord that delighted in his commandments, His tree shall be mighty upon the earth (Psalm 112: 1-2)
By God’s divine grace Raymond Dokpesi is a mighty tree, a gift from God to an upright Weppa-Uwano elder, Late Chief William Ayaoghena and Mrs. Alice Aishetu Dokpesi, a mighty tree that shelters many through God’s providence. It should be noted that Raymond is one of the illustrious children of Late Pa William Ayaoghena Dokpesi. Among Chief Raymond’s siblings are Pa Richard Dokpesi, Doctor Cyril Dokpesi (a Gynecologist), Mrs. Bose Omoh and many others.
Raymond Dokpesi, died on Monday 29, 2023 after a fall while using a treadmill machine, a statement, issued and signed by the Group Managing Director of DAAR Communications, Tony Akiotu, stated that Mr Dokpesi was recovering from an undisclosed illness and had to do routine exercises as part of recuperation, he further stated that the media mogul was sick for some weeks before the fall that claimed his life adding that Mr Dokpesi was using the machine to exercise before the tragic event happened.
•Acheoah A. O (Political Analyst, Full Fellow NIIA, Associate Columnist for CreekVibes, alumnus of St. Peter’s Grammar School Agenebode) (first published in August 2022).
