The Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency comprises of all the communities in both Degema and Bonny Local Government Areas of Rivers State, Nigeria. In the course of consulting with stakeholders in these LGAs I came across many people who said they do not know me and have never heard of me. My response was yes, you may not have met or heard of me but you most probably have been impacted or walked past my footprints somewhere. This prompted my decision to do this write-up.

Whereas I have never held an elective political position or been appointed into any, I have, in the course of trying to make an honest living, served my constituency in my own little way at the time that I had no ambition of contesting any election or seeking any public acknowledgement. This explains why many who have been impacted by my actions do not know me.

In Bonny LGA, as a boat owner, I was, at one time, the Secretary of Bonny Boat Owners Association. During my tenure and with the support of the then Chairman, Senibo Christopher Allaputa, and other members, we introduced the use of life jackets and passenger manifest for the safety of passengers and for proper accounting in the event of a boat mishap.

This was heavily resisted by some travelers who were always in a hurry to move and would not spare the time to fulfill these formalities. I would stand at the Coal Beach and insist that no boat moves until they had met these conditions. This was the order until I left the water transport business. The use of these items collapsed after then but fortunately have now become the norm.

As an SPDC contractor, I built the Community Secondary School, Burukiri, Bonny. The contract was to build a six classroom block in Bonny National Grammar School (BNGS). After bidding and winning the contract with this location in mind, the then SPDC Community Liaison Officer, Mr. Fyneman Kalio told me that the Amanyanabo and Chiefs Council of Grand Bonny Kingdom have requested that the facility be built in a virgin land between Burukiri, Epelema and Oloma.

The problem here was that SPDC was unwilling to give me a variation for this change of location. So, it was up to me to either insist on my contract terms and build the facility in Bonny National Grammar School or sacrifice for the Kingdom and build it in Burukiri. I chose the latter.

It was a very costly and painful decision as the terrain was difficult to navigate. I had to contend with midstream offloading of materials due to the absence of a landing jetty and manual transfer of materials from the waterfront to the site. Clearing the water-logged forest and finding accommodation for my workers in the village was another challenge. Visiting the site was also a challenge because of the absence of regular speed boat transport.

Whenever I hired a speed boat, I had to drop at either Oloma or Okpoma and trek through the forest to Burukiri. When I tried taking speed boat to Burukiri, I had to drop midstream and walk in the swamp for over 200 meters. On a few occasions, when I could not get a speed boat to pick me from the site, I had to use hand pulling canoe from Okpoma to Coconut Estate. On one of such occasions, the canoe capsized. The woman paddling the canoe and I simply climbed back into the canoe, bailed the water and continued our journey.

I don’t know how these places are now but that was the story at the time. However, with determination and the grace of God I finished that project. Today, when I look back and see the children happily going to school and consider the number that have graduated from that school. Recently too, I heard that the pioneer King of Mathematics in the King/Queen of Mathematics Contest organized by the G30 Ibani Voice, Omubo Fubara, is a product of Community Secondary School, Burukiri. I thank God that I paid the price.

Needless to add that as a Mobil Contractor, I was party to the supply of school desks to primary schools in Oloma and Kalaibiama and as an ALCON Contractor, I was instrumental to the peaceful and uninterrupted laying of pipes across Oloma flow station through neighbouring fishing ports and swamps by working with Oloma youths to provide security for the job. I worked with some very committed and hardworking Oloma youths whom some persons called “bad boys”. They were not bad boys, they just needed a father figure to guide them and pray for them. This I provided and we had very productive and joyful time together.

My commitment to the development of Bonny Kingdom compelled me to consider foregoing my well-paying job as a Manager in the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) and interview for the position of Executive Secretary of the Bonny Kingdom Development Foundation (BKDF). At the end of the recruitment process, I received an email from Accenture, the recruiting company, to the effect that I have been shortlisted for the position subject to approval by the Board of Trustees. Well, the appointment of the Board of Trustees was followed with litigations that have so far truncated the process.

Still seeking for a platform to pursue the development of Bonny Kingdom, I took steps to register a Bonny Island Chamber of Commerce, but on discovering that there is an existing chamber, I jettisoned my own and joined the Bonny Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (BOCCIMA). Today, I am the 2nd Vice President of the Chamber. Under the able leadership of the President, Amaopusenibo Amairigha Hart, and with the support of His Majesty, The King and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, we are using the chamber to drive development efforts in Bonny.

Many of our efforts have reached very advanced stages but need just a little more financial push to come to fruition. This push I intend to bring onboard through my constituency project funds if I become the House of Representatives member for the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in 2023.

Bonny, of course, is my hometown but I am not a complete stranger to Degema. Without knowing that I will someday be seeking votes from Degema people, I had in the past used the opportunities that life offered me to leave some footprints in Degema.

As the Head of Infrastructure in the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), I worked assiduously with the Agriculture and Agro-Allied Division of the agency to pursue the establishment of the Aquaculture hub in Degema. This hub was to drive fisheries development in the Degema, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru and Emohua Local Government Areas. It was to form an integral part of our growth pole project which was my direct responsibility.

As the Manager and Head of Secretariat of the Rivers State Partners for Sustainable Development (RSPSD), I worked on the use of the growth pole theory to drive development in Rivers State. Degema was one of the growth poles.

The level of development in Degema LGA is an embarrassment to development efforts in Rivers State. To think that as far back as the colonial era Degema was a district headquarter and to see the abysmal level of development in the area after several decades leaves a lot more to be desired.

As the Representative of this constituency, I will ensure that adequate attention is drawn to the potentials of Degema. I will also use my constituency project funds to jumpstart the harnessing of the enormous development potentials of the LGA.

If the purpose of this write-up was to canvass for votes I would be asking you if I need to do anything more to get your votes. But since it is just to show you my footprints, my question is if I did the little I did with the few opportunities life gave to me how much more will I do when you give me your mandate?

Warisenibo Pastor Ibigoni Dienye Willie-Pepple, the candidate of the Labour Party for the Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the 2023 General Elections, wrote this peice from Bonny, RIvers State.