14082018 - POPULATION GROWTH : Danger looms for Nigeria

78—SATURDAY Vanguard, APRIL 14, 2018
•Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas...committed to worthy causes
Tonye Graham-Douglas: Creative leader
who strives for worthy causes
PERHAPS, if the Federal Government
he served four times as minister had
listened to him and taken his proposals as
road-map for the development of the Niger-
Delta region, and indeed, other parts of
the country, maybe much of the pain the
nation experienced, and is still
experiencing could have been avoided.
That was not to be; the entire nation,
especially its leaders could not see gold
elsewhere, except in crude oil. Today, a
costly clean-up of Ogoniland is in the
works, and is estimated to cost a whopping
US$1 billion.
As far back as year 2000, long before
militancy became a multi-billion naira
industry, he had noted in his capacity as
Culture & Tourism Minister that
“ecotourism conserves the natural
environments and sustains the well-being
of local people,”adding that “the economic
benefits to be gained from tourism linked
to natural areas, have long been
recognized as significant for conservation
at several levels.”
Ecotourism and
natural environments
Before then, however, Alabo Tonye
Graham-Douglas had always been
interested in projects and ideas that could
engage masses of youths and keep them
gainfully occupied for the benefit of the
society. In 1986, after he was appointed
Commissioner for Youths, Sports and
Culture in Rivers State, and it was during
his tenure that a government event centre
was completed and named after the first
military governor of the state, Alfred Diette-
Spiff.
Diette-Spiff is now a traditional ruler, the
Amanyannabo of Twon-Brass. On the heels
of this, our person initiated, nurtured and
gave life to the first carnival in Rivers State,
called Carnival ’88, with the theme, Unity
in Cultural Diversity.
In 1989 the military government of
President Ibrahim Babangida appointed
him Minister of Social Development,
Youths and Sports. Later, a re-organization
of the federal apparatus saw the creation
of a new ministry, the Ministry of Women
Affairs, and he was moved to the Ministry
of Aviation where he oversaw the
deregulation of the aviation industry.
This Kalabari chief from Abonnema, a
four-time cabinet minister, was, from 1989-
1990 the Minister of Social Development,
Youths and Sports, Minister of Aviation
from 1990 to 1992, Minister of
Employment, Labour & Productivity from
Alabo
Graham
Douglas has
taken more
interest in
issues affecting
the Niger Delta
region and has
been very
instrumental in
helping
government
manage
agitations in
the Niger Delta
Region
July 1999 to to July 2000, and Minister of
Culture and Tourism from July 2000 to
January 2001. Ahead of his ministerial
appointments from 1999, he aspired to rule
the country as a presidential aspirantbeen
chairman of the Southern Minorities
Movement, one of the disparate entities that
eventually merged to form the PDP. In the
party’s primaries, he lost to General
Olusegun Obasanjo, who went on to
become president.
His recognition quotient on the national
landscape is not in doubt when his
antecedents are taken into account,
especially when it is recalled that his
brother was the nation’s first indigenous
Attorney-General, the late Dr. Nabo
Graham-Douglas.
Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas, an Ijaw
man, was born on May 8, 1939 in
Abonnema, Akuku-Toru Local Government
Area of Rivers State. He attended schools
in Lagos and Port Harcourt. He also
studied at Acton Technical School, London,
from 1963 to 1965 and later at the
University of Lagos, graduating in 1969
with honours degree in Botany and
Zoology.
He worked with the Nigerian Petroleum
Refinery Company, Port Harcourt, and
later became managing director of
Togiscani Nigeria, a construction company
from 1978–1985. He was also CEO of Road
Haulage Company and Magroad
Enterprises and was also chairman of the
Binterteco Nigeria, Pabod Finance and
Investment and Waterglass Boat Yard.
As he progressed in age, he took more
interest in issues affecting the Niger Delta
region, and his ethnic nationality, Ijaw,
working in tandem with known and
revered personalities like Ijaw national
leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, and
has been very instrumental in helping
government manage agitations in the
Niger Delta Region.
A former secretary to the Government of
Bayelsa State, Professor Steve Azaiki
describes Alabo Graham-Douglas thus:
“Alabo Graham-Douglas remains a
phenomenon that will continue to define
himself with his style and commitment to
worthy causes. He is a stickler for proper
dressing and conduct both in public and
private life. He lives by example, which
makes him an exemplary leader.”
We cannot agree with him less; this and
more are what qualifies Alabo Tonye
Graham-Douglas for the Vanguard 2017
Lifetime Achievement Award. of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He had