We reminded him that he just received a two-year associate degree in Arts and Sciences on July 17, 2005. The young man waved it off. Tonbra's desire for a graduate degree as soon as possible may not be unconnected with his ambition to contest the election for the House of Representatives in 2007.

It is worthy of note that this college is in the same state where his father, the governor, earned a doctorate degree within two years. The said two year doctorate degree was awarded by the University for Northern Washington. The college touts itself as a business college. The University for Northern Washington is only accredited in Hawaii, but operates in Washington. The college was recently sued by the Hawaii Consumer Protection Agency for engaging in certain acts or practices that violated Hawaii’s consumer protection laws in a civil suit number 00-1-003366 GWBC in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit in the state of Hawaii. The University was ordered to stop making false representations. The court also awarded damages to members of the public who may have been misled by the University's fraudulent claims.

Dr. Kombo Mason Braide, in an article entitled, “Customized Degrees For Advanced Dropouts,” had this to say about Alamieyeseigha's doctorate degree: "His student identification number was UNN-UK 2108PD130. His Excellency obtained the bogus doctorate degree in Strategic Management on Friday, 15 February 2002, barely six (6) months after his admission! According to the bogus certificate, which was signed by the bogus "Registrar" and bogus "President" of the bogus university, the Governor made bogus excellent grades in virtually all the bogus courses he took, also while governing one of the most volatile states in the Niger Delta." The report was published on nigerdeltacongress.com.

Tonbra, until recently, lived in a four million dollar ($4,000,000.00) house in Bellingham City, Washington. A Colorado state-based firm, Carver, Inc., currently manages the property. Tonbra lives in Pinebrook, New Jersey.

Another offspring of Diepreye Solomon Peter (DSP), Oyindounbra, is reputed to live in stupendous wealth. While our investigations show she is a resident of California, Tonbra informed Elendureports.com that Oyindounbra has since relocated to Nigeria. There are allegations that Gov. Alamieyeseigha spent about four hundred million (N400,000,000.00) naira to organize a party for her in celebration of her graduation from college.

We also made several calls to Gov. Alamieyeseigha's London home. At one point another of the Governor’s sons, Feliaka, told us he was resting. The house, which is located on Edgeware Road in Southwest London, is valued at about two million pounds. According to Tonbra, Gov. Alamieyesigha bought the house in 2003. A former minister and friend of late Head of State, Gen. Abacha, also has a house on the same road.

Gov. DSP Alamieyeseigha's family, friends and cronies are in battle mode. They believe Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo is unjustly targeting them because Gov. Alamieyeseigha is in Vice President Atiku’s camp, and they point to not only the massive corruption in adjoining Rivers State, but the recent rumored arrest of Governor Donald Duke for a similar offense in one of the Western countries. However, our investigations show that allegations of corruption and profligacy made against Gov. Alamieyeseigha are legendary. He had been linked to corruption long before he was elected to the office of Governor of Bayelsa State. His ascension to the high office of Governor simply exacerbated this alleged trait. Some people have described the man as thinking of himself as a modern day Robin Hood of the Ijaw people.

On June 5, 2001, about two years after DSP was sworn in as governor, a motion was brought before the Bayelsa State House of Assembly to impeach him. This motion of impeachment, which was brought by twelve members of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, charged the governor with twenty-eight counts of corruption and money laundering. The allegations included inflation of contracts, illegal transfer of state funds to his private accounts in London, United States, and other countries. He was also accused of acquiring choice properties in Yenagoa, Lagos, Abuja, London, France, and the United States of America. Between 1999 and 2000, the governor was also alleged to have sent his former “Balogun trader” wife to school in London at the expense of the Bayelsa taxpayers.

Although a little over a million pounds were said to have been found in the Governor’s London home, there are indications that the total sum involved in the money laundering allegations may be as much as forty million pounds. While there have been claims that Gov. Alamieyeseigha was a rich man before he was elected to the office of Governor, there are no records to show that he was in the class of Nigerians who could have millions of pounds lying around in a bank account. The source of his wealth has been controversial. Although his wife was a trader at the Balogun Market, he did not have a history of owning or operating a private business.

Barring serious diplomatic intervention by the Obasanjo Administration, the Governor, who cannot leave the United Kingdom until November 15 2005, when he will appear in a UK high court, may be headed to jail. There are also indications that the threat by some Ijaw groups to harm British and European interests in the Niger Delta may impact the attitude of British authorities in this matter. This is blackmail being perpetrated by some of the governor's cronies. As a preemptive move, Nigeria's Security Services recently arrested Niger Delta warlord, Asari Dokubo.

However, protests by armed supporters of Asari Dokubo in Port Harcourt may add to the pressure on the Nigerian and British governments, which are very dependent on oil from the Niger Delta area. Reports from our sources in Port Harcourt indicate that offices and businesses were forced to close early today as armed men took over the streets of Port Harcourt. Shell, a major oil conglomerate in Port Harcourt, is reported to have closed all their facilities in Rivers State. Unconfirmed reports show that the company may be making arrangements to fly out their expatriate staff. Police and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces were not seen on the streets as Asari Dokubo’s supporters, armed with sophisticated weapons and machetes, roamed the streets.

“DSP” was born some 53 years ago in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local government of Bayelsa State. He attended primary and secondary school in the area. ‘Luck’ began to smile on him when he was admitted to the Nigerian Defense Academy as a cadet officer in 1974 from where he joined the Nigerian Air Force.

Sources close to the Governor informed Elendureports.com that it was at the lucrative Supply and Logistics Department of the Nigeria Air Force where “DSP” started his meteoric rise in the world of questionable wealth. Ironically, DSP was awarded his first military medal in the late 1970s by then military Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.

Amongst his supporters and loyalists in Ijaw land, DSP is seen as a hero. He is fondly referred to as the “Governor General,” an appellation that stems from his support for the broad agitation for resources control. With allegations of money laundering and corruption involving tens of millions of dollars coming to light, one wonders if "Governor General" will remain the toast of Bayelsans. Those who know DSP will caution, "Don't count him out, yet."

Email: jonathan@elendureports.com