Diepreye Alamieyeseigha
Encyclopedia
Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha ("DSP") (born 16 November 1952) was governor of Bayelsa State
in Nigeria
from 29 May 1999 to 9 December 2005.
. He attended the Bishop Dimeari Grammer School, Yenagoa
.
He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, then joined the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply.
He held various air force positions in Enugu
, Markurdi, Kaduna
and Ikeja
. Alamieyeseigha retired from the air force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader.
After leaving the air force he became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt. Later he became Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON).
(PDP). He was re-elected in 2003.
Vice President Atiku Abubakar
attended the March 2003 event that kicked of his campaign for reelection in 2003.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was impeached on allegations of corruption on 9 December 2005.
At time of arrest, Metropolitan police found about £1m-worth of cash in his London home.
Later they found a total of £1.8m ($3.2m) in cash and bank accounts.
He has been found to own real estate in London worth an alleged £10 million.
His state's monthly federal allocation for the last six years has been in the order of £32 million.
He jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom
by allegedly disguising himself as a woman, though Alamieyeseigha denies this claim.
On July 26, 2007, Alamieyeseigha pled guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge; however, because the sentences were set to run concurrently and the time was counted from the point of his arrest nearly two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were also ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government. According to Alamieyeseigha, he only pled guilty due to his age and would have fought the charges had he been younger. On July 27, just hours after being taken to prison, he was released due to time already served.
In April 2009, Alamieyeseigha pledged a donation of 3,000,000 Naira to the Akassa Development Foundation
In December 2009, the Federal government hired a British law firm to help dispose of four expensive properties acquired by Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in London
. Alamieyeseigha had bought one of these properties for £1, 750,000.00 in July 2003, paying in cash. Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha used it as his London residence, and as the registered office of Solomon and Peters Inc.
Bayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from 29 May 1999 to 9 December 2005.
Background
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born in 16 November 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa StateBayelsa State
Bayelsa State is a state in southern Nigeria in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State. Its capital is Yenagoa. The language spoken here is Ijaw language and dialects of the Ijaw language such as Nembe, Atissa, Akassa, Ogbia, etc. However, like the rest of Nigeria,...
. He attended the Bishop Dimeari Grammer School, Yenagoa
Yenagoa
Yenagoa is a Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Yenagoa in the south of the area at.The LGA has an area of 706 km² and a population of 353,344 at the 2006 census....
.
He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, then joined the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply.
He held various air force positions in Enugu
Enugu
Enugu is the capital of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in the southeastern area of Nigeria and is largely populated by members of the Igbo ethnic group. The city has a population of 722,664 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The name Enugu is derived from the two Igbo words Enu Ugwu...
, Markurdi, Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
and Ikeja
Ikeja
Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas . The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there...
. Alamieyeseigha retired from the air force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader.
After leaving the air force he became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt. Later he became Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON).
Governor of Bayelsa State
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was elected Governor of Bayelsa State in May 1999 as a member of the ruling People's Democratic PartyPeople's Democratic Party (Nigeria)
The People's Democratic Party is a political party in Nigeria. Its policies generally lie towards the right wing of the political spectrum. It has won every single Presidential elections since 1999, namely: 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011, and is the dominant party in the Fourth Republic.-History:In...
(PDP). He was re-elected in 2003.
Vice President Atiku Abubakar
Atiku Abubakar
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, alias Turakin Adamawa, GCON was the Vice-President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. He is a Muslim native of Adamawa State, and was an influential member of the ruling People's Democratic Party until 2006 when he switched affiliation to the Action Congress party...
attended the March 2003 event that kicked of his campaign for reelection in 2003.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was impeached on allegations of corruption on 9 December 2005.
Subsequent career
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was detained in London on charges of money laundering in September 2005.At time of arrest, Metropolitan police found about £1m-worth of cash in his London home.
Later they found a total of £1.8m ($3.2m) in cash and bank accounts.
He has been found to own real estate in London worth an alleged £10 million.
His state's monthly federal allocation for the last six years has been in the order of £32 million.
He jumped bail in December 2005 from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by allegedly disguising himself as a woman, though Alamieyeseigha denies this claim.
On July 26, 2007, Alamieyeseigha pled guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge; however, because the sentences were set to run concurrently and the time was counted from the point of his arrest nearly two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were also ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government. According to Alamieyeseigha, he only pled guilty due to his age and would have fought the charges had he been younger. On July 27, just hours after being taken to prison, he was released due to time already served.
In April 2009, Alamieyeseigha pledged a donation of 3,000,000 Naira to the Akassa Development Foundation
In December 2009, the Federal government hired a British law firm to help dispose of four expensive properties acquired by Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Alamieyeseigha had bought one of these properties for £1, 750,000.00 in July 2003, paying in cash. Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha used it as his London residence, and as the registered office of Solomon and Peters Inc.