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By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has restated the need for IIjaw leaders to promote education and the cultural heritage of their ethnic nation.
Givernor Diri stated this at the weekend during a funeral programme in honour of the departed Amananaowei of Ebedebiri Community, His Royal Highness Dr. Anderson John Eseimokunoh, at Ebedebiri in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.
Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Diri stressed that education remains the most dependable means of developing any society and its cultural values.
A statement issued by the deputy governor’s media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, on Sunday, quoted the governor as saying that no well-educated person will totally abandon his or her culture, adding that such a person will rather contribute meaningfully towards cultural advancement.
He described Late Dr Anderson Eseimokumoh as a traditional family man who portrayed the rich cultural heritage of the Ijaw people, despite the enviable height he attained in Western education and learning in general.
The Bayelsa chief executive pointed out that as an accomplished scholar, the late royal father became a chartered accountant at a time when it was considered an impossible feat for an Ijaw man to achieve.
Governor Diri further noted that, as a politician, Dr Eseimokumoh was a man loved by many across party lines due to his benevolent disposition to all, and his non-discriminatory way of handling issues.
While calling on traditional rulers in the state to reside in their domains to provide leadership to their people. he commended the Eseimokumoh family and the Ebedebiri Community for giving a befitting burial to their departed father and paramount ruler.
His words: “I want to thank the family and the Ebedebiri Community for thorough preparations for the burial of the late HRH Chief (Dr) Anderson Eseimikumoh. We are not here to mourn, but we are here to celebrate the life of a man who lived for 83 years.
“In celebrating, let’s draw attention to the life of this great Tarakiri son who lived as a traditional family man, as an erudite scholar, a benevolent politician, an astute administrator and a technocrat.
“As a traditionalist, the rich Ijaw culture manifested in his family life. He was majestic as a traditional ruler throughout his reign as Amananaowei of Ebedebiri community. And so, as leaders, we must do well to promote the positive aspects of our culture.
“I want to call on royal fathers to reside in their communities to provide leadership for their people to foster peace and development in their domains.”
In their separate tributes, the acting Amananaowei of Ebedebiri, Chief John Akpe, a representative of Tarakiri Kingdom and the Amananaowei of Ofoni, His Royal Highness Auditor Onakpohor, and the current Bayelsa Representative in NDDC, Chief Deinyabofa Dimaro, extolled the leadership qualities of the deceased.
Earlier in his sermon entitled ‘Whither Thou Goest,’ the general overseer of the Liberation Power Ministry, General Odede Stephen, admonished Christians to be mindful of their eternal destination in their daily choices and actions.
Anchoring his message from Luke Chapter 16, verses 19 to 22, General Odede emphasised that man is a spirit, who has a soul and lives in a body, adding that man’s only guarantee for peace after this material life is to make Jesus Christ his personal Lord and Savior, and faithfully serve God till the end.
Presenting the biography of the late Dr Anderson Eseimokumoh, his first son, Mr Arerebo Eseimokumoh described his father as a humble servant of God, known for his liberality in the church and society in general.
According to the biography, late Eseimokumoh was not only the first Bayelsa State representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission, but also served the Ijaw nation in different capacities including chairing the Ijaw Youth Movement from 1961 to 1964.
Dignitaries who attended the event include the former deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd.); the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Abraham Ngobere, and several members of the House of Assembly; the secretary to state government, Alabo Gideon Ekeuwei, commissioners, other top government functionaries and traditional rulers including the Pere of Tarakiri Kingdom, His Royal Majesty King Seiyifa Koroye.
