• Itsekiri NextGen Project: 2024 Session 12 Report
• Topic: Notable Itsekiri Figures
• Date: 6th of April 2024
• Volunteers Present: 4
• Total Number of Attendees: 58
• Timings: 10:00am – 1:00pm
• Venue: Former Caravan 4, Aja-Pessu (Pessu Town), Warri
• Main Topic/Activity: Notable Itsekiri Figures
• Resource Person: Uwala Tedeye

Summary:

As part of our socio-cultural mandate, we delved into discussing notable Itsekiri personalities who have left remarkable legacies, emphasizing their outstanding leadership qualities.

Session Delivery:

Emmanuel Egbe orchestrated the start of the session, inviting a participant to lead the opening prayer and another to lead the Itsekiri anthem.

While participants settled, Egbe engaged them in discussions about the books from the last session as the volunteers prepared the setup.

Once ready, Uwala Tedeye took the stage, highlighting that the Itsekiri community boasts numerous noteworthy individuals, though the session focused on three:

1. Chief Nana of Itsekiri
2. Allison Ayida
3. Professor Grace Alele Williams

Tedeye detailed the life stories of these figures. Chief Nana, for instance, was once the governor of Benin River and endured exile in Ghana before returning to establish in Koko.

Allison Ayida, a revered Warri kingdom son, was praised for his transparent, disciplined, and detribalized public service, earning him the moniker “Super Permanent Secretary.”

Professor Grace Alele Williams, also a chief of the Warri kingdom, achieved numerous firsts as a woman, becoming Nigeria’s first female professor of Mathematics, first female vice chancellor, and first president of the African Mathematical Union Commission for Women in Mathematics.

An interactive exercise ensued, with participants sharing experiences of being class captains. They discussed whether they listed their friends as noise makers, with most admitting they did. Tedeye praised their honesty but urged them to be just, fair, and honest, citing Ayida’s exemplary conduct.

Volunteers:

• Debi Amadedon
• Emmanuel Egbe

Other key activities during the session:

Discussion of notable Itsekiri figures

What went wrong:

Nothing went wrong.