TheNewsGuru

Tag: Bayelsa State

  • Ijaw youths agitate over $13.5bn Zabazaba Deepwater Project

    Ijaw youths under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide have expressed concerned over delays in the signing of the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the $13.5 billion Zabazaba Deepwater Project.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports spokesman of the Council, Daniel Dasimaka, in a statement, expressed displeasure of the IYC on Thursday in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State.

    “We do not want the Zabazaba Deepeater Project to go the way of the Brass LNG which never saw the light of the day. We want jobs for our youths. We want the local economy of the Niger Delta region as well as the national economy in general to grow.

    “We want development in the Niger Delta region. We want peace. Hence, we condemn the unnecessary delay in the signing of the FID for the Zabazaba oilfield,” said IYC National President, Barrister Oweilaemi Pereotubo.

    Oweilaemi said the IYC is deeply worried that the 2020 first production date of the Zabazaba oilfield may be compromised if the FID remains unsigned.

    “The $13.5 billion Zabazaba oilfield is located in the Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245 offshore Nigeria in the Niger Delta of the Gulf of Guinea.

    “Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) are jointly developing the project. Nigeria Agip Exploration is the operator of the project.

    “It will be a major boost to the country’s economy and the local content initiative being promoted and prioritised by the present government. In particular, the deepwater project will support small and medium enterprises in Nigeria following the decision by the developers for in-country fabrication and integration of the topsides of the Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels.

    “The Zabazaba deepwater field is estimated to hold 560 million barrels of oil equivalent (MBOE), which will increase the country’s daily crude oil production.

    “When it becomes fully operational, the project is expected to generate at least $8 billion for Nigeria.

    “The impact on the Nigerian economy would be unprecedented, and the multiplier effect on the local economies of the catchment areas in the Niger Delta will be huge.

    “Agip and Shell acquired OPL 245, which was named the Zabazaba field, in 2012 for $1.3 billion. The acquisition has been the subject of serial corruption investigations and prosecutions in Italy and Nigeria.

    “Only last Monday, one Nigerian NGO and three International NGOs presented a joint report in which they said Nigeria lost an estimated $6 billion to the controversial OPL 245 deal.

    “Human and Environmental Development Agency (HEDA), Global Witness, Re: Common and the Corner House commissioned Resources for Development Consulting to do the report on their behalf. Agip and Shell have consistently maintained their innocence,” the IYC statement read.

     

  • Navy begins Operation Ex Toru-Gbown in Bayelsa, Delta

    The Central Naval Command (CNC) has begun a riverine and sea exercise tagged: Ex Toru-Gbown.

    The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) CNC, Rear Adm. Saidu Garba, flagged-off the exercise on Wednesday at the Nigerian Ports Authority Jetty in Warri, Delta.

    Garba said that the three-day exercise would take place in Bayesla and Delta.

    Ex Toru-Gbown means water protection in Ijaw Language.

    The FOC noted that the command had the responsibility of providing adequate security in the area, and gave the assurance that it would continue to discharge its duties diligently.

    “So far, our operations have recorded huge success in reducing crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other maritime crimes.

    “Ex Toru-Gbown is a riverine exercise scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2018.

    “Last year, the command, in a similar fashion, hosted ‘operation Octopus Grip’.

    “Our presence here today is an indication of the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s maritime environment, which is filled with illegalities,’’ he said.

    The FOC said that the exercise was aimed at assessing the combat readiness of the command and the capability of specific bases/units in conducting riverine and checkpoint operations, among others goals,’’ he said.

    He said that the navy was providing an environment that would enable sustenance of economic activities, including shipping and oil and gas production.

    Earlier, the Central Fleet Commander and the Officer in Tactical Command, Commodore Sunday Oguntade, said that the command could handle cases of hijack or kidnapping at sea.

    He said that Nigeria’s maritime environment had much resources, and that over 90 per cent of them were from oil and gas.

     

  • Reps to investigate deployment of Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa

    Reps to investigate deployment of Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa

    The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Police Affairs, to investigate the deployment and redeployment of eight Commissioners of Police (CP) in Bayelsa in the last three months.

    The resolution was sequel to a motion of urgent national importance, moved by Rep. Diri Douye (PDP-Bayelsa) and four other lawmakers from the state, at the plenary on Wednesday.

    Douye said the primary responsibility of the police is to protect the citizens, prevent and investigate crimes and respond to emergency calls among others.

    He said consistency is important in building trust and bridging the gap between police and the citizens for efficient operation of the force.

    The lawmaker said the CP, as the operational head of the police in the state is required to be on ground for a period of time to grasp a good understanding of the state.

    “It is therefore worrisome to experience the incessant and confused rotary of deployment and redeployment of Commissioners of Police in Bayelsa.

    “In the last three months, eight commissioners have passed through the state.

    “This consistent erratic behavior should be checked. On an average, one CP is posted in and out of a state virtually every 10 years.

    “Thus making it possible for the governor who is the Chief Security Officer of the state, to develop a lasting synergy with the CP, which ensures peace and tranquility in the state,” he said.

    Douye said Gov. Seriake Dickson and the people of the state had expressed reservation over the constant changes of Commissioners of Police in the state.

    According to him, the apparent politicisation of the deployment of police commissioners in the state has created severe disequilibrium in the security, instilled fear and apprehension in the citizenry.

    He said the situation could lead to break down of law and order ahead of 2019 general elections.

    In his ruling, Speaker Yakubu Dogara mandated the committee to report back to the house in two weeks for further legislative actions.

     

  • Bayelsa obtains $1mn World Bank/EU loan

    The Bayelsa State Government on Wednesday commenced the deployment of one million dollars bilateral loan it obtained from the World Bank and European Union (EU).

    Projects selected for implementation from the loan are scheduled to be completed in two years.

    Figures from Debt Management Office put Bayelsa’s external debt as at June 20018 at 47.756 million dollars, while the domestic debt stood at N123 billion.

    The World Bank and EU facility would be administered under the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) Project to provide 6,000 jobs for youth empowerment.

    Mr Parminder Brar, the World Bank Task Team Leader (TTL) for the SEEFOR in Nigeria, disclosed this in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the SEEFOR Project Implementation Support Mission (ISM) in Yenagoa.

    He said that during the first 12 months of the two years, 40 new projects would be started and crafts, technical and vocational training centres in the state would receive support under the SEEFOR project.

    Brar also said the overall allocation for the SEEFOR project was 480 million dollars of which 65 per cent was from the World Bank and 35 per cent from the EU, adding that the allocation for Bayelsa was 55 million dollars.

    Delivering a keynote speech at the event, Retired Rear Adm. Gboribiogha Jonah, the Bayelsa Deputy Governor, decried Nigeria’s slow approach to tackling its development challenges.

    Gboribiogha said that the approach was especially slow in terms of improving life expectancy, literacy rate, access to water and roads, among others, when compared to its neighbours.

    He said that some state governments focused on developing the urban areas while the rural areas received little or no attention, noting Bayelsa had keyed into the SEEFOR project to change the narrative in the rural areas.

    Jonah commended the SEEFOR project for not only providing more than 10,000 jobs for the teeming youths in the state in the previous phases, but also for constructing roads for farmers to evacuate their farm produce.

    He emphasised that the successful execution of SEEFOR projects would attract more projects to the state.

    Jonah also said that the greatest challenge facing Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in the country was lack of access to funds that would attract minimal interest, enough time to execute projects as well as pay back loans.

    The deputy governor, who called on the participating states of Edo, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa to have equal SEEFOR assessment, participation and benefit, enjoined them to take the peer-review sessions seriously, especially in the area of public financial management.

    Joshua Ongore, the state Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, said that the objectives of the SEEFOR project were in line with the development agenda of Gov. Seriake Dickson-led administration.

    He said that the Bayelsa Government prioritised youth empowerment through training, entrepreneurship and employment.

    He described the scheme as an innovation that would open opportunity for peer-learning across the states, stressing that the SEEFOR project was active and responding to the challenges of innovative and better ways of doing things.

     

  • Police engage community in crime fighting after killing of student

    The Police Command in Bayelsa says it has commenced engagements with community and youth leaders as well as vigilance groups to flush out criminals, including cultists from the state.

    DSP Asinim Butswat, Spokesman of the command, said this on Sunday while reacting to the killing of a 100 level female student of the Niger Delta University, Miss Seiyefa Fred, by suspected cultists.

    Seiyefa was killed by suspected cultists in a robbery mission last week Thursday in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Residents who witnessed the incident said that the deceased had resisted attempts by the gang who tried to disposes her of her mobile phone.

    Butswat identified cultism, armed robbery and rape as the most prevalent crimes in the state and assured the people of that the command’s readiness to partner with communities in fighting crimes.

    The spokesman said that there were several reported cases of cultism and armed robbery in Yenagoa metropolis with the attendant consequences on public safety.

    He said the frequency of the incidents had compelled the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Joseph Mukan, to embark on community engagement meeting with stakeholders to contain the menace.

    Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Information, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson has said that the government would ensure the prosecution of anyone involved in the killing, describing it as ”shocking, reprehensible and unacceptable.”

    Iworiso-Markson gave the assurance that government would do everything to ensure that those who perpetrated the dastardly act were fished out and brought to justice.

    The commissioner noted that the government was elected primarily to ensure peace, security development and stability in the state.

    “The government òf Bayelsa received with shock the gruesome murder of a 100 level student of the Niger Delta University by people suspected to be cultists on a robbery mission.

    “Government condemns with all vehemence this collective assault on our humanity as a people and would do all within its power to address this provocative act.

    “Government calls for the cooperation of all our citizens in the days ahead as deliberate efforts would be made to go after those who have declared war on our peace and security.

    “Government commiserates with the family of the late Seiyefa and assures that the killers would not go unpunished,” Iworiso-Markson said.

     

  • INEC to display voters’ register in Bayelsa

    INEC to display voters’ register in Bayelsa

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Bayelsa on Monday said it would commence the display of voters’ register of about 1, 036, 442 registered persons in various polling units in the state.

    Dr Cyril Omoregbe, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, disclosed this in Yenagoa at a one-day meeting with Stakeholders.

    The stakeholders include: the Nigerian Air Force, Police, Army, Civil Defence, Civil Society Groups, Traditional Leaders, and the media.

    Omoregbe, who was represented by Mr Lebari Nduh, INEC Administrative Secretary in the state, noted that Bayelsa had a total of 1, 804 units located in various communities.

    He said that the display of the Voter roll which would hold from Nov. 6 to Nov.12, was aimed at correcting any form of mistakes that might have occurred during the registration processes.

    The REC explained further that the mistakes could include double appearance of name or wrong spelling of names, mixing up of voter’s status (male/female) missing names, and removal of names of dead people.

    On distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Omoregbe said the Commission had decentralised the exercise at ward level as part of efforts to enable eligible voters to vote and be voted for during the 2019 general elections.

    The commission had earlier disclosed that it had over 23,095 uncollected PVCs from the ones they registered before 2015 elections.

    ‘’Out of the 103,871 we registered in May, we have distributed 48,998 PVCs and 55,873 yet to be collected,’’ he said.

    The REC, however, called for the collaboration of all stakeholders in the eight local government areas of the state in the efforts to achieve free and fair elections in 2019.

    Mr Ebere Onyeagoro, the Commissioner of Police in the state, assured INEC of total support and urged politicians and the electorate to eschew violence during and after the general elections.

    Onyeagoro, who was represented by SP James Anego, said being law abiding during the electioneering processes would go a long in achieving a peaceful poll across the country, especially in Bayelsa.

     

  • Tension in Bayelsa as Igbo factions disagree over cultural day celebration

    Barring any last minute intervention by the Bayelsa Government and security agencies in the state, two factions of Ohaneze Ndigbo may clash during the ongoing celebration of Igbo cultural day in Yenagoa.
    Already, security has been beefed up at the Ox-bow lake pavilion, venue of the celebration, due to the crisis that engulfed the pan Igbo cultural group in the state.
    Chief Mark Nkem is recognized by the national leadership as the caretaker chairman of the group, while the Special Assistant to Bayelsa Governor on Non Indigenes, Mr Okwudiri Chukwu Okoh, is also leading another faction.
    Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, the chairman, Igwe-In-Council for Ohaneze Ndigbo in Bayelsa, Chief Ernest Uzoefuna, said the national leadership had directed that this year’s celebration be put on hold till after the body’s election where conflicting issues would be settled.
    He said they were surprised to hear that Chukwu Okoh’s led faction had gone ahead to fix Igbo Day for Saturday, after the national body had met with both factions earlier in the week.
    The situation, he said, could degenerate into crisis when the two factions met.
    According to him, “Article 37 of Ohaneze Ndigbo constitution states that when there is crisis, Igbo day should be put on hold till that crisis is resolved.
    “The constitution is very explicit, no person should be allowed to use his personal interest to cause problem between Igbo people in Bayelsa,” he said.
    He said that the national leadership of Ohaneze had already written to the state government, and the security agencies in the state on the implication of allowing the celebration to hold.
    Also, the vice president of Ohaneze Youth Wing in Bayelsa, Mr Uchenna Okoro, and the secretary, Mr Nwosu Chukwuemeka, pleaded with the state government and security operatives to put the celebration on hold, to forstall any breakdown of law.
    The special assistant to Bayelsa State governor on non indigenes, Mr Okwudiri Okoh, dismissed the allegation, saying the Igbo cultural day was one of the ways to unite Igbo people living in Bayelsa.
    He disclosed that the day was not organized under the platform of Ohaneze Ndigbo, but the Igbo community in the state.
     

  • Flood: 4,000 victims benefit from NAF medical outreach in Bayelsa

    Flood: 4,000 victims benefit from NAF medical outreach in Bayelsa

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has begun a five-day medical outreach for nearly 4,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Bayelsa.
    Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
    Daramola said the medical intervention holding at Igbogene Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area was an initiative of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
    He said that Abubakar had directed the NAF Medical Services unit to take necessary steps toward ameliorating the suffering of the victims of the flood disaster.
    The director quoted Abubakar as saying that NAF would always be ready to deploy its resources in alleviating the hardship faced by Nigerians.
    CAS urged the IDPs to take advantage of the high quality and free medical services that would be provided for them, saying that eye surgeries would be carried out at the NAF Medical Centre in Yenagoa.
    The director said that the chief of air staff was represented at the opening ceremony by the Air Officer Commanding Mobility Command (AOC MC), AVM Napoleon Bali.
    He said that some of the beneficiaries of the outreach,which also had officials from the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, State Ministry of Health and Nigerian Red Cross Society who were in attendance, expressed appreciation to the NAF for coming to their aid.
    He said that the medical outreach would also cater for the medical needs of women, children and the aged affected by flooding.
    Daramola said that services that would be provided during the five- day medical outreach include free medical consultations and drugs, laboratory investigations, prescription eyeglasses, and treated mosquito nets.
    The NAF spokesman said that there would also be general and eye surgeries for those with conditions requiring minor surgical interventions.
    He said that the outreach was part of the NAF’s humanitarian efforts geared toward alleviating the suffering of the victims of the recent flood disaster caused by heavy rainfall in parts of the country.
    Meanwhile, the NAF had recently conducted medical outreaches for flood victims at Zungeru in Wushishi Local Government Area of Niger and Jibia in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, totalling 5,000 beneficiaries.
     

  • Shell’s oil spill pollutes over 113 hectares in Bayelsa

    Shell’s oil spill pollutes over 113 hectares in Bayelsa

    Leakage from an oilfield operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) at Aghoro community in Bayelsa has discharged some 1,114 barrels of crude oil into the environment.
    The leakage has adversely affected the fishing vocation of residents who had withdrawn from fishing to pave way for clean up.
    The resulting oil spill impacted and polluted an estimated area of 113.03 hectares, according to a joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report of the incident.
    A disagreement among community leaders in the areas affected by the leak stalled the release of the Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) report of the oil spill.
    Community leaders, who participated in the JIV to determine the cause of the spill, reportedly refused to sign the report.
    The refusal was attributed to wide disparity between the impacted areas claimed by Shell and the community, but Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, the Media Relations Manager at SPDC, said that the grey areas had been sorted out.
    The report indicated that only 247.5 out of the 1,114 of SPDC’s crude blend had been recovered at the spill site, while the remaining were yet to be accounted for.
    According to the spill incident report, the oil leak was reported on May 17, but the joint visit could not be immediately conducted until June 23.
    The report said the spill was caused by equipment failure resulting from weak integrity of the 24 inch Trans Ramos Pipeline giving rise to cracks on the pipeline at Aghoro in Ekeremor Local Government area of Bayelsa.
    Representatives of the host community, National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Bayelsa Ministry of Environment and SPDC, who conducted the investigation agreed on the findings and signed the report.
    Repair work on the leaking pipeline is underway, while recovery of spilled oil from the site is still ongoing.
    Reacting to the development, Odugbesan expressed regret about incessant spills on the Trans Ramos Pipeline, saying that although the May 17 spill was traced to equipment failure, other leaks were predominantly caused by sabotage.
    “The rate of spills on the Trans Ramos Pipeline is very worrisome, for instance between April and May 26, spill incidents were reported on that line and out of these, 18 of them were caused by sabotage, eight were operational,” he said.
     

  • Breaking: Ben Murray-Bruce writes PDP, dumps senatorial ambition

    Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, representing Bayelsa east senatorial district in the National Assembly, has announced withdrawal from the race to represent his constituency in the 2019 general elections.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Bruce announced his withdrawal on Monday in a letter he addressed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    According to the letter, TNG gathered that Bruce withdrawal is coming to allow for someone else from the constituency to fly the banner of the PDP in 2019.
    Read full letter:
    I thank God and the good people of Brass, Bayelsa East Senatorial District who offered me the golden opportunity four years ago to represent them and the state in the Senate, Nigeria’s highest lawmaking chamber.
    It is without doubt that I have tried to discharge my duties as a legislator and representative of my people creditably to the best of my ability so far.
    My voice has been very loud on the issues that matter to our people and our country at all time.
    My support to our party, my people and state government is unquestionable. I am humbled that the national leadership of my party supported by the State chapter in appreciation of my efforts offered to support my reelection to the senate to continue my service.
    I have also intensified consultations in the last couple of week in the course of which I have come to realize an existing local rotational arrangement of over 20 years beginning with the late Great Chief Melford Okilo, by which arrangement the Senatorial seat rotates per local government area among the three councils for four years in the Senatorial District.
    Even with the support of my party at the National and state levels with the full backing of my state government and leadership, as a man of honour interested in the well being of my people, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the Senatorial race.
    I do not want whatever reason to appear to have used my privileged position and influence to do anything that other than the well-being and the stability and the good of the people.
    I am in all of these for the people, not for my self.
    Once again, I thank the former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebelo Jonathan, the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, my colleagues in the Senate and Governor of Bayelsa State, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson for their support and encouragement.
    I also thank the leadership of my Senatorial District and state, for for being there for me.
    I thank Specially the people of my constituency for their trust and confidence in me to serve and represent them in the Senate.
    By trusting me with this mandate, I have come to know them and our people even better, an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life.
    I am indeed grateful to My darling wife, my children, other members of my family for their support and prayers. I appreciate the efforts of my hardworking campaign staff for their support and dedication.
    Again, I thank the leadership of the party for their continuing support. I also assured the party of my availability and readiness to serve at any capacity when the opportunity comes.
    Best Regards
    Senator Ben Murray Bruce.