Ibori, Sylva mourn Alamieyeseigha

Ibori

FORMER Governors James Onanefe Ibori and Timipre Sylva of Delta and Bayelsa states respectively have mourned their former colleague, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha who ran the Ijaw state.

Alamieyeseigha died on Saturday in Port Harcourt.

Ibori, in a statement yesterday the news came to him with great shock, though the man had been battling with ailment.

He noted that the deceased had been hunted here and there by forces motivated by crass politics and personal vendetta, adding that the late politician had looked as if he would be able to rise above the persecution and allow peace to prevail in his life. Unfortunately, said Ibori in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Tony Eluemunor, “on Saturday 9th October 2015, Chief Alamieyesiegha went the way of all mortals.”

Alamieyesiegha was pardoned by former President Goodluck Jonathan following his conviction for graft.

“Alamieyesiegha was my friend, brother, and co-fighter on the Resource Control and fiscal federalism front. We were not just colleagues in the Governors Forum from 1999, in the man I found a boundless and dependable warrior in the battle for the cause of the Niger Delta. He was fearless, forthright, outspoken and dedicated his life to the causes he believed would benefit his people.

“In fact, he was consumed by the cause of the Ijaw people, the degradation of their environment and collective psyche. He was in a hurry to see that the injustice under which they laboured be redressed; and he was ready to bear any pain, pay any price, to see that their day of liberation arrived fast.”

To sylva, Alamieyeseigha’s departure as a huge loss to the state and the country at a time his contributions to democracy were greatly needed.

Sylva said Alamieyeseigha was a mature and conscientious politician whose experience was critical in the efforts to nurture the democracy he had helped to build.

In a statement in Abuja, Sylva said: “The news of the death of Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was a very bad shock to me. I share the grief of his family and friends.

“Chief Alamieyeseigha was an illustrious member of the political class and a political father with whom I shared common interest in the development of Bayelsa State and the Ijaw nation.

“He was a mature politician, a lover of his people, and a reliable community leader who made sacrifices for the Ijaw nation, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria, generally.

“Alamieyeseigha was a pillar of democracy, and he set the tone for the Fourth Republic democracy in Bayelsa State. He has painfully died at a time when his hindsight and foresight were greatly needed in the march of progress in the politics of Bayelsa State and Nigeria.

“We mourn the passing of his wise counsel, simple lifestyle, and moderate views. We mourn for the loss of his experience and political sagacity, which had, no doubt, helped to maintain the stability needed to grow our democracy.

“Alamieyeseigha will be missed by all the people of Bayelsa State, the Ijaw nation, and Nigeria, in general.

“But we take solace in the foundations he has laid. His memory will continue to be an inspiration to all of us who knew him,” Sylva said.