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… As Family Bicker over Late Philanthropist’s Estate
By Joel Anekwe
Rivers State Government has offered to bury the Late Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, popularly known as High Chief O. B Lulu Briggs, following the protracted family crisis that has delayed the burial of the prominent Kalabari son and philanthropist.
This is as factions of the family have continued to fight over his estate, thereby delaying the burial of the Kalabari chief who died on December 27, 2018 while on holiday in Ghana.
State Governor, Nyesom Wike, made the offer while addressing leaders and people of Kalabari ethnic nationality on Wednesday, adding that the Rivers State Government is interested in according the late philanthropist the respect he deserves.
But in a seeming response to the governor’s offer, a faction of the family led by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs said the family might approach the Ghana High Court to demand the release of the late high chief for burial.
Wike told the Kalabari people: “I even told them to let the Rivers State Government be responsible for the burial. Let the state government take the corpse. Government will hold the corpse and give him a befitting burial. All I want is peace”.
He berated people who he accused to have allowed monetary consideration influence their direction on the Chief OB Lulu Briggs issue.
“If Dumo calls you for a meeting, you will go, if the woman calls you for a meeting, you will go. What kind of system is this? Nobody will say the truth because of money, and how much is the money? How can such a man not be buried for one year, not that they are looking for money to bury the man,” the governor asked.
He called on the Kalabari leaders to set aside their differences and intervene to ensure that Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs is buried.
He alleged: “How can a prominent son of Kalabari land stay in the mortuary for one year and we are all here. Nobody can speak the truth. They have divided themselves. You collect money here, you collect money there and you cannot speak the truth.
“I have intervened more than three to four times. Having meetings, but was disappointed by the wife. I have to say clearly to all of you, I have never received insult like that in my life.”
He stated that he told Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs and the widow of the late philanthropist to allow the love they have for Chief O.B Lulu Briggs influence them into allowing him to be buried.
He said the feuding parties should allow High Chief O.B Lulu Briggs to be buried, after the burial they can continue the struggle for his property.
“Let the man be buried. Anyone who is dragging property can go and drag for the property. How can such a man not be buried for one year,” he said.
The governor appealed to the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, King Disrael Bob-Manuel, and other leaders of the area to directly intervene to resolve the matter.
Addressing newsmen in Port Harcourt, son of the deceased, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, said their decision to approach the Ghanaian court is for the court to compel their step-mother to release the remains of their father.
Legal actions instituted by the widow, Dr. Sienye Lulu-Briggs, against the family in an Accra High Court have made it impossible for the remains of the late traditional ruler to be given a befitting burial.
Dumo at the press briefing said: “We are here today because we don’t have the mortal remains of our father. He died in Accra and we didn’t know that he was travelling to Ghana. Our father’s wife has refused to release his remains to the family for a befitting burial.
“As chiefs, we have gathered here to respond positively. On December 27, 2019, it will be exactly one year after his death. On December 17, we will be approaching a court in Accra to propose to it to compel our step-mother to release our father’s remains to us.
“If the court grants our request, all the chiefs will travel to Accra on December 27, 2019, to receive the remains of our father. We will deposit his remains in Port Harcourt and begin preparations to give him a befitting burial on January 25, 2020.
“If our step-mother is serious about the burial of father, she should withdraw all legal actions against the family in Ghana. We can’t plan for the funeral if we don’t have custody of our father’s remains,” he said.
He commended Governor Wike for his concern over the delay in the burial of his father and apologized to the governor for the alleged insult on him by their step-mother.
He said: “We thank Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for interventions to ensure that this matter was resolved and our father given a befitting burial. He held meetings with us for three times, with one of the meetings lasting for about eight hours. The governor called me and said that step-mother insulted him. On behalf of the family, we apologise to him.
“We are glad that the state governor had promised a state burial for our father. We will liaise with the state government to give our father a befitting burial.”
But in a reaction Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs expressed appreciation to the governor for his intervention adding that she welcomed his call on Kalabari leaders to join hands to ensure the burial of our patriarch as soon as it can be arranged, following the unnecessary almost yearlong delay.
She said in a press release in Port Harcourt Thursday; “I publicly acknowledge with the deepest gratitude efforts made by Governor Wike and our royal father, His Serene Majesty Professor T.J.T Princewill, Amachree XI, the Amayanabo of Kalabari Kingdom as well as other respected friends of the late High Chief to resolve the needless differences within our family.
“I was taken aback by the statement attributed to His Excellency in the same press release, that I insulted him in the course of his gracious interventions. To the best of my knowledge the last meeting with the governor, along with my son Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, on the 20th of September 2019, ended without rancor and with a resolution for each party to send settlement proposals to the governor through the attorney general of Rivers State, which was complied with.
“However, if during any of our interactions my esteemed governor felt insulted, I hereby tender my sincere apologies.
In addition, in case His Excellency has not had the opportunity to read the last letter I sent to him over his intervention, I have decided to publish it here. I hope he will see for himself that the entire O.B. Lulu-Briggs family and I unreservedly hold him in nothing but the highest regards.
“My focus since this crisis emerged has been and remains to secure a burial date and accord my beloved husband, our patriarch, High Chief Dr. O.B. Lulu-Briggs the distinguished and honorable funeral he deserves as soon as possible, since no lawsuit anywhere in the world prohibits his funeral.
“I remain open to any plan to make this happen,” she added.
She said she had always appealed to the chiefs of Oruwari Briggs to reactivate the burial arrangements which she alleged was unilaterally postponed by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, saying she had written two appeal letters to that effect and yielded no result.
She declared: “The earthly remains of High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs is ready for interment and would be available for burial on an agreed date accompanied by a serious burial plan.
“The planned trip by the Chiefs of Oruwari Briggs Group of Houses to Ghana is unnecessary. The time and resources to be spent on it should be better put into planning and announcing a burial programme for their paramount head,” she said.
