Ralph Iwowari

Who is Ralph Iwowari?

Ralph Michael Iwowari, or Mein VII, is the Amanyanabo, or traditional ruler of Nembe-Bassambiri, one of the sections of the Nembe Kingdom in Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

In July 1973, Ralph Iwowari was aide-de-camp to the military Governor of Rivers State, Naval Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff. He became furious with a journalist who published a critical article on the governor's birthday, and ordered him to be given 24 strokes of the cane and to have his head shaved with an old blade.

Violence is endemic in the region, in part due to problems caused by oil exploitation and in part due to traditional rivalries. In August 2003 Iwowari, chairman of Bayelsa State's council of traditional rulers, met with the state Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who noted that it had become necessary for traditional rulers to initiate vigilante groups to combat piracy in the creeks and rivers of the Niger Delta. In 2003/2004 Nembe Bassambiri was involved in fighting with a rival community in which many homes were destroyed, people were killed and others fled and went into hiding.