The Ijaw Patriotic Movement (IPM) has commended the Bayelsa State government for sustaining the annual memorial anniversary of the state’s first civilian governor, the late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, urging all stakeholders to continue the fight against the economic exclusion of the Ijaws in Nigeria.
The President of the IPM, Mr. Mislaw Ganren, made this statement while speaking with newsmen in Yenagoa. He further noted that the former governor’s contributions to every sector of the state’s economy are evident for all to see, describing him as a true nationalist who built bridges of unity within the Ijaw nation.
Mr. Ganren also emphasised that issues of injustice, environmental pollution, and the vigorous campaign against economic exclusion, which the late Chief Alamieyeseigha championed, remain unresolved to this day. He called on stakeholders within the Ijaw nation to sustain the efforts for the overall socio-economic well-being of the Ijaw people.
According to him, the passion that Alamieyeseigha displayed for resource control and the empowerment of the Ijaw people led to the establishment of Niger Delta University for the educational advancement of the Ijaw community.
He noted that the late governor’s benevolent and non-discriminatory spirit earned him the title of “Governor General of the Ijaw Nation” and a champion of resource control.
The IPM also took the opportunity to commend various stakeholders and elder statesmen in Ijaw land, such as Chief Edwin Clark, Joshua Fumudor, Admiral Festus Porbeni, and the Ijaw National Congress (INC), for their leadership and contributions to the development of Ijaw land and its heritage.
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He further noted that the late Alamieyeseigha was a great hero whose legacy had a significant impact on the development of the Ijaw ethnic group, comparing his legacies to those of the late South African leader, Nelson Mandela.
Alamieyeseigha initiated development in health, education, infrastructure, and security, which impacted most areas of the state’s eight local government areas.
He called on all well-meaning Bayelsans, both at home and abroad, to create sustainable platforms for the continued celebration of this late hero.
In the same vein, the Secretary General of IPM, Mr. Doutimi Emmanuel, described the 9th memorial anniversary of Alamieyeseigha, organised by the state government, as remarkable. He noted that the late governor’s legacies spanned across the Ijaw nation and urged Governor Diri to maintain the momentum.
The IPM Secretary General also expressed gratitude to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Samuel Ogbuku, for the commission’s rural electrification scheme, which has illuminated nearly every part of Ijaw land.
