Biography
Amanyanabo (King) of Twon-Brass, Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff was born on 30 July 1942 in the Ijaw area of Bayelsa state.
He was the first Military Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria after it was created from part of the old Eastern Region, Nigeria.
Diete-Spiff held office from May 1967 until July 1975 during the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon. He was also a member of the Supreme Military Council.
He ascended the throne as the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass in 1978.
Education and Career
He was educated at St. Joseph’s College, Western Cameroon and Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England.
He joined the Nigerian Navy and was commissioned ships diving officer in 1964.
When appointed Military Governor of Rivers State in 1967, he was a Naval Lieutenant Commander aged 25.
In December 2009, Diete-Spiff was National Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Auctioneers.
He was in the 2005 Confab and served in the Committee on Models and Structure of Government. He is in the category of elder statesmen.
Marriage, Wives and Children
He is married to Evangelist Josephine Diete-Spiff. His wife was the chairperson of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Wives Association (BSTWA).
Queen Josephine presided over the body when her husband, King Alfred Papapreye Diete-Spiff, served as the chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, occupying the royal position for eight years from 2014 to 2022.
She was born in Benin, Edo state. In an interview with The Punch in 2018, she disclosed her year of birth and educational background; “I was born in 1967 but I am talking about when I was in secondary school then. I attended Idia College in Benin and we used to call ourselves queens at the time. So, now that I am a queen, I don’t think it’s a coincidence because I have seen myself as one long before it happened.
“I was 17 when I left my father’s house for UNIPORT. I did certificate in Theatre Arts before going on to do the degree proper. That was my first degree.
“After my first degree, because I had always had a passion to study Law, I went back to school after giving birth to my last kid who is now 19 years old. I am a barrister at law now. I also went back to study Business Administration after my husband gave me control of a school and microfinance bank. I was the MD of the bank and felt I needed to bridge the gap by getting more knowledge of business. I went to do my Masters in the United Kingdom and doctorate in the United States of America.
“I am an evangelist and every Sunday I preach in one church or the other. I am still a Christian, I have been a Christian all my life and I intend to be one till I die.”
In summary, she attended Ezoti Primary School, Benin City, Edo State; Idia College, Benin City, Edo State, 1979-84; Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 1986-87; University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 1988-92; Alliance Francaisc, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, 2000-01; Nigerian Law School, Bwari, Abuja; University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK; Walden University, USA; Institute of Management Consultant, and Industrial Administration.
Based on claims by the queen, the King has more than one wife but she is the legal one.
“Even though I am the only legal wife of my husband, he has children from other women long before he married me. He has related to me over the years and that is okay for me.”
Controversy
In 1973, a correspondent for the Nigerian Observer wrote an article about an impending teacher’s strike, which was published on Diete-Spiff’s birthday.
According to the defunct newspaper, he took this as a deliberate insult, Diete-Spiff’s aide Ralph Iwowari had the reporter’s head publicly shaved and had him beaten with 24 lashes of a cane.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in May, 2021, Alfred Diete-Spiff, the traditional ruler of the Twon Brass community in Bayelsa, hosts to Agip’s Crude Export Terminal, fled his kingdom as the protests against the oil company took a turn a bad turn.
Mr Edward Edison, Youth President of Twon Brass told NAN that the timely intervention of the youths and armed security personnel deployed to the oil firm had doused the situation, though a 24-year old was shot in the process.
He explained that King Diette-Spiff had to leave the community in a hurry to avert escalation of the situation as the residents vowed to remain in the premises of Agip until power was restored.
