I hail from Adeje, a community on the Warri–Sapele Road in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, and I am proudly the son of the late Chief Patrick Ejomafuvwe Temile, the Ejomafuokpe of Okpe Kingdom. Much of my working life has taken place far from there: in Northern Cyprus and Türkiye, in Abuja, and at the ECOWAS Parliament. Home has a way of staying with you all the same.
A visit to Orerokpe
On 20 November 2023 I visited the Orodje's Palace in Orerokpe, the traditional seat of the Okpe Kingdom. There I was received by His Royal Majesty, Major General Felix Mujakperuo (Rtd), CFR, mni, Orhue I, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom. Before ascending the throne His Majesty served for decades in the Nigerian Army, including in West African peacekeeping, and he chairs the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers.
Pictured above: with His Royal Majesty, Orhue I, at the Orodje's Palace, Orerokpe · 20 November 2023
The letter
That day His Majesty signed a letter of identification. It certifies that I hail from Adeje in Okpe Local Government Area, describes me as a true son of Okpe Kingdom, and recommends me to anyone who might need my services.
Letter of identification, 20 November 2023. The palace's contact details are blurred here; the original is available on request.
I received the letter from a chief of Okpe Kingdom who was part of the meeting.
Receiving the letter at the palace · 20 November 2023
Why it matters to me
Most of the recognition I have received was earned in rooms far from home: from a university, from a diaspora association, from employers. This one is different. It comes from the custodian of the traditions I was born into, and it speaks less to what I have done than to where I belong.
I carry it with gratitude, and as a responsibility. Whatever I build next, through my work, TEMILE101 and, in time, the T.O.E Foundation, I want it to be something Adeje and the wider Okpe Kingdom can be proud of.