Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa has mourned the death of a billionaire businessman and politician from the state, Keniebi Okoko.
POLITICS NIGERIA had reported that Koko died during a liposuction surgery in a Lagos Hospital after a power outage during the surgery.
In a statement on Thursday in Yenagoa by his acting Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, governor Diri said the news of the sudden demise of Okoko was a great shock and pain.
Diri said Bayelsa, the Ijaw nation and indeed Nigeria has lost a man with great potential whose philanthropism and impact as a young politician would be greatly missed.
The governor commiserated with his family, aged parents, the Obunagha community of Gbarain Clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
He prayed God to comfort and grant his parents and immediate family the grace to bear this painful loss, adding that as ordinary mortals, we could not question God even at a time like this.
Diri said: “The sudden passing of Pastor Keniebi Okoko came as a rude shock to me. It is equally painful just as it is tragic.
“This is a terrible blow to Bayelsa and indeed the Ijaw nation. We have lost a pillar of support and a great patriot, who believed in and was always ready to contribute his quota to the development of our state. He will be greatly missed.
“I commiserate with the Okoko family as well as the PDP family in Bayelsa over this painful loss of a young man with great potential.
“As mortals, we cannot question the will of God even in death, no matter how painful it is.
“Why his sun has set, so suddenly at noon is a mystery to all of us who love him. I pray God to grant us all the strength at this time and the grace to bear the pain of Keniebi’s sudden departure.
“Nonetheless, we take solace in the words of Apostle Paul in Romans 14:8-9: If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
