Diri, A Rare Governor, Says FG

For his commitment to peace, justice and development of his people, the Federal Government has described the governor of Bayelsa State as a rare breed. This came from the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe.

At the inauguration of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission’s Body of Neutrals in Yenagoa, Komolafe said the governor’s show of concern for dispute resolutions was phenomenal and exemplary.

This came less than 24 hours after Diri had taken steps to resolve the lingering crisis in the Nembe-Bassambiri community of Nembe Local Government. The effort is aimed at restoring peace in the crisis-ridden community.

At the inauguration of the ADR centre, Komolafe said “I want to pay glowing tribute to Governor Diri. He has done something wonderful and demonstrated a rare gesture. It is first of its kind for the ADR centre, which is an indication of his desire to bring dispute resolution to his people. We promise to make effective utilization of this infrastructure,” he said.

The NUPRC chief executive said the centre would guarantee access to quality, cost-effective and time-efficient resolution of disputes that arise in the upstream petroleum sector.

Also speaking, the NUPRC Secretary and Legal Adviser, Mrs Olayemi Anyanechi, in her remarks, said the Body of Neutrals was made up of retired judges and other eminent professionals to bring about justice, equity and fairness to host communities.

Diri, in his address, expressed appreciation to the commission for citing the centre in Yenagoa, noting that the inauguration of the Body of Neutrals would enhance peace in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region.

He restated his position that international oil companies in the region relocate their headquarters to states where they operate. On the issue of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the governor again called for amendment of sections of the Act that excluded roles for the states and local governments.

He also described the provision of three per cent of oil proceeds accruing to host communities as grossly inadequate and called for an upgrade to 10 per cent. Describing the PIA as “a time bomb with a lot of lacunas,” Diri stressed that it was an aberration to exclude state and local governments from the Act since host communities were being directly administered by them.

The governor, who said his administration had worked hard to enthrone peace and security in Bayelsa, however, attributed part of the problem of insecurity to the alienation of Niger Delta people from job opportunities in the oil and gas industry.

Earlier, the governor had appointed a former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Victor Ombu (Rtd), to head the steering committee on the resolution of the protracted crisis in Bassambiri community. The 11-member panel comprising five other members each from both factions has the mandate of proffering lasting solutions to restore peace in the community.

Nembe-Bassambiri had been enmeshed in one crisis or another for more than two decades and efforts at resolution of the intra-communal conflicts had yielded little results.

At the meeting with the community’s representatives led by the Senator that represented Bayelsa East in the 9th Senate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, the governor said the panel’s only terms of reference is to ensure peace in Bassambiri that transcended party politics, oil and gas issues and bring about unity and oneness among people of the local government.

In his acceptance speech, Vice Admiral Ombu (Rtd) said he accepted the assignment in deference to the governor and acknowledged that it was a huge task ahead of him and other members of the committee.

The retired Naval Chief however assured that the assignment will be diligently handled as everyone in the community was tired of the crisis and wanted a peaceful resolution. Speaking on behalf of both factions, Chiefs Samuel Teigbenyo-Ikoli and Iruo Donald, accepted the intervention of the governor and the appointment of Ombu to lead the peace process.