20 Years On The Throne: Sports Administrator, APC Chieftain Extols Orodje Of Okpe Kingdom As A King Of Peace, Progress
20 Years On The Throne: Sports Administrator, APC Chieftain Extols Orodje Of Okpe Kingdom As A King Of Peace, Progress
… As Okpe Kingdom Prepares For Grand Coronation Anniversary, Ogufere, Uko Hails Orhue I’s Two Decades Of Stability, Unity And Development
By Success Okezie
Twenty years is a long time in the life of any kingdom. It is long enough for children to become adults, for villages to become towns, for a reign to be tested by time, politics, and change.
In Okpe Kingdom, twenty years has been long enough to prove a king.
As His Royal Majesty, Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, marks his historic 20th coronation anniversary, tributes are pouring in from across Delta State and beyond — from sports, from politics, from traditional institutions, and from the ordinary people whose lives his reign has touched.
Among the loudest voices of praise are two prominent Okpe sons: renowned sports administrator and telecommunications consultant, Okakuro Jonathan Ogufere, and the Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Okakuro Efe Uko.
Both men, in separate congratulatory messages, described the monarch’s two decades on the throne as deeply impactful, transformational, and worthy of celebration.
For Ogufere, the story of Orhue I is first a story of peace.
“For two remarkable decades, His Royal Majesty’s reign has been marked by peace, unity, progress, prosperity and security of life and property across the kingdom,” he said.
It is a testimony that resonates deeply in Okpe, a kingdom that, like many in the Niger Delta, has known its share of tensions and competing interests. Under Orhue I, Ogufere noted, the kingdom has enjoyed stability — a stability that has allowed development to thrive, businesses to grow, and families to live without fear.
Ogufere is no ordinary commentator. He is a veteran telecommunications consultant, founder of the P&T Rockets of Benin City and P&T Vasco da Gama Football Club of Enugu, former President of the West African Football Union (WAFU), former Board Member of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Ugbugba of Okpe Kingdom, Okpako-Amua of Okirighwre, and Head of the Orhorho Ruling House of Okpe Kingdom.
When a man of that standing speaks about leadership, people listen.
“His Royal Majesty’s wise and visionary reign has brought stability and progress to the kingdom,” Ogufere added, expressing admiration for the highly revered monarch’s vision and efforts in developing Okpe Kingdom.
The 20th coronation anniversary of His Royal Majesty, Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, is scheduled to run from *November 13 to November 25, 2026*, in Orerokpe and Sapele.
It promises to be a grand, colourful, and historic celebration — a homecoming for Okpe sons and daughters at home and in the diaspora, a cultural showcase for the kingdom, and a moment of thanksgiving for two decades of peaceful reign.
Traditional rulers, political leaders, businessmen, sports personalities, and cultural troupes are expected to grace the events, which will celebrate not just a king, but a kingdom that has grown under him.
For Okakuro Efe Uko, Secretary of the APC in Delta State, the secret of Orhue I’s success lies in his character — and in his background.
He praised the monarch’s unique style of administration, accountability, humility, perseverance, vast wealth of experience as a retired military general, discipline and fear of God — qualities he said attracted honour and development to Okpe Kingdom.
Orhue I is not just a traditional ruler. He is a retired military general, a man trained in discipline, strategy, and service. Uko said those military virtues have been translated into traditional leadership — a leadership that is firm but fair, disciplined but humane, visionary but accountable.
He also lauded the monarch for installing peace pillars across Okpe Kingdom — structures and systems that have kept the kingdom united, even in moments of disagreement.
“Your achievements are innumerable and visible and I am very proud of you for the peace, joy and greatness of the kingdom,” the Okpe Chief added.
Though they come from different worlds — one from sports administration, the other from partisan politics — Ogufere and Uko reached the same verdict: Orhue I has been a blessing to Okpe Kingdom.
For Ogufere, it is the peace, unity, prosperity and security of life and property. For Uko, it is the accountability, humility, discipline and developmental strides.
Together, they paint a picture of a monarch who has combined the wisdom of a traditional ruler, the discipline of a general, and the heart of a father.
Twenty years on, the kingdom is not just celebrating a coronation anniversary. It is celebrating a reign that has given Okpe peace to grow, unity to stand, and progress to be proud of.
And as the drums beat in Orerokpe and Sapele from November 13 to 25, the message from Okpe sons like Ogufere and Uko is clear:
Long may Orhue I reign — in peace, in honour, and in greatness
About The Author
