Ijaw youths in Niger Delta on the platform of Delta Ijaw Youths Assembly ,DIYA, have called on the people of the Niger Delta Region not to be weighed down by the death of former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha, but to rekindle the resource control struggle he was known for.
This came as a People’s Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirant in Delta State, in 2007, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, lamented the demise of former Bayelsa Governor, Chief Alamieyesiegha, saying Nigeria in general and Niger Delta region in particular, had lost a gem.
DIYA in a statement by three of its leaders, Ebimobowei Oguma, (President), . Gbaboyo Wurus (Secretary) ,and Vincent Nadifa, (Publicity Secretary), said the death of Chief Alamieseyeigha was not an end to the struggle, but would rekindle the spirit for the development of the long neglected region which he believed in by bringing development to areas where nobody taught development would be possible.
According to the group, “Alamieseyeigha who was often referred to as the Governor General of Ijaw nation, was a political colossus whose development impact would remain indelible in the region. He would be remembered for his patriotic zeal towards the development of the Niger Delta which was unparalleled despite been hounded by the Nigerian state for his stand on resource control.”
While calling on all Ijaws to obey the instruction by the Ijaw National Congress, INC, for seven days mourning for Alamieseyeigha, DIYA said he was an agitator in his own right for the Niger Delta development.
Similarly, Onuesoke in a statement at AMMASOMA, Bayelsa State, during a condolence visit to the family of Alamieyesiegha, said the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, was a close friend of Alamieyesiegha, noting that they were in the forefront of the struggle for resource control in Niger-Delta region.
He expressed sadness over the death, describing it as a tragedy and commiserated with his widow, Mrs. Margaret Alamieyeseigha, the children, other members of the family, Governor Seriake Dickson, the Ijaw kingdom and the people of Bayelsa State, and prayed God to give them the fortitude to bear this great loss.
Onuesoke described the demise of Alamieyeseigha as the loss of a political colossus, not only to the people of Bayelsa States, but to the Niger Delta region and Nigeria.
He added that “the sudden death of DSP Alamieyeseigha has robbed the Niger Delta region of a committed and dedicated indigene, who was always in the forefront of the struggle for the emancipation and development of the Niger Delta region.
