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Tag: Reginald Dei

  • ‘Late Bayelsa photographer left four children behind’

    The Bayelsa State Government on Tuesday held the first monthly Transparency Briefing without the presence of the late popular photographer attached to the Government House,Reginald Dei.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, however, dedicated his opening remarks to mourn the gruesome murder of Dei by unknown soldiers during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

    It was a moment of sober reflection as journalists observed the conspicuous absence of Dei, who until his untimely death was a regular smiling face at the Deputy Governor’s Conference Hall, the venue of most briefings.

    Iworiso-Markson, who was close to tears, said it was painful that the late photographer died of electoral violence and not of a natural cause.

    “I am completely devastated as I walked in here without noticing the presence of our photographer, Reginald Dei. It dawned on me that Dei would have been here if not for his untimely death in the hands of state actors and non-state actors during the last elections.

    “If Dei had died of a natural cause, we would have understood it but he was killed in electoral violence that occurred in Southern Ijaw orchestrated by state actors and the main opposition party”.

    READ ALSO: ‘Buratai should produce killers of photographer, PDP chief’

    The commissioner lamented that Dei left four children behind and wondered why people would just move on after such shocking tragedy that befell the state.

    “Now we have gathered again but we lost someone, who is supposed to be here with us,” he said and urged journalists to actively cover the proceedings of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry established by Governor Seriak to probe electoral violence in the state.

    Iwe Dicksonoriso-Markson also urged media practitioners to show more sense of responsibility and responsiveness in fighting against the ills of society through their reports.

    In an emotion-laden voice, the Commissioner also mourned other victims of the onslaught allegedly perpetrated by military personnel in the last general elections.

    He stressed the need for journalists to demonstrate solidarity with their slain colleague by covering and effectively reporting proceedings of the commission.

    At the briefing, Deputy Governor Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) explained the N107million increase in the state’s February wage bill, saying it was because of payment of salaries to the 1000 newly employed civil servants.

    Jonah (Retd) gave the explanation while reeling out financial figures for January and February 2019.

    He said the state government spent N2.82bn in the payment of civil servants salaries for last month as against N2.72bn in January.

    Jonah also explained the difference of N3.7bn in capital payments within the period was as a result of more work done on various ongoing capital projects in the state.

    He announced N2.7bn as capital payment for January and N6.4bn for February, noting payment for such projects were usually determined by the extent of work carried out on them.

    He said: “Yes, there is an increase or a difference between the capital expenditure of January and February 2019. If you put your mind to the number of projects we are doing, the difference is actually small money.

    “And for any person that has a fair knowledge of project management, you know that payments are done based on certificates presented to you on the extent of work carried out.

    “As you all know, we are working on the Ekeremor Road. And for the fact that we drove to Ekeremor, doesn’t mean we’ve paid to that extent.

    “We are also on the Central Senatorial Road going to Oporoma. We are also trying to complete the Onopa Bridge.

    “All these are outstanding jobs that we regularly pay. But you don’t expect the work rate to be the same every month. So is the amount paid. It doesn’t follow any linear arrangement.”

    Jonah, who acknowledged the receipt of N16.11bn from the Paris Club Refund between January and March, said out of the amount N1.25bn was released to local government councils.

    He disclosed the state had a gross inflow of N12.3bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for January while that of last month stood at N13.2bn.

    The deputy governor however explained that Net FAAC inflow dipped to N10.7billion for January as against N11.6billion in February after first line FAAC deductions of N1.54bn were made for each month.

    He also announced N968million as internally generated revenue (IGR) for December 2018 while that of January this year was put at N1.09billion.

  • ‘Buratai should produce killers of photographer, PDP chief’

    The Bayelsa State government has called on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to produce killers of the Government House Photographer, Reginald Dei, and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Seidougha Taribi.

    Dei and Taribi were murdered in Oweikorogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Director of Strategic Communications at the Governor’s Office Nathan Egba-Ologo said the COAS had a responsibility to arrest and try the murderers.

    Egba-Ologo insisted that the deceased were killed at Taribi’s house while they waited for the election results. He urged Buratai to take a proactive step to investigate the murder.

    According to him, the earlier narrative that the deceased were killed by soldiers in army uniform would no longer stand as the Publicity Secretary of APC, Buokoribo Doifie, confirmed in reports that a member of his party led the soldiers to the residence where they were shot.

    According to him, claims that the deceased were shot because they were found with election materials were a wild allegation which should be investigated.

    He said: “The Bayelsa State government is making a passionate appeal to the Chief Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, to investigate, identify and prosecute the soldiers who murdered a Government House photographer, Mr. Reginald Dei, and a Chieftain of the PDP, Mr. Seidougha Taribi, on February 23 in Southern Ijaw.

    “The Bayelsa State government and Bayelsans would adopt all lawful means to seek justice in this act of terror perpetrated against our citizens by a collusion of thugs and soldiers.”

  • Bayelsa Govt House photographer dies

    The Bayelsa State Government House Photographer, Reginald Dei, has died in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Dei was shot by gunmen in Army uniform in Oweikorogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area during the February 23 elections.

    He was shot with leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oweikorogha community, Seidougha Taribi, who died on the spot.

    Though the photographer was initially reported dead, he was later said to be unconscious in thw hospital, after his colleagues and some government officials visited him.

    But a statement by the Director of Corporate Communications, Governor’s Office, Nathan Egba-Ologo, said the photographer could not survive the lethal wounds from the gunshots.

    He died on Sunday night, a week after the incident.

    Egba-Ologo called on relevant security agencies to investigate activities of the various security formations to bring the culprits to book.

    He, however, lamented that while the state was mourning the death, thugs suspected to be working for chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were wreaking havoc in Nembe-Bassambiri.

    He alleged that the rampaging thugs sacked the mobile policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed in the community.

    According to him, the thugs dug military fashion trenches in Bassambiri with barricades to harass PDP members and prevent those who fled from returning.

    He called on the Army and other security agencies to prevent brigandage and a breakdown of law and order ahead of Saturday’s elections.

  • Updated: Bayelsa Govt photographer, PDP chairman shot dead

    A Government House photographer in Bayelsa State, Reginald Dei, has been killed in Southern Ijaw Local Government of the state.

    Sources said Dei, who was a popular photographer, was shot by troops of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe.

    But JTF immediately refuted the allegations saying its troops were not involved in any skirmishes in the local government area during the election.

    But giving insight into the killing, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said Dei was murdered by men in military uniform.

    The party said Dei was not the only person killed in the shooting, but also a ward chairman of the party in the state.

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    The party in a statement said rampaging armed men in military uniform murdered Dei, and one other person at Oweikorogha, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area òf Bayelsa State.

    The State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Moses Cleopas, said in a statement that Dei was killed alongside the Ward Chairman òf the People’s Democratic Party in the area, Mr. Seidougha Taribi.

    He said the two victims of the electoral violence were killed while they were in their houses and waiting for the votes which had been concluded in their ward to be counted.

    Moses said the assailants moved to the houses of the victims to shoot them to death.

    He said the killing brought the number of those killed by thugs, some of whom were backed by soldiers, to three.

    Moses said thugs identified to be working for the APC with the support of some soldiers besieged the Bassambiri and Oluasiri axis of Nembe Local Government Area, where they engaged operatives in a shootout all night on Friday.

    According to him, the attackers lost a member in the attack while several others were injured and taken to the hospital in Ogbolomabiri and Yenagoa.

    He accused a former Governor and a surveillance contractor as being behind the violence that rocked Opu Nembe and Bassambiri.

    He stated further that the rampaging thugs hijacked the electoral materials for the seven wards of Bassambiri and Oluasiri to a hotel for thumb-printing.