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By High Chief Abiola Ogundokun
In the past few weeks, I have not only had the cause to bear unwarranted, sponsored aspersions against my personality over my concern, and efforts to get a deserved rest for the soul of my very good friend and confidant, High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs who passed away eight months ago. The attack, coming from a camp, led by Dumo Lulu-Briggs, his seccond son, who has been scutlling plans for his beffiting burial.
Flashpointnews.com, a nondescript online publication, that has been confirmed to be sponsored by Dumo Lulu-Briggs has been used by some faceless entities to launch verbal attacks and commit libelous offences against my person over issues surrounding the demise and delayed burial of his dad, who happened to be my very close friends of over four decades.
My image has been continually dragged in the mud by different individuals and groups, apparently sponsored by Dumo, my late friend’s second son. My sin? That I have stood on the path of righteousness and in true honour of the memory of my departed friend. Because I chose to stick with the deceased’s wishes that his family does not slide into any crisis after his demise.
It is no longer news that Dumo is leading a war-of-interest against his stepmum, the widow of my late friend, Dr. Mrs. Seinye Lulu-Briggs. Details of all his actions, including different legal suits in Nigeria and Ghana, which have left the remains of my dear friend still lying in a Transition Home in Accra eight months after he breath his last, are not hidden to the public.
In my publication in Vanguard and The Sun newspapers and other national dailies of Monday, June 10, 2019 captioned “High Chief (Dr.) O.B. Lulu-Briggs’ Demise: The Fictions, The Facts”, and the subsequent one captioned “The 7 Oruwari Briggs House Chiefs’ Tales: A Response to the Deceits, Falsehoods and Blackmail”, I have not only questioned the motives behind Dumo’s stance on the demise of his dad, I have also counseled him to embrace peace with his (dad’s) widow, as well as other members of the family to give him a deserved, beffiting burial. I am also aware of a personal appeal wriitten to him by his stepmum, for him to give peace a chance, in honour of the departed.
Rather than addressing or disputing the points I raised in my publications, Dumo has not only assembled faceless writers who have resorted to the use of gutter languages, unprintable words to cast aspersions on my personality in jaundiced articles published on some mushroom blogs and news websites.
Three weeks back, it was one Iyene Douglas, an impersonal media errand boy being spoon-fed by Dumo that took the verbal attack to another level in his article published in the inglorious Flashpoint News online. The hack writer called me a stranger and questioned my locus standi to have a say in issues concerning the Lulu-Briggs family. His description of a 40-year relationship a strange one, says so much about the reasoning of that media rat.
My 40-year relationship with High Chief Lulu-Briggs does not only qualify me to be close to all his family members, but has also exposed me to the culture and tradition of the great Kalabari Kingdom.
Just like I told some misled factional chiefs in my previous publication over this issue in some national dailies, I will restate 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 Abonnema Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Prof. J.T.J Princewill Amachree and his Chiefs, assembled to host me to a warm reception during my visit to the Royal Court of the monarch.
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.”
Is this not enough testimony?
Need I also remind the lame writer and his sponsors that I was one of the few who was by Late Lulu-Briggs’ bedside at the London Hospital when he almost gave up the ghost? It is apparent that these writers are singing the tune of their master who employed them as pipers. Afterall, he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
The naive writer, Douglas, claimed that my reason for standing by Seinye is for material gains. This is not only insulting but absurd. I am not known to be a poor man, even at 82. Without sounding immodest, for nearly six decades, I have been recognised as a renowned philanthropist in my town Iwo, my state and Nigeria as a whole. Even when the late O.B Lulu-Briggs was alive, our relationship was never based on pecuniary gains.
Just last week, a non-person who claimed to be a concerned Kalabari-Ijaw son from Abonnema by name Sotonye Ijuye-Dagogo was the next in-line among the attack dogs whose existence seem hanged on the peanuts they receive from their master.
He took to their same obscure Flashpoint News online to launch a tirade of vile attacks (using unprintable words) against my person, yet again in an article he titled: ‘PRYING INTO THE AFFAIRS OF THE LULU-BRIGGS FAMILY: HAS CHIEF ABIOLA OGUNDOKUN NO SHAME?’ It was just the peak of it.
I find it rather amusing that since I have personally directed parts of my publications in the national newspapers (over the past weeks) to Dumo, he has never come out personally to address any of the issues. Neither has he debunked any of the points I have raised so far.
Meanwhile, his responses are coming in forms of attacks from those puppets he has given the hatchet job to. It has already been confirmed that both writers mentioned here have direct links to Dumo. They were both on the team of Dumo’s failed gubernatorial odyssey.
Ijuye-Dagogo specifically identified himself as ‘a senior political associate of Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs’ in his article.
Responding to the balderdash called article, as written by the so-called Ijuye-Dagogo’s would not be a worthwhile effort. No part of his watery-essay touches on the real issue on ground.
As usual, all he had to do was to hurl abuses and attacks at my person! “The man comes across as a person crying far more than the bereaved and in so doing, he disrespects the privacy of the Lulu-Briggs family. This meddlesome interloper is such an arrogant fellow. This amala-eating Yoruba man demeans the chiefs of Oruwari Briggs House..”, these are some of his words.
In his piece, he asked, “Who needs the counsel of this man that talks gibberish about the chiefs of other lands? How can a Yoruba Chief, his Kalabari female sponsor and her little kids be the most suited persons to preserve the gargantuan legacy of High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, whereas there is an already acclaimed prominent son like Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, a carbon copy of his father? Are Ogundokun sponsors merely mouthing the preservation of Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs’ legacy, while actually struggling only to acquire his estate? These questions no doubt, can only come from a mind so shallow.
I do not need to belabour myself with providing details for Dagogo and his sponsors about my closeness and connection to the Lulu-Briggs family. My relationship with the late oil mogul that spanned over 40 years was never a hidden affair. I was with the family throughout the good days, and I was also there during the difficult days of ill-health. Now that he is no more, I owe my friend the duty to continue to stay with his family in the trying period.
Just few days after his demise, I still stood in for my late friend, when I received a posthumous award presented to the late O.B Lulu Briggs at the Vanguard Personality of the Year, 2018 Awards held on January 18, 2019 in Lagos on behalf of the family.
Are these people questioning my locus standi in the matters affecting the Lulu-Briggs family also aware of my several attempts to broker peace? Is he aware that I once involved the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who had to invite Dumo to Abeokuta and advised him to allow peace to reign?
I have been known for ages as an anti-corruption crusader who always stands by the truth and fights injustice in whatever disguise.
Although not a pleasant experience, I have been absorbing these insults, name-callings and sponsored attacks against my person by Dumo and his co-travellers for standing by the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and for standing in for my Golden friend that mandated me to stay firmly behind his wife, who he told me was facing so much hatred. But like my friend did before he left, I will also forgive Dumo for all he has done against my person. And I will also hope he receives such forgiveness from his stepmom, Seinye, who he had not only maligned so badly, but also visited with much hatred.