WHY OGIDOMHE, JONATHAN'S AIDE DID NOT ATTEND AKHIGBE'S BURIAL

Why Ogiadohme, Jonathan’s aide, did not attend Akhigbe’s burial

on december 01, 2013 at 12:30 am in periscope
By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City
Fugar, the home town of the former Chief of General Staff (CGS), the late Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe, aka NNS FEARLESS, stood still penultimate weekend, when the community hosted eminent Nigerians who attended the burial ceremony of their son. It was tears throughout the burial; the reason for the love which the people exhibited is not far-fetched.
In 1996, while Akhigbe was the CGS, equivalent to the Vice President, he created Etsako Central local government from the old Etsako East. He built roads and provided electricity among other infrastructures for the community. So, in Fugar, he was held in high esteem and his people always showed appreciation each time he called on them. That is why even though he was a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he instructed his people  to vote for Governor Adams Oshiomhole of the ACN in 2007 when he faulted the way the leadership of the PDP imposed candidates for elections.
Akhigbe’s burial attracted dignitaries such as the Vice-President Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark,  Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and his wife, Oshiomhole, Governor Olusegun Mimiko  of Ondo State, Chief Tony Anenih and Minister of Works, Arch.Mike, Onolemenmen, among others. St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Fugar, venue of the funeral Mass was filled to the brim. Elder brother of the deceased, Chief Alemo Akhigbe, who spoke at the service, appealed to the Federal Government to immortalize the late  admiral due to his contributions to the nation’s democracy. Oshiomhole, Mark and others poured encomium on  him.

*Mrs. Josephine Akhigbe and Comrade Oshiomhole after the occasion at the Government House.
But to the surprise of many of the guests that came, particularly from Abuja, the Chief of Staff (COS)  to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadohme, was conspicuously absent at the burial even though he was said to be in Fugar because of the burial. Sunday Vanguard was informed by family sources that the COS was barred from attending the burial by the Akhigbe family following the instructions left behind by the latter that Oghiadohme should not be welcomed at his burial. Sambo, Mark and Oshiomhole reportedly visited Ogiadohme at his country home after the church service at St Theresa.
The COS allegedly adhered to the instruction left behind by his former boss by sitting in his house quietly to entertain his own guests. As far back as 1998, Akhigbe was said to have been instrumental to the election of Oghiadohme into the House of Representatives.  Before the  election, Oghiadohme was said to be Personal Assistant to the late admiral. Akhigbe then allegedly facilitated the election of  Oghiadohme  as  deputy governor of Edo State under Governor Lucky Igbinedion.
That was after the Abdulsalami Abubakar led government decided to relinquish power to civilians. But their relationship went sour, Sunday Vanguard gathered, when Akhigbe lamented that even as deputy governor, Oghiadohme could not attract development projects to Fugar apart from the ones he Akhigbe put in place while he was CGS.
Apart from that, after Oghiadohme became COS to the President, a section of the PDP in Edo North senatorial district, where both of them  hail from, anointed Oghiadohme as the leader of Edo North people, an action Akhigbe saw as an attempt to undermine the late admiral by his former PA. Sunday Vanguard learnt that it was during this period that Oghiadohme made some  claim against his former boss. The claim , it was gathered, did not go down well with Akhigbe and he decided to stay away from Oghiadohme for several years.
However, a family source said that while the former CGS was sick in London, the COS visited him at his hospital bed and asked for forgiveness. The late admiral was said to have assured that he had forgiven him but admonished him to go to the village and retract the claim he made against him.  Oghiadohme reportedly came back to Nigeria.  It was not clear whether the COS carried out the former CGS  instruction.
After the death of the admiral, Oghiadohme allegedly  visited the family in Fugar and gave some money to them to use to entertain visitors before the burial. But when Akhigbe’s immediate family heard of it, they reportedly informed the head of the Akhigbe family to return the money, and that was when they disclosed that their father left instruction that Oghiadohme should not attend the burial because he failed to do what the late admiral advised him  to do in London.
According to a family source, “That was why even though the COS was in Fugar, he could not attend the burial notwithstanding that  he was supposed to be the chief host. Nobody from the community would have welcomed him there because, as far as the community was concerned, he had become a persona non grata.
There was a time the Fugar Progressive Union tried to intervene in the matter but it was difficult. We knew we have a problem but solving it was another problem because this was not the kind of thing you start explaining. It is because of this issue that you noticed that Oghiadohme can never win any election in his booth in Fugar because Fugar people are angry with him”.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.