My father had a tough life; he never had a formal education all his life but grew to become what he was. And it gladdens our heart to know that when affluence came he embraced the world with the warmth of that affluence, and he gave like giving was out of fashion. And he would always say to you “to thyself always be true, and as day follows night that which will be will be”. He taught me that love is not an exchange, so you don’t love because you expect to be loved in return. Love is an act of faith; you just do it because you have to do it expecting nothing in return. You are doing it because you believe in God. And from my father’s story it is very clear that your background is not the reason you back is on the ground; you can always get moving.

So, on behalf of the Lulu-Briggs family, I thank all of us who are seated here; traditional rulers who are here that have come from Bakassi in Cross/Rivers State, friends of my father who came from Plateau State, the former Governor, Dr. Peter Odili and all those who spoke glowingly of our father; one of my teachers that I have tremendous respect for, O. C. J. Okocha, my friend Senator Magnus Abe, the choirs, the orchestra, Oma Pitch, Mercy Chinwo and all of the wonderful and respectable personalities who came to honor my father today, we can’t thank you enough but I will still say thank you so much on behalf of the Lulu-Briggs family.

My younger sister Rachael is here and she spoke very glowingly and I will like to say that we are a family; we want to be a family with everybody, with our stepmother and with all. There is nothing that has happened that we shall allow it to define us. The life of our father must be the only mirror through which we see the world. He was a very forgiving person; a very loving person and so we forgive ourselves and all of us. We pray that we keep the flag flying and that we do not bury the Lulu-Briggs family with our dearly departed father. So, we must come together; we need all your prayers. Thank you and God bless us all.

Chief Dumo O. B. Lulu-Briggs