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Tag: Bayelsa State

  • Oil companies responsible for environmental degradation in Bayelsa – Diri

    Oil companies responsible for environmental degradation in Bayelsa – Diri

    Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa says International Oil Companies (lOCs), particularly Shell Petroleum Development Company, have been responsible for the environmental degradation in the state.

    Diri disclosed this at the Annual Convention and Fund Raising of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) of the Americas,  held in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Sunday.

    The congress has the theme: “Ijaw-Nation: Nurturing Partnership through Symbiotic Relationships Towards Homeland, Social, and Economic Development’’.

    The governor specifically fingered Shell as a major culprit in the degradation of the Bayelsa environment.

    “After waiting for several years for dialogue without Shell or any other IOC coming forward, we will be compelled to institute legal action against the Dutch super oil major and other IOCs.

    ‘‘Today, Shell is divesting and I call on the Minister of Petroleum (Oil) that we have a duty to ensure that Shell’s divestment must take care of ameliorating our environment.

    “Today, our flora and fauna are gone. Our beautiful environment is also gone.

    “We will need the support of our brothers and sisters in the diaspora because there is so much we will achieve if we work together,’’ Diri said.

    In his remarks, Mr Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), sought the support of ljaw people in joining hands with President Bola Tinubu on the advocacy against oil theft and environmental pollution.

    Lokpobiri said: “If you go to our area in Bayelsa State, it is likely to be the most polluted state but people may not know.

    “What is responsible for this pollution, it could be mainly the people or companies. The people in that state are involved in getting illegal crude oil for illegal refining.

    “After the refining they throw the rest into the river.

    “You will agree with me that by the law, Federal Government owns the water and land resources. So, it behoves everyone to join hands together to fight this menace,” he said.

    The Minister urged Nigerians in diaspora to support the efforts of the government, so that the environment can be preserved.

    He appealed to ljaw people in diaspora to tell Nigerians in Niger Delta region to stop pipeline vandalisation.

    “It will cause more harm to the communities than the little money they will make.

    “No matter the proceed gotten from the illegal refining, it can not feed the people of the communities, so , we appeal to those perpetuating such acts to desist.

    “President Tinubu will continue to support all Nigerians in diaspora, including the ljaw people because we occupy strategic position in the country and oil still remains the main strength of our economy.

    “It accounts for at least 90 per cent of forex. We occupy the entire areas of coastline.

    “For us to benefit from this resource, we need to work with government at all levels,” he added.

    Earlier, the President General of INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, said the choice of the theme of this year’s event  is very apt and captivating.

    According to Okaba, the theme seeks to identify and address the divergent means, methodologies and strategies of rejigging, mobilisng, galvanising, repositioning credible and symbiotic linkages as well as partnership among the Ijaws in the Americas and others in diaspora.

    “Despite the God-given enormous human and natural resources of the Ijaws, who are equally ranked among the four largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, the Ijaw nation, the focus of this conversation, is badly impoverished, brutally balkanised, neglected, and undermined by successive administrations in Nigeria, even before independence.

    “The Ijaw local economy is badly articulated. This is worsened by the lack of meaningful wealth creation/empowerment and employment opportunities.

    “The Ijaw ecosystem, to say the least, the worst ever anywhere in the world, has continuously faced unmitigated catastrophes arising largely from oil and gas exploitation-related pollution without any reasonable form of remediation and compensation.

    “The Ijaws suffer a slave and stranger status in a nation where they are aboriginal and the producers of its economic mainstay,’’ he said.

  • Cult rivalry claims life of 28-year-old in Bayelsa

    Cult rivalry claims life of 28-year-old in Bayelsa

    The Police Command in Bayelsa on Wednesday confirmed the death of 28-year-old Victor Namabebe to cult rivalry at Amarata, a suburb in Yenagoa.

    The command’s spokesperson, ASP Musa Mohammed, in Yenagoa disclosed that the cult groups, Greenlanders and the Bobos, clashed on Tuesday at about 9.00 p.m.

    Mohammed said the corpse of the deceased had been deposited at a hospital morgue in Yenagoa.

    “At about 9.00 p.m., on Tuesday, one Chief Emmanuel Namabebe reported at the A Division of the Nigeria Police that his 28-year-old son, Victor Namabebe, was found dead at Amarata area of the state capital.

    “Police personnel from the A Division mobilised to the area and found the victim.

    “Upon examination, he was found with various grievous injuries to the head,” Mohammed said.

    Meanwhile, sources in the neighbourhood told NAN that the deceased had stormed the Amarata/Ebis Mechanic area with a group of boys suspected to be members of Greenlanders.

    According to the sources, the Greenlanders came for a member of Bobos who they alleged had earlier “crossed” (encountered) them.

    The clash, they said, resulted in a gun duel and the use of dangerous weapons.

    It was gathered that many of the residents, who were at various football viewing centres at around 8.00 p.m. for the UEFA Champion League matches, abandoned the game and scampered for safety.

    Also, suspected cult groups’ spots at Apex Academy Road, OMPADEC, Ebis Mechanic in Amarata axis of Yenagoa had been on alert, poised for reprisal attacks over the victim’s death.

  • No govt will deliberately inflict hardship on citizens – Gov Diri

    No govt will deliberately inflict hardship on citizens – Gov Diri

    No government will deliberately inflict hardship on its citizens, says Gov. Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State.

    Diri made the assertion while addressing workers in Yenagoa on Tuesday, during the nationwide protest organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

    Recall that the NLC had mobilised workers for a nationwide protest against the economic hardship being faced by Nigerians.

    The governor said that the solution to the current hardship in the country was in the immediate restoration of the value of naira.

    He promised to work with the state Head of Service and the organised labour to evolve measures towards cushioning the effect of the current economic hardship.

    In his address, the Chairman, Bayelsa Council of NLC, Mr Barnabas Simon, said that the ailing economy was caused by the removal of fuel subsidy and spike in exchange rate.

    ”This has made life quite unbearable for workers and the ordinary citizens at large.

    ”The spiralling inflation in cost of basic food, goods and services has made survival to become a herculean task for many families,” he said.

    The protesting workers walked from Lambert Eradiri Drive through Melford Okilo Road and terminated at the Bayelsa Government House.

    The workers sang solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as, ‘Politicians! Let the Poor Breathe’,  ‘End Hunger and Poverty’, ‘We Reject IMF Policies’ among others.

  • Bayelsa govt calls for calm as man beheads girlfriend

    Bayelsa govt calls for calm as man beheads girlfriend

    The Bayelsa Government on Tuesday called for calm over report of the beheading of a girl on Saturday in Kabeama Community, Sagbama Local Government Area, by her boyfriend.

    The call came amidst reported tension between members of Kabeama and Amatolo communities where the girl and the boyfriend hail from.

    The state Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, in a statement by his media aide, Mr Doubara Atasi, urged the two communities to allow the police to handle the matter.

    He cautioned the girl’s community against reprisal, saying government was taking appropriate measures to ensure justice for the deceased and her family.

    Ewhrudjakpo condemned the killing, saying it was an “unacceptable sad development”.

    “Security agencies have since swung into action in line with government directives on the matter,” he added.

    He therefore urged traditional leaders and people of the two communities to avoid utterances and actions that will escalate the issue.

    The deputy governor also appealed to both communities to cooperate with government and security agencies to ensure amicable handling of the matter.

    He expressed the condolences of the state government to the family of the deceased and assured them of justice.

    Meanwhile, the Police Spokesman in Bayelsa, ASP Musa Mohammed, in a telephone interview has confirmed the arrest of the deceased’s boyfriend.

    “The Divisional Police Officer of Sagbama Division got the report and dispatched officers to the crime scene who found out that the suspect has been apprehended by community youths.

    “The suspect is being interrogated and will soon be charged to court while the remains of the deceased have been evacuated to the mortuary at Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa,” Mohammed said.

  • Man beheads girlfriend in Bayelsa

    Man beheads girlfriend in Bayelsa

    A middle aged man at Kabeama coastal settlement in Sagbama Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa, simply identified as Tony, has allegedly beheaded his girlfriend, Ebibraaladei Maxwell.

    The tragic incident, it was gathered, involved the unmarried, but live-in couple. They two cohabited and had a child.

    According to neighbours, the sad incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, at about 3 am, with the severed head of the victim discovered at dawn.

    The residents subsequently apprehended Tony as he attempted to flee the scene. He was subsequently handed over to the police.

    ASP Musa Mohammed, the public relations officer of the state police command, who confirmed the incident, said the victim is in custody and undergoing interrogation.

    It was gathered that policemen from Sagbama Division evacuated the remains of the victim and deposited it at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa.

  • Bayelsa Gov decries arming non-State actors during elections

    Bayelsa Gov decries arming non-State actors during elections

    Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed concern over the arming of civilians by politicians during elections in the country, with the intention of manipulating the electoral process.

    Senator Diri stated this on Sunday during a special retirement thanksgiving service in honour of Air Vice Marshal Nelson Calmday at the Living Faith Church of God at Akenfa-Epie, Yenagoa.

    Senator Diri, who said the development portends grave danger to the country’s electoral system, noted that as a result of the trend, there was a general notion that the game of politics was synonymous with violence, corruption and dishonesty.

    The governor said most decent people dread politics because of such a notion.

    He, however, dismissed the perception and rather encouraged such people, particularly Christians, to get actively involved in politics towards sanitising the electoral system.

    Diri stressed the need for all stakeholders to join hands to work together to change the narrative for the sake of posterity.

    He said: “Politics actually should be played by decent and honest people, who are ready to serve and protect the interest of the people.

    “How long will Africans continue to play politics of violence, brigandage and impunity as if we are in the stone age? We should learn to rise above such antics  in our electoral system.

    “In sane climes, elections take place peacefully without violence. Should we hand over this state to a group of gangsters; people who think the state belongs to them?”

    Senator Diri, who also attended a thanksgiving service/children dedication of the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Oforji Oboku, at the Church of God Mission, Yenizuegene, also condemned the incidence of vote-buying during elections.

    The governor said: “There is what we call poverty of the mind apart from poverty of the pocket. There is also integrity in poverty. When your mind is intact, nobody will influence you with little money.

    “You have tested our government, which says we will not use any organ to kill anybody. We want our state to be peaceful; we want our state to develop. You are seeing it, but on the day of election, you collect money to vote for those who do not mean well for the state. Those you do not see until election season and afterwards they disappear.”

    In his remarks, Hon. Oforji Oboku revealed that he has a cordial relationship with the governor and has supported him from when he contested election into the House of Representatives, Senate and the governorship.

    He appreciated Governor Diri for reciprocating the goodwill he gets from supporters.

    Speaking during the unveiling of his hospitality facility, AVM Calmday thanked the governor for the relative peace in the state, saying that Bayelsa was one of the safest states to invest in the country.

    The retired Air Force officer attributed his successful completion of 38 years of service and the facility to God, who he said saw him through several difficult moments.

  • Prepare handover notes – Gov Diri tells cabinet members

    Prepare handover notes – Gov Diri tells cabinet members

    Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri has directed members of the State Executive Council (SEC) to begin to prepare their handover notes as his first term in office winds down.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Governor Diri gave the directive on Wednesday during the 126th SEC meeting inside the executive council chambers in Government House, Yenagoa.

    Diri will be sworn in for another term on February 14.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the Governor as asking them to dot the i’s and cross the t’s in their handover notes in order to achieve a smooth transition to his second term.

    The Governor commended his cabinet members for adding value to the state through their performance and thanked them for the selfless service they rendered in the last four years.

    He noted that the achievements recorded by his administration in its first term was collective and was not an exclusive preserve of himself or his deputy.

    The state’s helmsman urged them to continue to contribute their best till the end of the term.

    He said: “As you are aware, our administration is winding down its first tenure and I know you will not wait for me to tell you to start preparing your handover notes. I believe some of you have started from last year. At the end of the day, everybody will see what you have done.

    “I want to commend you for the selfless service you have rendered in the last four years and as you prepare your notes, dot the i’s and cross the t’s. So, for future purposes, those who will take over or even if you are continuing, you will be guided.

    “I commend you for the spirit of oneness, unity and love we all saw in this executive council. That is why we have achieved so much under this four years. That is why the people said this government must come back for the next four years.

    “It was not an exclusive preserve of myself as governor or my deputy governor. Yes, we led the pack but all of you contributed very well to the successes we have recorded in infrastructure, education, health, sports, security and even in the judiciary.

    “So on behalf of the deputy governor, I say a big thank you to this state executive council. We have not dissolved the cabinet yet and today is not the last day.”

    Earlier, the council held a valedictory session for a late former Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Steven Ogullah.

    Governor Diri said it was the policy of his administration to honour Exco members that served meritoriously.

    He, however, said he would propose an amendment to the policy to ensure that only those who served the state without blemish would be honoured.

    Diri described the late Finance Commissioner as a dedicated man, who gave his all to the service of the state and that he will be greatly missed.

    He said even out of office, Ogullah remained committed to service to the state as he was very supportive of his administration until his last days.

    He also stated that Ogullah formed an organisation to galvanise support for his re-election and expressed gratitude to the departed commissioner for his abiding loyalty and support.

    The governor urged members of his family to be comforted by his footprints in the development of the state, which he said will remain indelible.

    In separate remarks, his former cabinet colleagues eulogised Ogullah. Mr. Kesiye Oputu, Blessing Akpuluma, Chief Robert Enogha and Dr. Josephine Izonbodor all described him as a loving and caring man, who took his job seriously, saying his departure was not only a colossal loss to his family but also to the state.

  • Why we allowed our 4-year-old to ‘marry’ 54-year-old man – Parents

    Why we allowed our 4-year-old to ‘marry’ 54-year-old man – Parents

    The December 26, 2023 marriage between a four-year-old ‘bride’ and a 54-year-old man in a Bayelsa community is a traditional rite to save the child’s life, according to her parents.

    They claimed that the marriage, conducted in Akeddei community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa, was a spiritual rite to ‘untie’ the duo who were betrothed in their “previous lives”.

    It was learnt that the girl’s parents, the 54-year-old man, traditional ruler and others, who participated in the marriage, were summoned by the Bayelsa Government following a public outcry.

    Parents of the ‘bride’ and three others on Thursday appeared before the State government’s Gender Response Initiative Team (GRiT) to explain their roles in the child marriage.

    The government team comprised the Chairman of GRiT, Dr Dise Ogbise-Goddy and the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Child Protection Network, Kizito Andah.

    Others are the Chairman of Bayelsa Non Governmental Forum, Mr Taritei Boco and representatives of DO Foundation,  National Human Rights Commission and Civil Society Groups.

    The team heard submissions from the father of the toddler, Mr Morris Aboma; the “groom”, Mr Akpos Napoleon; and the Paramount ruler, Chief Moneyman Binabo.

    In their separate submissions before the government team, they all insisted that the purported child marriage was a traditional practice termed “Koripamo” aimed to save the little girl’s life.

    They explained that it was a cultural practice in Akeddei community, Oyakiri clan, that if a girl child always fell sick, a man would be required to drop a symbolic amount as token to save the little girl from dying.

    The community representatives said that what transpired between the little girl and Napoleon was not a marriage but an Ijaw cultural practice called ” Koripamo”.

    They further explained that whenever the traditional rite of “Koripamo” was conducted, the man who paid the token was not required to take the girl as a wife.

    “The traditional rite  will also not stop the girl from marrying any man of her choice when she grows up to the age of marriage.

    According to the Ijaw tradition, this rite can be done on a boy child or girl child.

    Father of the child, Aboma, who spoke in Ijaw language, said his daughter was always sick to the point of death.

    He said that according to Akeddei tradition, the only way to save her life is for a man to pay a symbolic price and save the child’s life and that it had nothing to do with a real marriage.

    According to the “groom”, the outcry that trailed the rite is regrettable as all he did was just to save the child’s life as she is no longer sick again.

    He said that such tradition had been going on but it had not been elaborately celebrated with fanfare like the December 26, 2023 event which drew widespread reactions and outrage.

    “But since she says if I don’t do what she says she will die, I had to look for money and do it since it involves life; as it is, I am frustrated by this whole issue,” Napoleon lamented.

    The paramount ruler of Akeddei community, Binabo said he heard of a marriage in the community during the festivities.

    The traditional ruler said that he did not, however, have full details, not until the DPO of Sagbama Police Station asked him to produce those that got married in the community.

    Binabo further said he had to invite the parents of the little girl to get detailed information of what happened on the marriage day.

    He said the parents told him that the little girl had been sick and that one Napoleon had to drop a symbolic amount.

    He emphasised that what happened in Akeddei community was not a formal marriage but a fulfilment of a cultural practice.

    He, however, said that what surprised him was the demand of the little girl for an elaborate ceremony involving foods, canopy and a sound system be hired to celebrate the marriage.

    The paramount ruler noted further that the man  who paid the token on the girl was not expected to take her home to live as husband and wife, nor stop the girl from marrying any other person of her choice when she got old enough to marry.

    On their parts, Andah and Boco said from the submission of the parents of the little girl, the ‘husband’ and the paramount ruler of Akeddei community, what happened was not a formal marriage but a cultural practice known as “Koripamo”.

    The duo noted that from the information gathered, the little girl had not been sexually abused as confirmed by Dr James Omietimi at GRIT office and that the child was living a normal life with no  relationship with the 54-year-old.

    Immediately after the meeting, Chairman of GRIT, Ogbise-Goddy stated that the  deliberation was frank and fruitful and promised to give further updates on the matter.

    She said that the Bayelsa Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and  Social Development and all stakeholders would review the situation and take a decision.

    “Like I had stated earlier, the Bayelsa State Government is child-friendly and will do anything to  protect all the children of the state from any form of perceived abuse,” Ogbise-Goddy said.

  • Child Marriage: 54-year -old groom, four-year-old girl’s parents, summoned by Bayelsa government

    Child Marriage: 54-year -old groom, four-year-old girl’s parents, summoned by Bayelsa government

    The Bayelsa state  Government has extended invitation to the parents of a four-year-old girl and the 54-year-old man allegedly involved in a marriage in Akeddei community, Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

    The government’s intervention is coming on the heels of media reports of a marriage between the child bride and the 54-year-old.

    The Bayelsa government via a statement frowned at the development, terming the ‘union’ illegal.

    The statement was jointly signed by the Chairman, Gender Response Initiative Team, Dr. Dise Ogbise-Goddy, and the Director, Child Development at the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Development, Mr Paniebi Jacob.

    According to the government,  the “illegal marriage” was not based on tradition and customs, adding that it was repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.

    It added that it would not support child marriage under any guise.

    The government also noted that it had received a formal complaint from a child rights advocacy group, DO Foundation, on the controversial marriage.

    Also, the state Human Rights Commission said the traditional ruler of the Akeddei community honoured the government’s invitation and promised to produce the child, her parents, the groom, the youth leader and the chairman of the Community Development Committee.

    “The Bayelsa State government did not hesitate to assent to the passage of the Bayelsa State Child Rights Law.

    “We are taking steps to rescue the child from all the key actors in this illegal ceremony that they tagged a ‘mere spiritual’ affair.

    “The law is clear on issues of tradition and customs that are repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience. Working with the Bayelsa State Police Command, we shall ensure incidents like this do not occur in the state again.

    “On behalf of the governor of Bayelsa State, we express our gratitude to all the non-governmental organisations, including the International Federation of Women Lawyers and DO Foundation, that have risen to the rescue of this innocent child.

    “Bayelsa State is children-friendly and this case will be pursued to a logical conclusion,” it added.

    However, several media reports have alleged that the marriage involving the man, simply identified as Elder Akpos, was at the instant of the girl’s parents.

  • 4-year-old marriage to 54-year-old man sparks outrage in Bayelsa

    4-year-old marriage to 54-year-old man sparks outrage in Bayelsa

    A Child rights advocacy group in Bayelsa, DO Foundation, on Thursday, kicked against the Dec. 26, traditional marriage between a 4-year-old ‘bride’ and a 54- year- old man at Akeddei community in Sagbama Local Government Area of the state.

    DO Foundation, in a statement in Yenagoa, described the marriage as illegal, criminal and a child marriage which is against the constitution and the Child Rights Act.

    The statement was signed by Mr Elvis Mannie, Bayelsa Chairperson of DO Foundation.

    The foundation condemned the child marriage as horrendous, despicable, and a criminal activity.

    According to the civil society group, the act is capable of retarding the giant strides made by the government and people of Bayelsa in the area of protection of child rights.”

    DO foundation noted that the Child’s Right Law was domesticated in the state in 2016 and is still in force in Bayelsa.

    ”This law criminalises child marriages and child betrothals prescribing various terms  of imprisonment and heavy fines,” the foundation noted.

    The foundation called on the Bayelsa government, the Gender Response Initiative Team and all stakeholders in the gender response system to immediately swing into action to respond appropriately.

    It urged the security agencies to launch a thorough investigation into the incident, with a view to the protection of the child from sexual exploitation.

    The group also demanded the arrest and prosecution of all persons found culpable in this despicable act.

    The foundation has launched an investigation into the development aimed at saving the child from the obnoxious situation.

    It was learnt that the marriage between the four-year-old ‘bride’ and the 54-year-old man, simply identified as Elder Akpos, was at the instance of the girl’s parents.

    According to a source who does not wish to be named for fear of penalty for desecrating traditions, the parents of the girl claim that the 54-year-old man was her husband in their previous life.

    According to community sources, the girl claimed that the man was her husband who died mysteriously in their previous life.

    The toddler narrated that over the years, she has been moving from place to place, to be given birth to by different parents, searching for her former husband.

    The source said: ”The little bride said if she was not allowed to marry her husband, she would have no other business in Akeddei community, and that she was going to die peacefully and go her way.

    “In order to avoid losing the girl to death, the people of Akeddei decided to organise a glamorous wedding ceremony to mark the union of the two previous life lovers.”