May 31, 2015 : Simon Utebor
Former President Goodluck Jonathan
| credits: File copy
| credits: File copy
Former
President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday identified a former Governor of
Bayelsa State, Mr. Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, as the person responsible
for the political height he attained in Nigeria.
Jonathan made this known during a
special thanksgiving service in his honour at the St. Peters Anglican
Church, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
He said, “I will not forget to thank
Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Without him, I would not have been
talking about being a former president.
“At a time I was not thinking about
being a commissioner in the state, he came to me and said I should run
with him. That is why I am here today. So, without him, it would not
have been possible to hear about Jonathan.’’
Jonathan
added that Alamieyeseigha came to him to run with him as
deputy-governor of Bayelsa at a time he was not thinking about being a
commissioner.
“I appreciate all who make this
reception a reality. My wife and I appreciate Governor Seriake Dickson,
his wife, Rachael, and the people of Bayelsa State for organising this
reception. Also, I appreciate our good friend, the new Governor of
Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who came with the Acting National Chairman of
our great party, Uche Secondus, and my brothers and sisters from
Rivers.
“Let me also thank a leader and friend,
the President of Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo
Oritsejafor as well as many Christian brothers and sisters who have been
praying for me, most of them I have not seen in my life. They cut
across the country. Most of them never expected a bottle of coke from me
because they know I will never see them, I thank all of you.
“But as you know, some people will offer
prayer for you and send text message to tell you they are praying for
you. They expect you to know that they are praying for you. But people
who do not even want me to know they are praying for me are the people I
think God really wants. I really thank them. For the Christian family, I
thank all of you for your support.”
Jonathan also thanked the Chairman of
Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Alfred Diete-Spiff and
royal fathers in the state for supporting him.
“When I was the deputy governor, I
supervised the council and they all saw me as their younger brother and
they have related wonderfully well with me,” he stated.
The former President came to the venue in company with his wife, Patience.
The event was attended by Dickson, his
wife, Rachel, Wike, a former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Ayim and Senator Emmanuel Paulker.
Others were former Governor of Adamawa
State Boni Haruna, King Diete-Spiff, Bayelsa House of Assembly Speaker,
Kombowei Benson, Secretary to State Government, Prof. Edmund
Allison-Oguru and a host of his former ministers and aides.
The CAN President, Oritsejafor and Rev. Uma Ukpai, were also part of the attendees.
The church was carnival-like as its
choir rendered many wonderful songs. Even the Boys’ Brigade of the
church was not left out as the group thrilled the congregation with a
lot of musical renditions.
Niger Delta women, dressed in colourful attire as well as some women led by Onyeka Onwuenu added glamour to the event.
In his remarks, Dickson described Jonathan as the hero of Nigeria’s democracy.
Dickson, who also described Jonathan as a
true statesman, said he had entered the league of national and
international statesmen.
In his short exhortation, Ukpai urged Nigerians to dedicate themselves to God, saying God is the circle of people’s lives.
He described Jonathan as a humble man, adding that only humble people know how to thank God for what He has done for them.
However, since Jonathan returned to his home state of Bayelsa, the state has become a beehive of activities.
Many activities were organised by the
Bayelsa State Government and the people of the state to welcome the
former President after his six years in Abuja.
At the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, Jonathan, who claimed to be amazed at
the large turnout of people, simply said he was short of words to
describe his feelings.
He had said, “After six years in Abuja, I
thought Bayelsa people will curse and boo me. Because you are exposed
to the decisions of high office and the thought that you may not have
satisfied the people, sometimes you think they will curse or boo you.
But, instead, the people have decided to celebrate me.”
After the reception at the centre, it was the turn of his family and friends in Otuoke to receive him.
At Otuoke, the rustic town in Ogbia
Local Government Area, Jonathan and his wife, Patience, got a heroic
welcome at the Dame Patience Square.
Otuoke was agog with dignitaries from
all walks of life, with residents displaying different banners with the
inscriptions, ‘You are welcome back our hero’, ‘You are the hero of
Nigeria’s democracy’, ‘You are a man of peace’, ‘Our ambassador of
peace’ and ‘you are welcome home” among others.
The former first family also
acknowledged the trekker, Oladele Nihi, and his two female counterparts,
who trekked for 19 days from Abuja to Otuoke to honour Jonathan.
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