THE GOVERNOR WHO BECAME KING Alfred Diete-Spiff: The Vision and Realism of a Statesman; by Ambily Etekpe, Eugene Ugwulor Nwala, Young M Ayotamuno, Martins C Jumbo, Don O Chinaka, Sam B Kalagbor; Onyoma Research Publications, Port Harcourt; 2009; 332 pp. To be appointed the governor of a state at the very young age of 24 smacks of history. Alfred Diete-Spiff made this history when on May 27, 1967 he was appointed by the then Nigerian Head of State, Col. Yakubu Gowon as the first Military Governor of the newly created Rivers State. In the book, The Twelve-Day Revolution which essentially lionized the drive of Isaac Adaka Boro, author Tony Tebekaemi describes Diete-Spiff as “a man with a lion heart.” This 332-page book, Alfred Diete-Spiff: The Vision and Realism of a Statesman, is the authorized biography of Diete-Spiff and comes along with his January 1, 2009 letter of acceptance, complete with his signature. The book was commissioned by the Niger Delta Forum Study Group (NDFSG), a body that had earlier done work on the life and times of the late patriarch of minority struggle, HRH Harold Dappa-Biriye. Alfred Diete Spiff All of the six authors were involved in three strenuous years of doing the needed research, fieldwork and writing up the vast histories of Diete-Spiff. Each of the six authors took charge of individual chapters, thusly: “Chapter One: Historical Background and Development on His Political Thought” by Ambily Etekpe (Ph.D); “Chapter Two: Military Trainings and Preparations for Leadership” by Don O Chinaka (MBA); “Chapter Three: Alfred Diete-Spiff and Governance” by Young M. Ayotamuno (LL.B, BL, MSc); “Chapter Four: Post-Government House Activities” by Ugwulor Eugene Nwala (M.Ed); “Chapter Five: Political Views and National Roles” by Sam B Kalagbor (MSc, LLB); and “Chapter Six: His Vision for Rivers and Bayelsa States, Niger Delta, Nigeria and the World” by Martins C Jumbo (MSc.) As is to be expected of a book with six different authors of different chapters there is some overlapping of narration. The core story though begins with the birth of Alfred Diete-Spiff on Friday, July 30, 1942 at Nembe. His weight at birth was 12 pounds. His father and mother were initially primary school teachers before becoming employed as civil servants. His father was a distinguished postmaster before taking up the traditional chieftaincy stool of Amangi. Due to the transfers of his father as postmaster to several parts of the then Eastern Nigeria and the Cameroons, Alfred started his primary school education in 1947 at Government School, Buea in Cameroun. The young lad needed to put his hand across his head to touch his ear to be properly registered for the infant class in 1948. He was later admitted to St. Joseph Secondary School, Sasse, also in Cameroun, about six miles from Buea. He had early Catholic education. It is remarkable that Tom Ikimi was a childhood pal of Alfred. After schooling in Cameroun, he took a job with the Meteorological Department of the then Ministry of Transport, Lagos. He would later change to the Nigerian Navy. He started out with the Merchant Navy in 1961, and performed brilliantly such that the Nigerian Navy requested for his transfer in 1962. Trained in Britain, he was given command of his first ship soon after his return to Nigeria in 1965. The political upheavals in Nigeria led to the 1966 coup and counter-coup, and the appointment of 24-year-old Alfred Diete-Spiff as the Military Governor of Rivers State on May 27, 1967. Those were heady days of war, and Rivers State happened to be in the very heart of rebel Biafra. He was, like Gowon, unmarried at the time he was appointed governor. While serving as Military Governor he got married to Ethel and Victoria at different times. After leaving Government House he married Evangelist Barrister (Dr) Josephine Diete-Spiff. According to the authors of Alfred Diete-Spiff: The Vision and Realism of a Statesman, Diete-Spiff “planned and executed many development programmes and projects in the old Rivers State that no other Government after 33 years has been able to match or surpass.” Controversial issues on Diete-Spiff such as the vexed Abandoned Property question and the maltreatment of journalist Minere Amakiri are given slight attention here. It suffices to stress that after the Murtala Muhammed coup that toppled Gowon on July 29, 1975, Diete-Spiff “was stripped of his rank he worked so hard to earn” and “was detailed to forfeit a total of eighteen properties located in the Government Reserved Area, Trans-Amadi, Borikiri layout, Recreation Layout and Ogbunabali, all in Port Harcourt.” All his protestations that he had committed no offence fell on deaf ears as he perforce retired into penury. He reigns today as His majesty, Alfred Diete-Spiff, Amanyanabo of Two Brass in Bayeslsa State, a throne he ascended in 1996. The members of the Niger Delta Forum Study Group deserve ample commendation for initiating projects such as this authorized biography of one of the founding fathers of Rivers State. The book however suffers from some editing errors such as spelling “formidable” as “formidabble” (pg. xi). Even so, this well-annotated book remains a treasure.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 13:00:33 +0000
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