Bayelsa Govt To Give Alamieyeseigha Solemn But Heroic Burial

BEVERLY HILLS, April 07, (THEWILL) – The Bayelsa State Government has promised to give a solemn but heroic state burial to the deceased former governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, stressing that Governor Seriake Dickson had put in place all things within his powers to accord the first civilian governor of the state a befitting burial beginning from Thursday.

A former Commissioner for Information in the state, who now heads the Publicity Sub-Committee of the burial committee, Esueme Dan-Kikile, disclosed on Wednesday that Alamieyeseigha would get a state burial befitting of a hero of Ijaw nation.

According to him, “It is not that government will not be happy to bury him there (Ijaw Heroes Park) but we are also taking into consideration the interest of the family and the community.

“It was in the course of this that the state governor set up the burial committee to be headed by the Deputy Governor of the state, John Jonah, to oversee preparation, planning and logistics for the state burial of Alamieyeseigha.

“We have been working and since November 2015, we are expecting a befitting burial, a wonderful crowd at all the venues that activities will take place.

“We are not only having the burial alone, we are also going to have some intellectual activities. We are having a lecture on 'Federalism and developments in Nigeria', to be delivered by Prof. G.G Darah, who is one of the finest scholars from this part of the country.

“There is also a night of tributes and we are expecting dignitaries from all over the country who will come and pay their last respects to him in comments, speeches, songs, poems, poetry and many others.”

Dan-Kikile said the state government had made sure that all necessary logistics were put in place to have a successful burial, stressing that the burial was not just for the Bayelsa Government but for all Nigerians.

Noting that Alamieyeseigha meant so much to Bayelsans as he was a leader of both the leaders and the commoners, he maintained that Alamieyeseigha, who during his heyday, was described as the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation, was passionate about Bayelsa, the Ijaw nation and Nigeria.

His words, “He had his own human failings but he was undoubtedly committed to the development of this part of the country, particularly the Niger Delta region.

“He stood for those things that are in accord to the development of the region and so the state government is not only putting in place the best thing in place to make sure he gets a befitting burial but also a successful one.”