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In Nigeria’s oil heartland, Olori Atuwatse III sees a different resource
🇪🇬 Egypt /Culture & Society

In Nigeria’s oil heartland, Olori Atuwatse III sees a different resource

From Egypt Independent · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Queen consort Olori Atuwatse III of the Warri Kingdom in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta focuses on human capital development, contrasting with the region's "resource curse."
  • She leads initiatives through the Royal Iwere Foundation, emphasizing education, empowerment, and the environment, including a 150-million-naira loan facility for women entrepreneurs.
  • Her vision centers on building people to build communities, drawing from personal experiences, including postpartum anxiety, to shape her leadership philosophy.

In Nigeria's oil heartland, the Warri Kingdom's queen consort, Olori Atuwatse III, is championing a different kind of resource: its people. Situated in the Niger Delta, a region known for petroleum wealth that fuels a significant portion of Africa's economy, many communities suffer from a "resource curse," lacking basic infrastructure and services. Olori Atuwatse III described this as a situation where "everything is taken out, but nothing is developed."

The kingdom sadly suffers from what I call the resource curse. Everything is taken out, but nothing is developed.

— Olori Atuwatse IIIDescribing the economic challenges in the Niger Delta region.

Since her husband, Ogiame Atuwatse III, ascended the throne as the 21st Olu of Warri in 2021, the royal couple established the Office of the Olori. This platform empowers the queen to lead development initiatives focused on women, children, and education. "What I felt was weight. What I felt was responsibility … a responsibility to use this platform of privilege to serve," she told CNN, rejecting any notion of glamour associated with her role.

I didn’t embrace it with glamour. What I felt was weight. What I felt was responsibility … a responsibility to use this platform of privilege to serve.

— Olori Atuwatse IIIOn her approach to her role as queen consort.

The Royal Iwere Foundation, founded in 2021, operates on three pillars: education, empowerment, and the environment. Its programs span STEM education, environmental projects, and entrepreneurship initiatives designed to help women build sustainable businesses. The foundation also launched a 150-million-naira loan facility, approximately $110,000, to support women entrepreneurs. "Everything really is centered around human capital development," Olori Atuwatse III stated.

Everything really is centered around human capital development.

— Olori Atuwatse IIIStating the core focus of the Royal Iwere Foundation's initiatives.

Her philosophy extends beyond business development, emphasizing a shift in mindset. "To really change anything, we must first change how we think, not just what we think," she explained. This approach is informed by her personal journey, including her experience with postpartum anxiety, which she described as a "mental breakthrough" that reshaped her understanding of purpose and leadership. This perspective now guides her work in youth development and women's empowerment, extending even beyond the Warri Kingdom through initiatives like the Elevate Africa Fellowship.

Our biggest resource is our human resource. My vision, my hope is to build our people so that they can build our communities.

— Olori Atuwatse IIIExpressing her vision for community development.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Egypt Independent. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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