We Mourn the Death of Our World Elders Forum Member – His Royal Majesty King Okpoitari Diongoli
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of His Royal Majesty King Okpoitari Diongoli, Opokun IV, Ibedaowei of Opokuma, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
His Royal Majesty King Okpoitari Diongoli was a pioneer member of our newly inaugurated World Elders Forum. King Diongoli actively participated in our 5thAnnual International Conference on Ethnic and Religious Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding held at Queens College, City University of New York, from October 30 to November 1, 2018. Unfortunately we learned that he died on November 21, 2018 shortly after his return to Nigeria.
Throughout our three-day conference, King Okpoitari Diongoli emphasized a need for global peace, love, unity in diversity, mutual respect and dignity for all. The video clip above, recorded on November 1, 2018 during a small session of the conference, highlights his strong desire for and commitment to a more peaceful world. In this speech, which was his last speech at the conference, King Diongoli cries out against the destruction of our world and invites all to see one humanity in all human beings irrespective of our differences.
Announcing King Diongoli’s death to ICERM, His Royal Majesty King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom of Nigeria who is the Interim Chair of the World Elders Forum said: “throughout our stay in the U.S., King Diongoli never showed any signs of ill health. King Diongoli’s death is a big loss. We had concluded plans on how to help empower traditional rulers and indigenous leaders to continue to serve as custodians of peace at the grassroots levels. As our World Elders Forum member, we wanted to work together to prevent the destruction of our environment and exclusion from access to the abundant oil and gas resources that are usually found in the backyards of indigenous peoples all over the world.”
As we mourn the death of His Royal Majesty King Okpoitari Diongoli, we strongly resolve to continue to fight for ethno-religious peace and the rights of indigenous peoples globally.
