Another brother, Dr. Melford Graham-Douglas, was the first African surgeon under the British Technical Assistance Scheme and a fellow of several prestigious medical institutions.
He was the first registrar of the Nigerian Medical Council, a founding member of the University of Lagos,and played a key role in developing healthcare infrastructure in Rivers State.
His grandfather, Chief Orubibi Douglas, was one of the founding fathers of Abonnema, playing a significant role in the town's early development.
In this role, he completed the Alfred Diete-Spiff Civic Centre, founded the Sports Institute of Isaka and initiated construction of the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt.
[8] In 1989, the military government of Ibrahim Babangida appointed him Federal Minister for Social Development, Youths and Sports.
[5] Several years later, in November 2003, a judicial commission of inquiry into management of BiafraNigeria Airways between 1983 and 1999 issued a report that indicted Graham-Douglas and others for mismanagement and decisions that led to huge losses.
[9] In 1992, Graham-Douglas became chairman of the Southern Minorities Movement, one of the groups that eventually merged into the People's Democratic Party (PDP).
[18] In January 2007, following the PDP primaries in Rivers State in which Riverine candidates performed poorly compared to Uplanders, the Ijaw Consultative Assembly which Graham-Douglas had founded launched an attack on Ijaws who had served in Odili's government, apparently in a move to reverse the selection of Rotimi Amaechi as PDP candidate for governor.
[22] Talking of the Niger delta crisis in an interview in October 2009, Graham-Douglas blamed the problems in part on the elections of 2003 when the boys were given arms and used to disrupt the polls.
[23] He was among leaders who that month protested the poor performance and lack of activity of the Ministry of Niger Delta.