The King of Upata Kingdom in Rivers State, His Majesty, Dr Felix Enene Otuwarikpo, has called on relevant authorities to honour late Alabo Sir Olu Benibo Fubara with a posthumous National Honour because, he “is a man whose courage and conviction left a lasting imprint in what is today the Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).”
He also acknowledged the rural communities of the Niger Delta as the most backward areas of Nigeria economically, socially and politically, despite “it’s large contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.”
Even, the living conditions of the Niger Delta people “are characterized by low incomes, dependence on subsistence agriculture, weakness in non-farm activities, social deprivation and restricted political and civil liberties,” he noted.
The First Class traditional ruler stated this in Port Harcourt, while presenting a lecture at late Alabo Sir Olu Benino Fubara Memorial Gold Paper Lecture 2025, organized by the Rivers State chapter of NIPR.
The annual Memorial Gold Paper lecture honours Fubara as a Founding Father of Public Relations practice in Rivers State and, instituted in 2014 following his death.
The Monarch whose paper was on “Empowering Community Development in the Niger Delta: Harnessing Public Relations for Sustainable Growth,” queried the nation’s leadership over the neglect of the “environment where this exploration and production takes place which is daily afflicted with abject poverty, inadequate funding of community projects,” including the intentional deployment of “top-down approach to rural development, rural programs and over politicisation of development programs in the Niger Delta.”
Against the backdrop of continuous agitation for equity and the fact that no government can provide all services to transform the rural communities of the Niger Delta, the monarch suggested the need for governments to urgently “empower communities in the Niger Delta to optimize opportunities available within their environments.”
In recognition of the strategic role of the Pubic Relations in sustaining community development, Otuwarikpo who is a Fellow of the Institute, informed that the use of community media, inclusive communication, digital platforms and numerous other tools have helped in promoting environmental awareness, fostering community engagement and participation which has manifested in overwhelming and enhanced local cooperation, using the Úpātá Kingdom’s example where in 2019, cultists and militants surrendered arms to government.
