The death of Mr Oronto Douglas came as a rude shock to many who knew him as a great Ijaw leader that he was. For many who are not so conversant with him, here is all you need to know:
1) While he was alive, he was the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Research, Documentation and Strategy’. He was also a very good friend and confidant to the president.
2) He had since been battling with a cancer-related illness for some years now.
3) During his lifetime, he was an avid environmental activist on behalf of the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.
4) Douglas aged 49 at the time of his passing, died at the State House Clinic in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, 9th April, 2015.
5) He served as one of the lawyers on the defense team for the Ogoni leader Ken Saro Wiwa, who was executed by Nigeria’s military rulers in 1995.
6) He was once a commissioner for information in Bayelsa State. He also served as a delegate for the state at the 2005 National Political Reform Conference organised by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
7) In 2013, his sister, Mrs. Augusta Douglas-Anyiam was abducted by members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) but she was subsequently released after a ransom was paid.
8) According to his Facebook page, He was the first Niger Delta activist to be hosted by a serving American President – he presented the Niger-Delta struggle at the White House to President Bill Clinton.
9) An avid writer, Douglas has been named among the 20 most influential writers, thinkers, and activists in the world.
10) He is survived by his wife and his two sons.
Source: Stargist
