Like fin to fishes, the appendage ‘queen of the hearts’, has come to stick to Her Royal Highness, Ivie Uhunoma Emiko (nee Okunbo). Her life has been a gracious ride to greatness. Born into riches, Olori Ivie is a rare gift to the palace of His Royal Highness Utieyinoritsetsola Emiko, the 21st Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III. Raised among the pantheon and with superfluous experience of all the appurtenances wealth and influence, Olori Ivie grew up with uncommon resolve to live like the common- impacting lives positively with poise and turning the cameras away from her good.
Daughter of the late Nigerian magnate, Capt. Idahosa Wells Okunbo, Olori Ivie is the president of RIG Africa, a Christian ministry impacting lives spiritually and along the line of material needs long before her husband ascended the throne. An elephant never breeds a dwarf. Her father’s philanthropy and humanitarian deeds signposted Olori Ivie’s pedigree and magnanimity. Dad’s own ‘Iye’, Olori Ivie has become the mother to a nation of people just as the stars had foretold.
She’s proud to have inherited more than riches: a good name, which she referenced in the earliest tribute to her father when he passed on last year. Like her husband, Olori Atuwatse III is a devout Christian, passionate and expressive about her relationship with God. In sync with her husband’s mandate and resolve, she recently launched the WUWU ORE Initiative, ‘Uran ran w ani ale Iwere’ which means light comes into Iwere land in a bid to improve lives and healthcare services to the people of Delta State, particularly the elderly, women and children.
The initiative is geared towards providing palliative care, advanced medical checks, treatments, and medical screening powered by the Olu of Warri Kingdom, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and supported by private and government stakeholders interested in the wellbeing of the Deltans. At the last count, no fewer than 500 people have benefited from a free medical outreach she organised. She desires to touch Deltans in ways never been done before. Olori Atuwatse III said, “The idea is to reach out to those who have no access to medical care and promote good health among the people in the kingdom.” He added, “My desire is to bring quality healthcare to the people with the vision of making healthcare more readily accessible to all indigenes in our community.”
The highlight of the outreach included medical checks and treatment, palliative care, malaria screening, blood glucose screening, urine analysis, and retroviral screening, among others. Part of her dream as the queen is to ensure that every child in the Niger Delta can see their value ahead of time, embrace their uniqueness, and reach their full potential early enough in life. She’d also gone further to disclose the plan of the palace to bequeath an enduring educational legacy in the kingdom.
At the launch of Human Capital Africa (HCA), the maverick queen stated this as a guest speaker at an accountability and advocacy initiative spearheaded by Nigeria’s former Minister of Education and World Bank VP of the African region Obiageli Ezekwesili. She exudes seamless confidence and inspires with all her strength. Recently, she took words of encouragement to the attendees of the Women on the Winning Edge Conference 2022, a female development project hosted by Funke Felix-Adejumo and organised with a focus on Education, Celebrating Womanhood, and Inspiring the female gender.
She was also hosted to a special private reception by the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, at the Presidential Villa in Accra, alongside His Majesty, the Olu of Warri, while on holiday in Ghana. Since she became the venerable Olori Atuwatse III of Warri Kingdom, she has braved all odds to be a shining light for many charitable and worthy ventures for women and their plights. These efforts and more earn her accolades as the ‘Dame of Philanthropy’, especially with an uncommon humility and desire for the development of fellow humans, which account for why she’s not only queen of the palace but Queen of the Hearts. She got applause for championing a free medical healthcare initiative among riverine communities in Warri; that has yet to wane. And she’s off to other selfless labour for the good of mankind. But in all of her grace and poise, Olori Ivie does not suffer fools gladly.
She puts in the round hole the round pegs no matter whose ox is gored. She’s bent on the lifelong principle of fairness, which she’d admitted is one of the nicest inheritances from her treasured dad. Unlike many of her social stature, with Olori Ivie, it’s no airs, no pretences. Her close allies often attest to how much disgust she feels about flaunting vanity and gatherings of persons known to discuss inanities.

Patrick Olinma, a retired Executive Director of Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited and a key member of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited Board Audit Committee, has come under the scrutiny of anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with an alleged case of bribery, conspiracy and abuse of office.

The proceeds of the bribe were allegedly used by Olinma to purchase choice properties, including a property belonging to a subsidiary firm, Total Nigeria Limited.

The said sum, which has been kept under wraps, was being trailed by operatives of the anti graft agency since April 2021 when it launched its investigation.

Having learnt of the bribery and corruption allegation, Total E&P Nigeria to avoid further embarrassment directed Olinma, who is also on the board of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas as a Director, to proceed on retirement effective from July 31, 2021, according to TheNation.

In a letter to Total E&P Nigeria Limited, the EFCC said Olinma has a case to answer in connection with alleged conspiracy, bribery and abuse of office.

“This commission is investigating an alleged case of conspiracy, bribery and abuse of office in which the need to seek for information from your office has become imperative. Information at our disposal reveals that the above mentioned is an employee and a representative of your organization on the board of Nigeria LNG Limited.

“In the light of the foregoing you are kindly requested to furnish the commission with Certified True Copies of the following information to enable us progress on the investigation: (a) Date of employment and details of Emolument package from inception of service till date; (b) Date of his appointment on the board of Nigeria LNG Limited and (c) Any other information that could assist the investigation

“This request is made pursuant to Section 38(1) and (2) of the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (Establishment Act) 2004,” the EFCC wrote in its letter to Total.

Findings confirmed that there had been attempts to cover up the case but the new chairman of the agency who has been talking tough on all fronts, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has ordered his men to get to the root of the bribery allegation.

A source said: “The EFCC will not drop the case but the issues at hand are in the interest of the development of our oil sector. We are on the trail of how the proceeds of the bribery and abuse of office were diverted to buy choice assets even from their employer.

“We are resolute to address the rot in the oil sector, especially by some staff of International Oil Companies. There are concerns that some Nigerian staff of IOCs had been serving as agents to some of their bosses to launder funds.”

It was learnt that the NLNG was uncomfortable that Olinma, who represented Total E&P Nigeria Limited, was implicated in such grave allegations, being a prominent member in the NLNG Board Audit Committee that handles key governance matters.

Apart from asking for details on the director, the board of NLNG specifically requested that Total should address bribery issues raised by a whistleblower on the same Total executive director.

The Chairman of the Board of NLNG, HRH Edmund Daukoru, who is an ethical leader, said since Olinma is a Director nominated by Total on the Boards of NLNG and its subsidiary, Bonny Gas Transport Limited, the oil giant must come out clean.

A top source said: “Daukoru had written to Total stating that while the NLNG board will not blame Olinma yet, it won’t ignore the allegations. The stern position of the board made Total to withdraw Patrick Olinma from NLNG as its representative and his eventual retirement.”

Meanwhile, a former staff of Total E&P has mocked the retirement of Patrick Olinma on Facebook.

The ex-female staff, who identified herself as Daffe Enuma, wrote: “You sacked me on the 31st day of July 2018 because I went to develop myself academically… and God sacked you or sent you on compulsory retirement as an Executive Director (whatever that means) on the 31st Day of July 2021 (the dates are not coincidental), due to professional misconduct unbecoming of … if you know you know. Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves,…for it is written, Vengeance is MINE, I will repay”, says the lord. God is in control… touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.”

Fans of EbonyLife TV a cable television network on DSTV Channel 165 have been wondering why they can no longer watch the channel since it was yanked off the cable network in July 2020.

Fresh facts have emerged on the reasons the program was yanked off the cable TV.

We gathered from a reliable source that Mo Abudu, the founder and president of EbonyLife TV lost her slot in the cable television due to her pride and Oliver Twist attitude towards the business arrangement between her and the South African company.

An insider revealed that greed and misplaced arrogance on the part of Mo Abudu caused her to suffer this huge loss. She has since been licking her wounds and biting her fingers because she had envisaged that she would be smiling more regularly to the banks if the business arrangement had sailed through successfully. But due to her Oliver twist attitude, she lost her slot and has since been booted out of Multichoice.

It was gathered that in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mo Abudu and the management of DSTV was supposed to go back to the negotiation table to reach a consensus over the re-arrangement of payment structure, following the rise in the dollar rate. While the company offered to maintain making the payment in naira, Mo Abudu was reported to have declined the offer and insisted on being paid in dollars. She was said to have rebuffed the pleas made to her to reconsider her decision.

Another inside source revealed that Multichoice was infuriated by what was described as Mo Abudu's "arrogant stance and unfounded grandstanding over the new arrangement for payment structure. The source disclosed that EbonyLife TV contents were not that even among the most-watched on Multichoice channels. Besides, it was gathered that what was being paid to Mo Abudu did not commensurate with the contents her TV company was churning out.

So, when Multichoice realized that it could do without Mo Abudu's EbonyLife TV, it decided to yank it off its list of channels.

According to the source, “It is quite unfortunate that Mo Abudu, who always prided herself as a knowledgeable person could allow herself to be ill-advised. She really over-priced herself and over-estimated her worth. When the dollar rate skyrocketed during the pandemic last year, Mo Abudu was advised to be paid in naira like other content providers, but she vehemently disagreed. When Multichoice reviewed her company's performance, the organization realized it could do without it, so it was yanked off”,
an insider revealed.

Sources disclosed that when it finally dawned on Mo Abudu that Multichoice was not going to rescind its decision, she allegedly resorted to begging, by lobbying a high-ranking director in the organization to come to her rescue. She reportedly swallowed her initial gra-gra attitude (pride) and begged him to influence the organization to re-absorb her, but it was too late. Sources disclosed that Mo Abudu bombarded the top director with numerous calls and text messages, which were snubbed by him.

Promoted as Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment & Lifestyle network, EbonyLife Tv announced that it was leaving the channel for its own EbonyLife ON app platform. But unknown to many she was yanked off the cable channel and even the ON APP she claimed to be operating you hardly see anyone talking about the channel again as it seems to have died and failed woefully.
Founder and President of EbonyLife Network, Mo Abudu, said on her social media handle sometime last year that the network will, effective July 31, 2020, provide some of its content to people who subscribe to EbonyLife ON app.
As of today, the overall subscribers on the app are five thousand plus, which cannot be compared to its viewership on the DSTV cable network, this is more reason why many followers have concluded that the program is gone and dead for life.