PRESS RELEASE BY THE GOVERNMENT OF BAYELSA STATE ON THE SOKU/OLUASIRI OIL WELLS

Government of Bayelsa State of Nigeria

Press Release

SOKU/OLUASIRI OIL WELLS/OIL FIELD: RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD STOP HEATING UP THE POLITY.

Ordinarily, having issued a press statement on Tuesday, 1st of November,2012 on the Oluasiri Oil Wells/Oil Field which clearly shows that the said oil wells/oil fields (which Rivers State refers to as Soku) belong to Bayelsa State, the Bayelsa State Government would have maintained a dignified silence in the face of provocation on the subject matter.
But the Bayelsa State Government is compelled to issue this statement though with restraint, to respond to the press statement of the Rivers State Government published in many national newspapers in the country to save the Ijaws, Federal Government agencies and the entire country from the desperation and lies of the Rivers State Government.

For all intents and purposes, the said press statement of the Rivers State Government on the above issue was obviously intended to create crisis amongst the peace loving Ijaw people in Rivers and Bayelsa States and garner public sympathy for Rivers State.

The said statement, which was signed by the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, on the instruction of the Rivers State Governor amongst others, accused the presidency of mischief.
This is not only disrespectful and insulting, it also smacks of insubordination and arrogance on the part of the leadership of the Rivers State Government.  While this matter remains in the front burner of public discourse, it is advisable for the Rivers State Government to stop denigrating the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because the office of the President is the highest institution in the land. Public Office holders must at all times protect the sanctity of public institutions and not to desecrate same the way the leadership of Rivers State did and is still doing.  

The government of Bayelsa State therefore urges the Rivers State Governor and his appointees to refrain from making inciting and inflammatory remarks capable of triggering off inter communal crises among our people.
It will be recalled that Bayelsa State Government has restrained the Nembe people from responding to the threats and drums of war by the Kalabari people as this could lead to great disaffection between the two communities/clans.

We also urge our fellow Ijaw brothers and traditional rulers to refrain from being used by Governor Ameachi as tools to cause disunity between the people of Rivers and Bayelsa States over the derivation matter because derivation is purely a state matter and not a matter between communities or clans.

The HARD FACTS about Oluasiri/Soku Oil Wells/Oil Field are as follows:

1. The Rivers State Government had previously filed two suits against the Bayelsa State Government at the Federal High Court and the Supreme Court respectively in other to assert its purported ownership over the said oil wells/ oil field and woefully failed as the said suits were all struck­-out by the courts.

2. Soku is a village in Rivers State while the oil wells/oil field and the flow station are located in the Oluasiri Clan in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The name Soku oil wells/oil field was wrongly given by Shell Petroleum Development Company Ltd (SPDC) since Soku village was their operational base at that time.
This is not peculiar to Soku. For example, the Idu oil wells/oil field is named after a town in Ekpeye land in Ahoada East LGA of Rivers state while the oil field is actually located in Biseni land of Bayelsa State.
Similarly, the Omoku west oil field is in Biseni land of Bayelsa State but Omoku is a town in Rivers State.

3. The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) in its report on the Familiarization/Verification visit to oil producing states, volume 1, Main Report, August 2006 in Chapter 3, page 30 also acknowledged the above anomaly when it stated as follows:

“The Bayelsa/Imo/Abia State Governments complained that the naming of oil fields was often done arbitrarily without any regard to the culture and particular environment of the people where the wells or fields are located. This has given rise to wrong attribution by relevant agencies”.

4. Incidentally, Soku village in Rivers State is about 10 km, as the crow flies, from the flow station while the Oluasiri / Soku oil wells/ field is surrounded by various Oluasiri villages of Nembe LGA in Bayelsa State.

5.      The Special Presidential Committee on verification of oil wells in volume one of its report on disputed oil wells of December 2000 (P; 25/26) after a painstaking field verification process and hearing from both states stated and  recommended as follows:

‘‘4;5.6 Soku Oil Field

The team relied on the legal notice captioned “The Eastern Region Local Government Law, 1955 E.R. NO 26 of 1955. Instrument Establishing the Nembe District  Council” tendered by Bayelsa State on Pages 40-41 of its submission. It should be noted that while the Kalabaris of  Rivers State call the area Soku, the Nembe people of Bayelsa State call it Oluasiri which is one of the councils mentioned in paragraph 5 of the above mentioned instrument.

In the light of the above, it is recommended that the production from Soku Oil Field be attributed to Bayelsa State.’’

6.    It is worthy of note that the Rivers State Government had in its white paper (1993) titled: RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT REPORT OF THE JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF ENQUIRY INTO THE DISTURBANCES / CONFLICT BETWEEN AKUKU-TORU AND BRASS LGA OF RIVERS STATE UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HON JUSTICE PETER B. AKERE rejected the use of River Santa Babara as the boundary between the Kalabari people of Rivers State and the Nembe people of Bayelsa State. The Rivers State Government in the said white paper specifically stated as follows:

‘‘The commission recommends that;

(i) Until that stage is reached, a temporary map which reflects    the Rivers Santa Barbara as an administrative boundary should replace Exhibit SG 1.’’

Government:

(a)Rejects the recommendation of the commission in B (2) (i) above...”

The Rivers State Government can  therefore no longer claim  River Santa Babara as the boundary between the Nembe people of Bayelsa State and the Kalabari people of Rivers State  and  hence the boundary between the two States.

7.     Following dispute between the Nembe and Kalabari peoples, J.G. Cousins Acting District Officer of Brass Division acknowledged River San Bartholomew as the boundary between the Nembe and Kalabari people when in His report dated November 1952  titled KALABARI/NEMBE FISHING DISPUTE stated in paragraph 4 as follows:

“…I note that Consul Hopkins fixed the boundary between Nembe and new Calabar (Kalabari). This is mentioned in the report of the commission into the Kula-Nembe boundary dispute presided over  by Mr B.G. Smith acting District Officer in 1944, to which I am also referred by the Nembe Chiefs.”

The New Calabar people in the above quotation refers to the present Kalabari people of Rivers State.

8.  The 11tth edition of the administrative map of Nigeria, further confirms the fact that River San Bartholomew is the boundary between Nembe of Bayelsa State and new Calabar (Kalabari) of Rivers State which has metamorphosed into the boundary between the two States. 

9. For now there is no pending litigation over the Oluasiri oil wells/oil field between Rivers and Bayelsa States since the Supreme Court struck out the suit by the Rivers State Government challenging Bayelsa State’s ownership of Oluasiri oil wells/oilfield. The matter was heard under suit number SC/106/2009: Attorney General of Rivers State vs Attorney General of Bayelsa State and Anor.

10. Between, 1996 to 2006, the Rivers State Government wrongly collected several billions of naira from the federation account accruing from the Oluasiri oil wells/oil fields, which was wrongfully allocated, to it by the Federal Government.

It is pertinent to note that the 11^th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria has not been set aside by the National Boundary Commission or any Court of law. Furthermore since the creation of  Bayelsa State it is the 11^th edition of the administration map of Nigeria that defines the boundary between the two states. Therefore The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) was perfectly right in attributing and paying the revenue accruing from the said oil wells/ oil field to Bayelsa State.

We therefore urge all Nigerians to discountenance the frivolous and baseless allegations contained in the press release by the Rivers State Government as they are calculated to mislead the entire Country and instigate crises amongst the Ijaw brothers in Kalabari and Nembe communities.

Inspite of this provocation, the Bayelsa State Government will remain focused and determined to ensure a peaceful resolution of the issue.

Thank You.

God bless Bayelsa State

God bless the Ijaw Nation

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeira

SIGNED:

Deacon Markson Fefegha

Hon. Commissioner of Information and Orientation

Bayelsa State

Nigeria

BAYELSA IS RISING AGAIN

                                              

                                                 BAYELSA IS RISING AGAIN 

BEING TEXT OF AN ADDRESS  BY HIS EXCELLENCY, HON. HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON THE  GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE ON THE 52rd INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY AND 16th ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF BAYELSA STATE

My good people of Bayelsa State,It is with pride and great joy that I address you on a day like this to felicitate with you all on the occasion of our 16th anniversary as a State, following its creation on the 1st of October, 1996. I would like to commence this broadcast by commending you on our shared vision and commitment to a new Bayelsa and also thank you for your support, solidarity and prayers our administration has enjoyed since assumption of office in the last six months.
It is also proper to remember on a day like this the founding fathers of our state and all our leaders past and present for their years of sacrifice, commitment and valuable service and contributions to the peace and progress of the Ijaw nation. Today marks exactly 16 years since we began this journey of statehood. As a product of the Ijaw struggle, I understand the impact of the decision made by the late Gen Sani Abacha in creating Bayelsa against all odds. General Abacha was one leader who loved Nigeria and the Ijaw nation and had the courage to do what was right by giving the Ijaws a homogenous State thattoday we all can proudly and truly call our own which I refer to as the Jerusalem of all Ijaw people Irrespective of whatever opinion people may hold (which is their legitimate right), General Abacha by virtue of the creation of the homogenous state of the Ijaw nation, has earned a place in the heart of the Ijaw people for which we are eternally grateful.

In appreciation of the significant steps General Abacha took for our development, I have on your behalf invited the family to be part of this celebration, no matter how low key it is. The Bayelsa State Government would therefore use this occasion to further immortalize the memory of the late General Abacha and show to his family, friends and all Nigerians at large that we do not forget our friends.

It is also a way to demonstrate a peculiar trait, common among the Ijaw people that we always value loyalty and reward friendship. To this end, government will lay the foundation stone for a 150-duplex housing estate named after General Abacha. Similarly, Government in partnership with the Ijaw National Congress has named the main auditorium of the INC building after him.

In addition, Government will invite the family to plant a memorial tree in his honour at the Heroes Garden, which I have just established. By this singular gesture, let the family be assured that our thoughts and prayers have been and will always be with them and that they can always call Bayelsa their home too. In the same vein, we recognize and are indebted to worthy Nigerian leaders like President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar'Adua and others whose actions have impacted positively on us. ' Government will honour them in due course. Special mention must be made of our leader, Chief DSP Alamaeyesigha, the first civilian governor of the state whose commitment to the Ijaw struggle and development of Bayelsa State will also be honoured by naming a hall in the INC building after him.

Incidentally, the INC building was started by Chief DSP Alamaeyiesigha but was abandoned by the immediate past administration , which we have now completed and fully furnished. Bayelsa State, no doubt, is still relatively young and the journey of statehood arguably tough and mixed, but there is great hope that the future is very bright. This is the good news! It is this conviction that has propelled our vision as a government and with your support we shall march ahead to properly connect with our future greatness as we desire it. We have made spirited efforts to redefine governance as a tool for development, raising hopes of even greater possibilities.

As you all can attest to this to fact. In the last six months, you have witnessed a paradigm shift in governance, accelerated infrastructural development and revolutionary investments in human capacity building. You have also witnessed the return of peace and tranquility in our state which is essential to any development.
We pledge to continue with our current rate of development and projections in our plans and programmes and to demonstrate the reality that the foundation of our future greatness must be laid today, not later. We are indeed making progress and Bayelsa is beginning to rise again. Good people of our great state, this occasion marking the 16th anniversary of our dear state, ordinarily should have called for celebrations and jubilations, but we took the decision as a government to have a low key event. It is only proper that we align ourselves with the mood of the nation.
At this juncture, I would like to sympathize with all the communities ravaged by flood in the state. As you will recall, our government took early steps to address the issue of blocked drainages in Yenagoa metropolis. That has significantly prevented a disaster in our state capital despite the down pour and flood.

However, the same cannot be said of communities outside of the state capital, where rising water level has displaced people from their homes, farmlands and businesses. I want to seize this opportunity to empathize with them. In the course of the week, I will personally undertake an on-the-spot assessment of all the affected communities ravaged by flood.
Already, as you are aware, government has directed that relief materials be made available to the affected persons and communities. More support will come your way, once the committee that government will soon inaugurate swings into action and make its findings available to government. My good people, I also want to urge all of us to be steadfast in our prayers for our President, his wife, family and the Federal Government of Nigeria. Let us continue to uphold them in our prayers. Having said that, let me at this point take a moment to commend and salute Mr. President for his commitment, sacrifice and selfless service to this great nation. In the face of daunting challenges, Mr. President has continued to lead as a distinguished patriot and nationalist, ensuring that prosperity and security return to our nation, and that Nigeria, like Bayelsa is rising again!

As I conclude this broadcast, let me once again, seize this occasion to assure all Bayelsans of our government's commitment and resolve to birth a new Bayelsa of our dream. A new Bayelsa where everyone will have a true sense of pride and be made to feel the impact of government.

We are building a new Bayelsa firmly rooted and anchored on the cardinal principles of transparency, accountability and service delivery as evident in our conduct of government's business these past six months. As we undertake the onerous task of providing purposeful leadership for our dear state in accordance with the mandate you gave to us, I want to assure you again that this government under my watch will not compromise on our leadership principles and ethics. We shall not play politics with our development and Bayelsa will not be the same again after my tenure. Let me restate that we will use the resources of this state to fund critical projects such as the construction of good roads, education, health facilities, promote tourism, generate wealth and develop agriculture, rather than use it to fund the corruption and greed of a few.

I will like to use the opportunity of this address to thank and urge all religious, political, traditional and opinion leaders, to rise above personal interest and galvanize our people to support the various programmes of government.
My dear people , now that you have a government that has a clear vision, understanding of your opportunities, potentials, challenges and solutions to the various sectors of governance, all that is required of you, is your continued support and prayers. Let me also urge all Bayelsans not to be misled by the antics of desperate politicians and power seekers bent on distracting our development. We will not be distracted and Bayelsa will be the better for it.

I therefore urge you all to shun politics of character assassination, blackmail and rumour mongering. Let us join hands to liberate ourselves from all forms of negativity capable of halting our progress and development and to continue the good work of supporting the security agencies in our bid to make Bayelsa safe, secure and prosperous. Bayelsa is rising again and I thank you all. God bless you.

Happy 16th anniversary
Long Live BAYELSA State!Long
Live the Ijaw nation!!Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

READING THE LIPS OF GOVERNOR HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON

Reading the Lips of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson

By: Robinson Erebi

           Judge me by this – I will not play politics with your development. I will not play politics with crime, criminality and violence. I will not play politics with the protection of the Ijaw National interest within the context of a united, democratic and peaceful Nigeria” – Gov. Henry Seriake Dickson

The success of a man’s journey of a thousand miles is not only determined by his courage to take the first step, but also in his capacity to maintain the balance to achieve desired goals. Politically speaking, his progress is measured by the basis of performance and impact on the people. Since the creation of Bayelsa State, no Governor has taken the amount of time spent by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson to make an elaborate plan of action and resolve to develop the state according to the master plan, which previous governments had been unable to pursue. Considering the lean resources at her disposal, Bayelsans and well meaning Nigerians alike had expected some level of acceleration in her pace of economic, social and infrastructural development, beyond the point we find ourselves before February 14, 2012, when Governor Henry Seriake Dickson took his oath of office as 4^th Governor of Bayelsa State.

Prior to this time, it was generally believed that the development of the State has not kept pace with the resources that accrued to the State. In the formative years of democracy people yearned for a change of political leadership of the State for lack of meaningful development in spite of huge sums of money the comes into the state. The urban planning is abused; no roads, infact central areas of Yenagoa city like Amarata, Ovom, Swali, etc have remained an urban eye-sore. The development of the State had been bedeviled by corruption in the civil service system, unemployment; crime was on the increase with cultists having a field day.  The State Treasury was putting the state on the threshold of bankruptcy.

 Bayelsans received Governor Dickson as a Valentine’s Gift because his assumption ceremony coincided with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day, connoting a good omen as far as political developments are concerned. Like his predecessors, he has made lots of promises through the implementation of a Restoration Agenda to develop the State. The Governor said he would not He said he was a product of the Ijaw movement and therefore, he will not play politics with the development of Bayelsa State. And from what we see in Yenagoa today, Governor Dickson is marching his words with action.

Reading the lips of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson when he delivered his inaugural speech, one thing is clear – that he is a radical Governor, a comrade governor with a mission to deliver democracy dividends. He said: “ the cardinal focus of the Restoration agenda is to undertake fundamental reform of the governance culture to emphasis transparency, accountability, due process and value-re-orientation by all institutions and functionaries of government, beginning from my humble self“ He emphasized that his administration will have zero tolerance for corruption and that the days of enrichment without labour and funding the greed and avarice of a few at the expense of the development of our people is over.  Hear him: ‘I will work hard to plug all leakages and sources of corruption which have been the bane of our development.  I will rather use our common wealth to fund the construction of good roads, education, promote tourism, generate wealth and develop agriculture than fund corruption and greed.  Be prepared therefore for a fundamental paradigm shift in the governance culture, values and lifestyle of public officials.  I am aware that we will face resistance, we may be misunderstood but we shall always do what is right in the interest of you the people”.

Governor Dickson, basking in the euphoria of his landslide victory with a sea of supporters said “in the course of our campaign, we promised massive investment in education, critical infrastructure, agriculture, health, as well as peace and security.  The development of human capital is our most compelling and urgent need.  That is why we promised you free and compulsory education for all our children in primary and secondary schools with emphasis on computer literacy, science and technology.  I hereby announce with immediate effect from today the take-off of free and compulsory education at primary and secondary school levels across Bayelsa State. The rebuilding of our educational infrastructure commences forthwith.  Our curriculum will emphasize the study of Ijaw language, history and culture.  We shall construct roads and other infrastructure to link our people and fast track comprehensive development.  The completion of the three senatorial roads will be given high priority.  But all these will not be possible without an atmosphere of peace and security.”

Barely six months in office, Governor Dickson’s vision is manifesting radical changes sign-posting a new era of development and prosperity. He has awarded contracts worth billions of naira for massive road construction projects and other infrastructural development. With Julius Berger and other construction firms on the road, it won’t be long before we see new roads and bridges linking Yenagoa and other communities.

Motor cycle popularly called Okada has been abolished and the rate of auto-related accidents has reduced to a near zero level. A new and safer mass transit system is now in place in Yenagoa. There’s now free education and school buses for children. Gradually, Yenagoa has started to recapture its serene and peaceful environment. Bayelsans are also expecting government to ensure that they are economically empowered. Contract for clearing the airport site has been awarded. Bayelsa State will soon be reckoned as a massive cassava producing State in Nigeria. There is a huge re-engineering in the State UBE, and a revolution is already. Most youths believe that the huge amounts of money spent on road constructions do not generate much employment as the companies use heavy machinery and equipment to execute their projects, which of course is a welcome development in terms of quality of work.   So far, within a period of seven months, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has proved to be a man of his words.

Robinson Erebi

Is of the Bayelsa New Media Team