The Bayelsa State Governor, Hon Seriake Dickson has told President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigeria was in dire need of restructuring and devolution of power, saying without it, there would not be stability in the states of the federation.
The governor, who met President Buhari behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, said that there was the need to carry every section of the country along, adding that the government should, as a matter of urgency, have a change in the approach to security management, especially in the Niger Delta region.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, the Bayelsa State governor said he had a frank discussion with the President with regards to the ongoing debate on restructuring of the country.
According to him: “I am here this afternoon to see the President and to confer with him on critical national issues, and also on issues that are pertinent to the stability, security and development of Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta region.
“And we had a very fruitful discussion, and I am grateful to the President for the opportunity he afforded me to intimate him on the challenges and also of the prospects.
“You recall that since my re-election, this is the first time I would be here, I am not a regular visitor here. So, I thank the President for availing me the opportunity to share perspectives on very serious issues on security, stability and development of Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
“We talked about the need to revisit the Brass energy, we talked about the need for change in approach to security management in the Niger Delta, and we talked about the challenges of stabilizing the Niger Delta and the need for federal support.
“We talked about a whole range of other issues, including what we think should be the final response to the ongoing debate about devolution, and I believe that we had a very fruitful interaction.”
On what were his concerns on the issue of security and what he would want the President to do, Dickson said, “I had a discussion with the President, he is the President and Commander-in-Chief, he is the leader of the country, and these issues are beyond partisan politics, and we had a frank discussion.
“He understands the issues because he served in that region during the war when he was a younger officer, he is familiar with the challenges that I have come to discuss with him, and I look forward to collaborating and working with the President and the security officials to advance security in the region.
“Governors of the Niger Delta region are doing a lot, and as governors, we will continue to do our best, working with the security agencies, we should be apolitical in supporting constituted authorities in the states. We expect that this interaction will yield positive results.”
Also commenting on his meeting with the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, he said: “I was in Kaduna to confer with my brother friend and colleague, the governor of Kaduna State. As you know, he chairs the APC panel on restructuring or devolution. And that panel as far as I am concerned, did a good job.
“What we need is what it agreed upon to expand the scope of consultation. My view is that all parts of Nigeria needs to be carried along, and especially the leadership of Northern Nigeria. It needs to be engaged and contacted, and their buy-in and support. It is not only essential; it is indispensable to the success of the new Nigeria we are trying to carve.
“Not only have I visited Governor el-Rufai, in the next coming days and weeks, I will be visiting a lot of my colleagues in other parts of the country. I will be visiting and interacting with a lot of other opinion leaders and stakeholders.
“We are talking about our country and every part of the country has to be carried along. We need to interact and know what their fears and concerns and perspectives are so that we can, at the end, craft a position that will represent the collective aspirations of all parts of our country because this country is in dire need of devolution, this country is in dire need of a return to the essential founding fathers principles of our nation.
“That is when you can have stability in the states; that is when we would have unleashed the huge potentials that exist in every part of the country.”
Commenting on the value of the award given to him by the Leadership Newspapers, he said, “I was conferred with Leadership Award on the account of the modest efforts and investments we are making in the education sector in Bayelsa.
“There is no doubt that sector has changed in Bayelsa over the past six years. We will continue to make more investments. I thank Leadership; I thank all those who are working with me and the team. I am dedicating this award to the good people of Bayelsa State,” Dickson added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Yorro Local Government Council in Taraba State, Hon. Joseph Sonweri, yesterday, confirmed killing of six people in a fresh clash between herders and farmers in the local government.
Sonweri said though the cause of the crisis was still not clear, but that security agencies were on the trail of the boy allegedly said to have caused the clash.
“I can’t tell you exactly what happened now, because we are still trailing the boy that was said to have led the attack. He is on the run and his family has deserted their house.
“We spoke to him early in the morning but his line is off now so we are trailing him. Until we get him or any of his accomplices, then we can know exactly what happened,” he said.
He, however, said the situation in the area was calm as security agents had been deployed to maintain peace.
Also speaking, the Chief of Yorro community, Chief Ado Adamu Mazan, who condemned the killings, told newsmen during an interview, that he has forwarded their complaints to the commissioner of police for necessary action.
“It was just a little misunderstanding between herdsmen and farmers in one of the villages. We were told that some Fulani herders strayed into a farm belonging to a native, leading to the clash.
“We have since forwarded our complaint to the commissioner of police in Jalingo and has responded promptly by sending security to the area,” he said.
The traditional ruler called on the people of the area to tolerate one another in the interest of peace and development.
Meanwhile, persons suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have killed two people along the Naka/Makurdi Road.
The incident was said to have occurred last Tuesday while the deceased were returning from the burial of the Catholic priests and 17 parishioners killed by herdsmen earlier last week.
The deceased, who were said to be riding on a motorcycle, were said to have been ambushed by the herdsmen who reportedly slaughtered them.
Naka/Makurdi road, which is a federal road, has been abandoned for a long time due to the activities of herdsmen along the federal highway.
A native, who spoke to newsmen said, “The two men were returning from the burial of the Catholic priests and the parishioners when they were attacked by herdsmen.
“Naka/Makurdi highway has been abandoned since herdsmen invaded Naka a few weeks ago. Anyone coming to Makurdi from Naka has to pass through the major road to Taraku, making the journey of 30 minutes’ drive to result in two and a half hours’ journey.
“I think the deceased just decided to take the route; unfortunately, they were killed,” the local said.
Efforts to get the state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, were not successful, as he did not respond to his call.
The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, however, confirmed this while receiving in audience yesterday, the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka.
“Killing is still ongoing. Just on Tuesday, two people returning from the burial were killed along Naka/Makurdi road,” Ortom told his visitor.
Reps Fail To Override Buhari On Peace Corps Bill
The controversial Nigerian Peace Corps Bill has finally been jettisoned as attempts by the House of Representatives to override President Muhammadu Buhari failed, yesterday.
The bill failed to pass the second reading at the House of Representatives, yesterday.
The House of Representatives, which boasted that it would override the veto of the Buhari could not achieve its aim.
The bill seeks to turn the Peace Corps, currently a non-governmental organisation, into a government para-military agency.
The bill, which was passed by the National Assembly amidst controversy, was rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari, who refused to sign it into law.
Buhari, in February, refused to assent to the bill because it was a duplication of duty and could conflict with the functions of the existing security outfits – the police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The bill was sponsored by Emmanuel Orker-Jev (APC, Benue) and passed by the National Assembly in 2017.
In separate letters to the Senate and House of Representatives, Mr Buhari also cited security concerns and financial implications amongst reasons for his decision.
The bill was transmitted to the president in December, 2017 by the Clerk to the National Assembly, Sani Omolori.
The Nigerian police had remained opposed to the legalisation of the corps.
On February 17, 2017, it stormed the organisation’s headquarters in Abuja and arrested its head, Dickson Akoh, and about 49 other members.
The police accused Akoh of using the Peace Corps, registered as a non-governmental organisation, to swindle young job seekers and operate as a para-military agency.
Akoh, who denied the allegations, was later granted bail.