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Tag: Bayelsa

  • Let that child speak his local language

    Let that child speak his local language

    Not long ago, I read a story in the media about the effort of the Bayelsa State government to ensure Ijaw language does not die. The government has earmarked money to sponsor Nollywood films done in Ijaw language.

    The initiative brought back to the fore the sorry state of our local languages. From Yoruba to Igbo, Hausa and others, damage has been done to these languages. Line up children between the ages of five and 15, from any of our ethnic groups, and ask them to speak their language, chances are that they cannot. In fact, not a few children have been known to react to their local languages when spoken by others as ‘nonsense’.

    The foundation for the mess that our languages have become was built in schools, where natives languages were barred and regarded as vernacular. Students were even punished for speaking their mother tongues. The practice is still prevalent today. Schools still forbid mother tongues. It is even worse with the private schools, where Yoruba, Igbo and others are not even taught. Only few private schools teach these languages. English is the better for it. Some even teach French.

    As if speaking in mother tongue is a plague, many parents have stopped speaking to their children and wards in their mother tongue, thus helping to swell the number of endangered languages compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). A directive from the National Education Research Council (NERC) has further harmed indigenous languages. NERC, citing the need to reduce the number of subjects students offer, ruled that indigenous languages should be removed from the list of compulsory subjects at the secondary school level.

    UNESCO recently warned that if nothing is done, about half of the over 6,000 languages spoken in the world will disappear by the end of the 21st century. Nigerian languages are among the endangered ones.

    Already, according to UNESCO, eight Nigerian mother tongues are extinct. They are the Ajawa (Bauchi State); Auyokawa (Jigawa State); Basa-Gumna(Niger and Nasarawa states); Gamo-Ningi (Ningi Local Government, Bauchi State); Kpati, Kubi, Mawa (Bauchi State) and Teshenawa (Jigawa State) languages.

    Interestingly, the emphasis on English language has not reflected in the number of candidates who pass the language in terminal examinations, such as the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE). The 2012 result shows that 771,731 candidates, representing 46.14 per cent,  obtained six credits and above; 952,156 candidates, representing 56,93 per cent, obtained five credits and above;  while 1,107,747, representing 66.24 per cent,  obtained credits in four subjects.

    But, only 649,156 candidates, representing 38.81 per cent, obtained credits in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.

    The results of the two previous years, as regard passing English, were worse. May be the students would have done better if they understand their mother tongues better. Some experts say there is a correlation between this.

    But there is hope in the sense that outside of Nigeria, local languages, especially Yoruba are being taken seriously.

    As a result of a requirement that makes every American college undergraduate to gain proficiency in at least one international language before being certified worthy in learning and character, there is a partnership between the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, and the American Council for International Education (ACIE), Washington DC, US. The agreement, which dates back to 2009, encourages American students who wish to learn Yoruba language and culture. Known as the Yoruba Language Flagship Programme (YLFP), which gave birth to the Yoruba Language Centre (YLC), the programme has helped Americans to learn Yoruba, which our people are ignorantly avoiding.

    Also, the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through an initiative called Foreign Language Teaching Assistants, is aiding young speakers of Yoruba and Hausa languages who have educational background in English or language arts. They are recruited as teaching assistants to teach their languages and cultures to American students in the US universities and colleges. Many American universities and colleges, such as Harvard University, Stanford University, Cornel University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Massachusetts, Indiana University in Bloomington, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, Ohio University, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Los Angeles, University of Florida, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaig and Howard University run full-fledged degree programmes in Yoruba language, which we are running from.

    But charity must begin at home. It will not augur well for us to get to a situation where foreigners will be more proficient in our languages. That is why I applaud the initiative to promote Ijaw language. We need more of that. We should also end the era of Yoruba films, with diluted English.

    The NERC must urgently make the offering of at least one local language compulsory for students. Parents also have a role to play here. Let your children or wards learn English in school. Speak your language to them at home and let them know it is not nonsense or ‘jagajaga’ as many of them see it.

    The time for action is now.

    • Fadun, an Insurance Executive, writes this piece from Lagos.

  • ‘No crisis in Bayelsa APC’

    ‘No crisis in Bayelsa APC’

    A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Mr. Wilfred Ogbotobo, yesterday flayed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor Seriake Dickson over their remarks that the opposition party is battling with leadership crisis.

    In separate statements, the PDP and governor had asked the APC national leadership to resolve its crisis in the state to prevent it from degenerating into violence.

    But, Ogbotobo said that Dickson and his party should mind their business.

    The politician. who spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, said the alarm by Dickson and the PDP showed that they were jittery because of the APC’s rising profile.

    He said: “I am not aware of any crisis in the Bayelsa APC. Meetings and consultations have been on-going smoothly in different places and on different levels, ahead of the proposed inauguration of the state interim executive.

    “There are clear guidelines to manage every stage of the process. At this stage, much enthusiasm and excitement, in diverse ways, are playing out and it is wrong and malicious to refer to this frenzy as crisis.

    “I think it is instructive to urge the public to disregard the statements credited to Governor Dickson and the Bayelsa PDP as the wild vituperation of a haunted government and an equally bankrupt, big-for-nothing political party. The APC is at peace in Bayelsa State”.

    Ogbotobo however, said that it was normal for people to struggle for leadership positions in a great party like the APC.

    He stressed: “It is normal and healthy for democracy, particularly in the context of Bayelsa politics. It is also expected that external antagonistic forces would also want to attempt to destabilise ‘the Bayelsa Ark’ at this stage to keep the state perpetually on slow motion.

    “These are some aspects of the struggle for the leadership of the party in the state. But there is no cause for alarm”.

  • APC’s leadership burden in Bayelsa

    APC’s leadership burden in Bayelsa

    The control of the structure of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State is a matter for concern. A political conundrum has indeed thrown a spanner in the works of the opposition party in the state, writes Mike Odiegwu Yenagoa.

    Who controls the structure of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State? This political conundrum has indeed thrown a spanner in the works of the opposition party in the state. Establishing the foundation of the party in the state of President Goodluck Jonathan is already fraught with problems.

    Like the game of tug of war, two separate groups are fiercely dragging the leadership of the party. At one end of the rope are the loyalists of the former Governor Timipre Sylva, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC in the wake of the tsunami rocking the ruling party. At the other end, however, are the original members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other parties which closed ranks in a historic merger that gave birth to APC.

    Though Sylva is believed to be the big fish of APC in the state, the former governor, whose second term ambition was frustrated by PDP, has kept mute. But his former security adviser, Mr. Richard Kpodo, and former Youth Leader of PDP in the South-South, Mr. Godwin Sidi, a known loyalist of Sylva, are vocally leading the campaign to seize APC’s leadership structure.

    Matters got to a head when Kpodo dedicated his expansive property at Tombia Roundabout, Yenagoa, the state capital to APC. He converted the building to APC’s secretariat and decorated it with the party’s flags. He erected a signboard for the party and declared himself and Sidi the interim state Chairman and Secretary of the APC.

    There was, however, an indication that all was not well even among Sylva’s loyalists jostling to lead the party in the state. A day after Kpodo and Sidi unveiled the proposed secretariat, the former Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Mr. Tiwe Orunimighe, opened a parallel office at the former secretariat of the PDP on Yenezuegene,Yenagoa. Tiwe announced his proposed secretariat with a big banner of APC.

    Investigations by Niger Delta Report revealed that APC has a unique way of composing its leadership structure in each state. In a typical APC controlled states, the governors are allowed to appoint the state chairmen of the party while other principal officers are elected by the State Management Committee whose numbers vary according to the states. But in a state not controlled by APC, the committee is saddled with the responsibility of electing all the principal members, including the chairman.

    In Bayelsa State, the committee is to be composed by 25 nominees, including three persons appointed by Sylva. It was further gathered that Kpodo is not even among the members who are waiting to be inaugurated by the interim Southsouth Chairman of APC, Chief Tom Ikimi.

    Sylva was said to have nominated three persons but later withdrew their names promising to send new names to the party’s secretariat. While Kpodo was excluded from the first list of Sylva, Tiwe was said to be on the list.

    One of the interim national officers of APC, Ebikibina Miriki, who was before the merger the National Youth Leader of ACN in the state, said the actions of Sylva’s loyalists were not in tandem with the modus operandi of APC.

    “The actions of Kpodo and others is not in line with the directive of the Interim National Executive, which empowered the Interim National Leader, Southsouth, Chief Tom Ikimi, to inaugurate the interim executive committee of APC in the state. The secretariat was opened without proper process and it showed the true intentions of persons behind it.

    “It is unfortunate. It is not in our character in APC. It also shows that it is coming from a background where impunity prevails. But we don’t condone impunity. The party is open to everybody. Many Bayelsans have identified with the party but none of them had gone out of their way.

    “We have condemned what had just happened and put the records straight. They are not what they claim to be, especially when we are yet to inaugurate the state interim members for Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. We had successfully done it in four states. We have names of 25 nominees in Bayelsa.

    “They are the ones that will now elect five officers that will actually teleguide the process. These officers are chairman, secretary, treasurer, financial secretary and publicity secretary. Then where is all this coming from? They claim that they had got the permission from the national leadership. But my national chairman has clearly stated that it was not true.”

    Also, the 2012 governorship candidate of the defunct ACN, Mr. Kamela Okara, condemned the actions of Kpodo and said the issues of state secretariat and interim executive committee of the party must follow laid-down procedures of the party.

    “The attempts by certain persons describing themselves as chairman and secretary of the yet-to-be formed APC Interim state exco smack of political desperation, illegality and a lack of understanding of the party rules and due process,” he said.

    The row also forced the nominees of the yet-to-be inaugurated state management committee of APC in the state to hold an emergency meeting. The meeting, which was attended in Yenagoa by 19 of the nominees, disowned Kpodo and his group.

    Describing the actions of Sylva’s loyalists as false and misleading, a communique issued by the nominees after the meeting, however, said Kpodo and other loyalists of the former governor were free to join APC if properly registered.

    The three-point communique was signed by Nalaguo Chris Alagoa, Mrs. Esther Joshua Okiowei; Chief Livinus Agala, Mr. Tuamo Abule, Chief Harrow Zuokumor and Emmanuel Anderson.

    It said: “It is not true that the national secretariat support the strange action of these bedfellows as they are alien  to the extant APC arrangement on ground.The State Interim Executive Committee is the only recognised body for the purpose.

    “The claim that there were no legacy parties in the state before now is laughable.It is known that parties like the Action Congress of Nigeria, the ANPP and the CPC existed, contested elections and were even in court variously on account of largely abused and mismanaged general and local government elections of 1999,2003,2007,2011,2012”.

    The nominees further derided Kpodo and his cohorts describing their actions as shocking and embarrassing.

    But Kpodo believe that most of the nominees are not eligible to lead the party citing their antecedence and accusing Miriki of being a black leg in APC. He alleged that most of the nominees were capable of selling APC to PDP for monetary gratifications.

    “Imagine people like Miriki. He is an appointee of Seriake Dickson’s government. He is the SSA on Inter-Party Affairs. Which noise will he be making? How can you serve two masters? You are serving a governor in PDP and you are telling the people that you are in APC. How does it look like?

    “I was in PDP as Special Adviser on Security and I had access to most of the security information. These set of people killed ACN. They collected money from PDP and ACN could not win even a councilorship election in Bayelsa. They were wining and dining with us in PDP.

    “Those of us who came from the new PDP believe that everybody needs to contribute to the progress of his party. That was why when I came into APC, I found out that there was no office and nothing to show that this party was existing in Bayelsa.

    “I couldn’t wait for the national body to give me money. Since nobody is making sacrifices, l have to donate my building so that party faithful can have a place to hold meetings. I have discussed with all the stakeholders apart from Miriki because l know he is a black leg.”

    Miriki, however, accused Kpodo of making reckless statements and said he would not join issues with him.

    The controversies are deepening and constituting a threat to the peace and security in the state. The imbroglio assumed a dimension that compelled Dickson to appeal to the national leadership of APC to resolve the crisis rocking its chapter in the state.

    Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson  said the government would not allow the crisis to threaten the peace and security in the state. He asked the police and other security agencies in the state to ensure adequate security at the secretariat of the APC in Yenagoa, the State capital.

    He said directive was to maintain the policy of the present administration of ensuring security of lives and property of residents and visitors to the state.

    He said: “As a responsive Government, we will not abandon what is clearly our constitutional duty to provide security and ensure that people go about their legitimate duties without any form of molestation and same for the APC and any other party that is lawfully registered and recognized as a political party in Nigeria.”

    Dickson also set a tone for another controversy in the statement over a building owned by Mr. Richard Kpodo, which he (Kpodo) recently converted to the APC’s secretariat.

    The governor pointed out that the building had long been earmarked for demolition alongside other structures, to make way for the second flyover bridge to be constructed around the area.

    He added that the government had already set aside N1billion for the payment of compensation to owners of property affected by the project.

    He said the demolition was not designed as witchhunt against anybody or group of persons.

    According to him, the exercise was purely intended to bring about infrastructural development to the state capital in line with the restoration agenda of the government.

    Dickson said his property was pulled down to pave way for the ongoing expansion of the new Opolo/Elebele expressway.

    He said it  was a price everybody had to pay for the development of the critical infrastructure in the state.

    The governor said: “Clearly, the rivalry or rift in the party is between loyalists of former Governor Timipre Sylva and members of the ACN, who have been in the opposition all the while and a part of the new alliance that gave birth to the APC.

    “Another thorny issue within the party is that two of Sylva’s loyalists (Richard Kpodo and Godwin Sidi) have reportedly imposed themselves on the party as Chairman and Secretary as well as sited the State Secretariat at Kpodo’s personal property located at the Etegwe area of Yenagoa without due consultation.

    ”Bayelsa is at peace and I want to use this opportunity to call on the APC to ensure that the problem does not cause a breach of the peace within the State capital and its environs, as Government will do everything on its part to maintain the existing peaceful atmosphere around the State”.

    Besides, the civil society groups and activists in the state are beginning to reconsider the motives of APC in the state wondering why the likes of Kpodo are its promoters.

    They recalled that Kpodo was the brains behind the proscribed state security outfit codenamed Operation Famou Tangbei. Besides, they argue that Sylva’s loyalists contributed nothing to the development of the state.

    According to them, the security and development of the state have improved significantly under Dickson and it will take more credible individuals in APC to challenge Dickson who has already been viewed by many people as a performing governor.

  • Fresh violence brews between two Bayelsa communities

    Nobody can forget in a hurry the bloodshed that occurred between Agudama-Epie and Akenfa in Yenagoa, the state capital over a disputed piece of land. The November 22, 2013 incident turned the two neighbouring communities into arch rivals. Indignant youths brandished sharp cutlasses and other weapons in a free-for-all.

    They drew blood in the hot afternoon. Though 10 persons were feared dead after the orgy of violence, it was later found that only one person died while others sustained various degrees of injuries. The deceased identified as Mulai George was an indigene of Aguadama-Epie. Therefore, Agudama-Epie believed it suffered more from the violence than its Akenfa neighbours.

    It took the intervention of security operatives consisting of the police, the navy and the Joint Task Force ( JTF) Operation Pulo Shield to restore order in the communities.

    Before the bloodshed, Agudama-Epie and Akenfa had continued to lay claims to the ownership of the disputed land. Some parts of the land had, however, been sold to non-indigenes living in both communities. But the crisis has persisted.

    Agudiama-Epie is the host community to the Central Naval Command (CNC) of the Nigerian Navy and the South-South Campus of the Nigerian Law School.

    A day after the incident, the combined team of the homicide and the criminal investigation departments of the Bayelsa State police command launched a manhunt for the masterminds of the bloody clash.

    The police raided the communities and arrested seven persons linked to the incident. Other suspects named in the crisis were said to be on the run. The communities were taken over by the police including the operatives of the state security outfit, Operation Door-Akpo, who were able to restore fragile peace in the communities.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hillary Opara, had said the suspects would be thoroughly screened and those linked to the murder would be prosecuted. He said the police had made recommendations to the government on ways to resolve the conflict.

    He said: “We have arrested seven suspects.They are helping us in the investigation. We are working on the criminal aspect of the clash.Majority of them are from Akenfa.

    “It is a murder case and we don’t want to rush it and charge innocent persons to court.We are taking time to screen them.

    “Our men acted swiftly on that day to reduce the number of the casualties. We went to Aguadiama school and evacuated the students and handed them over to their parents. That was what saved the day”.

    Like Opara said, the government established a panel to find a lasting solution to the lingering land tussle. The deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) was appointed by Governor Seriake Dickson to head the peace committee.

    A statement from the Government House had condemned the conflict and appealed to the warring communities to sheathe their swords. It said the investigative panel would find a lasting solution to the lingering crisis that had generated tension and suspicion between the communities.

    The government warned that it would be forced to invoke a section of the constitution and take over the ownership of the disputed land if the communities failed to embrace the peace.

    Recent development, however, showed that the government and the police were far from resolving the crisis. Aggrieved women of Agudiama-Epie recently staged a peaceful protest in the community over the killing of George.

    They lamented that the government and the police had mismanaged the crisis. The placard-carrying women blocked the busy Agudama-Epie axis of the busy Mbiama-Yenagoa road in the morning for over two hours chanting songs. They disrupted traffic.

    The angry women urged the state government to resolve the matter equitably before it snowballed into another round of violence.

    Though fears of reprisal were imminent, the Agudama-Epie chiefs promised not to retaliate insisting on justice. The Paramount ruler of Agudama-Epie,Chief Wisdom Franklin berated the government and the police over what he described as poor handling of the case. He said he was in support of the protest.

    Franklin said the community had spent N1.8million to treat its indigenes wounded in the November violence. He asked the government to find lasting solutions to the land tussle to avoid further bloodshed.

  • Crisis looms between Delta, Bayelsa communities over oil royalty

    Crisis looms between Delta, Bayelsa communities over oil royalty

    Crisis is brewing between Okia in Burutu Local Government Local Government Area of Delta State and Agge communities in and Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State over land ownership.

    The people of Okia told Niger Delta Report that their counterparts from Bayelsa state are encroaching into their land, warning that the situation could lead to violence in the area.

    The Chairman of Okia community, Mr Pius Gbeneyei, accused Agge community, of encroaching on their land.

    He appealed to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State to reach out to his Bayelsa State counterpart, Hon. Seriake Dickson in order to call the offending party to order and avert bloody clash.

    Speaking with newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Warri Press Centre, Gbeneyei said Agge leaders are making “persistent visit to oil companies working on their land”.

    He said the act was capable of causing a breach of the existing peace between the two states, particularly against the backdrop of 2006 ruling by a Bayelsa State High Court, which gave a judgment against Agge.

    Gbeneyei, who touted a copy of the judgement, said, “In 2006, Agge Community invaded my community and took away some persons from the community. When the incident happened we reported to the Government and government agency took steps and arrested them and charged them to Ekeremor High Court, prosecuted them and passed judgment against them that they should not temper with our land or repeat that kind of action.

    “Now they are still coming in spite of a High Court judgment against them. They are still encroaching which is a threat to public peace.

    “So I am using this medium to call on the Delta State Government to come into the matter and ask our brothers in Bayelsa to keep calm, they should not encroach on our land; they should obey the judgment.

    “The judgment is the law of the land which must be obeyed. Whatever issue they want to resolve let them wait for the outcome of the appeal court. They should wait for appeal court judgment,” Gbeneyei reiterated.

    He said that the people of Okia Community have resolved to continue to preach peace even at the expense of them losing credibility on their own land, warning any further encroachment may be resisted by force .

    “I want the Delta State government to look into this matter. They have been parading themselves to companies operating in on our land which is not proper.

    “The companies are on Delta State land. The revenue is Delta State revenue and we cannot use our state revenue to pay Bayelsa we are two different local governments and two different states.

    “This is oppression and we don’t need oppression. There is a judgment that asked them to stay clear from the land. I am preaching peace because I obey the law of the land,” he added.

     

     

  • Crisis looms between Delta, Bayelsa communities over oil royalty

    Crisis is brewing between Okia and Agge communities in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State and Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State over land ownership.

    The people of Okia told Niger Delta Report that their counterparts from Bayelsa state are encroaching into their land, warning that the situation could lead to violence in the area.

    The Chairman of Okia community, Mr Pius Gbeneyei, accused Agge community, of encroaching on their land.

    He appealed to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State to reach out to his Bayelsa State counterpart, Seriake Dickson, to call the offending party to order and avert bloody clash.

    Speaking with newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Warri Press Centre, Gbeneyei said Agge leaders are making “persistent visit to oil companies working on their land”.

    He said the act was capable of causing a breach of the existing peace between the two states, particularly against the backdrop of 2006 ruling by a Bayelsa State High Court, which gave a judgment against Agge.

    Gbeneyei, who touted a copy of the judgement, said, “In 2006, Agge Community invaded my community and took away some persons from the community. When the incident happened we reported to the Government and government agency took steps and arrested them and charged them to Ekeremor High Court, prosecuted them and passed judgment against them that they should not temper with our land or repeat that kind of action.

    “Now they are still coming in spite of a High Court judgment against them. They are still encroaching which is a threat to public peace.

    “So I am using this medium to call on the Delta State Government to come into the matter and ask our brothers in Bayelsa to keep calm, they should not encroach on our land; they should obey the judgment.

    “The judgment is the law of the land which must be obeyed. Whatever issue they want to resolve let them wait for the outcome of the appeal court. They should wait for appeal court judgment,” Gbeneyei reiterated.

    He said that the people of Okia Community have resolved to continue to preach peace even at the expense of them losing credibility on their own land, warning any further encroachment may be resisted by force .

    “I want the Delta State government to look into this matter. They have been parading themselves to companies operating in on our land which is not proper.

    “The companies are on Delta State land. The revenue is Delta State revenue and we cannot use our state revenue to pay Bayelsa we are two different local governments and two different states.

    “This is oppression and we don’t need oppression. There is a judgment that asked them to stay clear from the land. I am preaching peace because I obey the law of the land,” he added.

     

  • Bayelsa hopes to host National Sports Festival soon — Director

    Bayelsa hopes to host National Sports Festival soon — Director

    The Bayelsa Government on Thursday expressed confidence that the state would one day host the National Sports Festival (NSF) considering the facilities it was putting in place.

    The Director of Sports, Isaac Mark-Tubo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa that the government was determined to provide facilities in all its stadia.

    Mark-Tubo said the State Sports Council had established offices in about five local governments of the state to enhance sports development. He added that the council had also ensured that it reached out to the various local government councils.

    He said the ongoing construction work by the government at the Asuama Community Sports Academy was a step in the right direction.

    “The swimming pool is still under construction and the same goes for facilities for other sports; all these are geared toward the day we can host the NSF or any national event in Bayelsa. I know equipment is one of the criteria for hosting but we have not got them now. I believe that in no distant time we will be in a position to host such major events,” Mark-Tubo said.

    On the state’s performance in national competitions, the director said it had never lagged behind.

    “We have been doing well in national and international events. Our athletes won the best female wrestler in the 2013 Commonwealth Wrestling Competition. Beyelsa did well in the 5th Chief of Naval Staff Swimming competition in Oghara, Delta in 2013. We clinched the second position, while Delta took first; we won a total of 7 gold and 3 bronze medals,” he said.

    Mark-Turbo said that inadequate funding was the bane of sports development, adding that the state’s sports officials had been progressing with the available finance.

  • APC opens office in Bayelsa

    There was tension in Bayelsa State yesterday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) opened its secretariat in Yenagoa and decorated it with its flag.

    The office, it was learnt, was inaugurated by the states Interim Chairman, Chief Richard Kpodo, and other loyalists of former Governor Timipre Sylva, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.

    The twin two-storey building, located at Tombia roundabout, is owned by Kpodo, a former security adviser to Sylva.

    The edifice served as an office complex for Kpodo’s transport business, popularly called Perry Rich.

    The office was opened about 12noon. Residents, including politicians, trooped out to catch a glimpse of it.

    It was learnt that about 30 persons entered the premises and indicated interest to join the party.

    Politicians reportedly drove to the area to confirm whether APC has opened its secretariat in President Goodluck Jonathan’s state.

    Kpodo said the development signalled APC’s seriousness in the state, adding that he donated his facility to underscore his passion for the party.

  • Bayelsa defends proposed Fed Govt’s power station upgrade

    Bayelsa defends proposed Fed Govt’s power station upgrade

    •’Jonathan not funding N1.8b phony project’

    Bayelsa State government has denied an allegation that President Goodluck Jonathan is diverting N1.8 billion to fund a phony power station.

    The government described the allegation as misplaced, mischievous and embarrassing.

    Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Power Mr. Olice Kemenanabo and Commissioner for Energy Mr. Francis Ikio spoke to reporters yesterday in Yenagoa.

    Kemenanabo admitted that the state was connected to the national grid through a 2X30/40 MVA transmission station at Gbarain in Yenagoa Local Government in 2006.

    But he said “only parts of Yenagoa, Kaiama, Odi, Opokuma, Agudama and Tombia are benefiting from the station.”

    “This constraint has compelled every other local government, besides Yenagoa and a few communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government, to depend on independently-generated power. Sagbama, Ekeremor, Brass, Southern Ijaw, Nembe and Akassa are unconnected to the national grid.”

    Kemenanabo said the transmission station in Gbarantoru was unstable.

    He said the 40 MVA connecting some communities to the national grid was no longer accountable.

    According to him, most of the current was lost, because of the poor state of the distribution system.

    Kemenanabo said it was unfortunate that the state depended on a “forced cooled single transmission station, while other state capitals, including local governments, had multiple transmission stations.”

    He said the state government sought the intervention of the Federal Government to avert imminent collapse of the only transmission station.

    Kemenanabo said the Federal Government’s intervention would ensure that the power allocated to the state was evacuated and accounted for.

    Said he: “The current situation is that the only 40 MVA transmission station is inadequate and under serious stress from overload, even as the supply is limited to the state capital and a few communities.

    “The station is on the brink of collapse and if urgent steps are not taken to upgrade it, there is imminent power outage in the state.

    “Therefore, if the Federal Ministry of Power in its wisdom is proposing the upgrade of the existing station to 90MVA and a newspaper interprets it as Mr. President seeking N1.8 billion to fund ghost projects in his state as published online, then it is most unfortunate.

    “In the interim, the quickest solution to avoid imminent power collapse in the state is to reinforce the already unstable 2×30/40MVA, 132/33KV station with a bigger one to accommodate the additional load as well as the extensions, which are yet to be linked.

    “I am glad the Federal Ministry of Power has decided to upgrade the station to 90/95MVA.”

    Kemenanabo described the allegation as a smear campaign orchestrated by a group of persons against the President.

  • Bayelsa defends proposed Fed Govt’s power station upgrade

    Bayelsa defends proposed Fed Govt’s power station upgrade

    •Says Jonathan not funding N1.8b phony project

    Bayelsa State government is furious over an allegation that President Goodluck Jonathan wants to divert N1.8 billion under the guise of funding a phony power station project.

    The government dismissed the allegation, describing it as misplaced, mischievous and embarrassing to the sensibilities of the people.

    The Special Adviser to the Bayelsa State Governor on Power, Mr. Olice Kemenanabo and the Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Francis Ikio, spoke to reporters yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Kemenanabo admitted that the state was connected to the national grid through a 2X30/40 MVA transmission station at Gbarain in Yenagoa Local Government in 2006.

    But he said “only parts of Yenagoa, Kaiama, Odi, Opokuma, Agudama and Tombia are the communities benefiting from the station.”

    Added he: “This constraint has compelled every other local government, besides Yenagoa and a few communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government, to depend on independently-generated power. Sagbama, Ekeremor, Brass, Southern Ijaw, Nembe and Akassa are unconnected to the national grid.”

    Kemenanabo said the transmission station in Gbarantoru had become unstable because of overload.

    He said the 40 MVA connecting some communities to the national grid was no longer accountable.

    According to him, most of the current was lost as heat, because of the poor state of the distribution system, arising from the rigidity of the network.

    Kemenanabo said it was unfortunate that the state depended on a “forced cooled single transmission station, while other state capitals, including local governments in most areas, had multiple transmission stations.”

    He said the state government sought the intervention of the Federal Government to avert imminent collapse of the only transmission station.

    Kemenanabo said Federal Government intervention would also ensure that the power allocated to the state was evacuated and accounted for.

    Said he: “The current situation is that the only 40 MVA transmission station is inadequate and is under serious stress, arising from overload, even as the supply is limited to the state capital and a few communities.

    “The station is on the brink of collapse and if urgent steps are not taken to upgrade it, there is imminent power outage in the state.

    “Therefore, if the Federal Ministry of Power in their wisdom is proposing the upgrade of the existing station to 90MVA and a newspaper interprets it as Mr. President seeking N1.8 billion to fund ghost projects in his state as published online, then it is most unfortunate.

    “In the interim, the quickest solution to avoid imminent power collapse in the state is to reinforce the already unstable 2×30/40MVA, 132/33KV station with a bigger one to accommodate the additional load as well as the extensions, which are yet to be linked.

    “I am glad the Federal Ministry of Power has granted to upgrade the station to 90/95MVA”.

    Kemenanabo described the allegation as a smear campaign orchestrated by a group of persons against the President.