Lulu Briggs at the Crossroads?
Dumo Lulu Briggs is popular and wealthy. He is, indeed, a master in the art of making money.
His company, Platform Petroleum, is one of the top-rated in the country.
At some point, he considered going into politics and he eventually gave it a shot.
He was said to have ventured into politics with the sole aim of serving his people.
But it appears it was a wrong move, as the hunky businessman is said to be regretting taking the step.
Consequently, he is said to be at a crossroads now, unsure of the next step to take, politics-wise.
It was revealed that the 54-year-old wrote a letter to the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, where he made known his grievances over the state’s party governorship primary election, which he described as “shambles”.
It was also gathered that he stated how sad he was with the result of the primary that produced another top player in the oil and gas sector, Tonye Cole.
In the letter entitled, “Taking leave of a family”, he said. “Beloved brothers and sisters of the All Progressives Congress, Rivers State, I greet you with mixed feelings, as I write these lines to accordingly Express a hard decision.
“Yes, hard decision because I formally joined you in April last year and you received me with warmth and love. You made me feel at home, and we worked hard as a family to reposition the party and stabilize our leader, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who was then under tremendous pressure. We quickly rolled up our sleeves and laboured behind our leader and with you.
“Inspired by the leader’s claim to equity, justice, and fair play, we inconvenienced ourselves to ensure success and our beloved All Progressives Congress became bigger and stronger. The claim by the leader that Rivers State should be governed at this time by someone of riverine extraction was believed to be a sincere and patriotic position. Hence we encouraged the membership to follow wholeheartedly.
“For those who know Dumo Lulu Briggs intimately, I am an unrepentant team player who puts group interest over self. We didn’t walk the streets because we were idle, we were not insulted because we were hated; instead, we did because sacrifices were required to liberate our state.
“Our loyalty to the leader and party was total as is necessary for Party Democracy to thrive. As you all know, the principles of loyalty and fidelity demand justice for all. “To lead and we follow” must always bear the supposition of truth, equity, and justice.
“We need to create a Rivers State of expanding opportunities and citizen responsibility. A State growing in diversity and in the bonds of love and ONENESS. Therefore, nothing must be allowed to threaten our sense of a common future.
“The facts are known, we took steps to protect the party from sliding into a personal estate, if the PDP in Rivers State is owned by a strong man and our leader in the APC by default becomes a feudal lord, then our state is doomed. I have nothing personal to lose or gain, but we have all to lose if in a democracy we allow the aberration of overlords, hence my decision. While we were together, I enjoyed your comradeship and so find it hard to leave, yet, men of conscience would when necessary overlook personal sentiments and emotions.
“I am 100% Rivers just as you and so I trust that we shall keep our friendship and possibly realign if and when we feel the need. I bear no grudge or malice and I implore that you take none toward me, what is obvious is that I have to continue my quest to help liberate our state by advancing my vision on another platform.
“I take from the experience valuable lessons, and from you, I took warm memories. I pray that God keeps us healthy and able to rescue Rivers State and elect a governor who will give Rivers people quality leadership and service.
“Once again, I reiterate that it is about Rivers people and my doors are open, praying that we find ourselves in ONE ACCORD.’’
This is not the first time he had shown interest in the number one job of the state.
In 2015, the son of Chief O. B. Lulu Briggs, a former national Vice Chairman of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Second Republic, was one of the prominent governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State.
Briggs, who holds a master’s degree from the University of London, had reportedly spent several millions of naira to actualise his dream. But he was disqualified by the working committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a development that deflated his balloon of hope.
Not one given to surrendering easily, the billionaire businessman, again, nursed the ambition of becoming the number one citizen of the state in 2019.
Consequently, he dumped the PDP for the ruling APC.
But, again, he has failed to realize his age-long ambition.
Billionaire businessman, Dr. Louis Ekere, Chief Executive Officer, Homeland Integrated Offshore Services Limited, is a great achiever by all standards.
He is known to have contributed hugely towards the development of the nation’s oil and gas sector.
It was, therefore, not surprising that he was awarded with an honorary Doctorate degree by the Trinity International University of Ambassadors, Atlanta Georgia, United States of America, recently.
The award is conferred on individuals who are deemed worthy and are doing great work at home and abroad.
Incidentally, the conferment of the award is coming on the heels of his recent graduation from the prestigious Harvard Business School.
In his resolve to ensure Nigerians across every spectrum enjoy quality healthcare services, Dr Ekere, an alumnus of the prestigious IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain and the Lagos Business School, recently opened the multi billion-naira WellMed Healthcare Ltd, an indigenous healthcare company in Lagos that offers one-stop diagnostic solution services with state-of-the-art medical equipment, including 1.5 Tesla MRI, 64-slice CT Scan, 4D Ultrasonography, fully digital X-ray, 3D Echocardiography, Resting and Exercise ECG and fully automated pathology laboratory with a menu of over 3,000 tests.
Apart from this, Dr Ekere, who was recently awarded the Certificate of Merit by the US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, United States of America (USA), is also involved in several philanthropic activities, the recent being the free medical testing on world Hepatitis Day, free medical outreach at Ajah, Lagos, and environs, where residents were screened for chronic lifestyle diseases, including diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
He has offered free highend radiologic and pathology investigations, including MRI and CT scan, hitherto unaffordable, to indigent patients of public hospitals including Massey Street Children’s Hospital, General Hospital, Lagos and Epe General Hospital.
Dr. Ekere has employed and sponsored indigenes of host communities, where Homeland IOS Ltd operates amongst several other activities.