CHEVRON BEGINS N1.3B PROJECTS IN DELTA COMMUNITIES

As part of efforts to curb youth restiveness in Delta State, projects worth about N1.3 billion are to be sited in 23 Itsekiri communities in the state in the next few months.

The bidding for the projects was carried out at a ceremony in Warri, presided over by the Chairman of Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC), Hon. Omamofe Pirah, and some senior staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited.

IRDC was established by Chevron Nigeria Limited as a follow-up to the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) signed between it and Itsekiri host communities, which placed direct development on the people of the areas.

Hon. Pirah disclosed that N1.80 billion had been in the council’s project account as at February 20, this year, being the contribution of Chevron for three years with interests at N34 million, and that N1.3 billion would be used for developmental projects in the communities.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan commended the Itsekiri youths for efforts aimed at developing their areas without the use of violence to attract the attention of Chevron or the state government to their plight.

Speaking through his Special Adviser on Oil and Gas, Mr. Ekere Kusoh, he acknowledged that the state government had never had any problem with the Itsekiri youths as “they always follow due process in their agitation.”

Chairman, Community Engagement Management Board of Chevron, Mr. Jide Ajide, urged stakeholders to ensure peace in their areas, noting that this is the only condition that would attract the desired development in the oil and gas-producing areas.

He commended the IRDC leadership for their cooperation with the oil firm and promised to sustain and build on the relationship that already exists between the two parties.

PARENTS PLEAD FOR RELEASE OF TWO TODDLERS

Parents of two kidnapped toddlers have pleaded for the release of their children.

Chimaraoke and Kelechi Okocha, aged two and one-and-half years respectively, were seized on Feb. 26, by unknown gunmen on their way to the University of Port Harcourt Day Care Centre.

Their father, Rufus, told newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday that the kidnappers had reduced the ransom demanded from N80 Million to N10 Million.

“Since their kidnap, I have not been myself. I have not done anything to deserve this kind of treatment.

“Indeed, I do not know if my children are eating, or if they are kept in a mosquito-infested area,” he said.

Okocha appealed to the abductors to release his children in the name of God as he was only a businessman and did not have what the kidnappers were demanding.

His wife, Choice, also begged the kidnappers to free her children, stressing that as toddlers, they were on special diet.

“Please, tell me what will my children be eating now. How are they being kept and on what condition,” she cried.

Choice pleaded with Rivers people to prevail on the kidnappers to release her children because they did not deserve what they were going through.

WHY I ACCEPTED TO SERVE IN SYLVA'S CABINET—AMBA-AMBAIOWEI

A strong critic of the administration of Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State, Capt. Wisdom Amba-Ambaiowei (rtd), has given reasons for his acceptance of a position in the cabinet of the present administration in the state

Amba-Ambaiowei, who only recently reconciled with the Bayelsa governor following his appointment as a Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Ethics and Good Governance, said after his first meeting with the governor, he discovered that he and his policies may not be as bad as he thought.

Speaking before a large section of the media in Yenagoa, Capt. Wisdom Amba-Ambaiowei said his offer of appointment came after the governor had accepted his 25-point conditions of serving in his cabinet, noting that the governor’s action was not based on fear or attempts to bribe him in any form.

He said: “In accepting the offer to serve, I have at the back of my mind that I have a lot to offer to the governor in terms of fighting against corruption and advising him to steer the state in the right course.

Thus nobody should insinuate that the governor appointed me out of fear and has not bribed me in any form.

“Rather he was wise enough to have appointed me to see that I come to assist and advise him in particular government decision making. I am pretty aware that if I am to do my work effectively, I might be stepping on people’s toes and therefore expect the media to always come to my aid.

I also pray that the general public should report any fraudulent act by any government official to this office.”

On why he took on the position of a viable critic of policies and actions of the present administration since inception, he said his positions on styles adopted in tackling issues of hostage taking and militancy, was not meant to ridicule the administration but to create a new direction in the handling of the issues.

“I was not fighting the governor on personal grounds but rather for the general good of the state and the Izon in general.

“When two brothers fight or quarrel over anything, it should be fought with ‘no victor, no vanquished’ in mind and with caution.

"As an elder statesman and since nobody seems to be in opposition in attempting to checkmate the excesses of the government activities that do not seem to conform to the general will, I took up the fight against the governor being the head of the government and nothing more or less.”

BAYELSA DEPUTY SPEAKER, SIX OTHERS SUSPENDED

Barely forty eight hours after the conduct of the state congress of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in defiance of a caucus meeting where it was unanimously agreed that the present crop of executives from ward to state level be retained, the state working committee of the party has suspended the Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Nestor Benabo and six others.

The party in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Chukwudi Alfred Itiedu, also announced the suspension of the chairman of the parallel executive, Chief Rufus Abadi, and his Secretary, Mr. James Agari.

Others include, the Leader of the state of House of Assembly, Hon. Nadu Karibo, the state Commissioner for Energy, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, Hon. Hawkins Kalabo and Hon. Aaron Alokpa.

The members, who were handed a thirty day suspension, were also given one week to appear before a seven-man disciplinary committee of the party to defend themselves.

The statement read in part, “the attention of the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has been drawn to a purported state congress today (Thursday) February 28, 2008 where a list of new state executive committee was read out as duly elected.

“We wish to state that despite the purported congress, the party wishes to restate its resolve to abide by the decision of the state caucus meeting held on February 18, 2008 to maintain the current executive committees at all levels from the ward to state."

KIDNAPPERS KILL HOSTAGE AFTER COLLECTING RANSOM

MR Njo Amadi, who was abducted from his home last Saturday by unknown gunmen, was found dead on Thursday, even after his relatives had paid a ransom of N2 million for his release.

This happened just before the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Flush Out 3, foiled a kidnap/ robbery attempt on a company, CBC, in the Trans-Amadi Industrial area of Port Harcourt in the early hours of Friday.

BAYELSANEWS.BLOGSPOT.COM gathered that the relatives of Njo Amadi had been contacted by his abductors and made to pay N2 million for his release after which they directed them (the relatives) to go to a street off Iwofe, where they promised to abandon their victim.

The family members, who had followed the description given them eventually found the corpse of Njo on the street.

It will be recalled that security agencies in the state as well as the state government had maintained a zero tolerance policy towards ransom payment.

A source, who has close contacts with the family of Amadi disclosed to reporters that the deceased’s first son had been arrested by the police for interrogation when he was first abducted last week.

According to him, Njo had been in serious confrontation with his wife and children and had vacated his home for the safety of his life, as one of his sons had threatened to kill him during a serious misunderstanding.

Confirming the development, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers Police command, Mrs Ireju Barasua, said she heard of it in the command’s briefing, but that nothing had been said about any ransom payment.

She however promised to get a more detailed briefing on it and get back to the press with it.

In another development, the JTF, at about 3:42 am, yesterday foiled an attempted kidnap/robbery attack on one of the companies in the Trans-Amadi business area of Port Harcourt.

According to information, the hoodlums, numbering about 20, were armed with all sorts of dangerous weapons ranging from guns to machetes and hammers.

They had dealt deadly blows on some of the staff of the company who were at work before one of them managed to escape and alerted a JTF patrol team that was about 1,000 meters away.