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The senate has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct relevant authorities to name the new NDDC building in Rivers state after Harold Dappa Biriye without further delay.
This followed a motion titled “Need to retain the name Harold Dappa Biriye House in the New Head Office of the NDDC” Sponsored by Senator Henry, Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West)
Senator Dickson in his presentation, decried that since the NDDC moved to its permanent headquarters last year, the commission is yet to transfer the name “Harold Dappa Biriye House” to its permanent Headquarters, as was the case in its temporary building for over 20 years of its existence
He added that the Federal Government, the NDDC with the support of Rivers State Government led by Peter Odili, named the NDDC temporary Headquarter donated by the then state Government after him, 20 years ago as a mark of recognition for his services to the people of Niger Deltan and Nigeria at large
The Bayelsa born Lawmaker stressed that unlike his colleagues and allies like Tafawa Balewa, the first Prime Minister, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo and Ahmadu Bello who fought for Nigeria’s independence, have their names and images on the country’s national currency and strategic national assets, Biriye has been unrecognised until the old NDDC building came alive.
While reeling some of the achievements of Harold Dappa Biriye Dickson says, he collaborated with prominent leaders of Nigeria, like former head of State General Yakubu Gowon, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’ in managing the agitations of the Niger Delta which led to the creation of Rivers State and the establishment of the NDDC.
He also served as an adviser in the cabinet of the new Diete Spiff administration to stabilize the government following the creation of Rivers State
He added that through the Henry Willink’s Commission of 1957, which informed the establishment of the Niger Delta Basin Development and replicated in other regions of the country
Late Harold Dappa Biriye also negotiated the release and pardon of Isaac Adaka Boro who later joined the Nigerian army and died fighting for the country.
He added that Harold Dappa Biriye coordinated the activities of the Rivers Conference of Chiefs , people’s conference and participated in the pre-independence conferences in Nigeria and abroad particularly the 1957/58 constitutional conference leading to the appointment of the Willinks commission;
He later formed and led the Niger Delta Congress, NDC, a political party of the Niger Delta on which platform Chief Melford Okilo was elected as the first parliamentarian and subsequently a parliamentary secretary
