The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bayelsa

  • PDP greets Dickson at 53

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has described Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa as an outstanding leader and a quintessential democrat.

    The party made the commendation in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Tuesday in Abuja, as Dickson clocked 53 years.

    Ologbondiyan said that Dickson had continued to demonstrate an unparalleled patriotism towards the stability and growth of the nation at various levels, both in the legislative and executive arms of government.

    He said that Dickson’s excellent performance as a member of the House of Representatives and now as the governor of Bayelsa, stood him out as an exceptionally dedicated statesman.

    He said that the governor through his performance had elevated the quality of life of his people through unprecedented infrastructural development and economic empowerment of the citizens of the state in all spheres.

    “The PDP particularly appreciates Dickson for his role as the Chairman of the PDP National Reconciliation Committee.

    “The governor brought to bear his prowess for peace leading to the unity, stability and oneness of purpose with which our party is coasting to victory in the 2019 general elections.

    “The PDP family, therefore, joins millions of friends, associates and well-wishers in celebrating Governor Dickson as he marks this important milestone,” he said.

    Ologbondiyan prays that God would continue to bless him with good health and sound mind as he continues in his patriotic service to the people of Bayelsa and the nation.

  • Bayelsa bans use of oil firm’s assets, security details for campaigns, elections

    The Bayelsa State Security Council on Friday prohibited the use of assets, personnel and security operatives attached to surveillance contractors from political activities in the state.

    Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Kemela Okara, said in a statement the council also decided to restrict such personnel and their assets to their oil and gas platforms.

    Okara also said the council comprising the heads of all security agencies and top officials of the state government further banned the use of security operatives attached to very important personalities (VIPs) and political appointees for election purposes in adherence to the stipulated guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    He said that it was further resolved the security agencies should not arrest, detain, or restrict the personal liberty of any leader or member of a political party without adherence to constitutional provisions.

    But, Okara said the council decided agencies could arrest any leader of political party found to have been involved in acts inimical to national security with immediate notification to the governor.

    According to him: “The Bayelsa State Security Council at its meeting held on Thursday, 17th January, 2019, resolved, amongst others as follows:

    “All assets, personnel and security operatives attached to surveillance contractors of oil and gas companies operating in the State shall be limited strictly to their designated areas of operations, and specifically within such oil and gas platforms or facilities.

    “Further, that in no circumstance should assets, personnel of surveillance contractors be used or involved in any political activity or electioneering processes.

    “All security operatives attached to VIPs, political appointees, etc, shall in no circumstance be used or be involved in any election processes in accordance with stipulated INEC guidelines.

    “No security agency, acting by itself or by its servants or agents or by any person(s) or authority howsoever described shall henceforth arrest, detain, or restrict the personal liberty of any member, stalwart or leader of any political party in Bayelsa State without recourse to the due process of law and/or court order, between now and the general elections.

    “In Exceptional cases bordering on proven national security breaches or where a person is seen committing an offence in the presence of a member of any security service, he may be arrested and investigated, in which case the Governor shall be notified immediately.”

    He said decisions of the council were meant to assure the Bayelsans of the commitment of the security agencies to be neutral, apolitical and professional in the forthcoming election in accordance with their respective service regulations, ethics and values.

  • Bayelsa generates N13.6bn IGR in 2018

    Bayelsa State Government on Thursday said it generated internal revenue of N13.6bn in 2018 against N4.5bn it realised in 2012 when Governor Seriake Dickson took over power.

    The state Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) spoke in Government House, Yenagoa during the monthly transparency briefing for November and December 2018.

    He attributed the improvement in the state IGR to prudent and painstaking measures put in place by the Dickson-led administration to boost the revenue profile of the state in the last seven years.

    Jonah, however, said the present administration was still not satisfied with the current IGR, and therefore poised to intensify its revenue drive particularly in the area of tax collection.

    He said: “Our target was to be able to take care of half of salary obligations from tax receipts. We have not been able to meet that target but we have been able to make real progress.

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    ” We are intensifying efforts as our tax drive is still going on. If we are able to increase the IGR level, even if the allocation from the federal level falls very low, we should be able to pay salaries without any stress.”

    Giving account of the income and expenditure for the month of December 2018, he announced a gross inflow of N15 billion from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

    The amount, according to him included 13% derivation of N8.9bn, statutory allocation N3bn, foreign exchange equalisation N2bn, Value Added Tax N898million, and refunds from other states N57.5million.

    He said total FAAC deductions gulped N1.5bn, comprising restructured commercial bank loans of N741 million, bond N421 million, refund of overpayment of 13% derivation to other states N128 million and Excess Crude Account Facility of N126 million.

    He put the total funds available for spending in December at N15 billion comprising net FAAC inflow of N13.6 billion, November IGR of N1.4billion and refund from local government salary bailout refund, N16 million.

    On the outflows, Rear Admiral John Jonah said government spent a total of N6.3 billion, comprising bank loans of N2bn, salaries of civil servants and political appointees N3.2bn, and grant to tertiary institutions, N630 million.

    Other expenditure items include Christmas bonus N238 million, 10% contribution to primary school teachers salary payment N45 million, and NYSC members allowance of N40 million.

    According to the deputy Governor, funds available at the end of December stood at N4bn while recurrent and capital payments amounted to N11 billion.

    Earlier, he said the state received a Net FAAC inflow of N13.6bn and expended a total of N6.6 billion for the month of November last year.

    In his remarks, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson expressed satisfaction with the achievements recorded by the Governor Dickson-led administration in the area of infrastructural development.

    He said the effective implementation of policies and programmes including the monthly transparency briefing has continued to earn Dickson accolades and awards from reputable media organisations.

    Iworiso-Markson who lauded media practitioners for their support and contributions towards the success of the present administration in the last seven years urged them to maintain the kind gesture for the benefit of the state.

  • The Resistance Against Bad Leadership Group, an independent Civil Society Organization based in Bayelsa state, has warned against what it termed “plans to bully the people of Bayelsa into submitting to not vote candidates of their choice”. Addressing journalists during a press conference in Yenagoa, leader of the group, Otobo Osbourne, advised the State Governor, Honorable Henry Seriake Dickson, to embrace the principles of democracy and mass support that brought him to office.
    According to Otobo, “Nations and people rise and fall on the quality of leadership, as a function of the followership, available to them. The developed nations we so admire have done so, progressively over time, due to the foresight of great leaders who captained the ship of state in a forward direction by bettering the lot of their people”.
    He further stated that the Governor of Bayelsa state, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson “rode on a crest wave of expectations and aspirations only to come into office and crush these due to selfish interests and a desire to own the state and keep it perpetually under his stranglehold. History tells us that all leaders who tried to hold their followers down eventually fell along with their houses of cards and the attempt to impose candidates at all levels, on a people as indomitable as the Ijaw nation, can only at best be described as a pipe dream”.

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    “The Ijaw nation”, according to Otobo knows who her real leaders are and at every given level the people have shown time and again that they will resist any imposition that doesn’t represent the best of them. The Ijaw nation has rejected the intimidation and blackmail campaign mounted by Dickson and his so called ‘restoration caucus’ against the true leaders of Ijaw land. It has become clear to Dickson that the people have distanced themselves from his scheming and gimmickry and he is now using blackmail tactics to get the likes of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to endorse his failed leadership and self succession plans”.
    The activist also submitted that as the 2019 elections are approaching, “the game is up and all his plans orchestrated in the last 7years are now in the open, the only option left to Dickson is to give it up and go into a well deserved retirement at the end of his second tenure as governor. No amount of trying to whip up sentiments around respected personalities will work on the people who are tired of his anti people projects and inability to fulfil basic government responsibilities consistently”.
    He concluded saying, “Dickson must be conscious of how he is going to be remembered when he exits the scene, rather than trying to prolong his misrule through proxies, but even if he chooses to keep drowning in a pool of his own making, he should stay away from our leader, Goodluck Jonathan”.

  • Court discharges 2 accused of theft

    A Lugbe Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, on Friday discharged and acquitted Ferdinand James and Samson Ephraim, accused of housebreaking and stealing a lenovo laptop, valued at N60,000.

    The Magistrate, Mr Samuel Idhiarhi, discharged and acquitted the defendants due to the prosecuting counsel’s inability to prove her case beyond reasonable doubt.

    Idhiarhi said in his judgment that having considered the points made, “I am  not satisfied that the prosecutor had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the defendants were the people who entered Plot 230, Gold Zone, Krystal Estate, Abuja.

    “I hereby discharge and acquit the defendants of criminal conspiracy, housebreaking by night and theft.”

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    James, 21; and Ephraim, 25; both of  Kubwa area, Abuja, were arraigned on a three-count charge of criminal conspiracy, house breaking and theft.

    The prosecutor, Vivian Oponmor, had earlier told the court that one Mr Chukwunonso Amakor, of the aforementioned address, reported the matter at the Lugbe Police Station on June 5, 2018.

    Oponmor alleged that the defendants forced their way into the house of Amakor through the burglar proof, and stole a laptop at night.

    The defendants, however,  pleaded not guilty to the offences.

    According to the prosecution, the offence contravened Sections 97, 355 and 288 of the Penal Code.

     

     

     

  • Alleged rape: Ex-Bayelsa security adviser to spend yuletide in prison

    A former Security Adviser in Bayelsa State, Chief Richard Perekeme Kpodoh will remain in the Federal Prison, Onaka,  Yenagoa throughout the yuletide.

    The Chief Judge of the state,  Justice Kate Abiri, turned down an application of Kpodo, who was a security aide to  Ex-Governor Timipre Sylva to transfer his case to another judge.

    Kpodo is standing trial for the alleged rape of a 26-year-old cashier in his hotel located in Yenagoa,  the state capital.

    The accused person, who has been in the prison, halted his trial following his application to have his case transferred to another judge.

    The trial judge, Justice  Eradiri decided to adjourn the case indefinitely pending the determination of the application.

    But when the matter resumed on Friday, Justice Eradiri informed parties to the case that the Chief Judge declined the request of the accused.

    He said: “The Chief judge turned down the request made by the accused and the counsel to the accused, Julious Iyekoroghe approached this court with a motion on notice seeking that I disqualify myself from hearing the case.

    “The motion had alleged that I am biased based on denial of bail application and the comments I made that the charge was a serious one and therefore an indication of bias.

    “When bias is alleged, the issues to be examined is whether a reasonable person following the case will consider the judge biased, otherwise no judge will be able to conclude a trial as accused persons will endlessly allege bias.

    “Having examined the motion on notice and the response of the prosecution and conclude that the motion has no iota of merit and is hereby dismissed and the case is hereby adjourned to January 24 for defense”.

    In his response, the defence lawyer Iyekoroghe thanked the judge for the decision and notified the court that the decision would be challenged at a higher court.

    “We shall put this ruling to test at a higher level,” the lawyer said.

    Kpodo is standing trial on two counts of unlawful detention and rape of the victim, a 26-year-old female cashier at the hotel run by the accused.

  • Bayelsa legalises security outfits

    Bayelsa State has legalised its security outfits, including the major establishment, Operation Doo-Akpo, following the signing of the Community Safety Corps Amendment Bill 2018 by Governor Seriake Dickson.

    A statement yesterday by the governor’s Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, said Dickson hoped that the law would enable security agencies carry out their operations more effectively.

    Speaker of the House of Assembly Konbowei Benson described the amended law as an embodiment of all security-related laws passed by the legislature. He said the bill was quickly passed in line with the prevailing collaboration between the House and the executive to improve the security situation.

    “The amendment became necessary because we introduced the vigilance group, and that is why we will not be making a vigilance law separate from the Community Safety Corps. That means that the new law is an embodiment of several security elements brought together to ensure that we have a holistic and robust security outfit that will take care of the security challenges.”

    The Majority Leader, Peter Akpe, explained that the House merged some of its earlier security legislations, including the Community Safety Corps Law, for easy implementation and to give legal backing to the state-owned security outfits.

    According to him, the new law would strengthen the security architecture and enable the government establish the “Community Safety and Vigilante Corps”.

    He said: “There was a metamorphosis; it started as Education Safety Corps Law, which was repealed. It became Community Safety Corps, and now the Community Safety Corps Amended Law 2018. We are interested in how the security architecture could be strengthened. We have the Vigilance Group and you all know of the good reports about it, especially in recent times.

    “With this amendment, Operation Doo Akpo and Vigilance now have a legislative backing. And for records and emphasis, the new law has no relationship with the Bayelsa Volunteers because that also has its own law. So, we just have two existing security-related corps to support the activities of security agencies.”

  • Bayelsa legalises security outfits as Dickson signs bill

    Bayelsa State has legalised all security outfits set up by the state government including its major state security establishment Operation Doo-Akpo.

    The legal backing was following the decision of the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, to sign the Community Safety Corps Amendment Bill 2018 passed by the House of Assembly.

    A statement on Tuesday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Affairs, Mr. Daniel Alabrah quoted the governor as expressing optimism that the new law would enable security agencies to carry out their operations more effectively in the state.

    The Speaker of the assembly, Konbowei Benson, was quoted as describing the amended law as an embodiment of all security related laws passed by the state legislature.

    Benson said the bill was given expeditious passage in line with the prevailing collaboration between the House and the state executive arm to improve the security situation in the state.

    He said: ” The amendment became necessary because we have to bring in the element of Vigilante. And that is why we will not be doing vigilante law separate from the community Safety Corps.

    “That means the new law is an embodiment of several security elements brought together to ensure that we have a very holistic and robust security outfit that will be able to take care of the security challenges in the state.”

    The Majority Leader, Peter Akpe, reportedly explained that the House merged some of its earlier security legislations including the Community Safety Corps Law for easy implementation and to give legal backing to the state-owned security outfits.

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    He said the new law would not only strengthen the existing security architecture but also enable the state government to establish what he called the Community Safety and Vigilante Corps.

    Akpe said: “There was a metamorphosis. It started as Education Safety Corps Law which was repealed. It became Community Safety Corps which is now the Community Safety Corps Amendment Law 2018.

    ‘We are interested in how the security architecture in the state could be strengthened looking at the importance of security which we all need not to overemphasise. We have the Vigilante Group and you are all aware of the good reports about it especially in recent times.

    “We had the Operation Doo Akpo, a quick response squad, that was formed by the state government without a legislative backing. We also had the Education Safety Corps which was an intendment of government to have security hovering around the existing infrastructure and personnel in education.

    “All these packaged together is what we had as the community Safety Corps Law, but the new one is an amendment to that which encompasses all these elements.

    ” So with this amendment, the Operation Doo Akpo and Vigilante now have a legislative backing. And for purposes of records and emphasis, the new law has no relationship with the Bayelsa Volunteers because that also has its own law.

    “So we just have two existing security related corps to support the activities of security agencies in the state”.

  • Bayelsa gets new police commissioner

    Bayelsa state has gotten a new Commissioner of Police.

    He is Aminu Pai Saleh.

    Saleh takes over from Joseph Mukan, who was reportedly redeployed as commissioner of Police, Murtala Muhammed Airpot, Lagos.

    A statement by police spokesman Butswat Asinine said Saleh assumed office yesterday.

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    He said: “Until his present posting, Saleh was commissioner of Police, Airport, Lagos.

    “He is a dogged crime fighter  and a professional police officer, who has served in various commands and formations.

    “The command, by this announcement, solicits the cooperation and partnership of the people, to accord the new commissioner of Police, the support to discharge his duties.”

  • Again, Bayelsa gets new commissioner of police

    A new Commissioner of Police, Aminu Pai Saleh, has been posted to the Bayelsa State Command.

    Saleh took over from Joseph Mukan, who was reportedly redeployed to commissioner of police, Lagos Airport.

    A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Butswat Asinine said the new Commissioner took over the state command on 17th December, 2018.

    He said: “Until his present posting he was the Commissioner of Police, Airport, Lagos.

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    “He is a dogged crime fighter and a professional Police officer, who has served in various commands and formations in various capacities.

    “The Command, by this announcement, solicits the cooperation and partnership of the good and well meaning people of Bayelsa State to accord the new Commissioner of Police, the necessary support to discharge his duties of maintaining law and order in the State”.