Bayelsa Govt. Reveals Real Cause Of Alamieyeseigha’s Death.

 

Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has said that

the first civilian governor of the state, Diepreye

Alamieyeseigha, died because he was harassed and forced

to abandon his medical care abroad.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha died last Saturday at the University

of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt.

The state government said in an earlier statement that

Mr. Alamieyeseigha died after a long battle with kidney

disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Family sources had said that the former governor’s

health suddenly deteriorated after the U.K. government

requested his extradition to face charges years after Mr.

Alamieyeseigha jumped bail and left London where he

was arrested over alleged corruption.

The sources said Mr. Alamieyeseigha fled Dubai in the

United Arab Emirate where he was receiving medical

treatment, to avoid being arrested abroad.

He sought medical care at the University of Port

Harcourt, in neighbouring in Rivers, where he

eventually died after slipping into coma for days.

Mr. Dickson confirmed the former governor abandoned

his medical treatment abroad, although he did not

disclose where he was treated.

He condemned what he described as the propaganda

and orchestrated harassment that led to the untimely

death of the “Governor-General”, and called on the

people of the state and Ijaw nation to maintain the

peace, as they mourn their departed leader whom he

described as a man of peace.

“To us as a people at this trying time, this sad incident

should serve to unite us and to rededicate ourselves to

the ideals that he stood for,” Mr. Dickson said in a

broadcast Tuesday morning.

“We acknowledge the anger, disappointment and the

sense of outrage felt by our people at home and in the

diaspora, well-meaning Nigerians and others around

the world for the way and manner he was harassed

and forced to abandon his treatment abroad.

“However, this is not a time for recriminations and

divisions but rather a time for sober reflections. I

therefore call for all and sundry, particularly the

youths to remain calm and maintain the peace as we

mourn our departed leader,” he stated.

The governor announced the postponement of the

official flagging off of his re-election campaign earlier

scheduled for Saturday in Yenagoa, in honour of Mr.

Alamieyeseigha.

He also declared a seven-day mourning period during

which all flags in public buildings and places would fly

at half-mast.

Mr. Dickson said the country and particularly the Ijaw

ethnic nationality lost a foremost statesman and leader

and the state government was determined to give Mr.

Alamieyeseigha a befitting state burial.

“The state government is determined to accord him a

befitting state burial. In this regard, a high powered

burial committee led by the Deputy Governor has been

constituted. This committee will work out details of the

programme with the family and other relevant

stakeholders,” he said.

While eulogising the former civilian governor, Mr.

Dickson said Mr. Alamieyeseigha in his life time, apart

from serving Nigeria as a military officer, also

dedicated himself to the service of Bayelsa State and

the entire Ijaw nation, both as governor and in other

capacities.

“His selfless devotion and service to Bayelsa State and

the entire Ijaw nation earned him the sobriquet,

Governor-General of the Ijaw nation in his lifetime,” he

said.

He said condolence registers had been opened at

Government House, the state secretariat complex, Ijaw

House in Yenagoa and the state liaison offices in Abuja,

Lagos and Port Harcourt in honour of the deceased.