Melford Okilo
| Melford Obiene Okilo | |
|---|---|
| 1st Governor of Rivers State | |
|
In office October 1979 – December 1983 |
|
| Deputy | Frank Eke |
| Preceded by | Suleiman Saidu |
| Succeeded by | Fidelis Oyakhilome |
| Member of Parliament | |
|
In office 1956–1964 |
|
| Constituency | Brass |
| Minister of Commerce and Tourism | |
|
In office December 1993 – July 1994 |
|
| Senator for Bayelsa East | |
|
In office May 1999 – May 2003 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 November 1933 Emakalakala, Ogbia, Bayelsa State, Nigeria |
| Died | 5 July 2008 (aged 74) |
Melford Obiene Okilo (30 November 1933 – 5 July 2008) 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 the first elected 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.
Okilo was born on 30 November 1933 at Emakalakala, Ogbia, Bayelsa 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 Philosophy 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).
During General Olusegun Obasanjo's regime, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly (1977–78) leading to the Nigerian Second Republic. 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.
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