Niger Delta Icons, Diri, Ibori, Ebie, others eulogize late leader

Stanley Ihedigbo

Prominent Niger Delta leaders, including Senator Douye Diri, Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, former Governor of Delta State, and Chiedu Ebie Esq, Chairman, Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, among others, graced the 10th memorial anniversary of the late first Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Dipreye Alamieyeseigha, in Yenogoa, the state capital.

After the memorial anniversary, which was held at Bayelsa state Government House with the theme, “In the Niger Delta voice, through Nigeria soul; Federalism, resource control, and the contemporary Nigerian State in the D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha Legacy”, the leaders retreated to the late governor’s country home, where they held a brief prayer session at his graveside.

Besides Chief Ibori and Ebie, another notable Niger Delta leader who attended the event was former governor of the old Rivers state, His Royal Majesty (HRM) King Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff.

Recall that as Governors, Ibori and Alamieyeseigha, together with their foot soldiers, including Ebie, were at the forefront of the struggle for resource control and emancipation of the Niger Delta from poverty and underdevelopment, a struggle that would birth the NDDC and, recently, the South-South Development Commission (SSDC).