The Chairmen of the Restoration Caucus in the 8 local government areas
have thrown their weight behind Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa
State over the designation of the land around the Bayelsa palm area as
a grazing site for herdsmen and their cattle.
Speaking shortly after a closed-door meeting with the Governor, the
chairmen led by Chief Thompson Okorotie described the designation of
the area for grazing activities, as a strategic security move to
enable the government restrict the activities of herdsmen and monitor
them.
He restated that, the government has not sold any land to the cattle
rearers, but rather took the decision to confine them to a particular
area, to avoid clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the state, as
witnessed in some parts of the country.
Okorotie said, the Governor used the opportunity of the meeting to
reconstitute the restoration caucus in three local government areas,
which are, Sagbama, Ogbia and Kolokuma/Opokuma.
According to him, under the re-organization, Chief Francis Doukpola
becomes the chairman for Sagbama, Chief George Okrinya, forOgbia,
while Chief Isaac Kumokou heads the Kolokuma/Opokuma Restoration
Caucus.
Also speaking, the chairman of the Yenagoa Local Government
Restoration Caucus, Chief Godwin Moses Odumgba, urged Bayelsans to
discountenance the concerns raised by some people, as the move would
help to boost the internally generated revenue profile of the state.
In his remarks, Chief Doukpola said, the meeting also endorsed the
on-going restructuring of the state public service and called on
workers to key into the policies of the government, aimed at
reinvigorating the service for greater efficiency and productivity.
He re-emphasized that, the initiatives of the government were not
intended to witch-hunt any worker, but to weed the service of ghost
workers and other fraudulent practices.
The Governor, it was gathered inaugurated a 14-member Advisory
Committee on Public Service Reforms to sensitize and mobilize the
people to support the government’s reforms in the public service.
In another development, The State Government has set up a committee
chaired by the paramount ruler of Ogboin clan, in Southern Ijaw local
government area, King Oweipa Jones Ere to resolve the issues
concerning boundary adjustment between the Niger Delta University and
its host community, Amassoma.
The committee was constituted during a meeting involving Governor
Seriake Dickson, the leadership of the NDU and the people of Amassoma
community in Government House, Yenagoa.
Other members of the committee are the member representing Southern
Ijaw constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Kate
Owoko,the Commissioner of Lands and Survey, Hon. Kuroakegha Dorgu, the
Surveyor General of the State, the Special Adviser to the Governor on
Security Matters, Chief Boma Spero-Jack, the Special Adviser Felix
Bonny Ayah and the Estate Manager of the Niger Delta University.
Shortly after the meeting, King Ere told journalists the meeting
deliberated on some lingering issues bedeviling the university and the
people of the community.
He noted that, the committee has the mandate to mediate between the
two parties in the area of payment of compensation to those whose
lands and properties have been impacted by the university.
According to King Ere, the Governor assured that, out of the N10
billion earmarked for the infrastructural development of the
state-owned tertiary institutions, about N5 billion has been set aside
for the NDU.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Hon. Kuroakigha
Dorgu stressed that compensation would not be paid to owners of
property that have encroached on the university.
Dorgu also said, as part of efforts to address the issue of
encroachment, the government has given approval for the construction
of a perimetre fencing round the institution, stating that, soon the
government would perform the ground-breaking ceremony for the
university’s Senate building and access roads.
Representative of the Vice Chancellor of the NDU, Dr. Inetimi Ogidi
expressed appreciation to the Governor for the meeting and called on
the government to fulfill its promise of providing security outposts
to beef up security in Amassoma.
and then