The Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) has rejected claims that it appropriated the name of the Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit (NDEIS).
In a statement issued on Saturday, NDCCITMA said it obtained a trademark acceptance letter for the name before Kenule Nwiya Junior, an event promoter and founder of same-named summit, allegedly filed the application.
The chamber said it applied for and received a trademark acceptance letter for “Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit” in August 2025 under file no. NG/TM/O/2025/387284.
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NDCCITMA said the process was completed before Nwiya’s application, which it said was still pending before the relevant authorities in September 2025.
The chamber said it would not succumb to what it described as “cheap blackmail” over the use of the summit’s name.
“NDCCITMA therefore rejects any suggestion that it copied, appropriated or relied upon another party’s pending application in adopting the name and developing the Summit,” the statement said.
The dispute over the summit’s name has been ongoing for months, with Nwiya and his company, Ken-Eva Consult Ltd, accusing the chamber of infringing on their trademark.
Nwiya has said he originated the summit initiative and that the name was registered in 2023. He also said the summit was publicly unveiled in 2024 and that an earlier edition was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers capital city, in November 2024.
NDCCITMA, however, maintained that “economic summit” is a generic expression widely used for platforms through which governments, investors, businesses and other stakeholders discuss economic policies, investment and development.
The chamber said the use of the expression did not, by itself, confer exclusive ownership of the concept on an individual or organisation.
NDCCITMA added that the dispute is already before the courts, with September 22 fixed for further hearing in suit No. FHC/PHC/CS/57/2026 at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.
According to NDCCITMA, Stephen Dalyop Pam, the presiding judge, had granted an interim injunction restraining Nwiya and Ken-Eva Consult Ltd from further interfering with its planned summit.
NDCCITMA said there was therefore no court order stopping its planned summit, scheduled for September 15 to 17 at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre in Port Harcourt.
“There is, therefore, no court order stopping the Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit scheduled for September 15 – 17, 2026. NDCCITMA considers any attempt to create the contrary impression through media publications or other channels to be misleading and an attempt to interfere with the lawful activities of the Chamber,” the statement reads.
However, the latest development in the legal dispute came on Friday, when the federal high court in Abuja ordered parties to maintain the status quo pending determination of the matter.
Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu, the presiding judge, directed the parties to respect the authority of the court while pursuing the dispute through the appropriate legal channels.
The Abuja order followed an application by Nwiya, who asked the court to halt preparations for the event being organised under the disputed name.
His lawyers argued that allowing the summit to proceed before the dispute was resolved could create a situation that would be difficult to reverse.
NDCCITMA, in its Saturday statement, also alleged that Nwiya had demanded N500 million as a condition for abandoning his claim. The chamber said it rejected the demand.
The chamber said it would allow the courts and relevant authorities to determine the outstanding issues while continuing with its mandate of promoting commerce, industry, trade, agriculture, investment and sustainable economic development in the Niger Delta.
NDCCITMA said the 2026 summit would be held under the theme, “Driving Investment, Innovation & Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta”.
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