Diri Celebrates Ephraim Faloughi At 85

Governor Douye Diri of
Bayelsa State, on Sunday,
alongside senior citizens
of the state, graced the 80th
birthday celebration of
Bayelsa-born industrialist,
Chief Ephraim Fagha-Faloughi.
The celebration, which
had in attendance captains
of industry, royal fathers, Ijaw
leaders, top government functionaries, friends and family
members of the business mogul, was held at the Chief DSP
Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall
in Yenagoa.
Governor Diri, in his remarks, eulogised the octogenarian for his giant strides in
business dating back to the
1970s and still thriving across
the country.
The governor described
Faloughi as an Ijaw patriot,
who was not only involved
in the Bayelsa State creation
effort but also invested in the
state as well as being part of
positive developments concerning the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
He also stated that the octogenarian was an asset that
the state was proud of for
his support and immense
contribution to the growth
of Bayelsa.
He said: “I feel very elated
that we are celebrating the
living and not the dead. Today
will go down in the history of
this state that we gathered to
celebrate the life of our elder
and leader, who has been involved in virtually everything
concerning the Ijaw nation
and indeed in the creation of
Bayelsa State.
“He put in all that he could
to ensure this state was created and upon creation, he
came in and invested. One of
the oldest hotels in the state,
Brass Suites, is Chief Faloughi’s handiwork.”
The Bayelsa helmsman
averred that Faloughi, whose
mother is from Brass Local
Government Area of the
state, was fully Ijaw despite
having a Lebanese father as
the Ijaw culture was equally
matrilineal.
Chairman of the event and
immediate past Bayelsa State
deputy governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John-Jonah
(rtd), described the 80th birthday gathering as a celebration
of life’s achievements, which
began with a lecture and dinner attended by the governor
of Osun State, Prince Ademola Adeleke.
Rear Admiral John-Jonah
said Faloughi’s achievements
did not come cheap as he
worked hard from the scratch.
Also speaking, pioneer
pro-chancellor of Federal
University, Akure, and current pro-chancellor of Bayelsa
Medical University, Ambassador Boladei Igali, paid glowing
tributes to the octogenarian
whom he described as one
with the purest of hearts and
who had rendered service to
the country and qualified as
one of the finest gentlemen in
Nigeria.