Niger Delta
Bayelsa Wants FG’s Support To Tackle Erosion
The Government of Bayelsa State has called on all relevant federal authorities and development partners to complement its efforts in tackling erosion and other ecological problems facing the state.
Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the call when the paramount ruler, King Monday Theophilus Igodo, chiefs and other stakeholders of Obogoro Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area paid him a courtesy call in Government House.
He noted that as a coastal state that is entirely below sea level, almost all the communities are suffering the devastating effect of erosion by losing scarce land, and other valuable property to the menace every year.
He particularly empathized with the people of Obogoro, where half of the community including government primary school and several residential houses were said to have been washed away by erosion.
Describing the situation in Obogoro and other communities as pathetic, the Deputy Governor urged the Federal Government to deploy a fair share of the Ecological Fund to providing shoreline protection projects in the state, noting it is beyond the state government to bear the responsibility alone.
He, however, disclosed that the state government had, in fulfilment of its promise, already awarded the contract for a canalization project at Obogoro as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of erosion in the community.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo, who appealed for patience on the part of the people, noted that the contractor would be mobilized to site as soon as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exercise was concluded.
While sympathizing with those who had and are about to lose their houses to the landslide in the community, he promised that the state government would take necessary steps to provide them temporary accommodation.
The Deputy Governor also warned the people of the state not to allow dredging activities in their communities without reports of feasibility studies and EIAs, stressing that the worsening erosion challenge in Obogoro was being caused by indiscriminate sand mining along the Ekole River.
“We are calling on our elder brother (Federal Government) to show responsibility by deploying the Ecological Fund to assist us in fighting against erosion and other natural disasters facing us as a state. Most of our communities are being washed away on a yearly basis.But apart from the natural forces behind the disaster, the problem (erosion) can also be blamed on the collective negligence and compromise of both the people and government regulatory bodies, like the Ministry of Environment.
”We failed to take necessary steps to stop the sand dredging. I can tell you, though without scientific evidence, that what is happening to Obogoro now may not be unconnected with sand dredging activities that have been taking place there on the Ekole river”, he said.
“As you dredge, you are extracting the sand underneath, thereby causing the land to be porous and sliding. I don’t think anybody carried an EIA before that dredging took place. On our part, the Bayelsa State Government has already awarded the canalization project we promised some few months ago to address the problem. I am very sure it is an issue of trying to dot the i’s and crossing the t’s, that is why the project has not taken off. I want to appeal that you give us some time”, he added.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Iselema Gbaranbiri, also attributed the devastating erosion at Obogoro to massive sand mining, noting that he had earlier ordered the stoppage of dredging activities in the area.
He said the slight delay in the take-off of the canalization project was caused by the ongoing EIA as government would not commit the mistake those carrying out dredging in the state were making by conducting their operations without proper studies.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Dufugha, however, expressed resentment over what he described as stringent measures against assessing the State’s Students Loan Scheme, especially for the common citizens.
He made the observations while briefing journalists at the Earliest Ikoli Press Centre, Ekeki, in Yenagoa, the State capital.
“I commend the Governor for the relative peace in the state owing to his approach to the security of lives and properties in the State.
“For now, the police in Bayelsa State is using drones to monitor red flag areas that can cause security breaches and that has really encouraged the peace in the State.
“The security situation has improved and we commend the government for that. We cannot deny the fact that there is relative peace in the State”, he said.
On the State’s students loan, the publisher accused the scheme of having elitist posture due to its accessibility process.
He argued that it would be difficult for the ordinary Bayelsan to provide a Level-17 civil servant as guarantor to be able to benefit from the scheme, describing it as a systemic denial of the less privileged.
He noted that the loan was supposed to be a succour to indigent Bayelsa parents and students who could not assess education easily, noting that such persons should not be made to face cumbersome situations before assessing the financial instrument.
On road infrastructure, the Niger Delta Herald Publisher and Editor-in-chief praised the Diri’s administration on the work done on the three senatorial district roads and tasked the government to do more.
Dufugha, who described Bayelsa State as a wealthy State, asserted that the oil rich state needed to see more developmental strides comparative to its current financial status.
“Bayelsa is not a poor state in terms of public revenue. We’re an oil producing state. We receive federal allocations. We receive derivation revenue. We have access to enormous public resources.
“We receive interventions. Yet, after all these years, the ordinary citizen is still asking, what exactly are we getting for our money? Where are the industries? Where are the jobs? Where are the functional health institutions? Where is the agricultural transformation? Where is the human capital development? Where is the economic diversification?,” he argued.
He enjoined the government to redouble effort in the education and health subsectors, adding that it would pay the state a lot if there were centres for the treatment of critical health cases such as cancer and others in order to save lives and avoid capital flight.
The Publisher urged the Senator Diri-led government and the public not to misunderstand his message as hatred or personal issues with the Governor, but see it as a constitutional and professional duty to hold government accountable.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Deputy Governor of the State, Dr. Peter Akpe, stated this rexently when he received the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in ernment House, Yenagoa.
charge of Bayelsa and Rivers States, during a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
Akpe said the general perception of those in politics has always been that of corruption, but noted that the position of the Douye Diri-led Prosperity Administration is non-tolerance for corruption.
Akpe, who frowned at the habit of writing unfounded petitions against individuals and groups, said the heap of petition files from Bayelsa State at the ICPC was several times higher than that from any other state in the country.
He reminded residents that writing unjustifiable petitions to anti-graft agencies is not only a bad culture, but also attracts jail penalty, and assured the ICPC of the state government’s support to improve public enlightenment.
“Our government is a government that believes in zero tolerance for corruption; that is why we are always open to interact with you and other anti-graft agencies.
“Usually, there is this issue of negative perception of politics and politicians. But it is not true that every politician is corrupt. We have a good number of people in politics that are not corrupt, and we believe that a good percentage of them are in this government.
“The issue of petitions at the ICPC: What we observed was that the heap of files from Bayelsa were 10 times higher than the ones from even Lagos, and 15 more times than the ones from Sokoto and other states.
“That is quite disturbing. More so, most of those petitions were ion, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he saidfrivolous.
From a personal experience, I can tell you that most of the petitions are extremely frivolous. While we will never tolerate corruption, our people should also know that such frivolous petitions can land them in jail”, he said.
Earlier in her remarks, the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner in charge of Rivers and Bayelsa States, Dr. Ekere Usiere, highlighted the statutory mandate of the ICPC, stressing that its mission was to carry out sensitisation on the ills of corruption in the Nigerian society.
Usiere, who expressed concern at the volume of petitions currently before the ICPC emanating from communities in Bayelsa over the management of the PIA funds, expressed the commission’s desire to partner the Bayelsa State Ministry of Information to carry out sensitisation programmes.
The ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner was accompanied on the visit by Assistant Chief Superintendent, Mr. Evans Peters; Principal Superintendent, Mr. Emmanuel Akpor; Assistant Superintendent, Mrs. Tamaraudoubra Ebebi; and the Administrative Officer, Mr. Frank Yileaziba.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Director of Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi Nwelue, gave the advice during a commission-wide staff interactive session with Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and insurance companies at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a statement signed and issued by Seledi Thompson-Wakama
Director, Corporate Affairs, Nwelue said the programme, approved by the Managing Director of the commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, was organised to sensitise staff on pension schemes and provide them with the knowledge required to make informed decisions about their retirement savings.
He particularly urged newly recruited employees to acquaint themselves with the operations and responsibilities of various PFAs before choosing an administrator to manage their pension contributions.
According to him, pension contributions deducted from employees’ salaries, alongside employers’ contributions, constitute long-term savings designed to provide financial support after retirement.
He urged staff to carefully assess the information provided by the participating pension administrators and choose the option best suited to their long-term financial interests.
Nwelue stressed that employees were at liberty to select their preferred pension administrator, noting that the interactive session provided an opportunity for the various companies to explain their products, services and benefits.
Also speaking, a Director in the Directorate of Administration and Human Resources, Mr. James Fole, said the programme was aimed at deepening employees’ understanding of pension, insurance and other financial instruments that could improve their financial wellbeing during and after active service.
Fole warned that inadequate preparation for retirement could expose employees to financial hardship in their post-service years.
He said: “That is not what the Managing Director, Executive Management and the entire management want for our staff. We want to see a situation where retirees enjoy a reasonable level of comfort, knowing that the Commission has contributed to their future.”
He added that equipping employees with appropriate financial knowledge while they were still in active service remained critical to achieving a financially secure retirement.
Several pension and insurance companies participated in the interactive session.
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