CrossFire Interrogator

PANDEF Press Release:   PANDEF WELCOMES RECONSTITUTION OF  NNPC BOARD WITH CAUTIOUS CONSIDERATIONS By admin Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, welcomes the reconstitution of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, by President Muhammadu Buhari with cautious considerations. As the move by Mr. President could be considered mere scratching of the surface of the problem. The major concern of the Niger Delta Region is the skewed composition of the Executive management of the NNPC, and appointment of Chief Executives of the Corporation’s Subsidiaries. It is simply abhorrent that the Group Managing Director, GMD, the Chief Finance Officer, Finance & Account, the Corporate Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Corporation, and Chief Executives of virtually all strategic divisions and subsidiaries of the NNPC are persons from the Northern zones of the country. We would, therefore, urge Mr. President to further, carry out a holistic rejigging of the lopsided NNPC man

BAYELSA WORKERS, RETIREES SMILING IN 100 DAYS OF GOV. DIRI  By DANIEL ALABRAH Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, was 100 days in office on May 24, having been sworn in on February 14, 2020 a day after the Supreme Court declared him governor. Diri’s Acting Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah highlights some of the governor’s achievements within the period. EMEKA ALEX DURU presents the excerpts. Your principal, Senator Douye Diri, just clocked 100 days as governor of Bayelsa State. What are some of the highpoint of his first 100 days in office? One hundred days in office is a very short time. It is just three months and ten days. It is not a period you would expect that new projects or serious infrastructure would be initiated and completed. It is generally a foundational period for the new government to begin to showcase some of its policy initiatives and direction. However, the Governor Douye Diri administration came in at a time that COVID-19 had just started ra

The Man in the Arena By admin On May 12, 2012, Lieutenant General TY Danjuma and Major General Muhammadu Buhari both long retired were seated next to each other at the 50th birthday anniversary lecture of Sam Nda-Isaiah, a pharmacist turned ace columnist with Daily Trust now  publisher of Leadership Nigeria.  By the time Danjuma took over the podium he thundered; "As far as Nigeria is concerned, I am an optimist. I tell myself each time we seem to stumble as a nation that we shall muddle through. But, in the last few months, I have begun to wonder why our house is on fire,” lamented Danjuma, who chaired the event, and spent long minutes drawing the attention of political leaders to a number of socio-economic problems in the North that could turn the country to another Somalia if unattended to" The former army chief went on; "The Somalialisation of Nigeria is taking place right now. We need to sit down and get to the root of the problem and find a solution to

Gov. Diri Signs Amended Procurement Bill, Two Others Into Law By Donald Sylva Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Thursday, signed into law three bills passed by the state House of Assembly. They are the Public Procurement Amendment Bill,  Fiscal Responsibility Amendment Bill and the Debt Management Office Bill.  With the signing of the bills into law, Bayelsa is now among states in Nigeria that adhere to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). While signing the bills, the governor was quoted in a statement by his Acting Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, that the laws would check the excesses of those saddled with the responsibility of procurement in government's Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).  His words: “The Public Procurement Law at the federal level came into existence in 2007. As a member of the Public Procurement Committee in the House of Representatives, there was so much that was exposed by that committee. "B

Gov. Diri Advocates Effective Community Policing  ...Inaugurates Advisory Bodies By Admin Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Wednesday, emphasised that building mutual trust between the Nigeria Police and the general public is fundamental to effective community policing in the country. Senator Diri expressed this view during the inauguration of the State Community Policing Advisory Committee and Community Policing Committee in Yenagoa, the state capital. His Acting Chief Press Secretary,  Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as commending the Inspector General  of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for introducing the community policing initiative, describing it as critical in engendering peace, stability and development across communities. His words: "The foundation of trust will allow the police form closer relationship with the community that will produce solid achievements. Without trust between the police, the citizens and communities, effective po

COVID-19: Medical Doctor Tests Positive In Bayelsa Gov. Diri Extends Presidential Directives For Two Weeks Jonathan, Dickson, Ooni Of Ife Donate To State A medical doctor has tested positive for COVID-19 in Bayelsa State, bringing the number of active cases in the state to two. Governor Douye Diri announced the new confirmed case on Tuesday during a meeting of the COVID-19 Taskforce, which he chairs, at the Government House, Yenagoa. A press release by his Acting Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that the doctor, who is a staff of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, was earlier admitted at a private hospital before he tested positive for the virus. His travel history showed that he came into the state from a trip to neighbouring Delta State. The hospital has been shut down for decontamination to commence. The governor, who noted that five positive COVID-19 patients had been successfully treated and discharged, cautioned frontline me

Ooni of Ife donates Motorized Modular Fumigator to the Bayelsa State Government to combat COVID-19 By admin A delegation from the Ooni of Ife has made a donation of motorized modular fumigator to the Bayelsa State Government for Covid-19. The presentation was done by the spokesman to the ooni of ife Mr.Moses Olafare and recieved on behalf of the state Government by the secretary to State Government Rt. Hon. Friday Konbowei Benson. Rt.Hon. Friday konbowei Benson while addressing the delegation thanked them for making the symbolic presentation to assist the Government and the people of the state in this COVID-19 induced period. Addressing newsmen shortly after the presentation his Royal Majesty Oba Awosunle Babatunde Tokumbo Elajesi of ife kingdom, stated that the good gesture is part of their efforts to support the state Government to combat COVID-19 in Bayelsa state.

Isaac Boro Day: Diri renews call for equity, justice in Nigeria By Donald Sylva Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has again called for justice and equity in the affairs of Nigeria. Governor Diri made the call on Saturday at the Heroes Park in Yenagoa during a brief event in remembrance of the foremost Ijaw freedom fighter, late Major Isaac Adaka Boro. At the event to mark the 2020 Boro Day,  the governor described the late Ijaw icon as a symbol of the struggle for the emancipation and development of Ijaw land and the Niger Delta region. Senator Diri, who recalled the ideals and principles the late Boro stood for, said the issues and concerns he raised still faced the nation today, insisting that Nigeria must be a country of justice and equity. "While we wish for a good and properly run country, we as Ijaw people want a Nigeria of justice and equity where we get what is due the people. Certainly not a country where our oil is expropriated to other

COVID-19: BAYELSA DISCHARGES TWO PATIENTS — State Has Only One Active Case By admin Two patients that earlier tested positive for COVID-19 in Bayelsa State were discharged on Saturday. The two patients, who were at the isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) at Okolobiri, are linked to the index case that was discharged about a week ago. A statement signed by the deputy chairman of the state's COVID-19 taskforce and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Inodu Apoku, said the repeat tests of the remaining cases linked to the index case returned negative.  "These patients have also met all other NCDC guidelines for discharge. Consequently, they have been discharged today (Saturday).                                        "So there is only one active COVID-19 case in the state after discharging the index case and the other four linked cases," Apoku stated.

SENATOR LAWRENCE EHWRUJAKPO, ONE OF NIGERIA’S MOST EDUCATED PUBLIC OFFICE HOLDERS TODAY  By admin  The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Distinguished  Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, belongs to the league of the best in terms of competence, intellectualism and education. His voracious thirst for knowledge and quest for self-development through the effective utilization of the tool of education shows clearly in the array of academic materials in his kitty. The Bayelsa Deputy Governor can rightly be described as a jack of many trades with a curious display of mastery over all. Ewhrudjakpo had his West Africa School Certificate in 1982 and since then his burning  appetite for knowledge has seen him to many institutions within and outside the country whose certificates proudly adorn his curriculum vitae. Between 1989 and 1991, Ewhrudjakpo obtained his first certificate in tertiary education from the Rivers State College òf Health Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. This enc

Stakeholders Urge Dickson To Vie For Vacant Bayelsa West Senate Seat By Donald Sylva Stakeholders from Agbere in Ward One of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have called on the former governor, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, to contest for the vacant Bayelsa West Senate seat in the National Assembly. Rising from a meeting held in the home of a former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Mr. Maxwell Ebibai, the Agbere indigenes said the former governor's track record of outstanding service to the Ijaw nation and Bayelsa in particular placed him in good stead to represent the zone in the Senate. The meeting, which was presided over by Caucus Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sagbama Local Government Area, High Chief Francis Dokpola, resolved to prevail on Hon. Dickson to contest in the election. The stakeholders noted that as "a founding member of the Izon National Congress (INC), former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, former Hou

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI FROM PANDEF President and Commander-in-Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria Dear Mr. President, RE: ADDRESSING THE CONTINUED INJUSTICE AGAINST THE NIGER DELTA PEOPLE VIZ. THE LOPSIDED APPOINTMENTS IN THE NNPC AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES/DEPARTMENTS Firstly, we wish to extend our deepest condolences to you on the passing of Mallam Abba Kyari, your late Chief of Staff. We supplicate the Almighty for the repose of his soul, and the souls of all our country men and women who have died as result of the corona virus pandemic. We commiserate with the families and loved ones of the deceased, while we wish all who are currently undergoing treatment speedy recovery. It is our hope that government and all citizens would take even greater responsibility to stem the spread of the virus in the country, and soonest, make Nigeria COVID-19 free, by the grace of Almighty God. Your Excellency, it is for the COVID-19 situation, and particularly,