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Tag: Yenagoa

  • Thugs attack Ankio Briggs, anti-Dickson protesters

    Thugs attack Ankio Briggs, anti-Dickson protesters

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, on Tuesday, boasted that only the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would win future elections in the state.

    The governor advised other party members including loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to renounced their membership and join the PDP if they had ambitions to contest any future electoral positions in the state.

    Dickson spoke at the Peace Park, where a crowd of PDP loyalists mobilised to celebrate his first year of his second term and five years in office as the governor.

    The governor, who danced to Ijaw war songs before addressing a mammoth crowd of his supporters said: “This state is unshakably PDP. When they tried to be funny, don’t worry, the reason I am Ofurumapepe leading this party is that when the battle never tough, Ofurumapepe doesn’t come out.

    “Anybody who wants to contest an election, let me put you on notice, the only platform that can win an election in this state under my leadership is the PDP. Which election will be tougher than the one we won with me as the candidate?

    “We will lead the party to win all elections in the state, God willing. We have nothing to hide. We are busy chasing the challenges of government in Bayelsa and at this time our hands as we have always said are opened.

    “The doors of PDP in Bayelsa are open even for those who made mistakes, our big umbrella is waiting to receive all of them back. If they don’t come back no way for elections in the state. Tell them. If they come back, accept them”.

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    The Peace Park, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, was the destination for all lovers of Dickson, as he marked his anniversary.

    It was fanfare as a crowd of supporters adorned in their best attires marched the streets of Yenagoa to show Dickson love on Valentine day.

    As early as 7:00 a.m, supporters of the Restoration Government from various local government areas started processions from Igbogene, the outskirts of Yenagoa to Peace Park, located opposite Government House, Onopa, a distance of over 40km.

    The residents who marched according to their local government areas of Brass, Yenagoa, Nembe, Kolokuma-Opokuma, Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor and Ogbia, defied the scorching sun as they, drummed, sang and danced on the streets.

    Hundreds of groups including youths carrying pro-Dickson‘s banners, placards and other Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) materials to rejoice with their governor.

    Women were the most colourful in their different uniform wrappers, blouses and scarfs with a touch of red, Valentine’s colour.

    The venue was congested with youths, all political appointees, federal and state legislators, national and state PDP’s executive members, security operatives, journalists and traditional rulers.

    But prior to the event thugs disrupted an anti-Dickson protest led by a Niger Delta activist, popularly referred to the Amazone of the Niger Delta, Ankio Briggs.

    Briggs and other protesters assembled around the Tombia Roundabout to commence a demonstration against Dickson‘s decision to confine herdsmen in the state within the Bayelsa Palm area of the state.

    The activist, who came from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to lead the protest under the auspices of Ijaw Women Connect (IWC) was disorganised by thugs in the presence of security operatives including the police.

    Briggs said the thugs injured some of the protesters and stole her telephone handsets, identity cards and other personal effects.

    [news_list display=”tag” tag=”Dickson” count=”2″ show_more=”on”]

    She said they pushed her down in the presence of a senior police officer complaining that the police failed to protect her and other protesters.

    She, however, said the demonstration was not against the leadership style of the governor but a “love rally” to disagree with the decision of the governor to allocate land to herdsmen.

    But in a swift reaction, the government through the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said the activist was attacked by her own thugs.

    “The information we receive as a government is that Briggs mobilised people to Bayelsa for a protest. But they people turned against her and attacked her because she could not pay them the mobilisation fee”, he said.

    Obuebite, who sympathised with Briggs, thanked security agencies for calming down the situation and saving the life of the activist.

    But Dickson insisted that the PDP would bounce back and regain the control of the centre in 2019 after resolving their internal crisis.

    He said he had transformed the state and brought development high used to be fantasies to realities adding that the people of the state now have the best hospitals, roads and schools under his government.

    “Everywhere you go, they tell you that one of the safest states in e country is Bayelsa because you said no to people who practice violence.

    “You have seen massive roads and we will continue to build the roads, hospitals and schools which they could not build,” he said.

    He noted that the hardship in the state was caused by APC at the federal level accusing the party of destroying the economy.

    He said under the APC, naira which used to be N160 to the dollar had skyrocketed to N500.

    The governor, however, promised to lift an embargo in employment in the state immediately he completed his reforms in the public service.

    He said his government would make more appointments to empower the people and reward persons who worked for his victory.

    Speaking at the occasion, the National Publicity Secretary, PDP and former Minister for Works, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said when he first visited Bayelsa under former Governor Goodluck Jonathan, the state was a mini-village.

    But he said Dickson had transformed the stage into a town describing the governor as one of the pillars of the PDP.

    “With governor Dickson, PDP has a future”, he said adding that PDP managed the country for 17 years only for APC to destroy the economy.

    He said all the institutions built by the PDP were being used by APC to fight corruption in the country and insisted that in 2019, the party would bounce back.

    In their goodwill message, other speakers eulogised the governor saying he had redefined development in the state.

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  • Non-academic staff begin indefinite strike in Bayelsa varsity 

    Non-academic staff begin indefinite strike in Bayelsa varsity 

    Non-teaching staff of the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, have embarked on an indefinite strike.
    The employees, under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee of NAAT, NASU and SSANU, NDU said in Yenagoa on Wednesday that their action was to protest non-payment of salaries for seven months.
    The workers further said that the government had been unable to address issues affecting them. 
    According to them instead of addressing their problems the government went ahead to issue a statement withdrawing from payment of NDU staff salaries.
    The workers’ position was contained in a communique signed by the Chairman, National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), Dienagha Ekeipre; Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Fakidoma Wilcox; and Chairman, Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), Kenneth Akpoafagha.
    The communique said:  ”We hereby recall our ‘sit-at-home industrial action’ which was suspended on August 29, 2016.
    ”We are against the government’s plan to downsize/retrench staff of the university. The present staff strength of the university is grossly inadequate in line with the National Universities Commission’s guidelines.
    ”We also embark on the industrial action because of the government’s decision to arbitrarily increase students’ school fees.
    ”Based on the unfruitful discussion with the state government and the reasons given above, the unions under the umbrella of the Joint Action Committee, NDU chapter, resume the suspended industrial action with effect from this week.”
    Efforts to get the reaction of the Commissioner for Education, Mr Markson Fefegha, were unsuccessful as calls to his mobile phone indicated that it was switched off.
  • Militancy: Youth leaders lament silence of N’Delta governors

    Militancy: Youth leaders lament silence of N’Delta governors

    …Resolve to mount pressure on governors

    …Ask FG to stop invasion of communities

    Youth leaders of Niger Delta ethnic nationalities, Wednesday, criticised governors from their region for not doing enough to complement the efforts of the Federal Government in resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta.

    The leaders, who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, after an emergency meeting at Ijaw House, urged the governors to synergise and evolve an economic plan to rescue the region from poverty and militancy.

    The leaders who met under the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Leaders Council (NDENLC) described as unacceptable the silence of the governors and their nonchalant attitude towards some burning issues of development in the region.

    The meeting was attended by the leaders of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri; Urhobo Youth Council (UYC), Terry Obieh; Urhobo Progressives Union, Esimaje Aweni; Ibibio Youth Council (IYC), Imo Okoko; Efik National Youth (ENY), Capt. Bassey Henshaw among leaders from Anioma, Ogoni, Edo and others.

    Eradiri, who spoke after the meeting, said the leaders resolved to mount pressure on the Niger Delta governors to undertake practical steps to lift the region out of poverty and militancy.

    He said: “The governors in the Niger Delta should do more internally to resolve the militancy in the region. They should set up an economic plan to take the region out of poverty. We are saying this because liberation itself cannot come externally.

    “It must be internally driven. What are the Niger Delta governors doing on their own to end the crisis? Everybody is just waiting for the Federal Government. State governors in this region must meet, engage stakeholders and begin to resolve the problem.

    “The country is facing economic crisis, what are our state governors doing to come up with an economic plan to take this region out of poverty and militancy. As we speak, the condition in the region is getting out of hands. There is widespread poverty and criminality is going up every day.

    “We are suffering more from what is happening in the region. All our youths are unemployed and things are getting from bad to worse. So, we call on the governors to provide economic, political and developmental leadership, so that when we are talking about the federal government, we would have started our own.

    “We are too rich to be poor. We talk about diversification through agriculture, what are our governors doing on that area? So that we can use rice cultivation, fish farming and cassava to change the economic situation in the country”.

    Eradiri also said the leaders called on the Federal Government to quickly set up its negotiation team to immediately resolve the crisis adding that the silence of the government after meeting with the Niger Delta stakeholders on November 1 was worrisome.

    He further said the leaders condemned invasion of Niger Delta communities by soldiers and appealed to the government to adopt better and more civil ways of resolving the crisis in the region.

    “In fact, intelligence apparatus has recorded more success than military option. The casualties are more of women and children”, he said.

    He added: “The government should quickly resolve the legal issues surrounding the maritime universities. So that youths will no longer use that as an excuse to attack oil installations.

    “We call on the Federal Government to look at the EPZ projects in Delta State, the Brass Fertilizer Project in Bayelsa, the Bonny Phase Seven Project in Rivers State as well as the Quantum Project in Akwa Ibom.

    “The government should integrate the EPZ project because it will create over 150,000 jobs for young people. The Brass Fertilizer Project could create close to 100,000 jobs; other projects will create jobs for young people. If you are talking about revolution in the gas sector then you must first integrate existing projects into your plans because all these projects are gas-driven projects.

    “Sea ports in the Niger Delta must be activated so that jobs can be created. There is a port in Warri, Port Harcourt, Calabar, but they are lying fallow. Yet there are over 5000 vessels waiting for berthing space in Lagos when the ports in this part of the country are empty. Any time a vessel gets to a port it creates over 10,000 jobs overnight.”

  • Sylva remains our leader, says Bayelsa APC

    Sylva remains our leader, says Bayelsa APC

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, threw its weight behind a former Governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, insisting that he remained its leader.

    The party in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Mr Panebi Fortune, passed a vote of confidence in Sylva despite his electoral misfortunes.

    Sylva, the governorship candidate of APC in the last election, lost his bid to return as a governor and failed to reverse the victory of the incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson at the court.

    But Fortune said the state Executive Committee of the APC met in Yenagoa, reviewed the entire process that led to the loss of the party and unanimously queued behind the former governor.

    He said the party was satisfied with Sylva’s peaceful disposition before, during and after the elections in the state.

    Fortune added that the party was pleased with Sylva’s doggedness following democratic principles to exhaust all legal means to reclaim his mandate.

    “This action, no doubt, makes him stand out as a true democrat and a lover of peace whose only interest is to bring succour to the suffering people of Bayelsa State,” he said.

    He said the party further commended chiefs, women, youth groups and the good people of the state for the support they gave to the APC and its candidate.

    Fortune said APC assured that it would not abandon the people at their difficult moments adding that the party thanked all APC stakeholders for their support.

    He said APC had started a fresh process of repositioning itself to win seats in the next state and National Assembly elections.

  • Diversification: Fed Govt explores non-oil resources in Bayelsa

    Diversification: Fed Govt explores non-oil resources in Bayelsa

    The Federal Government has launched a programme to identify and explore other mineral resources besides crude oil in Bayelsa State as part of its policy of diversifying the economy.

    A team from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) was in the state, yesterday, to assess and evaluate the availability of non-oil minerals and reach agreements for their development.

    The RMAFC’ Team on Nationwide Monitoring Exercise on Royalties led by a Director in the commission, Chief Sanyon Omiri, met with the Deputy Governor of the state, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) to discuss modalities for the exploration.

    Omiri noted that since the beginning of the economic recession, the non-oil sector accounted for 50 percent of the monthly revenue accruing to the federation account.

    He said following the implementation of the diversification policy the sector would contribute more in the nearest future.

    He lamented that Bayelsa got a paltry sum of N1.2million as its share of 13 per cent derivation from the non-oil sector.

    “Bayelsa currently occupies the 36th position on the table of non-oil remittance to the Federation Account, base on June allocations”, he said.

    According to him the state could move up to an appreciable position and increase its share of the 13% derivation from non-oil revenue if all leakages were blocked with illegal miners captured into the tax net.

    He said that the team would verify and ascertain all the mining companies, number and duration of mining leases issued to each operator, and determine means of increasing revenue generation from mining and solid mineral exploration.

    He said: “We are highly endowed with many untapped mineral resources, especially Bayelsa. But with this our exercise, I can assure you that we will put things in the right direction.

    “Bayelsa is endowed with good sand, clay and many other resources. With this our verification, many minerals will be determined.”

    In his remarks, Jonah who said the government was excited at the ongoing verification described it as a step in the right direction.

    He asked the team do a thorough job, noting that if properly conducted, the exercise would provide a viable alternative source of revenue to the state.

    He said that every state is endowed with mineral resources, adding that the current economic recession was biting harder because of a long period of overdependence on revenues accruing from the oil sector.

    He said there had been a lack of political will to explore and exploit other natural endowments, including agriculture to boost the nation’s economy.

    Assuring the team of the government’s support, Jonah urged its members to engage the appropriate government ministries, agencies, departments and other stakeholders in the exercise.

    He said: “Yes, it is true that Bayelsa State isn’t doing well in the non-oil sector. So they (RMAFC) are going to carry out an audit of what we have because some of the non-oil mineral resources they have in mind may be here and we may not be aware.
    At the federal level, the government is trying to get a consultant to work it out for the entire country.

    “I’m firmly of the belief that there is no land in Nigeria that has no minerals. It depends on how you maximise the exploitation of it. So, at the end of this exercise, this the team will tell us what we have and how we can get it out from the soil.

    “Just like the Federal Government, we also have an interest in taxes. We have a common interest, so we will certainly benefit from the exercise. But the extent of benefit is what I will not be able to define now”.

    Also, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, said if the team carried out their plans, it oils signal the seriousness of the Federal Government on diversification.

    He said developing other non-oil sectors would further create employment and reduce the problems of joblessness in the country.

    He said: “We are happy because the mission is to come and see the mineral resources we have in Bayelsa that can be explored to increase our revenue and contribute to national revenue.

    “If that is done it means that Nigeria is serious now to move out of total dependence on oil. We have the oil, but just like every other nations but, we should have alternative sources of revenue.

    “This, I think if properly done will lead to us having if possible 60 percent of resources from other sources to boost our economy and grow the system. Whenever a new mineral is discovered, employment is generated too. It will also address the case of unemployment”.

  • PDP killed my husband – Alamieyeseigha’s widow

    PDP killed my husband – Alamieyeseigha’s widow

    Margaret, the widow of late former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) betrayed and eventually killed her husband.

    Mrs Margaret Alamieyeseigha said despite all the sacrifices of her husband in the formation and advancement of PDP’s interest, the party killed him before his time.

    The widow, who was angry at the way PDP treated her husband, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no hands in the death of the man, popularly called the Governor-General of the Niger Delta.

    The widow reportedly spoke in an interview at the memorial of Alamieyeseigha’s death, which took place recently at Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, of the state.

    The sudden death of Alamieyeseigha also known as Alamco on October 10, 2015 sparked controversies between the PDP and the APC with the parties blaming each other.

    The former governor reportedly died of complications arising from high blood pressure and diabetes which affected his kidney at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State.

    The PDP claimed that the late governor abandoned his medical trip midway in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates out of fears that the APC-led Federal Government was making an effort to reopen his corruption case in Britain.

    But Mrs Alamieyeseigha said PDP’s betrayal, conspiracy and Ijaw’s sellout mentality led to the travails and death of her husband.

    She said the party that ruled Nigeria for 16 years masterminded the arrest of her husband while the Ijaw whom the husband fought for graciously handed him over to his killers.

    She said: “Today, I will say categorically, that PDP killed my husband. APC didn’t kill my husband; APC didn’t arrest my husband. It was PDP that arrested my husband; it was PDP that locked up my husband, killed him and seized everything that belongs to him.

    “PDP humiliated him to death; tormented him to death. As far as I am concern, I was been humiliated by PDP; my husband died because of the humiliation he passed through in the hands of PDP”.

    She advised the Ijaw people to stop betraying their leaders insisting that the Ijaw nation would only make progress in unity.

    He said despite the betrayal of her husband, the late Alamieyeseigha still stood solidly behind the party and ensured it won the last governorship election in the state.

    The widow, who said she and her family were still members of the PDP, advised the party to help its members.

    “So, I will say the people of Bayelsans, the Ijaw’s they should wake up, they should not betray their leaders and they should always work in unity because in unity we stand. That is my advice to them.

    “I don’t know how to describe my husband, he doesn’t betray people, even if you betrayed him he would come back and always played the role of a father. He felt you don’t know what you are doing, that is why you did what you did.

    “He will still turn back and stand by you. My husband fought for PDP to make sure PDP succeeded and that is why PDP succeeded today in Bayelsa because he had a lot of supporters.

    “He reached out to every one of them and told them ‘look, I was being betrayed but we should not continue, stand by your people and work in unity’. That was how he succeeded. That was why PDP still won in Bayelsa state. I have not gone to any other party PDP is still our party all what I am saying is that we should help our self.

    Speaking during the memorial of her husband’s death and the crowd that trooped out to honour the occasion, she described her late husband as a man loved by his people.

    She said the late Alamieyeseigha fought for resource control and urged the Ijaw people to continue with the agitation despite the feelings of the government.

    She said though her husband was dead, his legacies lived on adding that the best way to immortalise him was to realise his dreams.

    She said: “I thank God for making today a reality, you can see how his Excellency (Alamieyeseigha) has been loved by his people.

    “He died for his people and he is being loved by his people that is what you are seeing today. What I will tell Bayelsans, I want them to know that they had a leader that left them.

    “Excellency Chief Alamieyeseigha, fought for resource control for his people, and you know we are the people that produced 40% of the wealth of this country, and his Excellency was an educated man and he saw how his people were suffering and he fought for his people.

    “The only thing I will tell them today, he is no more. The legacy should not die and they should carry on the fight, even if they (government) doesn’t like it. When they (government) are tired they will listen to them.

    “The resources belong to us; belong to our children and we can not just leave it to them. They want to take it by force from us and is our duty to fight for it. His Excellency is dead today but his spirit is not dead.

    “The people he left behind will continue to fight and at the end of the day they will call the people to sit at the roundtable and will discuss it and what belong to us will be given to us. My advice to them is that they should not betray their leaders. A man that fought for them was betrayed”.

  • Family to bury teenager killed by police

    The families of 17-year-old Innocent Kokorifa, allegedly killed by the police in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Wednesday said they had concluded plans to bury the remains of the deceased.

    Innocent, first child of Mr. Daniel Kokorifa, an employee of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), was shot dead in a mysterious circumstance by a team of the police along Airforce Road in Yenagoa, on August 18, 2016.

    The deceased was reportedly running an errand for his mother, Pere Kokorifa, when he was allegedly gunned down  by the police at about 11:00am.

    But the police in a statement said that the victim died in a gun battle between a notorious armed robbery gang and the police team.

    Father of the victim, Kokorifa, confirmed that Innocent’s remains would be buried in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, on Saturday adding that the autopsy had been conducted on the deceased.

    Kokorifa said: “The country we are in has procedures and we cannot take laws into our hands. We are going to meet at the court and justice will prevail.

    “I believe in the judiciary. They will do their job. There are cases they have handled and people have been sentenced to death and given penalties, so this one will not be an exception.”

    It was gathered that the autopsy carried out at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC),  Yenagoa, revealed that the deceased died from the bullets fired by the police.

    The autopsy was reportedly conducted by a pathologist at the FMC, Dr. E. P. Odoye, last Saturday.

    An activist and lawyer, Ebikebuna Aluzu, said he was satisfied by the decision of the police to conduct the autopsy.

    Aluzu, the founder of the #JusticeForInnocent Movement, said the autopsy was part of the due process required to aid the investigative process.

    He, however, frowned on the manner the police were treating other aspects of the investigation.The activist said: “Justice delayed is justice denied. But I believe that justice will prevail in this case.

    The activist said: “Justice delayed is justice denied. But I believe that justice will prevail in this case.”As an activist, who has been involved or passionate about human rights, I am not too comfortable with the way the police are going about their investigation. This is a case that involves more than one party.

    “As an activist, who has been involved or passionate about human rights, I am not too comfortable with the way the police are going about their investigation. This is a case that involves more than one party.”The police team that carried out the operation are all locked up in Zone 5 Division, Edo State. Following up the case, I have been to that Zone 5, and there’s something I noticed that the men of the Anti-Vice are put in one place. These people are parties to an offence and as a forensic expert, I am not too comfortable with that situation.

    “The police team that carried out the operation are all locked up in Zone 5 Division, Edo State. Following up the case, I have been to that Zone 5, and there’s something I noticed that the men of the Anti-Vice are put in one place. These people are parties to an offence and as a forensic expert, I am not too comfortable with that situation.”You don’t put people who are parties to an offence together. They will have the opportunity to collaborate and corroborate their stories. There is

    “You don’t put people who are parties to an offence together. They will have the opportunity to collaborate and corroborate their stories. There is need to separate them, even in prison.”Also, a human rights activist,  Ebiserikumo

    Also, a human rights activist,  Ebiserikumo Gbassa, alleged that the excesses of the police in the state were getting out of hand.He also frowned on the

    He also frowned on the nonchallance of Kokorifa’s Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and the Bayelsa State Government on the matter, alleging that their lack of interest was because the matter involved the poor.Gbassa mentioned how Governor Seriake Dickson went to Abuja to commiserate with the family of the state Chief Judge,

    Gbassa mentioned how Governor Seriake Dickson went to Abuja to commiserate with the family of the state Chief Judge, Mrs. Kate Abiri, when her son was allegedly murdered, because the Abiris were rich.He added that he would ensure that he implicated all the tiers of Bayelsa government in the case for not showing concerns when they needed to do so.

    He added that he would ensure that he implicated all the tiers of Bayelsa government in the case for not showing concerns when they needed to do so.

  • Footballer shot dead in Niger Delta

    Footballer shot dead in Niger Delta

    • It has nothing to do with JTF
    A footballer identified as Izu Joseph has been shot dead in an unexplained circumstance involving soldiers  at Okakhi community, a town bordering Bayelsa and Rivers states.
    The Nation gathered that the dead footballer plays his football with the Shooting Stars Football Club of Ibadan, Oyo State before his untimely death. 
    While some said that Joseph was gunned down by troops of Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (ODS), others said the incident occurred during a shootout between other soldiers and hoodlums in the area.
    The deceased was said to be on a break following the end of 2015/2016 season of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) when the incident occurred.
    Three billets reportedly punctured different parts of his body.
    Joseph, an indigene of Okhaki was said to have joined the Shooting Stars in 2014 from Bayelsa United Football Club. 
    Some sources from the community said the killing, which happened on Saturday evening, sparked anger in the community, leaving everyone in confusion.
    A friend to the footballer, identified as Nyieye, confirmed that Okhaki is notorious for harbouring bad  boys who are not militants.
    “They smoke and drink in the area. As an established footballer from the community, many of the youths usually swam around him and he reciprocated by buying them drinks.
    “We gathered that some youths had the previous days angered some soldiers but they came when Izu Joseph was hanging out with his people. He was shot three times. Others died but we only heard about Izu,” he said.
    Contacted on the development, Acting Coordinator of ODS’ Joint Media Campaign Centre (JMCC) Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Osuji, said the incident had nothing to do with ODS.

  • Bayelsa APC lauds Buhari over federal appointments

    The ‎Bayelsa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), on Monday, poured encomiums on President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing two indigenes of the state into key federal offices.

    The President appointed a retired permanent secretary in the Bayelsa State civil service, Mrs. Gloria Izonfuo as a member of the National Population Commission (NPC).

    He also appointed an oil and gas expert, Mr. Simbi Wabote, as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board (NCMDB).

    In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Fortune Panebi, the state’s APC described Buhari’s gesture as a sign of comfort and positive development for the state.

    The party said the President has effectively replied persons taunting its leaders in the state and cynically asking them to use their connections to attract federal appointments.

    The party said: ”The appointment of both Mrs Izonfuo and Mr Wabote is a welcome development to us, a very positive sign of comfort and the best to come at this time.

    “While we are confident that both appointees are credible and experienced in their chosen career lines, this gesture from the president shows that he has every part of the nation at heart.

    ”Truly, these appointments, coming at a time cynics were already taunting our revered leaders ‎to attract more appointments to the state are a collective manifestation of the cohesion, understanding and unity of purpose in our party.

    ”Nothing can be more commendable than having two illustrious sons of ours, the first being the minister of state for agriculture and rural development, Dr. Heineken Lokpobiri and the newly appointed Wabote among government officials who will play key roles in the economic turnaround of the nation.

    ”May we use this opportunity to, therefore, thank our leader, Chief Timipre Sylva, Dr. Lokpobiri as well as other notable leaders of the party for providing the needed leadership and direction to this point in spite of some unavoidable drawbacks.

    ”Finally, we appeal to our Niger Delta brothers who are up in arms against our oil and gas assets to eschew violence and embrace the path to peace. This is desirable not only for the government but for our ecosystem that is the immediate victim of your actions”.

  • NIMASA to monitor jetties, river craft operators in Yenagoa

    The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside, said on Wednesday that the agency would apply enforcement and monitor the activities of jetties and river craft operators in Yenagoa.

    Peterside spoke during a facility tour of the Yenagoa office by the management of the agency.

    He commended the staff of Yenagoa for being efficient and articulate in spite of little operational tools available for them to carry out their duties.

    Peterside appreciated the staff for engaging in a lot of monitoring activities that were able to discover almost 28 jetties operating in the waters.

    “In the next few weeks, after meeting with other managements, we are going to come out with the guidelines for registration of small river craft.

    “We have observed that they used these small river craft for criminal activities.

    “Therefore, we want to register them in line with our mandate to monitor what they do and ensure we keep an eye on their activities.

    “All unregulated maritime activities in our various jetties are seriously affecting our environment.

    “The environment is exposed to serious pollution and environmental danger because of unregulated activities of some of the oil jetties, terminals and offshore operational areas, ‘’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Peterside as saying.

    He said both NIMASA and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) were collaborating to find solutions to the persistent water hyacinth on Yenagoa waters.

    The NIMASA boss said the agency was looking at the possibility of recruiting Search and Rescue merchants who would be placed at specific jetties.

    He said that the people would not only engage in Search and Rescue, they would monitor small river craft operators to ensure safety of passengers.

    Peterside said that an enlightenment programme would be a continuous thing to emphasise the importance of lifejackets during operation.

    He said that the management was aware of the state of the staff building in Yenagoa, adding that the management would meet in Lagos and make urgent decision for a better office.

    Peterside said the purpose of the management’s visit to Yenagoa was to examine the activities of the staff, shape their operations and devolve more powers.

    He said that the management had engaged in restructuring and repositioning of the agency in all Zonal areas to become the centre of operations of the agency.

    The Head of NIMASA operations in Yenagoa, Mr Denies Monye, said there was the need for the management to provide light patrol vessels for effective monitoring operations in the waters.

    Monye urged the management to assist the people of Yenagoa in clearing some areas where water hyacinth had taken over to create room for fish farming.

    He said the NIMASA office in Yenagoa was operating with 19 staff, adding that the staff worked very hard in assisting the agency to achieve its mandate.

    Monye requested for more working tools to enable the staff discharge their duties more effectively.