By Mokobia Rita
AKUGBENE/Nigeria: Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday joined Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri and former Delta Governor James Ibori at Akugbene in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State to honour the late Prince Isaac Firimokumo Penawou.
The gathering of the former President, two serving governors and a former governor at the funeral reflected the high-level relationships surrounding the Penawou family and the significance attached to the final rites for the deceased, who died at the age of 104.
The funeral service attracted political leaders, government officials, traditional rulers, business executives and community leaders, who joined the Penawou family to pay their final respects.
Penawou was the father of Delta State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Prince Kelly Penawou, and Chief Joseph Penawou, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Marine Engineering Services Limited.
Jonathan’s presence at the funeral, alongside Oborevwori, Diri and Ibori, was one of the major highlights of the gathering, which brought together influential figures from across the Niger Delta.
Also present were former Deputy Governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro; Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas; former Senator James Manager; Hon. Nicholas Mutu; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor; Managing Director of Renaissance Africa Energy, Tony Attah; and Seplat Chief Executive Officer, Effiong Okon.
The gathering provided the political and business leaders with an opportunity to identify with the Penawou family and offer condolences following the death of their patriarch.
For Governor Oborevwori, the funeral also brought together political figures from Delta and neighbouring Bayelsa, with Jonathan and Ibori representing different generations of political leadership in the Niger Delta.
Dignitaries at the ceremony joined members of the Penawou family and the Akugbene community in prayers and tributes as they celebrated the life of a man whose 104 years spanned more than a century of change in the region.
The funeral rites subsequently concluded with mourners bidding farewell to Penawou and commending the family for celebrating his long life and enduring relationships.
The deceased’s passing marks the end of a 104-year journey and the loss of a patriarch whose family has remained connected to political, business and community circles across the Niger Delta.
