9th November, 2023
Dear Prince Tonye Princewill
and members of the Princewill family,
CONDOLENCE LETTER & TRIBUTE TO A FATHER
On behalf of my family and the good people of Bayelsa West Senatorial District, I write to formally offer our condolences to you, the entire Princewill family, the Kalabari kingdom, the Government and the good people of Rivers State, the entire Ijaw nation, Niger Delta and Nigeria in general, over the passing of our illustrious father, leader, patriarch and king; HRM, King (Prof.) T.J.T Princewill,CFR.
There is no doubt that His Majesty lived a worthy life of service to the benefit of our people. Firstly, he was a thorough bred and renowned academic and administrator who rose to the rank of a professor, before ascending the throne of his fore fathers as Amayanabo of Kalabari kingdom. Amongst other things also, he was Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers and one of the illustrious traditional rulers in Ijaw nation, Niger Delta and Nigeria.
He served our people diligently in all that he did until his eternal call to join his ancestors.
His Majesty was a quintessential father to you and countless others. He was a pre-eminent Ijaw leader in his own right and a mentor to several including me. I was a regular visitor to the palace to seek his fatherly advice, counsel and blessings which benefitted me enormously in the course of my service as governor of Bayelsa State for eight years. I know that he was also a father and mentor to several other governors especially those of Rivers State.
His departure at this time has clearly left a huge vacuum that will be difficult to fill in your lives as a family, in the Kalabari kingdom and certainly in the Ijaw nation and Nigeria at large and it is our hope that you will take solace in the worthy legacies and the huge impact that he made in his lifetime and the several lives that he touched in the course of his illustrious service to our people and country.
While we mourn the passing of His Royal Majesty, we also join you, the entire Kalabari kingdom, the Ijaw nation and Nigeria to celebrate a worthy life well lived. The Ijaw nation has indeed lost a rare leader.
In appreciation of my love and passion for Ijaw tradition, culture and language, His Majesty personally presided over my formal initiation and admittance into the sacred Kalabari Ekine Sekiapo society of which he was Supreme Head. As an avowed supporter and promoter of our culture and a member of the Ekine Sekiapo societies of Opume, Nembe Ogbolomabiri(Nembe City), Nembe Basambri(Opunembe) and several other cultural groups, I also use this medium to offer my condolences to the leaders and members of the Kalabari Ekine Sekiapo society as we bid our patriarch farewell.
It is my prayer that God Almighty will grant his soul eternal repose and give you and all of us the fortitude to bear this great loss.
His Excellency,
Senator Henry Seriake Dickson,CON.