Adieu Alamieyeseigha

The remains of the first civilian
Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief
Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha would be laid to rest tomorrow in his home town, Amassoma, leaving a yawning gap in the leadership of the marginalised Izon nation and Niger Delta region.
As expected, dignitaries from all over Nigeria and the diaspora would be there to bid the departed Izon leader and patriot farewell. The death of Alamieyeseigha was announced to have happened on October 15, 2015 in course of a brief illness. He had a life of mixed fortunes on his path to becoming one of the most celebrated leaders of the Izon nation and the Niger Delta region in recent times.
Elected the first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State in 1999, Alamieyeseigha was an Air force officer and later General Manager of the defunct Pabod Supplies Limited in old Rivers State. He also had a stint with the National Fertiliser Company of Nigeria (NAFCON) in managerial position before going into full-time politics. His passion and patriotic zeal showed when he contributed to the improvement of the quality of life and environment of his people.
In his life time, Alamsco as he was fondly called was known for his audacity and commitment to the infrastructural development of the Niger Delta region. He was an advocate for the remediation of the environment, devastated by oil exploration and exploitation as well as the right for Resource Control among other issues dear to his people.
Until date some people believe that DSP as he was also referred to was targeted and blackmailed by some forces outside the Niger Delta. Fortunately, he got State Pardon years before his demise. It was his leadership role that earned him the unofficial titled of the ‘Governor-General” of the Niger Delta.
While we commiserate with the Government and people of Bayelsa State on the demise of their first Civilian Governor, we are in no doubt that the elaborate State burial programme which had the State Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah Gboribiogha (rtd) as chairman, will be befitting of a man that is the hero of his people.
The old Rivers State, which he served in various capacities in the public and private sectors, will not forget him in a hurry. Alamieyeseigha was an authentic Izon man, a peoples’ leader and enigmatic politician. He was the voice of the Niger Delta and the inspiration of the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria.
It was he that identified the leadership potentials in Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and took him as his deputy in the Governorship race in Bayelsa State in 1999 from where, Jonathan moved on to become the first Nigerian President with a PhD degree and unarguably the most focused and successful so far.
As the first Civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, Alamieyeseigha laid a foundation that has remained the solid base upon which the State is developing. The Niger Delta will no doubt celebrate the life and times of Alamsco because he was a leader that managed the dangerous realities of the Izon nation in a very unique way. He maintained control over state powers and that of the militancy that swept through the region at a time.
Alamieyeseigha brought the Izons together as never before. He did not allow anyone in Nigeria the opportunity of dismissing the Niger Delta in any national discourse. He was a rallying point for the Izons. We need more Niger Deltans like Alamieyeseigha as Nigeria enters the phase where committed and selfless leaders with guts and disposition would be needed to protect the minority.