…As Speaker Flays Call For Jonathan’s Impeachment

Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson says the all by the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) for the impeachment of President Goodluck Jonathan over the church building donated to his Otuoke community by an Italian construction company was “undemocratic and unfortunate”.

Speaking through his Special Assistant on media and publicity, Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo, Rt. Hon. Benson said Bayelsans had been following with keen interest the controversy ignited by the CAN, noting that people deserved to benefit from the corporate social responsibility of companies benefiting from their locality.

He said it was an insult for the CAN to say President Jonathan should be impeached because a company rehabilitated a church in his village, stressing the need to separate politics from religion.

“CAN members who are Ijaws should take time to educate their national leaders on this issue. CAN leaders should not mix politics with religion. It will create a very bad impression about their party around here, especially given the fact that the national leaders of that party and four of its five governors are muslims.

“The members should also tell their leaders that Ijaws value their spirituality and also would not take insults from outsiders who like to make value judgements about others.

“We know that corporate businesses, including banks, rehabilitate roads in Lagos as part of their corporate social responsibility CSR). Will it be fair to call for the impeachment of the governor of that state simply because his government does business with the banks?

“We know companies in the South West are more alive to their responsibilities because of the active media there. Whatever is good for the Lagos goose should be good for the Bayelsa gander.

“CAN with its roots in the South West should reflect on the importance the Yorubas attach to their cultural and religious development. For anyone to say Otueke people do not deserve anything from a company that has benefited from the locality, which is Bayelsa State, is rather unfortunate.

“For the CAN to say we do not deserve this church is for it to say we should be spiritually barren. It means those saying this do not think we of us.

“Here, in the Niger Delta, our grouse is that companies don’t show enough concerns to their host communities by way of CSR. These companies don’t give back to the communities from where they get jobs by way of projects.

“So, when we see a company like Gitto seeing to the spiritual development of Otueke people by renovating their church, we are happy with that company. This gesture to the Ijaw nation will outlive the company and present generation of Ijaw people who President Jonathan represents today.

“We call on other companies, particularly multinationals in the Niger Delta, to emulate the good gesture of this company by being alive to their social responsibilities to the communities that host them”, he concluded.