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Late Senator Nosike Ikpo.

Former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori said he was saddened by the passing of Obi (Senator) Nosike Ikpo, a Delta state leading light.

Ibori said, in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, that Ikpo stood out early in life, as the best pupil in standard six certificate examination at St Thomas Practicing School, Ibusa. With his GCE O and A levels obtained as a private candidate, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) employed him in I950 at Offa, as a Plant Boy.

There, Ikpo began to contribute articles to the West African Pilot newspapers and he became an under Secretary and later Secretary of the then Ibusa Union in I95I. He resigned in I954 for politics, and became Organizing Secretary of the NCNC. He left the NCNC in I958 for the Action Group, becoming the Asaba Divisional Organizing Secretary.

In 1961 Ikpo became Mid-West regional Principal Administrative Secretary of the AG and was a Defence Witness during the Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s famous treasonable felony trial.

Professionally, he was also between I964 and the early I970s the Midwest sales representative of Longmans Nigeria Plc, covering Ondo Province.

Ikpo was a two-time Senator; for the UPN in 1979 and was re-elected as a National Party of Nigeria (NPN) member in 1983.

Ibori said that “Ikpo will be remembered as a trail-blazer, a leader of Izu Anioma and a father figure in Delta state” and sent his condolences to Ikpo’s family, Delta state.