Chief (Dr.) Dennis Brutu Otuaro is the custodian of the prominent traditional title of Ibe-Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. Chief Otuaro is also a holder of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Comparative Politics and Development Studies, and the Principal Consultant of Owelle Global Resources, an organisation that focuses on the Logistics and Consultancy sector of the Nigerian business environment. He is also a philanthropist and an activist in the Niger Delta region, who over the years, has been utilizing his academic prowess for the emancipation of the oil-rich, but impoverished region to one of prosperity. Being a silent achiever, Chief Otuaro is no doubt a man who does not only desire the best for himself, but a man of honour who also takes great delight in shouldering the pains of the oppressed, especially those of the impoverished oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta region as he employs his attained knowledge to help break away the cords of neglect and poverty.

➡️ EARLY LIFE
Born in the 1970’s in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Otuaro lost his parents at the very tender age of eight. But even at that young age, he knew he didn’t want to end up like most people who took such a disadvantage as an excuse to wallow in penury. Instead, he resolved nothing was going to stop him from making it in life—not the rigors of the hard life, not the emptiness of being devoid of parental warmth and care, not peer pressure or any other factor. And so, the young Otuaro went through the hard times with grit and determination; he walked through the desert of his dreams for many years, building the very foundation that would propel him to the planes he envisioned for himself.

As he puts it, “Having lost my parents at the age of eight, I started living on my own. When you are surviving at that young age on your own, the situation does not necessarily drive you into criminality, but makes you focus on what you can achieve. It is not like nowadays that everybody gives excuses for criminal acts on hard life or the devil.”

➡️ EDUCATION
Chief Otuaro began the journey to his academic excellence in the city of Warri, Delta State, where he had his primary education. He thereafter attended the Ogbe-Ijoh Grammar School in Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, where he completed his secondary school education.

He got admitted into the Delta State University (DELSU) and pursued a Bachelor Degree (BSc) programme in Political Science, graduating with Second Class Honors in 2005. After the completion of his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mandatory one year programme in Kebbi State, he embarked on a further course of study at the University of Benin, bagging a Master’s Degree in International Relations in 2008.

Apparently a lover of academics, Chief Otuaro would pursue another Master’s Degree in Public Administration at the same university, finishing in 2009. Determined to go the whole hog, he applied for his Doctorate Degree programme at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Comparative Politics and Developmental Studies.

➡️ LEADERSHIP
His leadership traits began to manifest while in the university, as he was involved in student activism, charting ways in which students’ interest would be better served while studying. He held the position of Secretary-General at the Delta State University, Abraka Chapter, between 2002 and 2003, before taking over as the National President, National Union of Izon-Ibe Students (NUIS) Worldwide, serving from 2003 to 2004.

➡️ PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT
Being someone with patriotic fervor, service to fatherland is something Chief Otuaro finds consummate delight and fulfillment in, as it gives him the opportunity to give back to the society and help impact on the lives of the people. With his education and experience, he has brought this to bear in his various engagements of service which cuts across the State’s Government, the Federal Government, other social bodies and international agencies.

Now involved in developmental activism, Chief Otuaro has served as Chief Protocol Officer to the Chairman, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) from 2007 to 2010, a commission created to improve infrastructure in the oil-bearing areas of Delta State, to generate employment, which would potentially ebb and subsequently put to rest the high level of insecurity-related incidents in those parts. Chief Otuaro was also a member of the Delta State Waterways Security Council, as well as Chairman of the sub-committee on security of the Council from 2007 to 2015.

As a stakeholder in the Niger Delta, these experiences gave him the opportunity to help in bridging the communication gap between communities and oil producing companies in the region with the government. Chief Otuaro has been a clarion voice for the provision of infrastructure and restoration of the natural environment of the Niger Delta, given the danger of oil spillage and other activities of multinational oil companies affecting the region’s ecosystem. In 2004, during the regime of late President Umar Yar’adua, he was appointed a member of the Presidential Committee on the Environment on the Niger Delta, which helped the government of the day understand the environmental challenges of the Niger Delta region and proffered possible solutions to them.

According to Chief Otuaro, “We will not stop speaking, we will not stop struggling, and we will not stop fighting, until the oil companies and the governments see the need to take appropriate steps to protect our environment so that our natural life, the ecosystem, is restored because the environment is deteriorating every day.”

Between 2003 and 2004, Chief Otuaro served as a member of the Presidential Council on the Socio-Economic Development of the Coastal States of the Niger Delta, the areas he believes are neglected, but critical to the economic development of not just the region but the country at large. He is also a member of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Fellow Alternative to Dispute Resolution in Africa.

According to Chief Otuaro, “Development is from the coast. In other climes the coastal states are the most developed, but in Nigeria, the wealth is being collected from the coast to the hinterland. Development of the region is critical. When you develop the Niger Delta, it will reflect on the country.”

➡️ EXPERIENCE
A diplomatic liaison with extensive history of collaborating with a wide variety of stakeholder groups on substantial public issues, Chief Otuaro has successfully navigated the political terrain and secured support from divisions and outside stakeholders to ensure successful execution of projects or initiatives.

With a respectable antecedent as a highly organized and creative leader, quite adept on multi-tasking and successfully accomplishing set targets, he has initiated corporate strategies and implementation, set strategic goals and made sure they were measurable and implementable.

With his vast experience leading several academic and social groups, he has garnered an in-depth understanding of managing people and cultivated worthwhile relations with leaders at all levels to develop and maintain support for effective system implementation.

➡️ BUSINESS VENTURE
A man of vision with entrepreneurial savvy, focused and goal-driven, Chief Otuaro has established and successfully runs a few companies while also on the Board of several companies. In 2008, he established the Owelle Global Resources, basically to help increase the profitability of companies by enhancing operational efficiency, a feat the company has successfully sustained for more than the past 12 years, across a wide spectrum of sectors, including MDA’s and SME’s. The company has thrived in the Logistics and Consultancy business terrain, with a string of excellent records in efficient execution of programmes and projects, as well as the provision of support for its subsidiary companies and projects across the country.

According to Chief Otuaro, “In the next five years, Owelle Global Resources hope to focus more on government MDA’s and seek ways and means for collaborations to improve operational efficiency and process optimization. It has been identified that the Civil Service in Nigeria needs an urgent shift in the way things are done. We will be looking at improving service delivery and process re-engineering/automation based on the specific needs of the organization we shall be working with.”

Also an active player in the country’s agricultural sector, one of his companies, Ibuden Tonye Agric. Farm, has been vibrant in the sector, adding value to the economy. Chief Otuaro also manages two security outfits and has other businesses he runs with his wife, Mrs. Ebimoboere Otuaro.

➡️ RECOGNITION
Chief Otuaro has built a solid foundation in political administration required at the highest echelons of political administration. In that vein he was awarded a professional certificate on Leadership Challenge in the Contemporary Workplace in 2014 by PROT Consulting.

Chief Otuaro, on September 10, 2008, was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Ibe Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom at the young age of 30. In his words: “Hard life gave some of us the strength to survive and try to achieve something. In such a situation, people observe, especially when you keep succeeding at what you do. When you are steadfast, the society will see you and will reward you.

“I was conferred a chieftaincy title in my village at a very young age as the ‘Ibe Uyadonwei of Gbaramatu Kingdom’ in Warri South-West. The meaning of the title is ‘patriot of Gbaramatu Kingdom’. It is very challenging, but one thing I believe in is service. My desire is always centered on service to my community, service to my state and service to the government. Over the years, much of the work I have done are in the area of service. It doesn’t have to be all about appointments. I believe the greatest thing that could happen to anybody is having the opportunity to serve the society.”

➡️ THE NIGER DELTA STRUGGLE
Chief Otuaro’s voice, with respect to the struggle of the Niger Delta, is stentorian. The Niger Delta remains a region of underdevelopment, lack of basic infrastructure, environmental degradation stemming from oil spillage, gas flaring and other activities especially by the oil companies operating in the oil rich region, which destroy the ecosystem and foster low quality living among other disadvantages.

According to him, “I am a product of the Niger Delta struggle; I started facing those challenges at a very early age. Since the age of 18, I have been in the struggle. All we are asking for is a fair share. You cannot be producing these resources and stay neglected. The oil accounts for 90 percent of the country’s export. Yet what we see is a kind of coastal case of underdevelopment. Underdevelopment of the Niger Delta is very pronounced. It is something that is notorious. It doesn’t need any investigation. Question is, are we going to remain like that? We will not relent in the struggle to make this place a better place,” he vowed.

➡️ ASPIRATIONS
With diligence, honesty and a belief in God as core values, Chief Otuaro looks ahead to the dawn when the Niger Delta region will be accorded its deserved place in the Nigerian project. He hopes to continue adding value to the business space of improving service delivery, process re-engineering and automation based on the specific needs of different organizations.

In his words, “I have a dream that one day, we will have bridges linking our creeks in the entire oil-rich Niger Delta region; railway stations in the region, good roads, industries, good schools, well equipped hospitals and all good things of life that we are supposed to enjoy as an oil-rich region.”

➡️ FAMILY
Chief Otuaro is married Mrs. Ebimoboere Otuaro, of whom he speaks eloquently of. Indeed, it is a popular saying that behind every successful man there is a woman. Chief Otuaro puts that fact succinctly, when he attributed the successes in his endeavors to his wife.

“My wife, Mrs. Ebimoboere Otuaro, is someone that I see as a mother; kind, dependable, resourceful and more. We were relatively young when we met and at that very young age, when you don’t have parents and you come across a woman that becomes close to you and gives you meaningful advice, nothing can separate you from someone like that. It is by the grace of God that you find a woman like that,” Dr. Otuaro added.

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