Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has paid tribute to former Nigerian Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Ijaw nation for the creation of Bayelsa on October 1, 1996.

iri said Abacha deserved continuous commendation for the gesture as he freed the Ijaw people from oppression and injustice.

The Bayelsa governor spoke at the Dinner and Awards Night of the Bayelsa at 30 anniversary celebrations on Thursday tagged ‘Celebrating Legacies’ at the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.

The well-attended grand finale of the four-day celebrations attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan; Abacha’s family, including Alhaji Abba Abachaand HajiaFatima GumsuAbacha; National Assembly members, the diplomatic community, business moguls, top government officials, among others.

At the event, state honours were presented to 63 recipients.

Top on the list were the late Abacha, Jonathan, Major Isaac Adaka Boro, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Chief Harold Dappa-Biriye, former military administrators of the state, including the late Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (rtd), Navy Captain Phillip Ayeni (rtd), Police Commissioner Habu Daura (rtd) and Col. Edor Obi (rtd) as well as the immediate past governor, Senator Seriake Dickson.

Diri emphasised that mentioning Abacha’s name in all his remarks was significant, explaining that the late Head of State might mean different things to different people, but to Bayelsans, he was the one who freed them by creating a homogeneous Ijaw state.

His words: “If at every point in my remarks I keep calling him, it is because of what God used him to do for the Ijaw ethnic nationality. As I said yesterday, General Abacha might mean different things to different people, but to Bayelsans, he is the one who freed us from oppression.

“He freed us from injustice and gave a homogenous state for a people that had been balkanised into various states, and making us minority in some.

“Today is also the 66th independence anniversary of our country. So, we are celebrating the national independence and at the same time celebrating our own state at 30 years. We cannot acknowledge and thank General Abacha enough, ably represented here by his own son, Abba Abacha, and his sister. Please take our appreciation and gratitude back home to your mother.”

Justifying the celebration, Diri said the journey from total absence of infrastructure to a state with legacy projects, road networks and hope for the future was a testament to the vision of its founding fathers and the grace of God. (The Guardian)