By Tony Nwankwo

Ijaws have mourned the passage of one of the foremost educationists in the history of the Niger Delta, the late Chief Mercy Alagoa.

In a tribute by Mr Joseph Evah on behalf of Ijaw Monitoring Group, IMG, they said that with the death of Madam Alagoa, the Niger Delta has lost an outstanding patriotic mother of the people and created a vacuum that will hardly be filled.

“Niger Delta has lost our own Madam Funmilayo Ransome–Kuti of the Yoruba race, a fearless public commentator and an encyclopaedia of events around the world. She was one of the few educated Niger Delta women of the post colonial era with a fair share of public exposure especially in the area of politics and business management.

“We thank God that Mama lived to the grand old age of 89 years and committed her entire life to the advancement of education in Ijawland and beyond.”