Okpebholo to Renovate Late Ambrose Alli’s House

Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin 

Ms. Rosemary Ambrose Alli, daughter of former governor of Bendel State, now (Edo/Delta), has disclosed that the government of Senator Monday Okpebholo has made known intentions to renovate her late father’s house at Emuado, Ekpoma.

Ms. Alli who made this known in Benin while speaking with journalists informed that an official of the Edo State Government told her that the state government had concluded plans to upgrade the house to a modern one.

It would be recalled that the house was built in 1990 by Prof. Alli’s friends after his death in 1989 immediately he was released from prison.

Recall also the late governor did not build any personal house throughout his tenure as governor of Bendel State from 1979 to 1983 before the military terminated the democratic rule on 31 December, 1983.

Expressing her appreciation to Okpebholo’s government, Ms. Alli said no government, whether Delta or Edo, had thought it wise to provide succour to the family despite her father’s selfless service to the two states.

“Severally, we have made efforts to get the attention of the governments of Edo and Delta without success. Past Edo governments at time sent some few things to us but Delta has bluntly refused to acknowledge even our communication,” she said.

She noted ordinarily the two states ought to pay compensation to the family as done by some states of the country even without asking.

According to her, the family lived average life despite her father’s status as a governor, adding her father donated his salaries for humanitarian purposes.

“We lived average life. The only thing I remember was that we usually grill turkey with potatoes for lunch, otherwise we ate fish like any other citizens. I went about my daily duties without escort or special car.

“My mother was a nurse and staff of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). She went to work, even night duties throughout my father’s tenure.”

She posited that her father was the most punished among past governors in that era by the military government of General Mohammed Buhari between 1984 and 1988 during his incarceration.

Narrating the story behind her father’s imprisonment, she said the former governor never enriched himself by collecting kickback as claimed by the prosecutors but was jailed because of money donated by a contractor to his party – Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) – for electioneering purposes.

 “The one million naira they accused my father of collecting was a lie, it was never a kickback but donation by a contractor who built houses for the state.

“The contractor donated the money to the party and my father shared it accordingly. He did not take a kobo from the money,” she stressed.

She accused the State Security (SS) of manufacturing evidence to make sure her father was jailed.