The Governor òf Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, has on Thursday decried the unfortunate underdevelopment of the Niger Delta. He the people of Niger Delta have made great sacrifices to build Nigeria. The Governor stated this when led a high powered delegation of top Ijaw leaders and traditional rulers to condole with the Sultan òf Sokoto and the Government and people of Sokoto State on the death of former President Shehu Shagari.
The Governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, quoted him as saying that it had become necessary for the productive alliance between the North and the Ijaws who are indigenous to the six coastal states òf Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Ondo to be reworked in order to sustain its mutual benefits.
He said that the alliance should be adjusted and refocused to prevent the neglect of the Niger Delta and the indiscriminate sacking of qualified citizens of the area from their positions. Adding that the Ijaw people deserved better treatment having made sustained efforts and great sacrifices for the development and stability of the Nigerian Federation.
“The Ijaw nation is by this visit reminding the leadership of the North of our historic alliance which has served our nation, our people and the need for us to go back to it, renew it, deepen it, and rework it so that never again do we have a situation, where we have Ijaw sons and daughters thrown out of offices.
“Never again do we have a situation where you have development abandoned in Ijaw nation, in this great country that our people have made great sacrifices to build, a nation that we are making great sacrifices for, never again are we left out where there are key decisions are to be made.”
The delegation included HRM King Alfred Diette-Spiff, HRM King Luke, King Uwaba, Former Minister òf Aviation, Alabo Tonye Graham Douglas, AVM Larry Koiyan, the President òf the Ijaw National Congress, Professor Joseph Ayenka, the Chairman, Bayelsa Council òf Elders, Chief Francis Kpakula, Former Director General òf the Department òf State Services, Mr. Matthew Seiyefa, Former Minister òf Police Affairs, Mr. Broderick Bozimo, and Former Permanent Secretary Ministry of Power, Ambassador God knows Igali.
The delegation earlier visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and Shagari family where they were received by received by the eldest son, Alhaji Bala Shagari.
The Sultan while thanking the delegation when he received them in his palace also used the opportunity to is the first to condole with Governor Dickson, on the death of his mother, Ma Goldcoast Dickson.
