From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
The Bayelsa Rescue Mission (BRM) has called on Governor Douye Diri to urgently address what has become a disturbing pattern of political exclusion of the people of Bayelsa East Senatorial District and significant sections of Yenagoa Local Government Area from key positions of political influence within the state administration and the leadership structure of the ruling political party.
This is not a demand for political patronage. It is a demand for fairness, inclusion, equity and a sense of belonging for every Bayelsan.
In a statement issued in Yenagoa the state capital and made available to our correspondent by the Publicity Secretary of Bayelsa Rescue Mission (BRM), Hon. Kalas Agai Nimitenbofa
Said Bayelsa belongs to every one of them, saying no Senatorial District, Local Government Area, community or group of citizens should be made to feel that it has been excluded from the affairs of the state or denied a meaningful place at the table where decisions affecting their future are made.
According to the statement, as things stand, the people of Brass, Nembe and Ogbia Local Government Areas, which constitute Bayelsa East Senatorial District, as well as the people of Epie/Atissa, Okordia, Biseni, Zarama and Gbarain/Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area, have legitimate reasons to question their level of representation in the strategic political architecture of the state.
The statement read in part; “We are particularly concerned about the concentration of critical political responsibilities within particular Senatorial Districts and Local Government Areas. Government is not the private preserve of any individual, family, political tendency or geographical bloc. It is a common institution established for the benefit of all citizens.
“When key appointments and political positions continue to cluster around particular areas, while other sections of the state are consistently denied representation in strategic positions, it creates a dangerous perception of exclusion and weakens confidence in the principle of equal citizenship.
“For instance, whenever the Governor wants to take a major political decision, he consults with the inner circle which includes himself as Governor from Kolokuma/Opokuma, his Deputy Governor from Sagbama, his Secretary to State Government from Southern Ijaw, his Chief of Staff from his own Kolokuma/Opokuma, the Chairman of the ruling Party again from his Kolokuma/Opokuma, then the State Secretary of the ruling Party from Ekeremor Local Government Area.
“On this highest political consultation and decision making table, there are no seats for the people of Brass, Nembe, Ogbia and Yenagoa Local Government Areas. This is the sad reality on ground under the watch of Governor Douye Diri. This is nepotism taking too far and clear practice and an unfortunate promotion of the much talked about Core and non core Ijaw sentiment in Bayelsa State.
“At the commencement of Governor Douye Diri’s administration in 2020, the composition of the key offices of government reflected a commendable measure of geographical balance and sensitivity to the diversity of Bayelsa State. The Secretary to the State Government, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson, was from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa Central Senatorial District; the Chief of Staff, Chief Benson Agadaga, was from Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa East Senatorial District; the Deputy Chief of Staff was from Sagbama Local Government Area in Bayelsa West; the Principal Secretary was from Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area in Bayelsa Central; while the Political Adviser was also from Sagbama in Bayelsa West. This arrangement gave the various Senatorial Districts and sections of the State a meaningful sense of belonging in the administration.
“Sadly, following the resignation of the then Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff to pursue their respective Senatorial ambitions, the Governor chose to replace the SSG with another appointee from the same Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, while the people of Ogbia and the entire Bayelsa East Senatorial District were denied a replacement in the strategic office of Chief of Staff.
” Instead, Dr. Peter Akpe from Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa West was appointed to the position previously occupied by Chief Benson Agadaga. At the same time, the office of the Principal Secretary was scrapped, while Mr. Irorodamie Komonibo, who occupied that position, was elevated to Deputy Chief of Staff”.
Hon.said the Bayelsa Rescue Mission considers this the point at which the previously observed geographical balance in the principal offices of the Government House began to deteriorate, particularly to the disadvantage of Bayelsa East. Adding that, more concerning is the fact that after Dr. Akpe was subsequently elevated from Chief of Staff to the office of Deputy Governor, the Governor has, to date, failed to restore the Chief of Staff position to Bayelsa East, where it was originally represented before Chief Benson Agadaga’s resignation.
“We consider this an issue that deserves urgent attention in the interest of fairness, equity and the collective unity of Bayelsa State. Political inclusion must not be selective, and no Senatorial District should be made to feel permanently excluded from the strategic decision-making structure of government. The people of Bayelsa East deserve a meaningful place at the highest levels of governance, just as every other section of the State does. This imbalance must be corrected in the interest of our unity, our common destiny and our corporate existence as one people.
“We therefore ask: Where is the place of Bayelsa East in the highest level of political decision-making in the state? Where is the place of Yenagoa Local Government Area? These are legitimate questions that the Governor must answer.
“Bayelsa must not become a state where some citizens are regarded as “core” and others as “non-core” based on language, geography, political connection or proximity to power.
“Bayelsa being the only homogenous Ijaw State should never under any guise experience this level of pettiness and nepotism in the governance of its affairs. The administration should take urgent steps to address this anomaly which by all standards, sets a dangerous precedence capable of collapsing everything that binds us together as a people and destroying our common identity as people of Ijaw nation.
“The people of Brass, Nembe, Ogbia and Yenagoa are not guests in Bayelsa State. They are equal stakeholders in the state. Their sons and daughters have the same constitutional rights, responsibilities, aspirations and capacity to serve as every other Bayelsan. Indeed, the economic and strategic contributions of these areas to Bayelsa are too significant to be accompanied by political marginalisation.
“Bayelsa East remains central to the state’s economic life, while Yenagoa is the political and administrative capital. Their contributions to the development, revenue generation, commerce and overall wellbeing of Bayelsa cannot be ignored when political responsibilities are being distributed.
“The BRM therefore calls on Governor Diri to review the existing political arrangement and take deliberate steps to restore fairness and inclusiveness in the composition of government and the political leadership of the state.
“This is not about creating division. It is about preventing division. This is not about demanding that every position be shared according to a rigid formula. It is about ensuring that every part of Bayelsa has a genuine sense of belonging and reasonable access to the processes through which decisions affecting the people are made.
“The Bayelsa Rescue Mission will continue to hold the government accountable on issues that affect the people. We will speak for those who feel unheard, demand fairness for those who feel excluded and insist that governance must be about the welfare and dignity of all Bayelsans.
“Bayelsa needs a government where every community can confidently say: “We belong here. We are represented here. Our voice matters here. Our future matters here.” We therefore urge Governor Douye Diri to rise above partisan considerations and act in the larger interest of Bayelsa State.
“The unity of Bayelsa must not be taken for granted. The bonds that hold us together as a people must be strengthened, not weakened by perceptions of exclusion, inequality or political marginalisation”.
He said every Bayelsan deserves a place at the table. “Every community deserves a voice. And every part of Bayelsa deserves a government that works for it”.
