…Hands Over His Enormous Wealth To His Wife, Donald Duke
Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
As TCPN reported last week, High Chief O. B. Lulu-Briggs’ Will was read on Friday, 26th July, 2019, at the office of the Chief Registrar, High Court, Port Harcourt.
We also reported that the late oil mogul entrusted all his wealth, believed to be worth billions of dollars, to his wife and widow, Seinye Lulu-Briggs and three other people one of who was a former governor of Cross River State.
We have now exclusively gathered that the former governor is Donald Duke, who ruled Cross River from 1999 to 2007 is also a beneficiary of the will.
The late O.B. Lulu-Briggs was the owner of Moni Pulo, an indigenous oil production company.
Sources said for reasons best known to him, he did not give any portion of his inheritance to any of his older sons, namely Senibo, Dumo and Sofiri Lulu-Briggs, his first, second and third sons respectively.
Full text of the WILL reads:
“I Chief Olu Benson Lulu-Briggs, of the Briggs family of Abonnema in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area in Rivers State, now residing in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, hereby make publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former wills, codicils and any other form of testamentary bequest.
“First, I wish to be buried and for my wife Seinye Lulu-Briggs, if she survives me, to take active part in my funeral services. I direct that my funeral service be simple and done in Kalabari tradition as allowed by my Christian beliefs in recognition of the dignity of my position as head, Young Briggs House. I request that there be no mourning or weeping. Any member of my family and a beneficiary under this will, who refuses to participate in my burial shall be completely excluded from the benefit under this will, as if such person had predeceased me.
“For the reasons specified in a letter, I have executed on the date of this will, I have not made any provision in this will for my sons, Dumo, Senibo or Sofiri. If this will is contested by any of my sons, I request that such letter be introduced as evidence of the reasons why I have not made any such provision.
“I will establish a trust in Nigeria, the Ebuye Trust, and for the purpose procure the incorporation of holding trust company (ies) in Nigeria. The Ebuye Trust shall be set up broadly in accordance with the following directions,
“The trustees of the trust and directors of the trust holding company(ies) shall, at all times, comprise a maximum of 4 persons, who in the first instance will be His Excellency Donald Duke, Mr John Sassine, Dr A. Odaga and Seinye; and in the event that any of them decline to act as trustee or a vacancy otherwise occurs, shall include such other persons as the remaining persons nominated as trustees shall decide.
“The executive trustee and director of the trust holding company (ies) will be Seinye, whilst the other trustees of the trust and directors will act in a non-executive capacity.”
In another schedule, the Will reads: “I, High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs, on this 2nd day of October, 2012, being of a clear mind and without neither duress nor persuasion do make the following declarations:
- That my following children namely: Senibo Lulu-Briggs, Dumo Lulu-Brriggs and Sofiri Lulu-Briggs are expressly excluded from all forms of inheritance from my assets, estates, companies and all forms of property (ies), acquired) by myself or accruing from my interest and all money in all my Bank accounts, both personal, joint and companies where my interests are in existence.
- That the female by name Nwamma Opusunji brought to me by my cousin, Madam Soton Tom Briggs, who hails from Opobo, is not my daughter and I have never acknowledged her as such. Therefore, I hereby declare that on no account should she be entitled to inherit directly or indirectly from my estates, assets, property (ies) belonging to me or any interest in such business/companies both on my personal acquisition and interest in various companies.”
Investigation into the matter continues.
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