By Jerry Needam
On Sunday, January 18, 2026 at Gwara, Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State, history was firmly written as Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah, DSSRS, brought to a close his tenure as President of KAGOTE — not amid controversy or crisis, but with peace, honour, and unmistakable accomplishment.
In an era where leadership exits are often chaotic, his departure stands as a powerful statement: true leadership is defined not by how long one holds office, but by how well one serves and how honourably one exits.
Rt. Hon. Deeyah’s leadership was forged in conviction and refined by experience.
Long before his presidency at KAGOTE, he had become a frontline participant in the struggle for the emancipation of the Ogoni people — a struggle rooted in justice, environmental restoration, and human dignity.
That commitment did not waver during his tenure; rather, it shaped his leadership philosophy and moral compass.
A former Member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, former Member of the Federal House of Representatives, and former Commissioner in the Rivers State Government, Deeyah brought rare institutional depth and political maturity to KAGOTE.
These were not ceremonial credentials; they translated into decisive leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex community and political landscapes with clarity and restraint.
Under his watch, KAGOTE did not drift — it advanced.
His presidency was marked by unity, stability, and pragmatic progress, achieved through dialogue rather than division, persuasion rather than pressure.
He demonstrated that firmness and humility are not opposites, but partners in effective leadership.
Equally defining was his unshakeable commitment to compassion.
Rt. Hon. Deeyah’s leadership was not confined to meetings and resolutions; it reached directly into the lives of the vulnerable.
His sustained charitable interventions, culminating in December with outreach to hundreds of beneficiaries in the true spirit of Christmas, underscored a leadership rooted in empathy and social responsibility.
What elevates his legacy further is the discipline and statesmanship with which he exited office, at the end of his tenure.
There was no bitterness, no desperation, and no attempt to manipulate succession.
He left KAGOTE stronger than he met it — united, respected, and institutionally stable.
That, in itself, is leadership of the highest order.
Today, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Nwiika Deeyah continues his service in a role of national consequence as Chairman of the Governing Council of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP).
This appointment is not accidental; it is the logical continuation of a lifelong commitment to the environmental and economic restoration of Ogoniland.
KAGOTE moves forward, but history will record that under Deeyah’s stewardship, leadership was peaceful, purposeful, and productive.
His tenure sets a standard that will be difficult to ignore and even harder to surpass.
This was not merely the end of a tenure.
It was the assertion of what leadership ought to be.
Jerry Needam is a Journalist based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
