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  • Villagers flee as Soldiers invade Ijaw community

    Villagers flee as Soldiers invade Ijaw community

    We only cleared militants’ camps

     

    Residents in Akakurama community in Ovia South West local government area have fled their houses following invasion of the community by troops serving in Operation Crocodile Smile 11.

    The soldiers were said to have stormed the community in nine gunboats and several speed boats in search of suspected kidnappers and criminals.

    Some of the fleeing villagers said more than 15 houses allegedly belonging to militants were razed in the community by the

    A source said the soldiers were called into Ajakurama community on Monday at about 8:00am by an ex-militant identified as Ejuene Peres to settle old scores against those perceived to be his arch enemies.

    The source claimed that trouble started when a community leader in the community was killed and his body found in the river after a few days.

    It was learnt that family members of the slain community leader took his corpse to the residential family building of Mr. Peres and allowed the corpse stayed there for some days.

    A truce called by elders and residents of the community made the family to bury the corpse even when the case was still pending at the office of the AIG Zone 5 in Benin.

    The source who pleaded anonymity said Peres used the military invasion to settle old scores he had with some persons in the community who fingered his family over the death of the community leader.

    “He (Peres) brought in military men to invade the community of some selected persons. They came in 9 gunboats and several speed boats. People started running helter skater for their lives. He was with the soldiers pointing at houses while the soldiers set houses ablaze”

    “He listed among other victims whose houses were affected as Chief Godwin Namu, Baba Agbuke, aka Zion and all Ex-militant leaders.”

    But Peres in his reaction denied inviting soldiers to the community and that he only petitioned some persons in the community before the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris who referred the matter to the AIG Zone 5, Benin for proper investigation over alleged destruction of his house.

    Read: Soldiers threaten to beat up VIO boss

     He said, “I did not invite any soldiers, I didn’t not make any arrangement with any soldier to enter into Ajakurama. Ajakurama is a community on its own. It is a Nigerian community. Soldiers can go to Ajakurama for any of their investigation.

    “If soldiers went to Ajakurama community they should not call me. I did not invite soldiers to Ajakurama. People who offended me and I wrote a petition to the IGP and the IGP recommended the petition to the AIG. The AIG invited them, so they should go and answer the AIG who is still waiting for them.

    “If anything happens to them, I don’t know where they have put their hands, I have no hands in Ajakurama matter. They should ask the federal government how soldiers came to Ajakurama. They should ask Abuja, they should ask Zone 5. They should ask Operation Crocdile in Warri why they are in Ajakurama.”

    Army Public Relations Officer for 4 Brigade Command, Captain Muhammed Maidawa confirmed that soldiers carried out an operation in the area following credible information.

    Captain Maidawa said the operation was to clear militant camps in the community.

    He said he was not aware whether any Peres invited soldiers to the community to settle scores.

  • Ijaw family floats foundation to boost education

    Ijaw family floats foundation to boost education

    Unlike before, Ijaw is becoming more educationally aware. The people have learnt that there is no alternative to education. They now know that sending their children and wards to schools is the best way to conquer their world.

    In fact, education fever is made popular by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson. He has made the sector a critical part of his administration. He has invested more money in education than other sectors building infrastructures and instituting programmes to encourage excellence in learning.

    Some spirited individuals and foundation have also emerged to complement his efforts.

    Recently, to stimulate learning and encourage academic activities, a foundation, the Seiyifa and Grace Koroye (SGK) Foundation and Legacy Awards, inaugurated an essay competition for senior secondary school students.

    The foundation was established by Chief Koroye and his wife with encouragement from their children during their 40th marriage anniversary to underscore the importance of education.

    The family is a product of education. Chief Koroye conquered his territory and came tops as a celebrated achiever through academic ladders. As a child of the Federal College Warri in 1969, he won an award in essay writing. His world changed. Little wonder, he decided to give back to the society by exposing children to a similar process that brought the best out of him.

    Koroye shared his experience. He said: “I won nationwide essay competition in 1969 which was instituted and funded by the United State’s Embassy, Nigeria. At that time, I was given a full University Scholarship and they called it John Health Kennedy Memorial Essay Contest”.

    He said there was a connect between the essay competition trophy he held in 1969 in the front page of the Daily Times newspaper and the one he had put up for grabs through his foundation.

    “The thing is, there is a dynamic element in such because as a result of my victory, when I went to the village, I was flanked by my friends celebrated for two weeks non-stop and it made so many parents to send their children to school in the 1970s.

    “They were  marveled that education could create a national recognition. The Ijaw nation was very proud of me. Allow me share the same enthusiasm with my children and I hope it grows bigger than it is. It is an healthy competitive rivalry.

    “The young people who win and those who participate will share a common drive towards excellence and do better than they are doing now”.

    The scholar attributed the foundation and the essay competition to the efforts of his children. He said his children conceived the ideas recently when they set up the foundation and legacy award.

    “This whole stuff was conceived by our children at our 40th anniversary party which they organized for us on the 12th February this year. It was a surprise to us as they brought a trophy and said they were instituting a foundation and legacy award.

    “It felt good to know that your children could go ahead of you and act beyond your thoughts, do something remarkable as well as celebrate and memorialize you even when you are alive”, he said.

    One of the Koroye’s children, Ayibanua, emphasized the reason behind the foundation and essay competition. He recalled that 60 years ago, their parents began their life journey through education as a vehicle.

    “That vehicle carried them from elementary to secondary and ultimately graduate school. As they excelled not only from their inherent intelligence but from complimentary diligence, awards and accolades naturally followed.

    “Their reward was exposure to higher levels of education as their proficiencies increased. In some strange way their stories were the same though taking place in different parts of the country from Orua to Maiduguri, Warri to Enugu converging in Ibadan and ultimately in the United Kingdom.

    “Their testaments- certificates, awards and degrees – only served as fuel for their championing the value of education in their families  communities and beyond. So in actual fact, you could say that the SGK Foundation is 50 years or more in the making -we are only officially giving it a name and a platform”, he said.

    He said at least 100 people had passed through their home sponsored through schools by his parents. He recalled that before his parents built houses and established themselves, they had invested massively in people’s education and future.

    He said: “Their families, communities, mechanics, neighbors and even house-helps were not left out of this crusade as they were encouraged to educate their children to the highest degrees and even pursue adult education.

    “They did not stop at lip service. It was demonstrated in financial support, admission assistance, accommodation and individual counseling. As their children, growing up in such an environment, we inadvertently imbibed these virtues.

    “So in commemoration of their 40th anniversary of a marriage so rich and fruitful, we thought it fit to institute the SGK Foundation and Legacy Awards as a testament to this phenomenal couple. Their legacy is not only their individual achievements but the sense of duty and service that accompanied every award demonstrated in the many changed lives that have crossed their paths”.

    In fact, SGK Foundation was berthed to celebrate educational achievements, institute essay competition, contribute to the awareness of education and highlight the empowerment it portends for the youths in the Niger Delta region and beyond.

    The essay competition meant for Senior Secondary School three (SS3) will reward first to third positions with N200,000, N100,000 and N50,000. The foundation also has a provision to encourage pupils in primary schools. Pupils’ scores from class three to five will be calculated and summed up with the first going home with N50,000; second N30,000 and third N20,000.

    Already, a committee for the competition had been inaugurated. It is to be chaired by the immediate past state Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Michael Afenfia. Other members of the committee are Dr. Ebi Yeibo, Nengi Ilagha and Perekibene Berezi.

    Afenfia said the focus on essay was because of its coverage of the entire human existence. He essay competition helps students to extensively prepare their minds, organise themselves and bring out the analytical skills in them.

    “All these are the requirements for developing a child and preparing them for the future in cognizance with the saying that they are the future leaders. It makes them confident, competent and broad-minded.

    “Readers are leaders and a good essay writer is a good reader, a voracious one. This is also meant to make them engaged constructively and productively devoid of thinking or perpetrating evil”, he said.

    Afenfia said the foundation had a relationship with ANA, the ministry of education and the governor’s office. He thanked the Koroye’s family for giving back to the society.

    Also, Mrs. Koroye thanked Dickson for supporting the foundation adding that the governor was a first donor when the foundation was initially inaugurated. She encouraged others to support the efforts of the foundation.

  • Nigeria’s restructuring is a must – Clark

    Nigeria’s restructuring is a must – Clark

    Ijaw Leader,  Chief Edwin Clark has declared that restructuring of Nigeria is a must for economic growth and development.
    Clark, a former national commissioner who addressed the press in Abuja on Wednesday on the perceived lopsidedness in the federal government owned oil companies, said the country cannot continue as it is now.
    He said a situation where states continue to come to Abuja monthly to collect money is very bad.
    “When we restructure this country, you look at what you produce in your area. What is going on today is very very bad. It is not good enough, where people leave their states to Abuja to collect money without knowing where that money comes from. They don’t want to look back.
    ” In our last constitutional conference, we said that five per cent of our fund should be devoted to exploring other mineral resources.
    “Tell me one state in this country that can pay the salaries of their staff. Is it not a shame? Is that a country?  where states go to beg for money and at the end, he who pays the piper, dictates the tunes. So you are making the Federal Government more powerful. That is why devolution of powers is very very necessary.
    “But let us have a restructuring of this country. So that I know what is been produced in my area, you know what is been produced in your area so therefore if your state is not viable continuously dissolve it, join other people. We can not continue like this. Work for twelve months, working and have no pay. Nobody will take it, that is not a country, we are not running.
    “When people are talking about restructuring they know what they are talking about. We must restructure this country. And I am happy that everybody is now talking about restructuring. We are not talking restructuring to make some people our enemies or their enemies. Restructuring has been going on since 1945 in this country.
    “From Richard constitution to Macpherson  constitution,  to Littleton constitution, to independence.  Even during the military. Constituent assembly were held all for restructuring. Let them create a better Nigeria for all of us, for our children in particular.”
    Speaking on the perceived injustice and lopsidedness of appointment in NNPC and it’s subsidiaries which tends to favor the northern part of the country, Clark  insisted that recent appointments must be reversed for justice.
    He argued that a situation where the North corners 36 positions out of 55 as against 19 for the entire South is not acceptable.
    He therefore urged President Muhammadu Buhari to correct the lopsided in the appointments.
    He berated NNPC for deceiving the people in it’s  refutal of the allegation of lopsidedness in appointments.

  • Dickson urges Ijaw to insist on unity, peace

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has called on Ijaw people, groups and stakeholders to insist on unity and peace in the country.

    Dickson said instead of dissipating energies on divisive tendencies, they should address issues affecting them, such as underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation.

    Speaking in the Government House, Yenagoa, while inaugurating his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, on Monday, the governor said he would promote Ijaw national interest.

    Dickson said his administration kept faith with its policy of integrating Ijaw sons and daughters through appointments and scholarship.

    He urged the Ijaw not to denigrate one another, particularly at a period the country is facing economic and security challenges.

    The governor promised more appointments to deserving Ijaw sons and daughters.

    Describing Soriwei as one of the best hands in the media, Dickson urged him to be a team player in the restoration government and build cordial relationships within and outside the government.

    Until his appointment, Soriwei, who hails from Arogbo Ijaw in Ondo State, was a sub-assistant editor at Punch, with 19 years experience in information management.

  • The coming of Ijaw National Academy

    When Governor Seriake Dickson assumed office on February 14, 2012, he declared a state of emergency in education. From massive infrastructure provision, building new schools across the state and equipping them, public schools are witnessing a quiet revolution in an era of free and compulsory education.

    For two days between the 14th and 15th of July, the historic community of Kaiama in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area played host to eminent Nigerians and friends of Bayelsa State to celebrate the inauguration of  the Ijaw National Academy, a first rate top, flight model college.

    “Although the roads and bridges are important (and we have actually done very many), in vain do we do all of these, if we do not first invest in the human mind. That’s the most important resource we have and why the government has embarked on this revolutionary approach to education”, Dickson declared at the commissioning ceremony performed by former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd). The Ijaw National Academy has capacity for 2000 students but for now 1000 students are in session, the governor informed his audience.

    According to him, 900 students from Bayelsa State were selected in a competitive process while the remaining 100 were drawn from across Ijaw communities in the Niger Delta, noting that the state, in effect, had to pioneer development of the Ijaw nation of which Bayelsa State is the “Jerusalem”.

    Chief Edwin Clark recollected that before 1968, there was only one secondary school in Bomadi covering the whole of the Ijawland but that when he became commissioner for education in the old Mid-Western State under the leadership of the late Gen. Samuel Ogbemudia (rtd), over 10 secondary schools were built before he left office.  Interestingly, one of them was the Government Secondary School, Toru-Ebeni, where Governor Dickson attended. Dickson has since helped to transform his alma mater into a boarding school, one of 13 such model boarding schools just as 25 other constituency secondary schools have also been built across the state. Hitherto, there was no single boarding school in the state.

    As with the Ijaw National Academy established for grooming future leaders in the state, all boarding schools are run as free education institutions covering tuition, lockers and beds, uniform, sandals, and feeding. There are also free public non-boarding but qualitative secondary schools throughout the state.

    Clark stressed that he was in agreement with those who said “there is no development without education”.

    Gen. Gowon who commissioned the school congratulated the governor for establishing the Ijaw National Academy. He further appreciated Dickson for what he said was the spirit behind the institution, “to improve education, to make education accessible to the people”, adding “I’m really impressed with what you’re doing in this area”.

    While Clark was confident that the academy, like those before it, will grow from strength to strength as one of the best high schools in the country, Dickson averred that the future development of the state must be anchored on human capacity-building as the most important investment anyone in leadership could make. He said the educational journey was still unfolding but  that the ground work towards actualising this noble goal must be well set in motion as the ‘Restoration administration’ had done in the state.

    A day after the commissioning of the Ijaw National Academy, Commissioner for Education Elder Markson Fefegha and the school Principal, Charles Hudson, a Briton, welcomed Nobel Laureate, Prof.  Wole Soyinka and some Ijaw literary icons notably Prof. John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo and Dr. Gabriel Okara, now 96 years old, as well as Professor Ebiegberi J. Alagoa, a renowned historian.

    They were assembled to interface with the students and to inspire them to greater achievements and to be the best they could be.

    Dickson set the tone of the conversation when he told the students who were also joined by students from similar institutions including the famous St. Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Yenagoa, that he and others in his generation read the works of the eminent literary icons on parade and as such the students would do well by tapping inspiration from them.

    The governor further stated that the costly financial investment in the education sector, now put at N55b since 2012, derived from the burning desire to change the abysmal prevailing conditions and to give the state and indeed the Niger Delta the necessary conditions for growth and development. He sees education as a potent weapon to liberate the mind, free the people from ignorance, poverty and militancy and thereby changing the stereotype and misconstrued perception of the people about the Niger Delta as well as opening up opportunities for development.

    “The reason our people are marginalized, the reason they are not involved as much as they would like to be involved is because we, too, have not developed the critical mass of educated, skilled professionals. And it is more and more competitive now and so we have a duty to prepare the young ones for the more competitive society that awaits them”, he stressed.

    Dickson earlier presented a cheque of N100 million as part of the government’s commitment to funding the free education programme and said that the government’s Education Trust Fund was being funded by deduction of five per cent from the  state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as he called on individuals, public spirited entities and corporate concerns to support the initiative. The commissioner of education, Elder Markson Fefegha, told the gathering that Ijaw National Academy alone gulps N25 million monthly to feed the students and meet other financial needs.

    The high point of the interactive session was when some select number of students actually had the opportunity to sit with Professor Wole Soyinka and the other literary icons on the high table and ask them personal questions about their lives and professional careers  to the applause of the audience. That moment, perhaps, was what Dickson really wanted to achieve as inspiration to the students who would one day recall that they once interacted with such mighty scholars and came away with the inspiration to pursue greatness.

    There was also poetry reading of some of Professor Wole Soyinka’s poems. His famous work, Abiku, a play, was also performed by the Bayelsa State Cultural Troupe.

    Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama, is situated on a massive, beautiful landscape with a total of 26 modern buildings comprising of bungalows as staff quarters, one and two storey buildings for boarding, classrooms, a massive ICT laboratory, health centre with doctors and nurses and other major facilities to promote the development of a good academic culture, reminiscent of a university campus. It is the largest model boarding secondary school in the country and may be the most modern and well-equipped. All through the events, the faces of the students were lighted up, their enthusiasm clearly palpable.

    The event was preceded by the commissioning of other landmark projects in the state by General Yakubu Gowon and at the  laying of wreath at the Ijaw Heroes Park and of course the commissioning of a new Government House which was described as “Iconic Governor’s Office Complex”.

    The new office, a befitting modern structure, with state of the art installations and equipment, has a ship architectural design, which the governor said was special because it was the beginning of the unveiling of a new Bayelsa to the rest of the world. “From now on, the new Bayelsa will be unveiled in all areas beginning from this governor’s office”.

    The improved security situation, which has since lowered incidents of crime especially from 2012, has made Bayelsa one of the safest states, according to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Dr. Boma Spero-Jack.

     

    • Iworiso-Markson, Chief Press Secretary to Bayelsa State Governor.

  • Our case against oil companies in Bayelsa, by Ijaw youths

    Oil companies operating in Bayelsa State should be prepared to contend with the anger of Ijaw youths. The youths have hinted of their plans to begin sustained protests against the multinationals over what they described as injustice done to them and their state.

    But the companies can avert the looming protests, which are capable of disrupting oil production in the country. The Eastern Zone’s chapter of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide said their plans would only be suspended if the companies looked into their demands.

    The newly elected Executive Council, IYC Central Zone issued the threats during its inauguration recently. The Chairman of the zone, Mr. Tare Porri and his executive members took oaths of office at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The police, Department of State Security (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies sent detachments to secure the Ijaw House and forestall possible breakdown of law and order. The pioneer President of IYC, Dr. Felix Tuodolor, led other past leaders of the council to attend the occasion.

    Also present were Ijaw leaders, a member of the state’s House of Assembly, Tonye Isenah, aides of the state’s Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, women and crowd of Ijaw youths. Porri spoke before the cheering crowd.

    First, the chairman asked oil companies operating in the zone, which covers mainly Bayelsa, to relocate their headquarters to the state capital. He said it was unacceptable that the firms had refused to relocate despite the directive of the acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to do so.

    “We want to state here that all the multinational companies operating within  the central zone of the Ijaw nation as a matter of urgency, if they are willing to do business in our environment, must relocate their headquarters back to the central zone.

    “Myself and my team will stop at nothing to ensure that the multinational companies return their bases back to the central zone. Of course they have the Ijaw nation, the Ijaw youth central zone to contend with. We are ready to take them head on on this very serious matter”, Porri, whose point was applauded by the crowd said.

    The chairman said the youths were worried about the age of oil pipelines buried in the criss-crossing the state. He alleged that most of the pipeline had expired and required urgent attention. According to him since the pipes were buried after the discovery of oil in commercial quantity at Oloibiri area of the state, they had not been changed.

    He said expiration was the cause of most of the pipeline explosions and equipment failures causing oil spills in the environment. He said his council had the mandate to ensure replacement of corroded pipelines in the zone.

    He said: “Since oil was first discovered  in Bayelsa, in Oloibiri, the pipelines that are criss crossing  the entire central zone which they used in taking first oil from our environment have all expired. Even human life has an expiring date much less equipment made by humans.

    “Most of the explosion, most of the things that happen in the environment are not caused by  Ijaw youths. Ijaw youths are law-abiding, Ijaw youths are not fighters and we are hardworking.

    “I want to make bold to say that all the multinational oil companies that are again operating in our zone should as a matter of urgency commence the process of replacing all the expired pipelines across the central zone because we will no longer tolerate corrosion and equipment failure.

    These oil companies have a way of creating contracts for non-indigenes, for non Bayelsans, for non central zone businessmen and part of the enjoyment in the oil industry is through the pipeline arrangement that is why they are deliberately causing explosion in our environment.

    “So, my team and I are going to take on the multinational companies and ensure that all the expired pipelines in this central zone are replaced with immediate effect”.

    The IYC boss also asked the management of oil companies operating in Bayelsa State to either create employments and other jobs for youths in the state or face unrest. He said the rising unemployment rate of the youths amidst oil exploration and exploitation was unacceptable.

    Porri, said the youths were particularly concerned about an oil multinational, Aiteo Group, which took over from the Shell Petroleum Development Companies (SPDC) in Nembe Local Government Area of the state. He said their investigations revealed that the new oil firm had no indigene from the state in its payroll adding that most of the workers in the company were non-indigenes.

    He said one of the mandates of his executive council was to get the youths engaged in meaningful ventures and urged the companies to help in ensuring the peace in the state and discouraging attacks on their facilities by getting youths in their host communities involved in their operations.

    He said: “You are aware that Shell was operating in Nembe. Now Shell divested and sold its business to a private company, Alteo. But as I talk to you, Alteo which is a company that took over more than four flow stations from Shell has no Bayelsan in its employment data.

    “Therefore as a zone, we are calling again on Alteo, that if they want to continue doing business in this zone, as a matter of urgency, they should engage our youths and give them jobs. Otherwise, we will not allow them to operate in Nembe”.

    Porri further lamented that an oil well that would have been allocated to indigenous firms in Bayelsa when the zone occupied the Presidency, Ministry of Petroleum and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) was given to  a non-indigenous company.

    He said if the oil well had been allocated to an indigene, it would helped to stimulate the local economy and boost the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

    “An oil well that would have ordinarily been given to Bayelsa state governor, that would have improved the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of this zone was given to an individual, a private firm.

    “My message to whoever that has bought that oil well, Ijaw youths moving forward will not allow them to operate in that oil well until the property is returned”, he said.

    Elders’ Advisory Council

    The new chairman announced the establishment of the first Honourary Elders’ Advisory Council (HEAC) for IYC in the zone. He said the council was borne out of his desire to return the IYC to the grassroots in line with the Kaiama Declaration. He immediately appointed a former President of IYC, Mr. Mike Wenebowei to head the council.

    “You are aware of the fact that the Kaiama Declaration, was founded on the principle of the Ogbos and then of course the clan structure. Therefore, I want to use this rare privilege as the chairman of the central zone to set up the first ever Honorary Elders Advisory Council.

    “The mandate of the council is to collate data of all the founding fathers of the Ijaw youth council from central zone, all the chairmen, dead or alive, to enable us document their achievements and celebrate them,” he said.

  • Stakeholders commend Ijaw youth leader

    A former Special Assistant to Delta  State Commissioner  for Transports Ebi Baikefie, has said the inauguration of the new National President of Ijaw Youth Councils Mr.  Owileme Pereotubo will foster peace and unity in the Niger Delta.

    He added that Pereotubo’s inauguration by Bayelsa State Governor Seraike Dickson was well deserved, noting that the activist’s pedigree put him in vantage position.

    Baikefie said: “With his vast experience in the field of peace building and ability to mobilise people for developmental purposes, he is the best man for the position and we believe stakeholders will benefit maximally. ”

    He will not only be the spokesman for the entire region,  but also the defender of the people. The time has come to take a critical look into the politics of the oil of the region and maximise the gains nature had bestowed on us.

    He said the region had  been short changed at the expense of the original owners of the land, noting that the only result that accrued from what nature had endowed the Niger Delta was perpetual poverty.

    ” I  have confidence in the  Pereotubo led leadership because  of his ruggedness and steadfastness, he definitely will not disappoint his people. The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) is a civil rights which had been demanding its rights in civilised ways.

    “The new President is not only competent but always committed to the cause he believes. He will also used his vast knowledge as a lawyer to explain the position of the law to his people anytime they are  undermined.”

    He said the Ijaw Youth Council comprised of Ijaw ethnic nationality, spread across Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, stressing that his appointment was a dawn for Ijaws across the country.

  • Ijaw youths reject PIB as Senate passes Bill

    Ijaw youths yesterday disowned the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) recently passed into law by the Senate.

    The youths, under the auspices of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, said passing such a version of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) portrayed senators as insensitive lawmakers.

    In a statement by its spokesman Henry Iyalla, IYC said the PIGB, which failed to provide special funds for oil-producing communities, would not guarantee peace in the Niger Delta region.

    The statement said: “We condemn the show of insensitivity by the Nigerian Senate on the recent passage of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), which makes it clear that the only interest the government has in the Niger Delta region is control of its oil.

    “It is unfortunate that at a time we expect the government to show commitment in the development of the region, we have to contend with the celebration of an ill-conceived idea to divide the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into greed-driven mushroom bits.”

    IYC insisted that the only PIB that would ensure peace in the region and calm frayed nerves must include the Oil Communities Fund Act.

    The group said such Act would give Niger Delta residents a stake in the industry and provide avenues to alleviate their suffering.

    It added that without such funds, any governance structure put in place in the region would fail.

    IYC said: “It must be stated that for oil and gas-related activities to operate smoothly within the Niger Delta region, the National Assembly, which is saddled with the responsibility of law-making, should immediately take further steps for the quick passage of the Host Community Bill.

    “This is to guarantee 10 per cent of the net profit of upstream oil companies on onshore areas and offshore shallow areas to the community.

    “Otherwise, the Niger Delta region would see the recent passage of the PIGB as a calculated move aimed at making laws for the smooth governance of exploitation and exploration of the abundant oil reserve within the region without any consideration for host communities.

    “IYC would not be part of a divide-and-rule method of governance within the oil and gas operations in the region.

    “It should be known by all relevant arms of government that the singular passage of the PIGB will not deliver the full benefits of the intended reforms except the other aspects of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) are legislated upon.

    “The passage of the complete Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is the only guarantee for a smooth and conducive operational environment in Niger Delta, as the people of the region cannot guarantee conducive operational base without the protection of their interest.”

  • Group replies Dickson: Jonathan years not wasted for Ijaw nation

    Group replies Dickson: Jonathan years not wasted for Ijaw nation

    A Niger Delta rights association, the Movement for the Sustainability of Ijaw has faulted the claim by Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson that the administration of former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as wasted years for the Ijaw nation.

    Reacting to the statement in a press statement issued on Thursday,  Mr. Tonbra Ebitimi, National leader of the  group described Dickson as an overtly too ambitious politician  who disparages the former President, while pretending to love him.

    The statement said: “We believe that only a stone-hearted traitor would move against a man who regularly comes to his rescue in times of danger.”

    The group further compared Dickson to Brutus, a villain who dealt Caesar the heaviest blow from his hidden hand while pretending to be a friend.

    “Initially, we did not believe that such toxic arrow could be shot from the bow of a political godson in the direction of his highly revered mentor and fellow kinsman. But having waited for about two days for Dickson’s clarification or rebuttal to no avail, we have no choice but conclude that the attack was a carefully orchestrated denunciation trained to achieve a desired end.

    “We suspect that the aim was to rubbish the achievements of the Jonathan administration, pull down its vestiges, and damage the former President’s persona as a prominent Ijaw leader.”

    The group noted that the statement was one Dickson shouldn’t have made, no matter the weight of the disdain and grudge he nurses against the former President and his immediate family as no other politician or governor had attacked Jonathan in a similar way.

    “ Those other governors did not descend to the gutter like Dickson did; not because of their love for the former President, but because their conscience would not let them lie against Jonathan, by describing his time in office as wasted, like Dickson did.

    “ It is instructive that Dickson is not only Jonathan’s godson but the Governor of his state! Ordinarily, he should be the one to rise to Jonathan’s defence in all circumstances, even when others are criticizing him. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case. Like Brutus, his knife is the first to go in.

    “ But does Dickson really have any good case against Jonathan? We don’t think so because we are all witnesses to the successes recorded by the Jonathan administration towards not only advancing the cause of the Ijaw, but also working assiduously to make life better across the country.

    “We are also aware of how much the former President boosted Dickson’s political career by supporting his gubernatorial ambition while still President. Even out of power Jonathan gave his all to team up with Dickson against a very formidable opponent; an unconditional support that helped him win a second term.

    “We will not condemn Dickson. But we won’t hesitate to let him realize that the unkindest cut, the ultimate treachery is usually not from the enemy. It is the blow thrown from the hidden hand of the one pretending to be a friend. We can only warn him that Karma rewards every man according to his deeds,” the group stated.

     

  • Ijaw youths hail Senate for passing Maritime Varsity Bill

    Ijaw youths have hailed the Senate for passing “A Bill for the Establishment of Nigerian Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Delta State”.

    This brings the proposed institution close to gaining statutory status, three years after its foundation was laid.

    Youths, under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, noted that the senators did the right thing by providing the enabling legal framework to pave the way for the institution’s kick-off.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, by its President, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, IYC said: “We will like to thank the 8th Senate for the proactive step it has taken to pass the ‘Bill for the Establishment of the Nigerian Maritime University at Okerenkoko in Delta State’. The university is one of the demands of major Niger Delta stakeholders.

    “The 8th Senate has demonstrated its responsiveness to the genuine wishes of the Niger Delta people. The Senate has, by passing this bill, contributed to peace building in the Niger Delta and indeed Nigeria, because the university will serve all Nigerians in manpower development in the Maritime sector.”

    The umbrella organisation of Ijaw youths also praised the Presidency for ordering the commencement of academic activities at the university before this year runs out.

    IYC said: “It is indeed commendable that the Presidency has promptly followed its directive on commencement of academic activities at the Maritime University with the setting up of a five-man inter-agency committee, to be headed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, to see to the implementation of the President’s directive.

    “It is our hope that everyone involved will contribute their part to ensuring the opening of the Maritime University in the 2017/2018 academic session.

    “We wish to salute the representative of Delta South Senatorial District, Senator James Manager; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachuckwu and Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for their ensuring the take-off of the Maritime University.”

    The passage of the bill and the Presidential directive came over one year after attempts to scrap the strategic institution, which Niger Delta leaders kicked against.