Remembering Diepreye Alamieyeseigha

Godfrey Pondei

venerated, adulated, very highly esteemed, and loved. ‘Inye’, he was idolised, bequeathed fond memories that are hitherto unconditionally and eternally engraved in the fleshly tablets of people’s hearts, nearly a decade after he passed to the great beyond.

Yes, despite the fate occasioned by vicissitudes of fortunes, the man, whose message to our generation was encapsulated in a mandate called Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, dually and affectionately addressed as DSP and the Governor-General of the Ijaw Nation, Nigeria’s fourth most populous ethnic nationality.

 Being the pioneer elected governor of Bayelsa State in 1999, he did throw up the inevitability of indicating direction virtually on all fortes, and by default, assuming the place of a model, inadvertently birthed future leaders that have served the state and Nigeria in different capacities.

 DSP squared up to the status of a ‘progenitorial’ leader. This way, the retired soldier became synonymous with the direction and focus that successive administrations should toe, engendering statecraft to benefit the most number of persons, a precursor for many that have come thereafter.

 With multi-faceted legacies in infrastructure and intangible forms and shades, DSP remains a father to past and present leaders of Bayelsa extraction, and indeed in some context, across the Nigerian federation, countless personalities in the bouquet of those who served in divergent capacities during DSP’s 79-month reign as Bayelsa helmsman. In this ilk of leaders was a Deputy Governor who metamorphosed into a president; two executive council members who became governors; and a Special Adviser who became a governor as well.

 Agreeably, DSP has not been limited by the immortality that characterises men, even as he continues to birth generations of leaders unperturbed. Like the French astrologer and physician – Michel de Nostredame – most popular known as Nostradamus, whose predictions were put together in a 1981 documentary-style movie entitled ‘The Man Who Saw Tomorrow,’ DSP was someone who saw tomorrow.

Across geographic bothers, he fought fiercely for the welfare of the Ijaws in Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Edo, Ondo and his native Bayelsa States. It was by dint of this disposition that he most worthily coveted to himself the Governor-General of the Ijaw Nation.

Though the eternal inscription of DSP in the annals of our state and indeed the Nigerian federation was the handiwork of providence, as many would think, his regime was deliberate in dotting the entire spectrum with enduring legacies in education, social services, infrastructure, water and sanitation, human capital development, amongst others. “Accountant-General/Hon. Commissioner of Finance, Approved.

Release funds to enable applicant proceed on studies without delays.” Like one’s undergraduate matriculation number which remains evergreen, the text of this approval which culminated in the release of N3,300,000.00 on Wednesday 9rh February 2005 will remain my token of gratitude, and indeed future generations, to the Governor-General, a gesture which saw me through an advanced degree in one of Central Europe’s oldest universities founded in 1559. One can, without fear of contradiction, liken DSP to Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968): American civil rights leader, who advocated racial equality such that his message of love and justice has continued to inspire social change; Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): 16th US President who led the country through the Civil War, and abolished slavery such that his Gettysburg Address remains a powerful symbol of unity; Winston Churchill (1874-1965): UK Prime Minister during World War II who became identified with leadership and oratory skills such that, till date, his legacy has continued to shape British politics and international relations.

Within the context of the Niger Delta region, DSP became iconic of the struggle for resource control, to the intent that the ijaw man would stand out in the comity of subnational entities within the Nigerian federation. Unperturbed, he upheld this ideal, promulgated the gospel, and led from the fore, akin to Che Guevara (1928-1967): the Argentine Marxist revolutionary, who, till date, symbolises socialist ideals such that his image and ideology inspire social movements worldwide; Vladimir Lenin (1870-1924): Russian revolutionary, who founded the Soviet Union, with his legacy still influencing communist and socialist movements; Mao Zedong (1893-1976): Chinese revolutionary, founding father of the People’s Republic, with his ideology that has continued to shape Chinese politics and economic development; Fidel Castro (1926-2016): Cuban revolutionary, who led the country’s socialist transformation, with his legacies which inspire leftist movements in Latin America; and not the least, and Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969): Vietnamese revolutionary, who led the fight for independence, with his legacy that unified Vietnam and inspires nationalist movements.

 It is common knowledge that naming landmark features after leaders is a common practice worldwide, honoring their legacy and contributions to life. Such features may include Mountains and Peaks; Institutions and Universities; Monuments and Statues; Airports and Bridges; Cities and Towns; Rivers and Lakes. These could include but not limited to Mount Washington (NH, USA) – named after George Washington; Mount Churchill (AK, USA) – named after Winston Churchill; Lake Nasser (Egypt/Sudan) – named after Gamal Abdel Nasser; Gandhi River (India) – named after Mahatma Gandhi; Washington D.C. (USA) – named after George Washington; John F. Kennedy International Airport (NYC, USA); Gandhi Statue (Parliament Square, London); and Harvard’s Kennedy School (MA, USA), just to list a few. Indeed, this practice recognises leaders’ impact, thus preserving their legacy for future generations.

 Like the leaders chronicled in section 5.0 above, DSP’s legacies have remained veritable references, continuing to inspire, educate, and influence the Ijaw nation, nine years after. This is the backdrop against which the Senator Henry Seriake Dickson-led regime graciously named the Banquet Hall after DSP, in a bid to worthily immortalize this doyen. Commendable as this gesture portended, it has, by dint of the enigma’s personality, fallen short of the glory that should, in perpetuity, greet him at his peaceful resting place.

Guided by the foregoing, there is a need therefore for Bayelsa to learn from the myriad of ensamples that abound in according honour to a father and hero who deserves a lot more. Bayelsa could do this by renaming the Bayelsa International Airport after DSP. Beyond the numerous instances referenced earlier, a lot closer ones are the Sam Mbakwe Cargo Airport Owerri and the Godswill Obot Akpabio International Airport, both of which are named after former governors of subnational entities, within southern Nigeria.

 As has been recommended severally, there is the need for the Bayelsa State governor to follow appropriate legislative channels, perhaps through an executive bill, in declaring an annual public holiday state-wide, which aims to commemorate the life and times of DSP, beyond what the former governor’s community (Amassoma) does, thereby bringing to the fore the impactful life that present-day leaders must emulate.

 In addition to the sporadic appointment of members of DSP’s family, Bayelsa State could better immortalise him by dedicating an elective office of national significance such as the Senate or the House of Representatives such that a unanimous nomination is sought from the hero’s family, and consented to, across party lines, and returned unopposed. This way, the Ijaw nation will, once again, have an opportunity to pride themselves as having reciprocated the kind gestures of a leader who lived for them.

It is noteworthy that examples abound of appointment of former political leaders’ family members such as the quadrant experience in the United States of America wherein William Henry Harrison and William Henry Harrison became the 9th and 23rd President respectively, in addition to Carter Harrison who was William’s son and mayor of Chicago. Also worthy of reference is John Adams (2nd President), John Quincy Adams (6th President, John’s son), and Charles Francis Adams (John’s grandson, diplomat). These are in addition to John F. Kennedy (35th President), Robert F. Kennedy (Senator, John’s brother), Ted Kennedy (Senator, John’s brother), and Caroline Kennedy (Ambassador to Japan, John’s daughter); and of course the most recent George H.W. Bush (41st President), George W. Bush (43rd President, George H.W.’s son), and Jeb Bush (Governor of Florida, George H.W.’s son).

Not limited to the North American continent, Asia has had a shared fate of succession. In India, for instance, Jawaharlal Nehru was 1st Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister, Jawaharlal’s daughter), Rajiv Gandhi (Prime Minister, Indira’s son), Rahul Gandhi (MP, Rajiv’s son). Similarly, in Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto (Prime Minister, Zulfikar’s daughter), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (Member of Parliament, Benazir’s son). The scenario is not any different with Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew (1st Prime Minister) and Lee Hsien Loong (Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew’s son).

 Here in Africa, Ghana had Kwame Nkrumah (1st President), Samia Nkrumah (Member of Parliament, Kwame’s daughter), just as in Kenya where Jomo Kenyatta was first President, and Uhuru Kenyatta (President, Jomo’s son), amongst an endless similar fate as evidenced in South Africa.

Bayelsa, being the “Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation, can spearhead the worthy-immortalization of DSP, for other well-intentioned states to follow, particularly now that two illustrious sons are holding sway as governors.

 The ijaw nation and indeed the larger society received the Man and his impactful life as packaged in the gift that he truly was. May DSP’s soul continue to rest in perfect peace.

Godfrey Pondei, a beneficiary of DSP’s foreign scholarship scheme, is a multilingual Associate Professor of International Development with fluency in Izon, Ogoni, Swahili, French and English, and writes from Kpansia-Yenagoa.