Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has described the late Pere (King) of Tarakiri Clan, Richardford Orukari Bai Koroye, as a father figure who served his people with dedication.
Diri stated this when he met with a high-powered delegation of the Tarakiri Council of Chiefs led by the Regent of the clan, Chief Fidelis Agbiki, in Government House, Yenagoa, on Monday.
The governor said the late monarch worked hard contributing to the unity, peace and stability of his clan, the state and country as a whole.
According to him, being a son of Tarakiri, the late king crowned him as a high chief of the kingdom and expressed his support towards giving the royal father a befitting funeral.
While acknowledging the importance of tradition in society, Diri stressed that it unites and highlights the history of a people.
Earlier in his remarks, the Regent of Tarakiri Clan, Chief Fidelis Agbiki, said the purpose of the meeting was to formally inform the governor of the late monarch’s burial, which has been scheduled for April 13-15.
Chief Agbiki stated that after the passage of King Koroye, a formal announcement was made on December 19 last year to inform all the communities in the clan.
According to Agbiki, in line with the clan’s constitution, the Chiefs met and elected him to act as Regent pending when a new Pere would be elected for the clan.
He added that the team also came to introduce the clan’s Regent to him and seek the state government’s formal approval.
In a brief remark, acting chairman of the Tarakiri Council of Chiefs, Chief (Dr.) Seiyefa Koroye, said the late monarch passed on October last year aged 84 years and 11 months.