CHIEF DSP ALAMIEYESEIGHA, JP, Ph.D
Barnes Cardiac Centre, Lagos, Nigeria
July 17, 2007
PRESS STATEMENT
EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH ...
Ever since fate brought me to my present state, I have had sufficient time to ponder on this journey called life. The
latter day events of my life afford us all an opportunity to learn that it is only Almighty Jehovah that has the final
say in the affairs of man. It is to Him we must give all the glory and praise, taking counsel in the knowledge that he
is the all-wise God.
I am eternally grateful for the life I have had. And knowing that the future belongs to Him and Him alone, I am at peace
with myself. I thank all Nigerians, who no doubt have keenly followed the Alamieyeseigha story. And to them I say
whatever point of view you take does not matter. What matters is that you are patriots committed to a greater, better
Nigeria. My only plea to you is that when I am finally in a position to tell my own story, unburdened by these fetters,
you will listen with the same attention you gave to the accounts of others.
I remain committed to Nigeria, both as a fundamental idea and as a fact of life. I urge all our compatriots to remain
loyal to this great country, including those, like me, who today for a multiplicity of reasons, sojourn in the valley of
the shadow of death.
Reports reaching me indicate that there are allegations that I am the sponsor of the on-going violence in the
Niger-Delta. There are also opportunistic suggestions in some quarters that I am backing some candidates in the
gubernatorial contest in Bayelsa. Some politicians even drop my name in brazen pursuit of their private ambitions.
But here I am, trapped on a hospital bed with unresolved cardiac issues, denuded of resources and the capacity to be the
master of my own destiny. As I lie here, I am unable to meet the expensive legal bills foisted on me by the many
strategies of those who prosecute me. My medical bills are piling, and as each day passes, I wonder who is going to pay
- the EFCC or me? If I am going to pay, then I am truly in trouble!
Why do I need to sponsor violence? Am I not the one who, leading patriots and like minds, intervened over and over again
in the Niger Delta crisis, until we were able to secure an armistice with these same militants? While in office, did we
not guarantee the safety of oil workers and installations for six and a half years? How many times did I personally
intervene in hostage situations, and win victory for the cause of peace and progress? Can any one quantify the
tremendous personal sacrifice we had to make to ensure that the anger of our youths was reined in, to guarantee and
sustain the peace we had for six and a half years?
In the events that began on September 15 last year, leading up to my return home to a heroic welcome on November 21, why
wasn’t there widespread anarchy and violence? A full arsenal of federal military might, made of a composite deployment
of Army, Air force and Police troops, backed by tanks and artillery pieces, moved into Bayelsa to give effect to my
controversial and illegal impeachment. If I were not a man of peace, was this not the time that maximum violence should
have been of strategic value? Is it now that I have lost it all that I would resort to sponsoring violence?
These allegations would have been laughable if they weren’t so grave. How can I be held responsible for the swirling
anger of the people of the Niger Delta, which since the days of Isaac Boro has found expression in actions such as we
see today? What is going today only places in bold relief the yeoman’s job we did in office to guarantee the peace. Were
we not all witnesses to statements of a leader of one of the militant groups endorsing my impeachment and ensuing public
flagellation? Sponsoring militants indeed!
In this valley where I temporarily find myself, and from which I fully hope to one day emerge, I am sickened to see the
desperation to nail me at all costs.
To my fellow Bayelsans, let me make myself clear: pursue your destinies and ambitions within the confines of the law,
and God shall give us the peace which passeth all understanding. I also reiterate for the avoidance of doubt that I have
endorsed no one for the gubernatorial race in the state. I have no inclination, nor am I in the position on this
hospital bed, to do so. Where I am today, I remain alive only by the grace of God. For this, I am eternally grateful.
Chief DSP ALAMIEYESEIGHA,JP, PhD
ENDS