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Tag: Bayelsa

  • IYC Condemns Killing of 3 Soldiers in Bayelsa

    The Oweilaemi Pereotubo-led Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, has condemned the ambush and killing of three soldiers in the Ekeremor council area of Bayelsa state.
    It would be recalled that a gang of suspected waterway robbers had in the early hours of last Sunday ambushed and killed three operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (OPDS) around Letugbene creek, Ekeremor.
    The apex body of Ijaw youths, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Daniel Dasimaka, described the incidence as a disgrace and betrayal of the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta in general, which must be condemned by all lovers of peace and the development of the region.
    According to Dasimaka “the executives and members of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, wish to unequivocally condemn this barbaric, vile, bestial and savage killing of three innocent and gallant soldiers by suspected buccaneers on the Tunu flow station, owned by the Shell Petroleum Development Company along the Letugbene waterways in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
    “ We Ijaws are totally against Sea piracy and all forms of criminality by these villainous foes of the peace and progress of the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
    These bloodthirsty cowards who obviously run into hiding after carrying out their wickedness leaving innocent nearby communities to suffer the brunt for their actions are the enemies of our land that all Ijaws and lovers of the Ijaw nation must unite to utterly annihilate.
    While pledging the total support of the IYC to all efforts by the JTF and  Military Headquarters, aimed at fishing out the killers, the statement further urged the military to carry out its search operations with utmost professionalism in order not to incur needless collateral damage in the form of the molestation, harassment and attacks on innocent law abiding citizens of the community and area.
    “We urge the military to resist the temptation to invade Bilabiri and Letugbene communities and other Ijaw communities, as it has been rumoured, in their bid to find the killers.
    “Already, we have been inundated with distress calls from indigenes of Bilabiri and Letugbene communities informing the Council that soldiers visited their communities on the 19th June, 2018 and warned that they should provide some purported suspects who are alleged to have hailed from the two communities within three days or they will burn down the two communities. We gathered residents have started deserting the two communities to nearby bushes out of fear. This should not be”, the statement warned.

  • 2019: Atiku seeks support of Dickson, Bayelsa PDP members

    •PDP aspirant to restructure Nigeria

    FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday took his 2019 presidential ambition to Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and members of the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Abubakar, who arrived at the State Government House in Yenagoa at about 12pm, presented a document he developed on restructuring, titled: “Restructuring as a pathway to unity and development in Nigeria”, to Dickson.

    The ex-vice-President’s delegation includes a former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniels, the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godspower Orubebe among others.

    After a close-door meeting that lasted a few hours with the governor, Abubakar proceeded to the PDP secretariat, where a crowd of party supporters received him in a brief rally.

    Addressing the party faithful, he hailed Dickson for his developmental strides and thanked the people for allowing continuity and sticking with one party in the state.

    On continuity of governance, he said: “The last time I came here was several years ago. The changes l have seen in the state are monumental.

    “This is all because of you not because of one individual. You have been supporting this party since 1999 and what you are seeing today is as a result of your support and hard work.

    “Once you don’t change parties, you will see what is called good governance. Once you change from one party to another, this one will come, he will do this project and stop and another one will come and start another project and stop”.

    The former vice-president said he came back to the state to reconnect with the people and appealed to them to work with him to make the country like Bayelsa.

    Dickson described Atiku as a veteran in politics and insisted that the 2019 presidential election would be a referendum on restructuring.

    He called on PDP members nationwide to rise up to the challenge of taking power from the incumbent government.

    He said: “We have the challenge to take power from an incumbent administration and all of us know the nature and character of the government we are talking about.

    “I call for a rejection of a one-party dictatorship in the country. On behalf of our people, our position on restructuring, whether you call it true federalism etc. unless people want to be mischievous, they mean the same thing.

    In his remarks, Orubebe said Atiku would do for Ijaw and the Niger Delta what former President Goodluck Jonathan could not to do for them.

    Orubebe said Jonathan could not restructure the country in the interest of Ijaw and Niger Delta but that Atiku would undertake the task.

    He said the PDP was in need of a man like Atiku to win the election and advised the people to convince others to buy into the vision of Atiku.

     

     

  • Police arrest suspected gunrunner in Bayelsa

    •Arms recovered

    The Bayelsa State Police Command has arreste a suspected gunrunner, Markus Akassa, and his accomplice, Ekioyoufegha Agge, at a hotel in Akenfa in Yenagoa Local Government Area.

    The command also recovered one AK-47 rifle and two Barreta pistols from the suspects.

    In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, police spokesman Asinim Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the suspects were rounded up by the Anti-Cultism Unit and the State Intelligence Bureau.

    Butswat said detectives lured the 45-year-old suspect, who hails from Ekeremor, under the guise of purchasing arms from him.

    The spokesman said the suspected gunrunner was arrested with Agge, 34, from Oboro town in Delta State, who usually introduced him to buyers.

    He added: “They were arrested on June 16 at 1400 hours (2 p.m) at a hotel at Akenfa 3, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    “The arms recovered from them are: one AK-47 rifle and two China-made Barreta pistols.

    “The prime suspect confessed that he usually travelled to Republic of Cameroon to buy arms and ammunition in a community called Okwa, a border town with Bakassi Peninsula.

    “He confessed that he usually sold an AK-47 rifle for N550,000 and Berratta pistol for N250,000 in Nigeria.”

    Butswat said investigation was ongoing to recover some of the arms he earlier sold and arrest the buyers.

    The spokesman said the arrest was in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris for mopping up arms and ammunition from unauthorised persons.

    “The command appeals to the public to give the police useful information that may lead to recovery of arms from unauthorised persons,” he said.

     

     

  • Bayelsa to complete Cargo Airport by August

    The Bayelsa Government wants to complete the ongoing multi-billion naira Cargo Airport Project in Amassoma within the next two months.

    Mrs. Josphine Akpama, the Director of the State Airlines, said during an inspection tour of facilities at the airport by the elders from Amassoma Community in Southern-Ijaw local government area of the state that the project was part of the state government’s efforts to reposition it for a stronger economy.

    She said that the contractors were working hard to ensure that they met with the completion date of the project by August.

    Some of the airport facilities that were inspected include the 3.5km runway, the apron, the fire bay, the control tower, the terminal building and the power station, among others.

    King Oweipa Jones-Ere, the Ebenanaowei of Ogboin Clan, in Southern-Ijaw Area described the project as heart warming and pledged to support and protect the facilities.

    Jones-Ere said that the economic importance of the airport to the people could not be over-emphasised.

    “I am happy that this project is sited in our community and I believe it will empower our people when it is completed because there will be jobs for the youths.

    “I urge the youths to desist from disturbance and support the progress work in the project,” he said.

    Mr Joseph Douyie, the youth president in the area said he would mobilise his people to maintain peace and tranquillity in the area.

    “The youths are ready to work with the government to protect and preserve the airport facilities; we, the entire youths commend our dear governor, Seriake Dickson on this project,” Douyie said.

     

     

  • Bayelsa nabs man for 300 ghost workers’ pay

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has ordered the arrest of an official of a local government area for collecting the salaries of 300 persons as his wages every month.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Daniel Iworiso-Markson disclosed yesterday that the official defrauded the council for many years before the ongoing public sector reforms in the state exposed the sleaze.

    Speaking at a town hall meeting on civil service reforms in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state, the commissioner said the suspect was an accountant in one of the local government areas at the Central Senatorial District.

    Though the commissioner refused to disclose the name of the suspect and the particular local council where he worked, Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw and Kolokuma-Opokuma are local councils at the centre.

    But Iworiso-Markson said the suspect had defrauded council to the tune of hundreds of millions of naira before Dickson’s reforms caught up with him.

    He said the fraudulent local government worker was known for acquiring choice houses, estates and parcels of land across the state.

    Iworiso-Markson said: “Recently, Governor Seriake Dickson had to order the arrest of an official of a council. He (the official) was collecting salaries of 300 people. Yearly, the officer fraudulently receives hundreds of millions of naira.

    “That is in just one LGA and there are many places like that in the state. Some people are employed in civil service today, yet there is no document in their files. Instead, they were employed with affidavit.”

  • Bayelsa opts for town hall meetings on reforms

    Bayelsa State Government yesterday opted for town hall meetings across the state to clear doubts and address concerns in the ongoing public sector reforms.

    The state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said in a statement on Tuesday that the town hall meeting was part of measures adopted to engage the people and make them understand the essence of the reforms.

    Iworiso-Markson explained that the meetings would hold at each headquarters of the eight local government areas in the state.

    He also explained that the town hall meetings would serve as a mechanism to addressý genuine complaints of all stakeholders.

    He further noted that it would provide opportunity for aggrieved persons to vent their concerns and seek clarifications.

    “The town hall meetings will begin on June 11 at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Center in Yenagoa followed by Kolokuma/Opokuma, Sagbama and Ekeremor on June 13, 14 and 15 in Kaiama, Sagbama and Ekeremor main town.

    “Ogbia, Nembe, Brass and Southern Ijaw will have their own turn on June 16, 18, 19 and 20 in Ogbia main town, King Koko square Nembe and Oporoma”, he said.

    The commissioner solicited the support and collaboration of key stakeholders such as authorities of the eight local government councils, traditional rulers, chiefs, women and youth groups, labour unions among others for the success of the meetings.

    While assuring of adequate security at all the venues of ýthe meetings, he warned those with dubious intention to stay clear or be ready to face the law.

    Iworiso-Markson who reiterated that the reforms would ensure sustainability, growth and development added that it had so far reduced the wage bill of the goverment, weed out overaged and fraudulent personnel and created vacancies for employment.

     

  • Jonathan urges investment in education as FLP honours first class graduates

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said that any country that failed to invest in the education of its citizen will have to deal with restiveness and vices in the future.
    The former president disclosed this in Yenagoa during the Bayelsa Heroes Award for Academic Excellence organised by the Future Leaders Project.
    Jonathan, represented by the former Commissioner for Education in Bayelsa, Chief Tobias James, said that he made deliberate investment in education because of his belief in its importance.
    “Education is one of the ways to lift people out of poverty and support them to achieve prosperity.  It is also my belief that any nation that does not spend its wealth and resources to develop the capacity of its youths will eventually be forced to devout its resources to fighting insecurity among same youths,” he said.
    He commended the organisers of the event for rewarding excellence while challenging the awardees to make good use of their knowledge for the development of the state, country and for the good of mankind.
    The Senior Adviser of FLP and Former Bayelsa State Governorship Candidate, Moses Siloko Siasia said it is the right time to change the narrative about Bayelsa, arguing that many see the youths from the state as militants and opportunists. Siasia who narrated the success stories of some Bayelsans noted that Bayelsa is the home of excellence, blessed with men and women who can compete favourably in any part of the world and he also stated that the event was to compliment the Educational effort of the Bayelsa State Government.
    In his remark, the executive secretary of FLP, Mr. Victor Sameria, who boast of a First-Class degree in Law from the University of Buckingham, United Kingdom and distinction in his post graduate programme from the same university, said there is a mentorship scheme for those who distinguished themselves in their academic programmes. The 23-year-old also announced that there are scholarship programmes for undergraduate awardees to further their studies at foreign universities willing to partner with the organisation.
    “We have a mentorship scheme for those who distinguished themselves in their academic programmes. I make bold to say that most of the awardees today will go through the scheme. About two weeks ago, the Lagos state governor adopted the best graduating students from Lagos State University, nothing stops our leaders from doing same to encourage academic excellence in Bayelsa,” he added.
    The chairman of the occasion and frontline architect, Harcourt Adukeh praised the organisers, noting that this is the Bayelsa of his dream.
    “This is the beginning of something new about the narrative for Bayelsa. What the Future Leaders Project is doing for Bayelsa is the same thing that Harvard University is doing for the United States of America. They get a lot of bright youths, bring them together for networking. They interact and take decisions that will shape the future. It is the turn of these ones (the awardees) to write the story of Bayelsa,” he added.
    One of the awardees, Ruth Ebikaboere Omu, who bagged awards for her undergraduate and post graduate programmes lauded the organsiers, stressing that her success story despite the challenges she faced in her academic pursuit should serve as a motivation to young Nigerians that they can achieve their dreams.
    Four eminent indigenes of the state, including Nigerian historian and Professor emeritus, Prof Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa were also given special recognition awards.

  • Sylva plotting to destabilise Bayelsa, govt alleges

    Bayelsa State Government has accused the state leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor Timipre Sylva, of sponsoring acts capable of destabilising the state.

    The government in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Special Adviser on Security, Dr. Boma Spero-Jack, claimed that Sylva was bent in causing crisis in Bayelsa.

    Spero-Jack advised the youths and other members of the society to resist the plot alleging that the former governor sponsored protests to blackmail and intimidate the security community.

    He said despite being a former governor, Sylva had never contributed or supported the efforts to develop his own state.

    He said: “The Bayelsa State Government wishes to draw attention to destructive antics of former Governor Timipre Sylva who has remained an agent of destabilization of the state and the Ijaw Nation since he lost election.

    “He has never contributed one bit to the development of this state from his APC government. He never supports any developmental efforts in the state. From the time he lost his re-election bid, he has spared no effort to undermine, subvert and create instability in the state.

    “He compromises security officials; he intimidates them, and when he cannot, he blackmails them. So, we are aware of the blackmail against security operatives in the state by Sylva. He has sponsored protest with the intent to blackmail the law enforcement community.”

    Spero-Jack urged security operatives to give the deserved attention to the acts of destabilization being sponsored against the state.

    The Security Adviser who further alleged that the actions of the former governor bordered on subversion warned that the government would take formal steps to address the situation.

    He stressed that the government had shown enough tolerance on Sylva’s persistent bid to destabilize the state.

    Speaking also on the recent crisis which engulfed the university community of Amassoma, Spero-Jack said that the government would ensure a holistic investigation to unravel the sponsors of the crisis, the character of those who died in the mayhem and the general causes of the crisis

    He added that the panel of investigation would also uncover the magnitude of vandalism carried out by those who attacked the school.

    “Government would carry out holistic investigation into the Amassoma crisis. The steps government would take would unravel the real sponsors of the mayhem and the nature and character of the people who lost their lives.

    “It would also expose the magnitude of the vandalization and generally the circumstances that led to the crisis,” he said.

  • Dickson lied on plot to destabilize Bayelsa, says Sylva

    Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has reacted to allegations that he was plotting to destabilize the state saying there was no truth in the claims.

    Sylva in a statement signed by his media office said the allegation by the Bayelsa Government was strange and contained zero truth.

    The statement said: “As usual, the strange claim is not supported with any facts and there is zero truth in it. The hallmarks of the government of anxiety, blame, accusation, and irresponsibility, which Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has run since February 2012, run through the allegation, from beginning to end.

    “Dickson’s record of failure, larceny and ineptitude is so manifest that the deceits from his bag of lies can no longer hide him. So he must blame the opposition instead of taking responsibility for protests against his incompetent administration.

    “The allegation is unsurprising. It is Dickson’s usual style of feeding the people a line to try to mask his incompetence each time it manifests in the form of failure to deliver leadership when occasion demands. But none of his lies has ever worked.

    Read Also: Bayelsa disappointed doomsday prophets, say Sylva, Lokpobiri

    “When he precipitated the recent Amassoma killings with his lack of tact and feelings, and tried to hang it on the opposition, the All Progressives Congress in the state called him to order and set the record straight for unsuspecting Bayelsans who were about to be duped again by Dickson and his gang.

    “Interestingly, Dickson learnt quickly this time and withdrew his lies. He admitted his clumsy and immature handling of the protest by the Amassoma community, swallowed his pride, and apologized to the people he had tagged “hoodlums and cultists.’

    “But in his usual deceitful self, he wouldn’t go down without trying another lie. We expected him to trot out another line about Sylva, APC, or some plot from the figments of his imagination. As usual, Dickson did not disappoint.

    “The main takeaway lesson for Bayelsans in all these are that Dickson is terrified and panic-stricken; always feeling as if he is being pursued. Yes, he is pursued, but by his own lack of capacity to govern.

    “A leader that cannot take responsibility for his actions and inactions is simply not worthy of his office. Dickson has demonstrated this since coming to office”.

  • Command rescues two women in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Police Command has rescued two women abducted by a gunman.

    Spokesman Asinim Butswat said the victims were kidnapped by the gunman, near Agbura community and Azikoro village in Yenagoa.

    He said following a tip-off, the police intensified search around the creeks and found the victims.

    Butswat said the gunman specialised in stalking his victims when they are going to or returning from a church vigil, with a dummy AK 47 rifle.

    He said: “On May 21, based on intelligence report, the police and youths of Agbura community raided a bush surrounded by swamps and fishing ponds where the gunman held his victims captive.

    “On sighting the policemen, the gunman fled, abandoning the women, who were chained to a makeshift tent. The victims were rescued by policemen and taken to a clinic.

    “Efforts have been intensified to arrest the suspect. The public should assist the police with information about the whereabouts of the suspect, a dark in complexion, lanky man, who displays paedophilic behaviour.”