The Amanyanabo and Supreme Monarch of Kirike Kingdom, Okrika, in Rivers State, HRH King (Air Commodore) T.E.O. Ogube (Rtd) JP, has hailed Chief Dr. Wellington O. Okirika (CON), the Bolowei of ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, for the roles the elder statesman played "as a leading catalyst behind the institutionalisation of the 13% Derivation Principle", an act the traditional ruler said placed the founder of Host Communities (HOSCON) as "a foremost architect of Nigeria’s contemporary resource justice narrative".

The Amanyanabo, who is also revered by the titles Ogube I, Perekune Kingoli I, Opuda I, Opu-Ambura I, and Opu-Chuukuu I, gave the commendation in a congratulatory message to Chief Okirika on the 83rd birthday and book launch.

The message reads in part: "It is with deep scholarly admiration and nationalistic reverence that I extend heartfelt congratulations to Chief (Dr.) Wellington O. Okirika (CON)—a foremost architect of Nigeria’s contemporary resource justice narrative—on the epochal occasion of his 86th birthday and the launch of his biography, appropriately titled 'Mr. 13% Derivation Fund'.

"This literary milestone is not merely a personal memoir—it is a crucial intellectual resource and historical compendium chronicling the moral audacity and constitutional engagement of a man who irrevocably altered the fiscal architecture of Nigeria’s federalism.

"Indeed, in an era when the asymmetries of resource distribution threatened the foundations of national cohesion, Chief Okirika emerged as a prophetic voice—steadfast, articulate, and fearless in advocating for equity for the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta," the Amanyanabo added.

On the Chief Okirika's biography, His Highness reiterated that “Mr. 13% Derivation Fund, is neither rhetorical flourish nor exaggerated praise. It is an empirical affirmation of Chief Okirika’s role as a leading catalyst behind the institutionalization of the 13% Derivation Principle—a constitutional innovation now embedded in Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria," adding further that "This provision has since become the lifeline for subnational oil economies and a reference point in the global discourse on resource control within federated systems."

According to the traditional ruler, Chief Okirika "As a Founding Father and Pioneer Executive Chairman of DESOPADEC, and visionary founder of HOSCON, Chief Okirika not only advocated for resource justice but also laid the infrastructural and ideological frameworks for its administration. His relentless pursuit of community beneficiation within the oil and gas value chain reflects a nuanced grasp of federal dynamics, fiscal decentralization, and developmental federalism."

The Amanyanabo in his congratulation to Mr. 13% Derivation Fund, further noted that the works of Chief Okirika posed a challenge to both academic and political leaders "to situate governance within the matrix of justice, inclusion, and historical responsibility."

The traditional ruler therefore recommended that "the publication of this book to universities, think-tanks, policy institutions, and civic spaces as required reading" as "It stands as both testimony and template—documenting the trajectory of a statesman whose contributions will echo through the corridors of our national dialogue long after the present generation," he noted.

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