Nigerian Newspapers
Dickson and burden of development in Bayelsa
EMMA GBEMUDU writes on the developmental challenges confronting the Seriake Dickson-led government of Bayelsa State and efforts being made to tackle them
The present administration in Bayelsa State Dickson is battling to transform the coastal state despite the daunting challenges it is facing and the high expectations of the electorate who want the governor to redeem his electioneering campaign promises. Though the governor has the passion to transform the young state, scarcity of fund may mar his vision.
The administration is barely 16 months in office, and so far, its promised “restoration” journey has not been quite smooth.
Dickson is believed to be a protégée and close confidant to President Goodluck Jonathan, who was alleged to have masterminded his as governor of the oil rich state.
Political analysts say the governor was “hand-picked “during the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial primaries in December 2011 after the disqualification of former Governor Timipre Sylva from the race.
During one of the election’s campaign in Yenagoa, the President, who affirmed that nobody would stop Dickson from becoming the governor of the state, however advised him to work assiduously in transforming the state to avoid being stoned by Bayelsans.
Although Dickson’s administration is too young for any assessment, some stakeholders in the state are of the opinion that the government is on track and focused, while others opined that the governor is yet to get his bearing.
To the former, Dickson is in a hurry to develop the 17 years old state, but the daunting challenges of development appear to be overwhelming the Toru-Orua born-governor. To realize his vision, the governor had on assuming office, initiated a strategy of compulsory savings of state funds for what he called the “rainy day.”
So far, N19 billion has been saved through this initiative. The governor has endeared himself to a cross section of indigenes of the state through the monthly disclosure of the expenditure and cash inflow to the state. But despite the governor’s laudable initiatives, some of his numerous aides appeared not to be committed to the Restoration Agenda of the government.
These aides may be Dickson’s albatross if not checked. Frequent travels out of the state by the governor, is also not helping matters.
Most of the tours by the state chief executive are viewed by concerned indigenes as a jamborees and waste of tax payers’ money. But, Dickson and his aides have persistently defended such trips, describing them as official. The governor equally denied that he was junketing the country and beyond.
In the area of infrastructure the administration is taking the bull by the horn to construct new roads as well as complete abandoned ones to open up the state capital and the hinterlands. In this regard, billions of naira have been paid as mobilization fees to contractors such as Julius Berger, Setraco, CCECC, among other firms.
Despite this, it is however disturbing that the abandoned 18-storey five star hotel project initiated years back by the state government has been overtaken by weeds, even as Dickson said government had paid N4 billion to Gitto Construction Firm to return to site and complete the project.
Residents are also worried that internal roads in Yenagoa are in bad shapes and needed rehabilitation, while some untarred roads have remained in pathetic conditions. The bumpy roads are causing great inconvenience to motorists.
Some people viewed the large potholes on these roads as craters, even as the state government is turning blind eyes to these neglected and busy roads. The governor promised that two fly-over bridges would be constructed in the state capital to check traffic congestion, but the projects are yet to take off. Water supply is not sufficient in the state capital. Water vendors are having a field day as a 20-litre jerry can of water sells for between N20 and N30. Power supply is erratic in the state, especially in Yenagoa. Since the emergence of Dickson’s government, power supply has drastically reduced even as residents are made who pay huge electricity bills. Most residents pay their electricity bills through communities’ electricity committees working in hand in hand with officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN in the state. They bill a transformer within a given area in the state capital between N250,000 and N300,000 and the payment is not commensurate with the power supply enjoyed by consumers. During his inauguration on February 14, 2012 at the Isaac Boro Peace Park in Yenagoa, the governor declared an emergency in the ailing education sector, but the impact has not been felt by stakeholders in the sector, as much action has not been taken by government to justify the declaration. It is laughable that furniture and chalks are still lacking in many public schools. The free school uniforms promised students and pupils have been gotten by only few schools. The free books are yet to reach the students and pupils. The free education policy of government is a relief to parents and guardians, but, students and pupils still pay illegal levies such as examination fees and others in the public schools. Government now bankrolls the payment of SSCE and NECO fees for the final year candidates. Most teachers who confided in National Mirror regretted that government was politicizing the education sector. They lamented that some primary school buildings were renovated without toilets. They therefore urged governor to personally pay unscheduled visits to the public schools to ascertain their conditions which they described as sorry sight. Investigations revealed that the renovations are not executed with sincerity as the funds spent on the projects were over bloated to enrich government officials and contractors though the government should be lauded for the scholarship awarded to Ph.D, Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees students studying in the country and abroad. It was learnt that the screening process to select the beneficiaries was not transparent and this did not go down well with the governor. The state Scholarship board headed by Foster Ogola was challenged by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council to publish the list of beneficiaries, but, the board failed to do so. Rather Ogola insisted that there were no fraud in the list of beneficiaries. In the security sub-sector the present administration in the state has been able to curtail the activities of cult groups, especially in Yenagoa. These cult gangs had before now made life miserable for residents with incidents of cult wars which claimed precious lives. But, the invasions of their homes and hideouts as well as arrests made by the various security agencies have reduced their onslaughts. Government has also declared an amnesty for cultists who had renounced their membership. Over 11,000 cultists have renounced and registered with government for rehabilitation. It is disappointing that militancy is gradually returning to the creeks of the state. The reported killing of 11 Policemen, five Ijaw youths, coupled with kidnappings and sea piracy attacks in the waterways is becoming very disturbing. Passengers plying the state waterways now travel in fear over the growing insecurity in the coastal areas. It does appear that operatives of the Joint Military Taskforce, JTF, are policing only the oil platforms and neglecting the waterways. Sadly, enough, the Police authorities do not have enough boats and gadgets to patrol the waterways. Taking a cursory look in the political terrain of the state, there are strong indications that the opposition’s voice is dead. Even the armchair political parties are all romancing with the government. Some of the opposition elements are now serving as Senior Special Assistants and Special Advisers in Dickson’s government. Supporters of the former governor of the state, Sylva have also been silent. It was learnt that they are taking stock of activities of the state government. For now President Jonathan, the political godfather of the governor calls the shorts in the state. Stakeholders in the state are concerned that the governor has reportedly failed to associate with pro-Sylva camp. The economy of the state is nothing to write home about. Though the state government is making efforts to diversify into aquaculture and agriculture to boost its Internally Generated Revenue profile, for now it still depends on oil and the monthly federal allocation to survive. Interestingly, the state has potential for rice, palm oil and plantain production, but harnessing them is a big challenge. Dickson’s administration is not doing enough to check the increasing rate of employment among youths in the state. This has resulted to series of protests especially by unemployed graduates’ and physically challenged persons the state capital. In April this year, some unemployed graduates were arrested, detained and arraigned in court for embarking on a street protest. Some of the suspects were later granted bail, but those who could not meet the bail conditions were detained at the Federal Prisons, Ahoada in Rivers State before the matter was struck out after some negotiations between the affected persons and the state government. No doubt, the present administration in the state need to redouble its efforts by being tolerant to the opposition in the spirit of democracy, analysts also believe Governor Dickson should be tolerant by accommodating opposing views to enable him improve on governance. They equally advised the governor to expedite action on the construction of roads and the fly over bridges in Yenagoa as well as give a facelift to the health sector, as it was learnt that doctors and other health workers are hardly found at their duty posts in the rural communities. In all, developing the state requires a political will and financial discipline to achieve, so it behoves on Dickson and his cabinet to rise up to the occasion by facing the challenges and de-emphasizing rhetorics.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: National Mirror Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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