He Risked His Life for Peace in Niger Delta, Ex-Agitators’ Leader Mourns Uduaghan

The National President of the First Phase Ex-Agitators’ Leaders Forum, General Aroni Oputu, popularly known as General Aroni, has commiserated with the family of former Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, CON, over his passing.

Dr. Uduaghan died on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the age of 71.

In a condolence message personally signed and made available to journalists, General Oputu described the former governor as a true son of the Niger Delta who abandoned the comfort of Government House to enter the creeks during the Niger Delta struggle to ensure peace.

“Former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was a true son of the Niger Delta. He moved into the creeks during the struggle to ensure there was peace during his time in office. He did not send emissaries; he came by himself to talk to us. That courage is what made him different,” Oputu said.

The First Phase ex-agitators’ leader said history will remember Uduaghan for his pivotal role in securing the Presidential Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta agitators during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“Through Governor Uduaghan, we secured the Amnesty Programme during the late Yar’Adua administration. He was our advocate. He told the Federal Government that dialogue, not force, would bring peace to the Niger Delta. That advocacy led to the Amnesty Programme that transformed many of us,” he stated.

General Aroni further disclosed that he got his first public appointment through the late former governor. “Through Governor Uduaghan, I got my first appointment as a member of the Waterways Security Committee in Delta State. He believed in us, the youths from the creeks, and gave us the responsibility of securing our own waterways,” he recalled.

“We, the Ex-Agitators’ Leaders in Delta and the Niger Delta, extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, the people of Warri North Constituency, the Itsekiri nation and the entire Delta State.

“May Almighty God grant the family the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss and grant his soul eternal rest,” Oputu added.