By Foster Akpore | Orogun, Ughelli North LGA | 11 October, 2025
The President General of Orogun Kingdom, Chief (Barr.) E. T. Opone, has called for greater inclusion of women in the management of oil-related committees and community development structures across the Niger Delta, noting that the exclusion of women undermines fairness and weakens sustainable development in extractive communities.
Chief Opone made the call in his message to mark the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child, themed “The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis.” He described the theme as a direct reflection of Orogun’s history, where women have consistently led in times of crisis and community struggle.
Recalling the 2014 protest at the Erhoike Flow Station in Ethiope East Local Government Area, the President General paid tribute to hundreds of Orogun women who, he said, “tied their wrappers, carried leaves as symbols of peace, and stood unarmed before armed men,” demanding social amenities and fair treatment for their communities.
He named Mrs. Mary Umufo, Mrs. Mary Obuko, and others as examples of women whose courage brought attention to Orogun’s plight but who were later sidelined when the benefits of their struggle were shared. “They became the forgotten backbone of victory—the women whose sacrifices opened the gates of progress but who never entered through them,” he lamented.
Chief Opone noted that this pattern of exclusion persists today, with women often ignored in key decision-making spaces within the oil and gas sector despite their central role in maintaining peace and mobilizing community development.
“Orogun Kingdom, as a frontline extractive community, continues to bear the brunt of oil exploration and its consequences,” he said. “Yet, it is disheartening that women—who have always been central to our struggles and peace efforts—are too often neglected in the constitution and management of oil-related committees and community development structures.”
Despite these challenges, Chief Opone praised the resilience of Orogun women, describing them as “the last line of defense when the stakes are highest.”
“As your President General, and as a proud Male Feminist,” he added, “I believe that the fight for equality is not a women’s cause alone but a collective moral duty.”
To advance this goal, he announced plans to establish a Female Advisory Council in Orogun Kingdom, which will serve as a voice and think tank for the advancement of women and girls. The council, he said, will also enlist more men as allies in the campaign for fairness, inclusion, and the protection of the girl child’s rights and potential.
Chief Opone urged the people of Orogun to renew their commitment to the education and wellbeing of girls, emphasizing that “no girl should ever again stand at the front of a struggle and be left at the back of its reward.”
He concluded by reaffirming his faith in the transformative power of Orogun’s daughters. “She is not a bystander in our story; she is its author. When we lift our girls, we raise the standard of Orogun itself.”
“Long live Orogun Kingdom. Long live our daughters—the change they lead is the future we all share,” Chief Opone declared.