Dumo Lulu-Briggs, lawyer and top businessman and philanthropist in the Niger Delta, has unveiled some of those he helped years back who have now bounced back to help others.
Dumo (as he is more known) did the unveiling on the International Youth Day (August 12, 2025) in Port Harcourt where some of his beneficiaries in the past showcased over 100 persons they too have helped.
Dumo said it was a thing of joy that some indigent students who were helped to graduate years back have bounced back to become givers, helping people out of dire straits.
Dumo of the famous Lulu-Briggs family was onetime CEO of Moni Pulo Petroleum Development Company, now Chairman of Platform Petroleum Limited, and head of DLB Marine Limited as well as Bluewave’s Marine and Construction Company Limited.
Speaking at the unveiling, Dumo revealed how his past philanthropic adventures have overtaken him in multiple folds. He said: “Yesterday, a young man came to my home and reminded me of something I had completely forgotten, an act of kindness from years ago. He told me how, as a struggling 200-level law student and an orphan, I paid his school fees during a meeting at The Autograph. That was all I did, or so I thought.
“But to him, it was a turning point. Today he is Cyrus Onu, Esq., a practising lawyer, leading ‘Haven360 Foundation’, a growing initiative that offers free legal representation to innocent persons unjustly incarcerated.
“The foundation now has up to one 1000 volunteers across five states and his team has already helped over 76 persons regain freedom, with rehabilitation and resettlement support. And now, as they approach their 100th success story, he has dedicated it in my honour.”
He said he could not remember the incident where he helped the young lawyer which to him is a great point. “Philanthropy is not about keeping score; it is a lifestyle. But what truly inspires me is this: he did not stop at being a beneficiary. He chose to become a benefactor. He took one seed and planted an entire field.
“I have been named Patron of ‘Haven360 Foundation’, not because I oversee its daily operations, but because my example has inspired a spirit of selflessness, empowering others to become the change they once needed. It is a profoundly humbling honour, and to me, this is the very essence of true leadership.”
He urged young people to take this as their challenge: “No one will hand you the future. You must take it, not by force, but by making the right decisions today. You must decide to be the best of us, working for the rest of us. Do not let the pessimism of your intellect trump the optimism of your will.”
He went on: “Our world rewards those who create solutions. Remember, the whole exuberance of the American economy is built on three inventions, the microchip, the computer, and the Internet. Nations rise when the right minds are put to work.
“So, rise, build, innovate, and lead. And when success finds you, do not merely enjoy it; multiply it in the lives of others. Your background does not mean your back must remain on the ground.”
On the International Youth Day, he called on young persons to take responsibility for their future, to invent, to lead, and to give back. “Let your success lift others, for the world needs not just your labour, but your mind and your mercy. I believe in you. Now, believe in yourself.”
Earlier in his remarks, the young lawyer recounted the encounter while a student facing eviction from examinations at the state university. He recounted how Dumo’s financial package helped him back to his exams and then to Law School.
Now, he said, he has resolved to take it from where Dumo met him to another level by helping people who are also in need of legal services.
