Some Other Sins of Timi Alaibe

Bayelsa State politics in Nigeria is getting even more interesting by the day as politicians get themselves ready ahead of the election in the state.

[Imahe: Former Presidential Adviser, Timi Alaibe]

About 2 weeks ago, I was reading how politicians decamp from one political party to another like a “no man’s business” in Bayelsa State, I was actually reading about PDP Chairman, Alaibe and others decamp to APC when I stumbled upon an interesting post by “PDP Bayelsa Youth Vanguard– August 16 at 9:49am Nigerian time tagged “Few of the many Sins of Timi Alaibe”.

I immediately “decamped” from what I was researching on, to know more about the man with just few out of many sins.

I took time out reading and after extensive reading, I discovered even more than what I read but the big question in my mind and probably in the minds of many could be, “Why has Timi Alaibe been quiet all these while?

Guess you would be interested to know some other sins of Timi Alaibe:

He is a financial expert, the accountant, the politician, the administrator and the philanthropist.

He has an inborn determination to make life better for those around him.

He is a member of the Oxford Association of Management

Member, Cambridge Association of Managers

Member, Certified Institute of Management

Member, Institute of Certified Public Accountants, among others.

In 1996, he attended the Accelerated Credit Risk Programme at the Euromoney Training Centre, Surrey, United Kingdom.

In 1998, he was at the Senior Bankers Course at Manchester Business School, United Kingdom.

In 1986, he joined African Continental Bank as head of operations and rose to become branch manager at Okrika branch, Rivers State, before leaving for AllStates Trust Bank as assistant manager in charge of risk management and credit control in 1991.

He served as vice president of Cosmopolitan Bancshares, a top-tier finance and investment company.

In 1994 Alaibe joined Societe Generale Bank as manager, Corporate Banking Division. He became senior manager and subsequently change champion of the bank’s re-positioning project, in 1996; assistant general manager in 1998; and general manager, Corporate and Investment Banking, in 2000.Within this period, Alaibe attended financial and management courses in Ivy League institutions across the world.

He attended the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he obtained a master’s degree in business administration.

He believes life without a challenge can only be found in a mortuary.

His life is a representation of a quintessential local village boy, who decided from inception to devote his professional competence, intellectual equipage and knack for hard work to the service of his people.

He wields a lot of influence, as he remains one of the most celebrated Bayelsans.

He surrounds himself with people of intellect.

He feels good in the company of intelligent people because he loves intellectual discourse

He is a magnetic rallying point, particularly among the youths

He is adored by his children and he treats them as a father is supposed to treat his children.

He takes care of his brothers, sisters, cousins, nephews and any persons that he can help for guardian, support and for training.

When you see those who are his friends, you will know that he is a worthy friend.

He has no special seat in his dining table that he seats, he seats with everybody.

He is a young man ready to transform the lives of young people

He started the shore protection and reclamation of land project in Kaiama. Kaiama is one of the earliest centres of education and Christianity in the Ijaw area. Christianity came to Kaiama in 1892, so also education. Erosion had taken almost half of the town before the project.

He is a man who believes that sacrificing for the people is an act of service to the people.

“When Alaibe was at the NDDC, he was a household name all over the country.

General Stanley Diriyai, a recipient of Commander of Order of Niger (CON), described Alaibe as a worthy son of Niger Delta, who takes everybody as important and creates time for people no matter their relationship to him.

He is a worthy son, a worthy father, worthy brother and a worthy friend.

There are very many NDDC roads that he did in Rivers, Bayelsa State, Akwa Ibom State, Delta State and other states in the Niger Delta. If you take the amnesty programme for instance, the efforts he made paved the way for peace we now have in the country.

There is peace in the Niger Delta and everybody knows this and Alaibe was instrumental to this. The oil production during the militancy period was low but with peace now in the Niger Delta, oil production has gone up”.

Ekpein Appah, a resident of Kaiama, who was also Alaibe’s former teacher and later his Special Adviser  when he was Managing Director of NDDC said “In Bayelsa State alone, we have, among others, the following roads to his credit: East/West – Odi – Trofani Road; East/West – Sagbama – Tungbo – Bolou Orua – Ebedebiri – Ekeremor – Agge thruway to the Atlantic Ocean;   East/West (Kaiama) – Opokuma – Sabagreia – Polaku link Road; Ogbia – Nembe Road;  internal road network in Sabagreia;  Sampou-Agbere-Odoni road to link the Owerri/Onitsha expressway”.

His tenure in the NDDC has been described by many as the “Golden Age” of the commission considering the landmark development that was witnessed in Kolokuma/Opokuma in particular, and the Niger Delta Region in general.

Aside being a man of many parts, Alaibe is described by many of his friends as a man with an insatiable appetite for knowledge; some describe him as “an omnivorous reader”, ready to devour any book that would add to his knowledge. His private study is filled with biographical books. As he reads, he draws inspiration. He studies leadership qualities of great men and crisis management with enthusiastic passion. (Source: http://www.dailyindependentnig.com/2012/06/alaibe-and-economic-development-of-niger-delta-2/)

He is a man that believes in discussing issues “The truth is that the man is simply scared……. But I think we should discuss issues and not nonentities”.

He believes in continuity “I am talking of infrastructure and mega developmental projects, particularly road and bridge construction, shoreline protection, reclamation and canalisation. The excerpts of his interview that I saw, he was talking of uncompleted NDDC projects; what is that supposed to mean? Has NDDC folded up? So, simply because some NDDC projects are on-going or pending in Bayelsa State, Timi Alaibe who left there some years ago, should be blamed?

He believes youths that go astray have been neglected by the Government. “These are patriotic youths of this country who, in the absence of care, resorted to militancy and other forms of self-help. Over 9,000 youths of Bayelsa origin are currently enrolled in both phases of the Amnesty Programme, the highest number from any state. This throws up the nature of the challenge of unemployed youths in the state because the number mentioned here does not even include those who are not in the Amnesty Programme.

He believes in doing more “I shall, by the grace of God, do much more. We will invest in major critical infrastructural development that will involve the construction of roads and bridges that will open up our land-locked communities, villages and towns. We shall reclaim lands from the sea, rivers as well as creeks and protect our shores. We shall diversify the economy of Bayelsa State to empower our people and create jobs opportunities. (Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/02/timi-alaibe-breaks-silence-why-bayelsa-states-embarrassment-to-president-jonathan/)

“Without mincing words his intellectual capacity and distinct values made the amnesty offer a success in the troubled Niger Delta region, a region that has been known for arms struggle and unhealthy restiveness among other unprintable vices”

“As NDDC helmsman, it is on record that he has been instrumental to the healthy financial and administrative regimen of the Commission, in a charged socio-political environment where the mandate of the Commission faces a dire prospect of being easily overwhelmed by political exigencies and social pressures.”

“In line with the vision of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Alaibe ambidextrously helped to enthrone a culture of enduring achievement for the NDDC. Along with his colleagues on the Board and Management of the NDDC, he successfully set in motion, a coordinated response mechanism to the short-term and long-term challenges of the Niger Delta, comprising as key ingredients, an integrated regional development Master Plan, interim action plan for key projects in the states, as well as skill acquisition programmes and a re-orientation and empowerment of youths.

“Timi Alaibe has thus become peace advocate, catalyst for change, friend of the oppressed, conduit for development, and symbol of hope and inspiration for the indigent yet hopeful Niger Delta people.”

The meritorious and indelible achievements and successes of Timi Alaibe are enormous, no doubt he is among those worthy Nigerian ambassadors that can be used as a veritable instrument to championing the Nigeria popular slogan ”Good People Great Nation”. (Source: Emmanuel Ajibulu a representative of modernghana.com in Nigeria)

““Timi Alaibe has thus become peace advocate…” with all these characteristics and distinguishable qualities by one man, when next you stumble upon any article on social media tagged “Few of the many sins of Timi Alaibe”, you would know better just as my curiosity led me into doing a little research.

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