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Tag: Bayelsa State

  • Bayelsa students deny increase in school fees

    The National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS) Worldwide on Tuesday denied reported increase in the school fees of the first state-owned university, the Niger Delta University (NDU).

    The student body warned against a plan by students, parents and civil society groups to stage a protest in the university.

    The President of NUBSS, Mr. Ozu Important, who spoke in Yenagoa blamed the reported increase in school fees on mischief makers.

    He said those peddling the falsehood were only on a mission to cause disaffection between the students and the management of the university.

    While urging parents to dismiss the rumour, Important said that the current school fees were the same with the ones paid in the last academic session.

    He said the student body met with the the management of the NDU and discovered that the school management had not announced any fee increment.

    He said: “We have crossed-checked with the school authority and we can say it without any contradiction   that there is no increment in school fees at the NDU. It is a false alarm being raised by some expired political forces.

    “The leadership of NUBSS is therefore calling on all students at the NDU not to be part of the protest. We heard that some mercenaries have been hired from outside the state to be part of the charade. This is the extent of their desperation”.

    He called on the management of the NDU and striking unions in the university system to resolve all contending issues in the interest of students.

    He commended Governor Seriake Dickson for his commitment to the development of education but    called on   Dickson to “inaugurate the student loan board to enable students to assess loans to augment their finances.”

    He said: “Let us use this medium to appeal to the various unions and the management of NDU to quickly resolve their disagreement for the sake of the students. We want a better NDU that will be the pride for us all.

    “While some schools in the South West such as the Ondo State University  increased school fees from N35000 to N2000,000 as a result of the refusal of the government to release subvention to the institution for the past seven months, the situation in Bayelsa should be commended and not condemned.

    “The state government has ensured consistent release of N350 million every month to the NDU and has not failed”.

  • Bayelsa Magistrate walks journalists out of court

    …Church members beat up reporters

     

    Magistrate Eke Spiff, Wednesday, caused commotion in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, when she ordered all journalists who came to cover a case of obtaining by tricks against the founder of the God is Able Mega Fire Ministry, Apostle Abiekunogho, out of her court.

    Abiekunogho is standing trial for allegedly obtaining a Toyota SUV and N20, 000 from a member of his church, Seiyefa Sayou, through a false prophecy.

    It was gathered that when the case resumed for hearing, the visibly angry magistrate ordered reporters to leave her court.

    She said:  “All journalists should leave this court. We don’t do sensational here, the last time you came here this issue was reported in all the media, and this made people to call my phone from all over the country, so much messages in my whatsapp. All the journalists leave my court,”

    The order by the magistrate emboldened the church members sympathetic to their pastor to threaten the journalists, who left the courtroom for the premises.

    It was later learnt that the pastor reportedly asked his members to deal with any journalist who tried to capture him with camera.

    Shortly after the court proceeding, it was gathered the pastor was shielded by his members to deter journalists from taking his photograph.

    But as he made his way to a waiting vehicle, some journalists were said to have taken some of his pictures.

    The development angered the church members, who descended on the journalists and gave them beating of their lives.

    A reporter attached to the Silverbird was given a hot slap while the correspondent of the TV Continental was beaten with his camera damaged.

    It was gathered that the church members threw caution to the wind as they continued meting out violence on the reporters and creating confusion in the area until policemen intervened to stop them.

    The case was adjourned to 24th March, 2018 for further hearing.

    Read Also: Magistrate’s absence stalls cyber cafe operator’s trial

  • 42 candidates to miss SSCE over stolen school fees

    I was robbed, says principal 

    The fate of 42 candidates of the forthcoming 2018 May/June Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSCE) are hanging in the balance in Bayelsa State following the disappearance of their registration fees.

    One of the parents of the affected students lamented that the Principal of the Community Secondary School Akenfa in Yenagoa failed to remit the registration fees of the candidates.

    It was gathered that some of the parents got to know when they visited the state Ministry of Education to get an update of the examination.

    A parent, Mr. James Ebiowei, said one of them discovered that something was fishy with the registration of the students.

    He accused the principal of the school of collecting the fees but failing to remit them to the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

    He claimed that the principal bolted with the money of the students, who had been preparing for their examination.

    He said: ”It was one of the parents who saw the school’s WAEC candidates list and noticed that the name of his child and 41 others were missing and raised the alarm and when we got to the school we were told that the Principal behind this had just retired.

    “This is cruel as the implication is that these innocent children do not know what is happening to them, they will most likely lose a hole academic year due to this unfortunate incident

    “My son for instance sat for the last JAMB and got very high scores with bright chances of getting admission offer on merit only to discover that his registration fee was not paid by the School Principal, it is unfortunate.

    “The saving grace for me is that the alternative examinations, conducted by National Examinations Council (NECO) is still open, so I will ensure I register him for NECO”.

    The immediate past principal of the school, Mr. Francis Micah, who was in charge of the registration before his retirement confirmed that some 42 students who paid their WAEC examination fees were not registered.

    Describing the development as regrettable, Micah said armed robbers, who boarded the same taxi with him, forcefully took the money total king about N800,000 from him

    He said: “The incident is unfortunate and regrettable, it is a big misfortune. I fell into the hands of some cultists and armed boys who collected the examination fees in a taxi I struggled to pay back but it was not possible and the registration deadline passed.

    “I have managed to pay back to some of the affected parents so that they can register for NECO, but a lot are still pending and I have been begging them to understand and be patient with me”.

     

  • Police arrest taxi drivers for raping, robbing victim

     

    The police have nabbed two taxi drivers for raping and robbing their female passenger in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    The suspects identified as Nathan Ogbara, 33 and Justin Amos, 32 were arrested at Tombia Roundabout Yenagoa while fleeing the crime scene.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat, said the mobile handset of the victim was recovered from the suspects.

    He said: “On 1st April 2018, at about 0200hrs, police were alerted that a young girl was sexually assaulted and her phone was stolen from her by two men operating a taxi, at opposite Jubilee hotel, Kpansia, Yenagoa.

    “The victim ‘name withheld’ ‘f’ 22 years, reported that she contacted one Nathan Ogbara ‘m’ 33 years a taxi driver to drop her at her house at Agudama Epie, after she participated in a dance competition at a car wash.

    “The suspect, called one Justin Amos ‘m’ 32 years also a taxi driver to joined him. Along the road, opposite Jubilee hotel, the suspects parked their cars and dragged the girl to a nearby bush and raped her. They took her GSM phone and zoomed off towards Tombia Roundabout.

    “Consequently, a police patrol team arrested the suspects and recovered the stolen GSM handset. Their taxis have been impounded and investigation is ongoing.

    “In a bid to rid Bayelsa State  of criminal elements, the Command Strike Force Team and other Tactical teams introduced by the Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command CP Don Awunah, are yielding positive results, as the response time to distress calls has been drastically reduced.

    “Members of the public are advised to promptly report any incident to the police, as the police command poised  to reduced crime to the bearest minimum in the state”.

  • Bayelsa govt, non-indigenes meet for peace, unity

    The Supreme Council of Non-Indigenes (SCNI), at the weekend, held a crucial meeting with the Government of Bayelsa State, to seek ways of deepening existing peace and unity in the state.

    The council, which comprises all non-indigenes living in the state, met with the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, at the Information House, Yenagoa.

    Iworiso-Markson, told the non-indigenes that the country must embrace peaceful co-existence and promote unity to achieve national integration and development.

    He said the government led by his boss and Governor Seriake Dickson remained detribalised adding that Dickson understood the roles played by people of different cultures to the development of the state.

    He noted that following the matured leadership of the governor, his government had evolved an atmosphere of peace to enable it complete many quality projects in the state.

    “The high turnout of quality projects in the state in the last six years is indicative of forward-looking leadership style of Governor Seriake Dickson. He understands the strong link between migration of people of different cultures and exposure into a young state, like Bayelsa, in dire need of development”, he said.

    The commissioner said the state government considered every residents as citizens who should enjoy equal right and fulfill obligation of taxation and contribute their quota to the social economic well-being of the state.

    He said: “The state government is blind to tribal or ethnic consideration in appointing its officers. The only yardstick for the appointment of several non-indigenes by Governor Seriake Dickson  into position of trust was competence and the value individuals could  bring to the table”

    He commended members of the SCNI in the state for their roles in keeping the peace and urged them to continue supporting thr restoration government.

    While congratulating the council for the peaceful conduct of its election, he assured them of Government support in meeting the objectives of the organisation.

    Earlier, the President-General, SCNI, Alh. Ade Bakare commended the commissioner for his professionalism in managing the government’s image since assumption of duty.

    Bakare said Iworiso Markson had turned the state to a big show that everyone was compelled to watch, adding that Bayelsa is now out of twilight for a permanent seat in the limelight.

    The president-general also hailed Dickson’s urbane leadership style which he said had opened up the state in all frontiers for business and economic prosperity.

    He said: “Dickson’s investment in education is a portrayal of a leader who understands that education is the only worthwhile legacy a nation can bequeath its citizen and that knowledge will drive the state to  prosperity.

    “We thank the Governor for appointing nine members of the organization as Special Assistants and we assure him of our  unflinching support.

    Highlight of the occasion was the conferment of Iworiso-Markson with the patron-ship of the Supreme Council of Non-Indigenes with a promise to perform the formal investiture at a later date.

     

  • Bayelsa takes investment drive to CEOs’ forum

    The Bayelsa State Government has taken its drive for Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to the Africa Chief Executive Officers’ Forum, which held earlier in the week in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, to showcase opportunities that abound in the state.

    The Governor, Seriake Dickson, made this known in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Agbo in Yenagoa.

    He called on African entrepreneurs to take advantage of the investment-friendly atmosphere created by his administration to do business in the state.

    He assured investors that the state was safe, peaceful and ready to do business with the rest of the world more than ever before.

    The governor, who spoke on the topic: “Gas: A $200 billion Opportunity’’, said: “Bayelsa State is synonymous with gas, because there is gas everywhere and as you all know, the history of oil and gas started in my state.’’

    He urged investors to put their money in the Eco- Industrial Park, adding that the state had acquired a massive land designated for the park.

    “This implies that investors no longer need to go through rigorous search for land. Relevant policies have also been put in place to safeguard investors and their investments as well.

    “Appropriate stakeholders have been engaged to stand as intermediaries between the host communities and the investors,” Dickson said.

    Bayelsa produces more than 40 per cent of the gas produced in Nigeria. The state has commenced establishment of mini power plants close to the source of the gas and investors are encouraged to take advantage of this huge opportunity.

    According to the statement, Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo were among other notable dignitaries who attended the forum.

  • Suspects remanded in prison over attack on corps members

    Two suspected cultists, Prince Ikerewu and Mosain Moses, were yesterday, remanded in Okaka Prison, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, by the High Court following their alleged involvement in the recent attack on corps members lodge.

    Suspected cultists attacked the lodge at Angalabiri, Sagbama, on March 18, robbed corps members of their valuables and severed the left hand of one of their victims identified as Julius Luntsi.

    The suspects were arrested by youths of Angalabiri community and handed over to the police.

    Ikerewu and Moses were arraigned on three count of conspiracy contrary  to section 6 (b) and punishable under section 1(2)(a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, 2004. 

    Two of the suspects pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in the court presided Justice Ebereyin Omukoro.

    The suspects reiterated in their statement to the police that they were not part of the boys that attacked the corp members.

    The prosecution team lined up 11 witnesses including Luntsi and three other corps members and provided three exhibits to prove the case against the suspects.

    Justice Omukoro who took the plea of the suspects said they should be taken from the cell of the State Central Investigation Department Cell to the Okaka Prison while the case and adjourned the case to April 16 and 18.

  • ‘Reactivate WAGI” workers appeals to Wike

    Workers of West African Glass Industry WAGI, under the aegis of the Chemical and Non Metallic Products Senior Staff Association (CANMPSSA), of Nigeria have called on the governors of Rivers and Bayelsa states to come to their rescue and save their jobs and the company from being sold by few individuals.

    WAGI is jointly owned by Rivers and Bayelsa state but located in Trans-Amadi Industrial area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    In a joint “Save our Souls” statement in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday,  by WAGI labour Union executives, including the chairman,   junior staff union and addressed by the chairman of the Senior staff union,  comrade Agbozu Dinipre , they alleged that few workers of the company being led by one Emmanuel Kany, are making frantic efforts to save the company, have purportedly got court order to sale it.

    They noted that the company has been going through challenging priod which led to its temporary shutdown but said an investor has indicated interest in reviving it and also absorbing the workers but regretted that Mr. Kany and his group are frustrating the planned take off of the company with undue litigation, as a ploy to canvass for a buyer.

    They appealed to Governors Nyeson Wike and Seriake Dickson to quickly intervene and stop Mr.  Kany and co. from carrying out the evil plan.

    They lamented the hardship the workers and their families had faced since the closure in 2009 and said the suffering would be worse if they allow Kany to sale off the property and sack all workers, expressing the expectations to get their jobs back when it is reactivated.

    According to the group, process to reopen operation under the new investor has already begun with the release of the first trench of the workers’ terminal benefits that were not paid before the company closed down and called on the Governors to ensure the company was saved from the activities of these  “disgruntled elements who have no good intentions for the states and the South-south region.” theysaid,

    They further said, ”WAGI is the first glass industry in the then Eastern region built by Micheal Okpara in 1964 and presently a joint property of Rivers and Bayelsa states, should not be allowed to be treated like an orphan that can be sold without anyone asking questions.

    “Meanwhile the investor has begun the payment of the workers entitlement by releasing N40 millions part payment as agreed and more than half of the workers have already collected what is due them.

    “The issue is that Mr. Kany told the Enugu court that he instituted the suit on the grounds that he was the vice chairman of WAGI labour Union branch, which is not true. Kany is our colleague and a senior staff though,  but he holds no position both in the company and the workers union.” he stated.

    Speaking further said, “The amount he claimed in his suit is completely at variance with what the workers were demanding from the state government, while the union was claiming N317 million as our due benefits, he went to court and claimed the sum of N695 million as the same workers terminal benefits.

    “What we are saying categorically is that Mr.  Kany is not in any way the representing WAGI Labour Union, not even in the court and the purported judgement he allegedly got from Enugu industrial court. Kany is an impostor,  impersonator, though a colleague,  but he holds no office in CANMPSSA.” he insisted.

    He reiterated the hopes and interest of the workers in having the company revived and their employments restored and not the clamour for sale by Kany and his cohorts, and called on Governor Wike to come to their rescue, stressing that with the planned expansion by the current investor,  the company when it comes up to full swing would be capable of employing  over 1000 person both in direct and indirect jobs.

    “We are concerned with WAGI coming back on swing,  and presently efforts are seriously on to achieving that but for Mr.  Kany’s court action which is frustrating the progress.

    “Mr.  Kany has no right,  permission of the workers to represent us in any way,  those discussing with him for the sale and purchase of WAGI should be warned to steer clear,  the company is not for sale,  WAGI is government property and no individual has the power to trade the company, joint property of states.

    “I want to use this opportunity to call on the governors of Rivers and Bayelsa state to rise up to the occasion and stop the illegality that is about to take place in WAGI to save the commonwealth of the people of the states, but instead collaborate with the new investors to reactivate the place to create jobs for the teeming unemployed undugenes of the state and citizens of the country at large.”

    Howeve Mr. Kany could not be contacted for his reactions as his mobile telephone line could not be traced as at the time if filing thus report.

     

     

  • Cultists risk 20-year-jail term in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Government, on Monday, took its war against cultism to a different level following the signing of the Secret Cult, Societies and Similar Activities Prohibition Amendment Bill 2018 into law, by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    The new law prescribes 20-year-jail term without an option of fine for anybody convicted of cultism-related offences.

    Assenting to the amended law in Government House, Dickson lamented the rise in cult and other related activities in the state, especially in Yenagoa and its environs.

    He stressed that, with the amendment, the law enforcement agencies had been empowered to deal decisively with suspected cultists and their sponsors.

    Dickson explained that, the amendment to the law, which had existed since May, 2012, was to check the rise in cult activities among youths.

    He said the amendment was necessary to give the law enforcement agencies more powers to proactively protect lives and property as well as safeguard the future of the state.

    The law also empowers the police and other law enforcement agencies to conduct search on the homes of suspected cultists and sponsors, even without warrant.

    The amendment prescribes that buildings and premises used for cult, activities, initiations as well as the storage of arms and dangerous weapons should be forfeited to the government.

    Read Also: Suspected cultists, police clash in Bayelsa

    The law further empowers the state government to destroy such buildings and premises, without any compensation to its owners.

    The governor called on landlords and property owners not to allow criminals and cultists to turn their property into centre of crime and criminality.

    He urged Bayelsans to report all suspicious and cult related activities to the appropriate authorities.

    Dickson said: “As a government we cannot allow this ugly trend of events to continue unabated.  A situation where children below 15, 16, 17 and majority of our youth population are members of one dangerous cult group or society, where they carry guns and other weapons and shoot, maim, kill  and create insecurity in parts of the State is totally unacceptable. As a responsible government, we must put an end to this and it has to be now.’’

    In his remarks, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Don Awunah, said the new law repositioned the state in the fight against cultism and cult-related activities in the country.

    “With the amendments, we believe the police now have the comprehensive powers to confront crime and criminality head-on because most crimes in the state are cult-related”.

     

  • APC is doomed if Tinubu’s reconciliation fails – Party Stalwart

    A leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Chief Perekeme Kpodo, has said the APC will be doomed in the forthcoming general elections if the ongoing reconciliation by its national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, fails.
    Kpodo, a former Interim Chairman of the party, appealed to all APC members and leaders to support the former Governor of Lagos State in his moves to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Speaking on Friday in Yenagoa, Kpodo said the choice of Tinubu by President Muhammadu Buhari to undertake the reconciliation task was right, unmistakable, in order and well-thought out.

    He said though he was not holding brief for Tinubu, given his socio-economic and political antecedents, he is a well-respected leader of the party with proven records of an excellent leader, a great mobiliser, an astute administrator, a great performer and a bridge builder.

    Kpodo said:  “I am optimistic that Tinubu’s reconciliation will succeed. But if his reconciliation fails, the APC will fail. Without reconciliation, APC will not go anywhere.

    “So, a respectable man as Tinubu should be commended for taking up the appointment of bringing the party together again. We should also thank Mr. President for picking him (Tinubu) for the reconciliation job. That is a wise decision on the part of the President.”

    He criticized the party national Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, for allegedly jumping the gun by attempting his own form of reconciliation at a time the President selected Tinubu for the job.

    He said: “The national chairman is trying to jump the gun. He has been there for some time now, no convention, no reconcilation, nothing whatsover, but now that somebody has been appointed for reconciation, he now starts doing the same thing. That is unthinkable of him and such action will not lead the party anywhere.

    “As for the coming elections, APC has bright chances so long it is able to put its house in order and genuinely reconcile everybody that is aggrieved. Once that is done, I believe all members of the party will go back to the trenches, mobilizing and sensitizing people in order to win the general elections.

    “I want to sound a note of caution here. The President who appointed Tinubu for the reconciliation job knew what he was doing. If he does not have regard and respect for Tinubu, he would not have appointed him. So, people talking rubbish should stop henceforth for the interest of the party.

    “Look at Tinubu’s record; even in this APC we are, we know what he has achieved so far. In establishing this APC, he played crucial role for its survival. How many of them (those castigating the person of Tinubu) can match his performance and records in all ramifications?

    “What I am saying really is that we should give Tinubu the full support he needs, because we really want to win the forthcoming elections. We want Buhari to win. We have to do everything possible to make sure we win the elections.

    “But this cannot be done if our house is not in order. We need to reconcile all the aggrieved persons in the party, mobilize the people and give everybody a sense of belonging in the  party.

    “It must also not be lost on us; the problems affecting the APC are greed, in-fighting and injustice. Because of those problems, we narrowly won the last general elections. So, we have to try as much as possible to make sure we ventilate the grievances of aggrieved members through Tinub’s reconciliation and ensure that President Buhari is returned in 2019.”

    Kpodo also said that the move to suspend of some members opposed to the tenure elongation of the national chairman was wrong and unthinkable.

    He said it was foolhardy to be disorganizing the party at a time of reconciliation and wondered whether it was wrong for people to kick against what they perceived as wrong.

    He said: “We are trying to reconcile the party and they are scattering it again. Does it mean there should not be any criticism in the party? We must criticize to rearrange so that everybody will now know where they belong. The meeting of South-South was held in Ebonyi, South-East, does it mean there is no place in the South-South to hold such a meeting?

    “The issue now is that the President appointed Senator Bola Tinubu to head a reconciliation committee, but what we are seeing now is that the national chairman is now moving about for reconciliation. The question now is why did he embark on this now? If he knew all this while he could reconcile the party, why did he not do it?

    “Look at the South-South states; we do not have a single state. Those who are vibrant and capable of winning the states are sidelined. We made it open during the last elections that we could not win any election without reconciling the party.

    “But some persons thwarted our efforts and what happened next, the PDP took over the states in the South-South. So, the issue is that reconciliation should take place genuinely. If people went to court, why suspending them? That is very wrong. It is meant to cause more harm than good for the party.”