Farmers Chase Commissioner Out Of Office

Bayelsa State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Dikiovie Ikiogha last week Thursday kept off his office to avoid being mobbed by protesting farmers in the state.

The Permanent Secretary, in charge of the Ministry, Mr. Fraizer Okuoru was not so lucky as he was held hostage in his official car on arrival at the Secretariat to resume work.

The farmers, carrying placards with different inscriptions, arrived at the ministry located in the Old Secretariat building, chanting war songs, demanded for payment of the state’s share of N200 million Federal Government Agricultural loans to farmers across the country.

Chief Ikiogha, who got a tip-off on the presence of the angry farmers in his ministry on his way to the office, was said to have quickly reversed and went home.

However, the Perm Sec, who attracted the wrath of the farmers, was for about one hour restricted to his office which was wedged with broken blocks and bottles.

The quick intervention of the state special security outfit, condemned “Operation Famou Tangbei” saved him from suffocation.

The Operation Famou Tangbei was able to save the perm sec by using horsewhips to disperse the protesters who claimed they had been defrauded by the Ministry by collecting the sum of N10,000 from each cooperative before giving them the loan.

The Tide gathered that the Agric loan has been source of acrimony between the ministry and different farmers organisations in the state, leading to several litigations.

Efforts to speak to the Commissioner or any of his aides was not successful, but a Senior official of the ministry claimed that the applications of the farmers are being processed and appealed to them to be patient.

It was, however, gathered that the State Government was unable to pay its counterpart fund, hence the demand for N10,000 from each participating cooperative, but some members claim that the money had been diverted, hence the delay.