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Izon News Digest, Wuse (2025)

07/11/2024

RISING FLOODWATERS SUBMERGE MORE COMMUNITIES IN BAYELSA

ONH - An increasing number of communities across the three senatorial districts of Bayelsa State have been submerged as the flood level has continued to rise, causing untold hardship to the residents.

The latest count includes Adagbabiri in Sagbama Local Government Area, Kolo 2 in Ogbia Local Government Area and Okordia in Yenagoa Local Government Area.

The water level which is increasing at a time many believed it should be going down has taken many people by surprise, especially as they thought the water would not rise to its present level.

Technical Adviser to the governor on Environment, Chief Alagoa Morris, said though this year’s flood is not a monster flood, it is relatively big.

Morris said, “However, this year’s flood which is becoming higher at a time it ought to be receding; is not a monster flood; but relatively big.”

Head of the Bayelsa State Directorate of Flood and Erosion Control, Mr Walson Omuso, however, told our correspondent on Tuesday that the water was receding.

Omuso said, “The water is going down. There is no more flood this year. We have to plan against next year.”

Morris, who is undertaking an on-the-spot assessment of the flooding, said on Tuesday that he had visited communities across the three senatorial districts.

He disclosed that he was still in the field and had visited Biseni, Okordia communities, Kolo 2, Sampou (Governor Douye Diri’s community) and other communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area and Adagbabiri.

Other communities he has visited, which are submerged, according to him, are Akenfa and Akenpai in Yenagoa Local Government Area; Amassoma, Anibeze, Osifo and Abuetor are also said to be underwater with no emergency services, including temporary shelters to ameliorate the situation.

02/11/2024

JUST MY THOUGHT
What really do you do thanksgiving for?

31/10/2024

GOV. DIRI UNVEILS 2925 BUDGET WITH MAJOR ALLOCATIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, HEALTH, AND EDUCATION

ONH - Bayalsa state governor Douye Diri has presented a budget of N689,440,348,916.30, titled the “Budget of Assured Prosperity,” for the 2025 fiscal year on Thursday.

Presenting the budget during a plenary session of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Diri emphasized that implementing the 2025 budget would require efficiency and synergy across government ministries, departments, and agencies.

In the expenditure breakdown, Governor Diri allocated N178,761,880,407.32 to Works and Infrastructure, N47,111,696,198.40 to Education, and N37,850,000,000.00 to Sports. Other allocations included N13,680,000,000.00 for Urban and Housing Development, N14,450,000,000.00 for Energy and Power, N16,650,000,000.00 for Agriculture, N19,000,000,000.00 for Security, N19,194,188,466.00 for Health, and N10,200,000,000.00 for Community Development.

The governor noted that the success of the 2025 budget would largely depend on coordinated fiscal and recurrent policies. He expressed the government’s commitment to robust development aligned with the Assured Prosperity agenda.

“We have crafted this 2025 budget to mobilize funds for human and capital development initiatives covering the seven core areas of the Assured Agenda,” he said. “These areas include agricultural and rural revolution, the blue economy, sports and youth development, security and peace, urban and rural development, healthcare, energy generation, economic growth, tourism, and an education system focused on innovation and technology, all while keeping recurrent expenditure within sustainable limits.”

Reflecting on the achievements under the 2024 budget of N489,433,632,374.32, alongside a supplementary budget of N270,800,000,000.00, Diri highlighted projects such as the continuation of the three senatorial roads, internal road construction in Yenagoa, the establishment of technical colleges in all local government areas, grants to tertiary institutions, civil service wage awards, and youth training in agriculture for food security.

House Speaker Hon. Abraham Ingobara commended the governor for the new road projects connecting Yenagoa, Eniwari, and Opuama Kingdom, and praised his dedication to rural community development and constituency projects, reflecting his commitment to rural welfare.

The speaker further lauded the governor’s accomplishments in the education sector, which support the prosperity agenda and help prepare the younger generation for a globalized world.

30/10/2024

Bayelsa State Govt through Daniel Alabrah has declared on News Central TV that there would be uninterrupted power and water supply in six months. We are watching!

21/11/2022

NIGERIA'S POVERTY REPORT: MATTERS ARISING

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently released the highly anticipated multidimensional poverty report. The report put Nigeria’s poverty index at 0.257, with about 133 million people being multidimensionally poor.

Sokoto, Bayelsa, and Jigawa States led the list of states in Nigeria with the highest multidimensional poverty index, having an aggregate of 14.18 million impoverished people.

The government of Bayelsa State should not be amazed that the state is one of the poorest states in the country. Governments past failed to seriously encourage food production and wealth creation in the state. It's common knowledge that politicians in the state hijacked and appropriated CBN agricultural assistance to themselves. In light of the above, what can Diri do differently to transform Bayelsa from a state of consumption to production?

26/10/2022

BAYELSA: WHY WE HELD SUNDAY SERVICE AT BEER PARLOURS, OPEN SPACES - CHRISTIAN WORSHIPER NARRATES

ONH - A Christian worshipper in Bayelsa State has explained why he and other brethren decided to hold their Sunday service at a beer parlour and other open spaces over the weekend.

The resident who narrated their ordeal to newsmen on Monday said the recent floods in the state swept away many churches and residential houses.

Speaking anonymously with Vanguard Newspaper over the development, the resident said on Sunday many Christians defied their heavy flooded environment to hold their Sunday worship services at drinking joints and other open-air spaces free of floods.

According to him, the flood which has ravaged most parts of the state prevented many residents from accessing their places of worship, a situation that forced some to look for alternative places to worship.

Naija News learnt from the report that other residents whose churches were also submerged by the flood converged in barbing saloons and rented hotel rooms and halls to hold their Sunday worship service.

Some clergy, according to the resident, also visited the various Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps to minister to the people and hold worship services.

One of the worshipers who, however, identified herself as Daukoru Grey, interacted with newsmen and said: “Today I saw true Christians who against all odds looked for flood-free areas to hold church services.

“It’s doesn’t matter the location. What matters is the presence of God, because even the scriptures said anywhere one or two are gathered in His name, the presence of God is there.”

26/10/2022

FG COMMENCES PROCESS TO SHUT DOWN PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY PROGRAMME

Vanguard - The Federal Government has commenced the process to effectively shut down the Presidential Amnesty Programme by December 31, 2022.

It was learned that the government has already engaged an audit firm with a mandate to embark on a comprehensive audit of the programme from inception till date,

A source who spoke anonymously said the new Interim Administrator of the PAP, Maj Gen Barry Ndiomu, (rtd) had made it clear to the staff during a meeting in September that his mandate is to wind up the programme in six months.

Findings revealed that since the meeting, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear in the two offices of the programme in Abuja.

It was learned that in line with the presidential directive to shut down the PAP, the Amnesty Office has stopped further award of scholarships to students from impacted communities.

It was also learned that the operations of the office have been reduced drastically such that contract awarded for new training programmes have stopped forthwith.

A source said that the Presidency has already issued timelines to the new leadership of the Amnesty office to wind down the programme in adherence to the stipulated period.

A document allegedly in possession of the unit heads of the PAP with the title ‘Winding Down the Presidential Amnesty Programme’ specified the timelines for the various activities necessary for terminating the programme.

The terms of request of the document read, “a. Ensure the cessation of all processes of contract award immediately.

“b. Identify and profile beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from inception between 17 and 31” October, 2022.

“c. Engage a reputable Audit Firm indigenous to the Niger Delta Area to carry out and conclude by 30 November 2022, the audit of all Programmes undertaken by PAP from inception to ascertain:

“I. Total number and categories of programmes undertaken.
II. Total amount spent on the programme and on each programme component.
“III. Total number of ex-agitators trained, specifying their programmes.
“IV. Number and category of outstanding eligible beneficiaries.
“V. Ex-agitators still in various training institutions.
“VI. Number of leaders/beneficiaries of the monthly stipends.
“VII. Debt profile.
“d. Propose a mechanism for the settlement of outstanding debts, if any, by 31st December, 2022.
“e. Take inventory and compile the list of all movable and immovable property by 31st December, 2022.
“f. Embark on holistic consultation/engagement of critical stakeholders and public enlightenment on the imperative of winding down the PAP between. 1st and 30th November, 2022.”

It was also revealed that the Presidency is uncomfortable that the Amnesty Office which was established by the Yar’Adua Administration with 30,000 ex-agitators still runs with the same number after billions of Naira have been spent on training and reintegration programmes.

The Presidency therefore holds the view that the office which was designed to end in 2015, has become a drain pipe to government resources and ordered that it should be brought to an end under the Buhari administration.

It would be recalled that on Saturday, the Pan Niger Delta Forum urged President Muhammadu Buhari against plans to terminate the Presidential Amnesty Programme before the end of his administration.

The foremost Niger Delta group described as ill-advised the plan to hurriedly terminate the programme by the Buhari administration which has a few months to go.

any attempt to prematurely end the programme would be detrimental to the peace and stability of the Niger Delta;

“Going forward, the Amnesty Programme should be extended to include the full re-integration of all beneficiaries.”

There were widespread speculations that the Federal Government plans to end the Amnesty Programme due to paucity of funds and the fact that the programme designed to end after some years has lingered.

This has culminated in an eerie silence in the region as it has thrown up a number of issues issues awaiting clarifications.

While there is a prevalent view in the region that the Amnesty Office cannot be in existence for ever, stakeholders such as the Ijaw National Congress, the Ijaw Youths Council and PANDEF have raised concern against terminating the programme abruptly without achieving the objectives that inspired its establishment.

Izon News Digest

07/11/2024

02/11/2024

31/10/2024

30/10/2024

21/11/2022

26/10/2022

26/10/2022

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