The Delta State Executive Council has formally approved the appointment of His Royal Majesty, Goodnews Goodman Agbi, PhD, Athuaro I, as the Ovie of Oyede Kingdom in Isoko North Local Government Area, bringing official state recognition to a historic royal transition that has transformed the traditional leadership structure of the kingdom.
The approval was announced by the Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, while briefing journalists after the Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Friday, July 3, 2026.
The decision effectively validates the emergence of HRM Agbi, who was crowned the first Ovie of Oyede Kingdom in April 2026, after the community abandoned its centuries-old Odiologbo system of leadership in favour of a structured hereditary monarchy.
The coronation marked one of the most significant moments in the history of Oyede Kingdom, as the community ushered in its first traditional ruler under the newly established Ovieship institution.
Located in Isoko North Local Government Area and bordered on all sides by the neighbouring communities of Irri, Aviara, Ada-Irri and Idheze-Irri in Isoko South Local Government Area, Oyede had, for generations, operated the Odiologbo system under which the oldest man in the community automatically became the traditional head.
That tradition came to an end following the death of the last Odiologbo in 2025, paving the way for the implementation of the Ovieship system already approved and gazetted by the Delta State Government in 2020.
Under the new arrangement, the royal stool rotates among three recognised ruling houses—Athuaro, Okro and Omogbe.
HRM Goodnews Goodman Agbi, PhD, Athuaro I, from the Athuaro Royal Family, emerged through a unanimous endorsement by the kingdom’s nine kingmakers representing the three ruling houses.
The 66-year-old traditional ruler combines decades of professional, academic and public service experience.
He holds degrees in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Business Administration and Civil Geotechnics, as well as a PhD in Monetary Economics.
He is also pursuing another doctoral degree in Structural Engineering and is a fellow of several professional engineering bodies in Nigeria.
Friday’s approval by the Delta State Executive Council now completes the legal and administrative process establishing HRM Goodnews Goodman Agbi, PhD, Athuaro I, as the recognised Ovie of Oyede Kingdom, cementing a historic transition that has replaced the kingdom’s centuries-old Odiologbo leadership system with a modern rotational monarchy.
