Steve Azaiki had a close personal relationship with Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. In the days when Azaiki served as Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, this friendship led to a better understanding of the need to invest in youthful sons and daughters of the state.
The result was that a generous scholarship programme was conceived and implemented to the letter. Azaiki also led Alamieyeseigha into a fresh awareness about what could be done to improve the image of the government in the eyes of the people. Alamieyeseigha himself believed that life was about learning every day, and the lesson could come from the mouth of babies. He was always ready to bow to superior argument, and Azaiki was often there to reason things out with his boss.
Azaiki also prevailed on Alamieyeseigha to enhance his perspective on governance and improve himself by registering for a short course at the University of Harvard, United States of America. The advice was well taken. The two gentlemen did exactly that. They also sat together at the Round Table Class of 2005 at the University of Oxford, England, for a two-week course on leadership and diplomacy. By all accounts, Alamieyeseigha proved to be a very enthusiastic student, and the first to be in class every morning.
When Azaiki thinks back to his days as Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, he is reminded of one particular incident that may well count as the high point of his adventures in the Alamieyeseigha government. It was a life and death scenario. I was serving as Speech Writer to the Governor at the time, and editor of a glossy magazine documenting major developments under the title of Bayelsa Legacy. I was in possession of a letter of gratitude from the President to the Governor, and I felt duty bound to publish it on a full page of the magazine. But then, I deployed my reporter, Preye Wariowei, to put a few facts together. The copy came out in clean type.
The date was Tuesday, 18 July 2004. On the expansive Atlantic Ocean, trouble was brewing. For two tension-soaked days, eleven expatriates were held captive by their Nigerian contract staff counterparts, following a break down in negotiations on improved conditions of service. Among them were eight French nationals, a Croatian, an American and a Nigerien – all staff of Pride Forasol Drilling Nigeria Limited working on an oil-field owned and operated by Conoil Producing Limited near Sangana in Brass local government area.
The result was a widely reported hostage-taking saga. Alamieyeseigha’s zeal and commitment to the sustenance of peace, justice and equity in the Niger Delta was fast becoming legendary. At the end of his first visit to the state in May that year, President Olusegun Obasanjo found cause to commend the governor for his superlative performance within a space of one year, with regard to infrastructural development and the restoration of peace in a territory that had come to be identified with hostility and discontent. To subtract from this rare presidential kudos within a space of two months would have been disastrous.
The staff wanted their salary arrears, and demanded payment of quarterly safety allowances, among other things. To press home their point, they blocked the helipad on the rig so that no helicopter could land or take off anymore. The rig came under isolation. It so happened that the French nationals among the expatriates were able to send distress signals about their plight across to their home country.
The matter came to Obasanjo’s attention, and he put a call through to the governor, who happened to be in the United Kingdom at the time, on the official entourage of Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Alamieyeseigha had to cut short his trip. He returned to Nigeria in quick time and flew to the troubled spot in Sangana but could not land on the helipad. The helicopter hovered around for awhile and flew back to Brass from where the governor took a boat, daring the turbulent waves of the Atlantic waters.
To reach the high platform of the rig, Alamieyeseigha and Azaiki had to climb into a forklift and were borne aloft on to the platform. By all accounts, when the revolting contract staff saw the two men clamber out of the forklife and recognised the governor, they went flat on the ground without prompting.
Not too long afterward, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Deputy Governor, landed alongside the Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security. The governor and his team secured the release of the hostages, summoned a meeting of the company and its aggrieved staff, and resolved the matter amicably inside Creek Haven, Yenagoa.
One of the expatriates, Jean Francois Garlard, confirmed that there was no threat to life. The others couldn’t agree less. Laurent Banteigny, Jean Depster Isan, and Frederic Champagne were truly anxious about their safety, but relieved to be set free. The same held true for Michael Baeza, Jean Bonifassi, Yammick Monty, Davor Milic, Jaff Chavez, Voland Bsal and Bory Adam.
The occupants of that Passport 19 speedboat, steered by an expert local sailor, weaving through the entrails of Sangana, had a story to tell. It was the stuff of Hollywood movies. In particular, Azaiki, who shared the traumatic experience in a passionate letter to the Presidency dated 22 July 2004, narrated as follows:
“The governor, despite the fear expressed by all of us present, pressed ahead, braving the wave crests which were as high as two-storey buildings. The governor was lifted onto the first platform with a crane in a basket-like equipment from where communication channel was opened with the workers. In the end, the hostages were released to the Governor who took them to Brass Agip Oil Terminal and flew with them to Yenagoa. This masterly display of courage deserves the highest national honour possible”.
In the luxurious confines of Aso Villa, Obasanjo received more reports of Alamieyeseigha’s gallantry and sent a special message of commendation to him in words that still echo through the corridors of time. “I have received with considerable delight the report of the release of the eleven expatriate oil workers held hostage on their rig since Sunday. Even more satisfying is the awareness of the role you played in ensuring their release.
‘Your expeditious response to my summons occasioning your immediate return from your overseas trip, your quick and effective intervention in the situation, and the successful negotiation with the aggrieved workers resulted in the prompt resolution of the crisis in a way that has served the best interest of our nation. I wish to place on record my profund appreciation of the way and manner in which you rose to the occasion. The nation owes you a debt of gratitude”.
That was the second written commendation to the fovernor from the President within a space of two months.
