The ORUWARI BRIGGS HOUSE’s Tales: A Response To The Deceits, Falsehoods And Blackmail

-BY HIGH CHIEF ABIOLA OGUNDOKUN (Obanla of Iwoland, Ajagunpote of the Source, Ile-Ife, Apesin of Erin Osunland, Seriki of Ibaland, Jagun of Ajagunlase Kingdom, Aare Ago of Iwo Oke Kingdom, Basorun Musulumi of Iwoland). 

There is a Yoruba adage that says “Agba o si n’ilu, k’ilu baje; Baale ile ku ile d’ahoro” (when there are no elders in the society, confusion becomes the order of the day). The author of this iconic sayings in the ethnic nationality, which to the grace of Almighty God, I am one of its prominent sons, understand the roles of the elders in any given society. Thus, my belief in ensuring a just and decent society. As an elder and Octogenarian, I do not feel so happy to be engaging in a back and forth diatribe over any matter not to talk of issue concerning the demise of my late illustrious loyal friend and comrade, the High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs. However, I am compelled to respond to the deceits, falsehoods and blackmail by the seven factional Chiefs contained in the advertorial of Wednesday June 12, 2019 both in THE SUN, and VANGUARD, newspapers titled: “Chief Abiola Ogundokun’s fictions and facts on Chief (Dr.) O.B Lulu Briggs’ Demise: A case of blind men and the elephant”.

In my last publication in THE SUN and VANGUARD and others dated Monday, June 10, 2019, I was obligated, by the need, to set the records straight in response to the tales contained in the earlier advertorial by these factional members of the Oruwari Briggs House. To those who know my person, they would affirm that I don’t shy away from speaking the truth no matter whose ox is gored. My major interest in the whole saga dogging the delayed funeral rites of my late friend, High Chief Lulu-Briggs, is to ensure that his legacy is not rubbished while much needed unity should be restored within the family. I also find it laughable reading in the advertorial the Chiefs querieing: “How can an Iwo Chief from Yorubaland determine “a factional minority in Lulu Briggs kinsmen” of Kalabari-Ijaw land? A man that intends to make peace, as Chief Ogundokun claimed, would not on the pages of a national newspaper, describe as “spurious claims” the considered position of the Chiefs of Oruwari Briggs House, of which he is not a member.”

Well, I do not blame these chiefs, they have only expressed their level of civilization and exposure! I do not have to be a member of the Oruwari Briggs House to fully understand the dirty politics and conspiracies being plotted by these Chiefs with vested interests. I need to remind these seven Chiefs that on September 7, 2018, I was a special guest of the Abonnema people with the entire traditional council headed by the highly revered Amanayabo of Kalabari Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Prof. J.T.J Princewill Amachree and his Chiefs, (including the seven chiefs), assembled to host me to a warm reception during my visit to the Royal Court of the monarch. It will be recalled that during that auspicious visit, the Amanayabo expressed his joy and acknowledged my show of love with these stirring words: “The Obanla is a true friend of the Lulu-Briggs who has stood the test of time. I appreciate this visit and must let you know that Olu Benson is my confidant, illustrious Chief and cousin. O.B Lulu-Briggs is ready to do anything to defend his community. He is in the class of those who can pay any supreme sacrifice for his people. That is why, nothing is too much to do in his honour. You have said good things about our illustrious son. May you be blessed.” I appreciate the fact that these factional chiefs acknowledged and did not contest my position as a close confidant of the great High Chief O.B Lulu-Briggs. Whatever decision I take on this matter, I owe God and the memory of my late friend, High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, to be fair and just. These Chiefs have not denied any of those claims I leveled against them in my June 10, 2019 advertorial in those newspapers. But like a defeated mind clutching onto the last straws, these Chiefs have resorted to cheap blackmail of my person. But I am unmoved as I will deal with the matter through legal means so they can prove to the court their allegations so stated, that I am a thief and that Oluwo has accused me of “petty stealing and incest”.

It is on record that there are three well publicized different law suits at two different courts in Osun State filed against the Oluwo. A N1billion libel suit (No: HOS/6/2018) slammed against him is currently being heard at Court No: 5 of the High Court of Justice, Osogbo Division. There is also Suit No: HIW/9/17 before Hon. Justice A.O Ayoola of the Osogbo High Court nullifying the illegal proclamation by the Oluwo over my chieftaincy titles. The ruling in Suit No: HIW/9/17 in the court of Hon. Justice A.O Ayoola of the Osogbo High Court over the same matter is also widely published. I will not want to dabble into the full details of those allegations since it will be prejudicial. The Oluwo, who made those dangerous falsehoods against me, knows what he is going through now and soonest, these seven Chiefs will also face the music.

In the seventh paragraph of their tale, they insinuated that I have “sat in judgement and delivered a verdict in favour of my sponsors –an act unexpected of an octogenarian with immense journalistic standing”. Well, I do not blame those Chiefs, rather I will sympathise with them. They probably see everyone as a parasite feeding off those who have free monies to throw around! But I would say it is an act of irresponsibility for anybody within the Kalabari Kingdom, not to talk of any member of the family of my great friend, would assume there was any sponsor somewhere. How could anyone sponsor me? Why didn’t these people accuse me of being sponsored when the Late Lulu-Briggs was celebrating his 86th birthday and I organized special Ankara prints (at my expense) which everyone, including these Chiefs, had on their bodies? When the deceased was sick and admitted in a hospital in London, I visited him several times at my expense. I stayed with him and shared with him, his plight. Was I given any money or sponsored to make all those trips to the United Kingdom? When he was dying, who among these Chiefs came up to look after him like I did by visiting him in the hospital and to ensure that he was okay?

I spent my money trying to prove my love and loyalty to the great High Chief Lulu Briggs who is corrupt free, honest and loving.

Is it not my humble self, Abiola Ogundokun, who brought several of my traditional rulers to honour High Chief Lulu Briggs at every point of his social gatherings at my personal expense? Where were all these Chiefs when on November 25, 2017 there was an attempt to assassinate the Late High Chief Lulu-Briggs right in his very hometown, Abonnema, to the extent that the bulletproof vehicle he was traveling in was badly damaged? However, there was every indication that it was the widow, Seinye, who was in Lagos attending my son’s wedding that was their main target. Is it not glaring to the world now that their evil plot is to upturn the position and decision of the deceased?

High Chief Lulu-Briggs once invited me to his Port Harcourt mansion, in the presence of his wife, he hugged me and speaking with aided tool thanked me for all my love and support. Unknown to me, my late friend was biding me goodbye. He told me I should stand by his wife, claiming that some evil people are after her. He reminded me of how she was kidnapped, abducted and tortured. I feel so honoured that during High Chief Lulu-Briggs’ lifetime at most functions, he always ensured that I sat beside him while his wife sat at the other side. During his period of convalescence, I ensured that I reestablished his contacts with so many of his friends, including some former Heads of State. I kept them communicating with one another until his death. Who among those chiefs did that? Were there no elders when High Chief Lulu-Briggs was taken to court in a bid to force him to surrender his company? Were there no elders that ought to have properly intervened when Dumo was determined to wrestle his company (Mani Pulo Limited) from his father which later led to the court action in 2003? Justice Muhammed Shuaibu of the Federal High Court in Lagos in his ruling over the case in 2004 held that Dumo and his 2 other brothers, Senibo and Sofiri failed to establish their legal rights, which they sought to protect. These Chiefs claimed I said a lot of uncomplimentary things against Dumo and intend to dent his character. Of course, this is far from the truth. Dumo is my son and I have extended every needed courtesies as well as engaged him on how best to resolve the cold war between him and his step mother, Seinye. To the discerning minds, they would easily spot the façade in these Chiefs’ sudden love for Dumo. The very big question is how come these Chiefs didn’t stand with Dumo when he was running everywhere for his gubernatorial election in March 2019? While they were nowhere to be found to offer him the much needed support, I, Abiola Ogundokun, took him everywhere I believed he could get support, particularly, from major political leaders. What did they do when Dumo was in the same party of the present governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike? Did they find out what pushed him out of the party? Why didn’t these Chiefs make peace between Dumo and former Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who used to be his closest friend? What did they do to save Dumo as he’s been rejected everywhere? This young man (Dumo) grew successfully through the influence of his father, Late O.B Lulu Briggs. He has made the money and that money should be used to reach out to the less privileged in the society and not those selected few who are benefiting from his personal agenda. Is it not deceitful of these Chiefs to claim in their advertorial that their “trepidations heightened when more than five months after, the body of our Chief has not been brought home to us”? This is a pure Jeremiad’s tale! I put it to you, the factional Chiefs, that you are part of the very few people who have made the remains of High Chief O.B Lulu Briggs stay in the Transition Home in Accra, Ghana this long. While Seinye has struggled and sacrificed to ensure the early burial of her husband, each attempt has been thwarted by Dumo and some of you are supporting him to use that to get his personal interest executed. It is on record that, among other excuses, Dumo used the last general elections as the basis to change the last burial date. 

What have you, these Chiefs done with the ceaseless efforts of Seinye? Isn’t it absurd for these Chiefs to even insinuate that Seinye’s had a hand in the death of her husband? I am sure they would have heard of what both former Presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida said of this woman! To these great friends of late High Chief Lulu-Briggs, if not for Seinye, our friend would have died 15 years before now. But with the effort of this woman, God had preserved his life until the sudden mishap of late last year on arrival in Accra, Ghana.

In the words of Chief Obasanjo; “my own assessment is that if not for Pastor (Dr.) Seinye Lulu-Briggs, maybe our friend, Lulu-Briggs would not have been with us up till today. That means she had left no stone unturned to look after him at a time when he really needed to be looked after because he suffered from a serious illness and when you have that type of illness, it is only additional care that you get from home that makes a lot of difference in addition to whatever you may get from the hospital.”

Also attesting to this woman’s love for her husband, General Babangida described Seinye as the pillar of all successes Lulu-Briggs had achieved during his lifetime. In their advertorial, these Chiefs also asserted and demand that Seinye should “in line with Kalabari-Ijaw custom, formally inform the chiefs of her husband’s death and recline to roles prescribed for her by tradition and let the chiefs at the family, compound and town levels preside over matters.” They claimed that, according to the Kalabari-Ijaw tradition, the role of women is insignificant. But will that override the decision of her husband who want his wife to do what she is doing? This One needs to school these Chiefs that in today’s world, women are very important with so many clamouring for total participation of women in the affairs of the society. The Kalabari Kingdom cannot be an exception. Women are a very important part of our community, they are our mothers who brought us up and have always helped us to grow.

But if one may ask, didn’t these chiefs know of all these traditions and core values when they were lining up in Seinye’s house to seek for one favour or help, and which she does for them, even in my presence? Now, because of a backdoor conspiracy, they are speaking against a woman that has continued to honour and respect them. I am very disappointed that these chiefs would want to manipulate the role of this woman, who is so kind and had devoted her time to the care for her husband! Everything I said in my publication has not been denied, they are now talking of tradition. The tradition is not supreme to the laws of the federation of Nigeria. I have been in the Parliament three to four times in my life including the first Constituent Assembly of 1977 and there is no way any other law would be supreme to the law and constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Should a man decide to give his wish and will to anybody he likes, nobody has the right to change his wish and will. No constitution or law, culture or tradition can alter such. The Abonnema people and others from Rivers State are decent people, but you the Chiefs are working for your own selfish interest. This is against the interest of my very good friend, High Chief Lulu Briggs who has recognized his wife, Seinye as a loyal, honest, devout Christian and good wife. I cannot even understand why the people would go to the extent of these cheap lies, collaborating with an ambitious person bent on destroying the legacy of High Chief Lulu-Briggs. I know that the highly revered king of Abonnema, a reputable professor and highly civilized personality, is very unhappy with the development because he did not support what these factional chiefs are doing to destroy and blackmail the foundation laid by my great late friend, Lulu Briggs.

My friend’s widow, Seinye deserves a lot of commendations for standing by the man she expressed so much love for and she should rather be consoled by the care from her husband’s family, kinsmen and friends in this period of grief! To these seven Chiefs, I will advise them to change their ways to the righteous path so that God will not judge them wrongly in the end!