Olu of Warri Honours UTM CEO, Julius Rone with Royal Order of Iwere Award

*Oborevwori canvasses peace in Delta kingdoms

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III, at the weekend honoured the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UTM Offshore Ltd, Dr. Julius Rone, owners of Nigeria’s first indigenous Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG), with the inaugural Royal Order of Iwere Distinguished Award.
The UTM boss was honoured alongside other accomplished Itsekiri personalities in a grand ceremony held at Aghofen, the Palace of the king to celebrate the 3rd coronation anniversary of the monarch.

The Royal Iwere Society is devoted to fostering a culture of performance and excellence by honouring outstanding Itsekiri individuals who have made exceptional and significant strides in their respective fields, a statement said yesterday.
In conferring the award, the Olu of Warri commended Rone for his exceptional achievements which have deeply resonated with the Itsekiri Kingdom, setting exemplary standards for future generation and fostering a pioneering spirit that fortifies the cultural and economic fabric of the Warri Kingdom.
The monarch further stated that Rone’s dedication and impact had not only elevated his personal stature but also contributed to the overall enrichment of the Warri Kingdom and beyond.

Speaking after receiving the royal honour, a highly elated Rone expressed  appreciation to the Olu of Warri while describing the Royal Iwere Society Award as his most cherished conferment and restating his unalloyed loyalty and support to the monarch.
“I Thank God for the great honour done to me today by the most respected and most revered monarch in the world, the Olu of Warri. I have been honoured around the world but this is the best award I have received. I want to assure you and pledge my unreserved loyalty to you and promise that we will support you to take Warri to where you want to take it to.

“I am filled with joy in my heart because I am a palace boy. My father has served four monarchs in this Warri kingdom. So, for me to be honoured today shows that charity begins at home,” he said.
The UTM boss stressed that the reign of His Majesty has blessings and prosperity leading to achievement of outstanding feats in various fields by Itsekiri sons and daughters including his pioneering role in establishing the Nigeria’s first indigenous FLNG company.

“I believe that the blessing that Itsekiri sons and daughters will receive under your reign will be unprecedented. Your son is developing the first Nigerian FLNG, the first black man to develop a floating LNG,” Rone stated.
When completed the UTM FLNG is expected to produce 2.8 million metric tonnes of natural gas, 450 metric tonnes of LPG and other liquids per annum for export and domestic consumption.

This is expected to leapfrog the national economy by ensuring availability of gas at lower cost as well as generate massive employment and multi-million naira business opportunities for Nigerians, he said.
Others dignitaries honoured with the Royal Iwere Society Award were: The Publisher of the Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka and Nigeria’s representative on the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and member executive committee of Confederation of African Football (CAF), Mr Amaju Pinnick.
Also honoured were: Felix Ogbe, Mr. Ade Mabo, Mr Alfred Temile, Dr Ajoritsedere Awosika, Eworitsewarami Justin Wilbert and Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan.

Also yesterday, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori appealed to all kings in the state to ensure that their domains are peaceful, noting that peaceful kingdoms and peaceful communities would generally translate to a conducive state for socio-economic activities to thrive.
The governor made the appeal at the third coronation anniversary thanksgiving of the Olu of Warri.
Oborevwori, represented at the thanksgiving service which took place at the Olu’s Palace, Warri, by his Deputy, Monday Onyeme, noted that Delta needs peace to attract investors to the state.

“Delta will be generally peaceful and as Deltans, if we have ensured peaceful kingdoms and communities, investors will come to our state in their large numbers and with such, all of us will reap the benefits of good governance,” the governor said.
The governor solicited continued support of the throne and other thrones in the state for his government.
In his remarks, Rev. Chris Akperi of the Foursquare Gospel Church, urged the people to be united, speak with one voice, love the king just as the king loves God, and as well hate evil.
He observed that evil takes a people backwards and urged the people to embrace doing good, show love to one another, and respect those in authority.