16th March, 2020
Widow of the founder of Moni Pulo Limited, High Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, Seinye, on Monday expressed shock at the manner in which her stepson, Dumo allegedly repatriated his father’s body into Port-Harcourt, Rivers State unceremoniously.
In a statement released by her spokesperson, Oraye St. Franklyn, she (Seinye) however urged her stepson to promptly announce the date for the burial of the late Lulu-Briggs while stressing that the legacy of her deceased husband will continue to bloom despite Dumo’s misgivings.
The statement reads, “Dr. Mrs. O. B. Lulu-Briggs expresses surprise at the casual notice by her stepson, the embattled Chairman of Platform Petroleum Limited, Dumo Lulu-Briggs via his WhatsApp status, that the body of her husband High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs was ‘repatriated’ into Nigeria in the dead of the night via cargo and without the dignity that the celebrated statesman deserves.
“The Widow notes that the said incident which was also communicated this afternoon by her stepson to his siblings’ beggars belief, given his penchant for peddling falsehood. She, however, hopes that if true, this will lead to the eventual burial of her beloved husband.
“Mrs Lulu-Briggs wonders why the return of a man such as the High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs, who towered highly and impacted many both locally and globally, would be shrouded in secrecy and his body smuggled into town unceremoniously, rather than marked with dignified and respectable solemnities that he deserves.
“Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs notes that her stepson, Dumo, who hated his father and hates his memory too, has lived up to his reputation by smuggling the body of the highly respected High Chief into Port Harcourt. She maintains that by his every action throughout his own history he tries to destroy the person (now body), name and legacy of his father. She concludes that the only thing left for him now is to announce a date of burial and, accordingly, urges him to do so.
Notwithstanding efforts to rubbish and denigrate her husband in death, a task which his three eldest sons Senibo, Dumo and Sofiri fought hard and failed to achieve in his lifetime, the Widow expresses confidence that his legacies would continue to bloom and blossom and he would remain unforgettable.”