Good morning Sir, it is a pleasure meeting
with you sir, I have heard a lot about you; sir please
can we know more about you?
My name is Prof Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa. I was
born on the 14th day of APRIL 1933 IN Okpoama
Kingdom, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. I am married to
Mrs. Mercy G. Alagoa (Dame) JP. I have four (4)
children and several grand-children and great-grand
children.
When did you start activism Sir?
I started activism when I was a student at the
Prestigious Government College, Umaiah in the
late 1940’s when I came in contact with the works
of Chief Harold Dappa Biriye and I began to
commit myself to the course of the people of the
Niger Delta. After my fi rst degree in the University
College, Ibadan (UCI) under the tutelage of Prof K. O. Dike the
fi rst Professor Historian and founder of (FHSN). Although I
was still strong with my activism, I later went for my (PhD) at the
University of Wisconsin – Madison (USA).
Sir how many books have you written? And is you focus
mainly on Niger Delta affairs?
I am more concerned and focused about the Niger Delta
history, their culture, tradition etc. I have written so many books
can not mention all but let me mention few of them “The Izon
of the Niger Delta” which was edited by myself, Tekena M. Tonye
Tamuno, John Pepper Clark it is a recent book, and commission
by the Government of Bayelsa State. It is a global history of the
Izon, Ijo or Ijaw people from their homelands in Niger Delta,
through Nigerian, the west and central African coastlands, and in
the Africans and the Caribbean.
Wow! Sir it’s such a colossal book, thanks for the copy Sir.
You are welcome, others are: “The Small Brave City-State,
Oral Tradition and Oral history in Africa and the Diaspora (theory
and practice). The use of hind sight as foresight, the future of the
Niger Delta, (the search for a relevant narrative... there are so many
of them.
What about your NGO Sir?
I run an NGO, the name is Onyoma Research. It is aimed at
studying the history and culture of the Niger Delta and community
development in the Niger Delta and publication of all types of
literature and the mentioning of talented young writers.
Your most memorable moment Sir, and brief achievement?
I have been seen so many memorable aspect of my life, just
to mention a few, when I was made the president of the historical
society of Nigeria, I was elected as the president, making it two
times and when I was made a fellow of historical society of
Nigeria, also when I was made a fellow of Nigerian Academy of
letters and also when I was made a winner of the Nigerian National
Order of Merit (NMOM) by the Federal Government of Nigeria
Awarded by President Goodluck Jonathan. I am an offi cer of the
order of the Niger also Justice of Peace (JP), I have achieved a
lot so far. I was also the fi rst Prof. Chancellor of the Niger Delta University, The first Deputy
Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt and the first Dean of the Faculty of Humanities.
Your views on the minorities discrimination, in general ?
The monitoring question in Nigeria was structured in to
the creation of Nigeria in 1914. Lord Fredrick Lugard already
empowered three groups and made others minority, the three
groups were the North under the Hausa/Fulani, the South
West under the Yoruba, minorities existed even before the
Author Richard’s constitution, so the minorities are tended to be
marginalized in the system, the British tried in their own way to
create administrative units, to permit some minorities to achieve
some level of local autonomy. But this measures did not fully
satisfi ed all minorities and therefore at the time of independence in
1960 the question of minorities came into the surface. When some
minorities in the Niger Delta and Middle Belt vigorously expressed
their fears concerning their future, the British Government also
set up a commission at that time it was known as Henry’s Willinks
Commission around 1958, to inquire the fears of the minorities. So
many stories about the minorities, if we continue to talk about it,
we won’t go to our various houses.
Has the Amnesty Programme solve the problem of
militancy in the Niger Delta?
This went a very long way to solve it, it created sense of
security within the Niger Delta itself and it also helps the political
system in Nigeria to recognize the importance of placing a Niger
Delta leader in the presidency leading to Mr. President (Goodluck
E. Jonathan). It has vastly improved security in the Niger Delta but
has not completely solved
Why do many of you Nationalist do not venture into
politics?
Wow! If we go, who will be in the classroom to teach the
young ones? So we are trying our best by bringing the politicians
back to their history, so they will know where they are coming
from. It will direct their step to where they are going to.
Prof: Welcome!
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