Senate urges FG to immortalise Dokpesi

The Senate on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government to immortalise the late Founder of DAAR Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

The resolutions were sequel to a Point of Order raised by Sen. Francis Alimikhena (PDP-Edo) at plenary.

Alimikhena while reading Dokpesi’s profile, said that he was born on Oct. 25, 1951 in Ibadan, Oyo.

“Late Dokpesi hailed from Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo,” he said.

The lawmaker further said that the late Dokpesi’s first business, Africa Ocean Lines, was the first indigenous shipping line in Africa and was established in the 1980s.

“Although the business did not last long, it contributed to the Nigerian Shipping Industry.

“It helped to formulate the Nigerian Shipping Act Decree 1986, which stated the sharing formula of 40:20:20 for cargo between developed and developing countries.

“In the early 1990s when Nigerian media was dominated by the government media only, he entered the Nigerian mass media industry with his company, DAAR Communications.

“He established the first independent radio station; Ray Power FM in 1993 and the first global satellite Television Station; Africa Independent Television (AIT) in Nigeria in 1996,” he said.

Other senators took turns eulogising the late Dokpesi.

Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe (APGA-Abia) described him as a trail blazer who pioneered private radio and television stations in the country.

“For that, we must at all times always remember the late Dokpesi as the man that stood forward for Nigeria and gave us one of the key ingredient of democracy which is freedom of information.

“I say good night because good men are very rare. May God accept his soul.”

Similarly, Sen. Smart Adeyemi (APC-Kogi) said that “AIT irrespective of how you look at it, is a balancing force in the media.

“He was a man that this country will miss greatly. Dokpesi contributed in no small measure to the growth of broadcast journalism in Nigeria.

“The departure of Dokpesi is a great loss to the media,” Adeyemi said.

For Sen. Biodun Olujimi (PDP-Ekiti), the late media mogul was a jinx breaker.

“He broke the jinx when he brought the African Ocean Lines and also broke the jinx when he brought DAAR Communications

“He was a true democrat. A great believer in the ingenuity of human beings to recreate themselves.

“He wanted Nigeria to be a country where everybody will have first class in what he was doing.”

Olujimi also said that the late Dokpesi was a backbone of so many individuals and governments.

“Dokpesi was a very useful part of my party, the PDP, where he played major roles in uniting the party.”

A minute silence was observed in honour of the late Dokpesi and was led by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege who presided over plenary.