Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson has directed the newly sworn-in local government chairmen to establish security councils in their domains with first class traditional rulers and competent ex-service men to check “armed banditry, illegal crude oil refining” and other criminal activities.

They have also been warned against turning the monthly allocation and other funds accruing to their Councils to ‘pocket money’.

Hon. Dickson who stated this at the formal inauguration of the council chairmen held inside the Banquet Hall of Government House, Yenagoa said the government would not tolerate any act of indiscipline.

Dickson warned that, he will not allow council chairmen to treat the resources coming to the councils to service godfathers, godmothers and good sisters, stating, “the resources as you have clearly seen at the state level are being deployed fully to the development of our state”.

According to him, a machinery to monitor and give monthly reports on their activities to ensure that funds accruing to the third tier of government are utilised solely for development.

He also said government would hold regular interaction with the chairmen to ensure that development projects and security efforts were properly harmonised, stressing that henceforth, government will only set up counterpart funding with the local government councils for purposes of development.

In fulfillment of the 35 percent affirmative action, Governor Dickson disclosed that over 60 percent of women are holding elective positions at the local government level.

“There is no better demonstration of the fact that our party is the most women-friendly party in Nigeria,” he said.

Congratulating the new local government helmsmen , Hon Dickson urged the political class to join hands with government to bring development closer to the people at the grassroots, adding that this is not the time for politicking.

The Local Government Chairmen are Andy Obed for Brass, Tobiyei Billy (Ekeremor) Gbaranbiri Eselemo (Kolokuma/Opokuma) and Eminah Bioghoemi Benneth (Nembe).

Others are Mr. Enaye Richard Abah (Ogbia), Willy Oyadougha Jerry (Sagbama), Chief Remember Ogbe (Southern Ijaw) and Hon. Chubby Ben Walson (Yenagoa).

Meanwhile,  the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has condemned the dastardly murder of twelve policemen in Bayelsa State by suspected militants.

Perturbed by the incident, the INC scheduled an emergence meeting in Yenagao to deliberate on the incident and issue stern warning to the killers of the policemen that the Ijaw will not tolerate further unwarranted bloodshed in their territory.

INC spokesperson, Victor Burubo, said in Port Harcourt last week when some groups like the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued threat of attack, that the Ijaw leadership had strongly advised against any form of violence.

MEND spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo had on Sunday claimed killing the policemen because security agents had dismissed its threat to commence fresh attacks.

Burubo who emphasised that Ijaw craves for peace, described the killing as barbaric, unacceptable and cruel. He stressed that such incident should not have occurred in any civilised human society.

“The INC will hold an emergency meeting over the murder of these policemen who were on national duty. After the meeting, we will make a clear statement that this kind of outrageous and barbaric acts will not be tolerated in Ijaw land forthwith,” Burubo said.