Black Friday At Opokuma As Political Rally Is Attacked

Alaibe unharmed in the Attack

Friday, 07 January was a black Friday for Opokuma as political thuggery reared its ugly head at the rally organised to welcome home Ndutimi Alaibe from Abuja after his tour of national duty as the Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Amnesty Affairs. Mr Alaibe hails from Igbainwari town, Opokuma in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Mr Alaibe had resigned his appointment only a week earlier to contest as Governor of Bayelsa in the forthcoming elections. Mr Alaibe had hoped to use the event to formally announce his intention to run and to seek the blessing of his kinsmen. A large motorcade of supporters had accompanied Alaibe to his country home and subsequently a mammoth crowd had gathered. Alaibe will be contesting the elections in April as the Labour Party Gubernatorial candidate for Bayelsa State.

Assailants suspected to be political thugs attacked the gathering, wielding guns, machetes and clubs and unleashed terror on the gathering. In the ensuing fracas, several persons were killed and injured. Some arrests have been made and the injured are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals. Timi Alaibe survived the attack unscathed. It will be recalled that his country home was attacked with bombs in November 2010 by unknown assailants and in that incident a member of his security detail, a Police constable, was killed.

In an election that President Jonathan has vowed would be free and fair, certain evil political elements seem to be hell-bent on terrorising aspiring contestants to submission.

Despite these brazen acts of political intimidation, the activities reconvened on Saturday and Mr Alaibe assured his teeming supporters of his unflinching resolve to contest on the platform of the Labour Party of Nigeria and that he has what it takes to make significant improvements on the lives of Bayelsans with the resources at the disposal of the State.

Links to related stories:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/01/group-raises-alarm-over-allege-plot-to-frame-up-alaibe/

http://www.nigerianbestforum.com/blog/?p=74208

Nigerian Embassy in Sweden honours the late King of Opokuma

L-R King Ogionwo's children, Anna, Dag, Joachim & Elsa

L-R, Cyprian (King Ogionwo's lawyer) Ambassador Igali, Izonebi Rodger Obubo, Timi Alaibe

Pastor Olushola delivering the sermon

Ambassador Igali eulogizes King Ogionwo

King Ogionwo's family in Sweden

The activities marking the funeral of King William Waripamo Ogionwo came to a close on Saturday March 27 2010 with a memorial service in his honour organised at the Fiskgjusen Hall of Hilton Hotel in Malmö, Sweden not far from Lund where he had begun his academic career about five decades ago. The service was attended by his family in Sweden with their friends and sympathisers, members of the Nigerian Community in Sweden led by the Nigerian Ambassador to Sweden-Denmark-Norway and Finland, Dr. Godknows Boladei Igali. After the service, guests were treated to a slide show of Opokuma, highlighting the coronation of the King William which took place only in August 2007.
Representatives of the King’s family in Igbainwari, Opokuma travelled from Nigeria and the Netherlands to Malmö to attend the service. The Gbaranbiri branch of the family was represented by Timi Alaibe, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria while the Gboluzigha branch was represented by Izonebi Rodger Obubo, Training Programmes Manager at the EU-ACP Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation in Wageningen, Netherlands and his wife Mairo and his son Julian.
Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Igali paid glowing tributes to the pioneering spirit of the late king. He recalled that the late king came to Lund in Sweden in 1961 at a time when the popular thing to do for most young Nigerians in search of the golden fleece was to go to the United Kingdom and the United States of America.. Young William thought differently and went to the uncharted waters in the University of Lund, the biggest academic institution in Sweden, where he made his mark and for which he will always be remembered. He was undeterred by the challenges and the obvious constraints that he faced in those unfamiliar circumstances. He was a courageous trail blazer and a very successful one at that. The ambassador concluded that King William’s achievements were an inspiration to many Nigerians
Also speaking at the occasion, Timi Alaibe formally reminded the late King’s children that they were princes and princesses of Opokuma in their own right and invited them to share in facing the development challenges at home in furtherance of their father’s legacy. They were invited to visit the family at home to get to know their relatives while they remain good ambassadors of Igbainwari in the Diaspora.
Founded in 1666, Lund is the second oldest Swedish university and one of the most prestigious. Lund also ranks as one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities. Having cut his teeth on such a solid academic background in Lund University, King William’s excellence in his professional life was guaranteed. It was therefore a befitting activity to remember the passing of the great man in Malmö, near the city of Lund, thus reemphasising his immense intellectual contribution to the academic world.
There were some emotional moments when the wife of his youth, Margarita and her two daughters, Anna and Elsa and his sons Dag and Joachim paid tributes to their famous dad they did not see enough of.
The service was conducted by Danford of the Redeemed Christian Church of God of the Nigerian Community in Denmark and Sweden. The sermon was delivered by Pastor Ade Olusola.

Follow this link to more photos of the memorial service.