The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ayiri Emami

  • Ayiri Emami’s love for Ibori

    Ayiri Emami’s love for Ibori

    Some people may not be in tune with the style of controversial businessman and Niger Delta youth leader, Ayiri Emami, but many have commended his loyalty to his friends even in very odd circumstances. In fact, his loyalty and love for the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori is said to be legendary. While James Ibori is languishing in jail in London, Ayiri still reveres the influential politician even when many of the old associates of the former governor have deserted him.

    The occasion of Ibori’s birthday days ago afforded Ayiri another opportunity to pay homage to his benefactor and mentor. When Ibori turned 56 years old a few days ago, Emami did not let the day go unnoticed. The business man led a group of youths in a rally in Asaba to mark the day. At the end of the rally, Emami reportedly hosted the youths to a party where he restated his loyalty and commitment to Ibori, whose voice was most vocal during the agitation for resource control.

    He urged the people to keep on praying for Ibori. The Akulagba 1 of Warri was full of adulations for the embattled former governor.

  • Ayiri Emami stages superlative birthday bash

    Ayiri Emami stages superlative birthday bash

    FEW months ago, the rumour mill was agog that the entertainment enthusiast and socialite, Ayiri Emami, may be broke. But those close to the Warri-born oil magnate said he just chose to remain underground. Source close to him say he staged a superlative birthday last weekend in Houston, Texas, U.S.

    Those who graced the event revealed that the birthday boy is far from being broke.

    Emami is the boss of the reconstituted Delta Waterways Security Agency.

    He came into social reckoning in 2011 when his carnival-like wedding was beamed on Bisi Olatilo Show. It was widely reported he spent N150 million in which the singer, Tuface, was one of his groomsmen. The wedding also had Tuface, Dbanj, Yinka Ayefele, Psquare and many other notable Nigerian artists, on the bandstane. He is reputed to be a big time businessman in Delta State – he owns the 911 Beach & Resort Ugborodo and A& E Petroleum.

  • Niger Delta activist backs Jonathan on Sanusi

    Niger Delta activist backs Jonathan on Sanusi

    A Niger Delta youth activist, businessman and politician, Chief Ayiri Emami, has backed President Goodluck Jonathan on the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Emami, who is the Akulaga of Warri kingdom in a statement yesterday, said Sanusi ought to have been sacked long ago.

    He described the cashless policy as anti-Niger Delta, adding that he had carried out his responsibilities with arrogance.

    Sanusi said: “The huge fund running into hundreds of billions of naira that were frittered away as donations, grants to religious bodies, payments to moribund airlines, illegal loans write-off and other sundry expenditures made without recourse to the CBN Act and the board were gotten from oil revenue from the Niger Delta region.

    “Mr. Sanusi never deemed it fit to fly one of the numerous private jets to these oil bearing but underdeveloped areas of the Niger Delta region to do an on-the-spot assessment of how the cashless policy would impact negatively on their businesses and lives as it affect payment of salaries to workers and transaction of business in a largely bank-less environment with hundreds of thousands of workers.

    “So, to us in the business hub of the riverine oil bearing area, Sanusi’s cashless policy is definitely cruel and anti-Niger Delta.”

     

  • Niger Delta activist backs Jonathan on Sanusi

    Niger Delta activist backs Jonathan on Sanusi

    A Niger Delta youth activist, businessman and politician, Chief Ayiri Emami, has backed President Goodluck Jonathan on the suspension of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Emami, who is the Akulaga of Warri kingdom in a statement yesterday, said Sanusi ought to have been sacked long ago.

    He described the cashless policy as anti-Niger Delta, adding that he had carried out his responsibilities with arrogance.

    Sanusi said: “The huge fund running into hundreds of billions of naira that were frittered away as donations, grants to religious bodies, payments to moribund airlines, illegal loans write-off and other sundry expenditures made without recourse to the CBN Act and the board were gotten from oil revenue from the Niger Delta region.

    “Mr. Sanusi never deemed it fit to fly one of the numerous private jets to these oil bearing but underdeveloped areas of the Niger Delta region to do an on-the-spot assessment of how the cashless policy would impact negatively on their businesses and lives as it affect payment of salaries to workers and transaction of business in a largely bank-less environment with hundreds of thousands of workers.

    “So, to us in the business hub of the riverine oil bearing area, Sanusi’s cashless policy is definitely cruel and anti-Niger Delta.”

     

  • Omosede Igbinedion, Ayiri Emami still an item

    Omosede Igbinedion, Ayiri Emami still an item

    Contrary to the gist from the rumour mill that things have fallen apart between Omosede Igbinedion, the daughter of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion and her very close friend, Ayiri Emami, investigations have revealed that both of them remain yet an item. Close friends and associates of the duo told Celeb Watch that not only are they still friendly, they still maintain some closeness which could not be placed within the frame of mere friendship.

    While neither of them has admitted involvement in an intimate relationship, inside sources insist that they are romantically bound together. Ayiri Emami, a former militant endowed with riches, is already married with lovely kids. Omosede had opted out of her marriage with Prince Alvon Akenzua, a direct descendant of the royal Akenzua family in Benin. While the crown prince appears to have put the relationship behind him, Omosede has only found solace on social media platforms, particularly her Facebook account, where she has continued to express her feelings.

    Emami, in a recent interview granted a soft sell journal, had said that his relationship with Omosede was a private issue and that his ‘friendship’ with her had not drawn any disapproval from the Esama as was being rumoured.

  • Chief priest’s arrest sparks anger in Delta community

    The protesters’ anger was visible. Elders, women and youths defied thunderstorm and rain last Saturday to stage a peaceful protest in Ugborodo community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. The Olaja Orori (chief priest) of the community, Omadeli Benson Dube, had been arrested by naval operatives and taken to Warri under controversial circumstances.

    The Nigerian Navy said Dube and three others were arrested to avert a breakdown of law and order in the community; but the protesters said they security agency was acting the scripts of their paymasters and pandering to the whims of the state government.

    The arrest was anything but peaceful; shots were fired, doors in the Itsekiri town were smashed, people were beaten up, hounded and thrown into four waiting gunboats and two speedboats.

    The NNS Delta, Warri Naval Base Information Officer, Lieutenant I Yohanna, told our correspondent on telephone that Dube ordered the torture of two young men and supporters of an influential titleholder in the community, Chief Ayiri Emami, who was part of the operation that Friday.

    Emami, who heads the Delta State Waterways and Security Committee, later told newsmen that the quartet was arrested for illegal bunkering and other sundry crimes.

    But the protesters fingered Emami and the chairman of the Ugborodo Community Trust, Chief Thomas Ereyitomi for instigating the arrests of their kinsmen, who challenged their leadership of the community.

    The bone of contention, it was gathered, was the community’s interest of its committee to negotiate its interest in the $26 billion proposed Ogidigben Gas project. It was gathered that the community rejected a list from the ‘government’ and insisted on theirs.

    Prior to the latest face-off,the Ereyitomi/Emami group had been engaged in a no-love-lost relationship with the factional chairman, led by former chairman of Warri South-West Local Government Area, Mr. David Tonwe, who is backed by Dube and other elders from the community. It was this group that kicked against government’s interference.

    Three weeks earlier, a young supporter of the Tonwe group was purportedly shot dead. His remains were allegedly carted away by his killers. Emami said the ‘victim’ was made up to embarrass him, adding that there was no murder.

    It was against this background that Dube, Joseph Uwawah and others were arrested on Friday.

    The four men were detained at the Warri naval base for three days before they were taken to Asaba on Sunday morning because the Warri Area Command refused to take over the case. It was gathered that the police was unwilling to partake in their ‘trial,’ having investigated and found them innocent.

    But, in a dramatic turn, they were returned to Warri and taken to a Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. They were sent to the Okere Prison after having five-count charge of attempted murder, kidnapping and illegal bunkering, among other charges read to them. The matter was adjourned to December 10 for mention.

    Femi Uwawah, who led the Saturday’s protest, told Niger Delta Report that Ereyitomi and Emami were being used by Governor Uduaghan to persecute the community for his personal interest.

    He said: “The state governor called a stakeholders’ meeting. We went there with the spiritual head of Ugborodo. He (Uduaghan) asked the chief priest to be arrested. He was arrested and taken to Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force in Warri, until the chief priest was later released. Now they went to the Navy because the police would not support their evil intention.”

    Femi accused the governor, who is an Itsekiri, of setting up a parallel ‘trust,’ and insulting the traditional leadership of the community because of his selfish interest.

    Pa Anderson, who led the elders, lamented: “We are highly intimidated. We are highly oppressed. They made money now; they want to enslave us. They want us to dance to their tune; that we have no say of our own again. Those we gave power sometimes ago are the people fighting us because they have made money.”

    Madam Felicia Bobi said the people of the community decided to go on protest because the leaders of the community have failed them; as there is nothing to show for their years of leadership