An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Chief Izzi Yakiah, has accused the incumbent governor Senator Douye Diri and his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, of allowing no less than seven Bayelsa-owned industries to become moribund.
He listed the moribund industries to include Bayelsa State Plastic Industry; Bayelsa Fish Farm at Igbogene; Bayelsa Palm; Bayelsa State Drug Distribution Company; and many others.
Yakiah asked the leadership of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Bayelsa Elders Forum, the Founding Fathers Forum, the Ogbia Brotherhood, the Civil Liberty Organisation and other ethnic groups to ask the two state governors why those industries went moribund under their watch.
He stated this while accusing the Bayelsa government’s media team of disseminating falsehood and baseless stories to mislead Bayelsa Youths who had little knowledge about Sylvia’s contributions and service to Bayelsa State development from 2017 to 2012 when he served as governor.
Yakiah said since former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva left office 13 years ago, the state has not had any functional industry that is operating in the state apart from the Ebedebiri Cassava factory that was privatised and now operates skeletally in Sagbama Council Area.
He added that Sylva’s 2023 Governorship six-points agenda which includes, Human Capital Development, Gas Based Economy, Infrastructure, Agriculture, Stable Electricity Power and Security remains the key to rescue the homogenous Ijaw State from failed promises of prosperity, rising poverty index as well as achieve the yearnings of Bayelsans to reposition the state for economic growth and stability.
Recall Sylva, a former minister of State for Petroleum Resources and 2023 APC governorship candidate, was edged out of office as Bayelsa State governor in 2012, paving the way for Dickson’s eight years in office. Diri has been governor since 2019.
But, the APC chieftain in a statement, warned the Diri-led administration to desist from attempts to blackmail Sylva over the governance of the state.
He said “Between 2013 to 2025, Bayelsa State under two different governors, mismanaged over seven industries that ordinarily would have employed Bayelsa people and boosted the state internally generated revenue.”
Yakiah added that while the five universities operating in the state continued to produce thousands of graduates annually, the “leadership of Ijaw National Congress, Bayelsa Elders Forum, the Founding Fathers Forum, the Ogbia Brotherhood, the Civil Liberty Organisation and other ethnic groups to interface with the government of the day why the Bayelsa State Plastic Industry, the Bayelsa Fish Farm at Igbogene, Bayelsa Palm, Bayelsa State Drug Distribution Company and many others are practically moribund without plans of revitalisation.”
He however urged the Bayelsa people to reject continued blackmail, character assassination and wrong interpretation of Sylva’s personality by those he called “unprepared political leaders in the state.”
He accused such leaders of resorting to that action during the electioneering season, adding that Sylva has remained sensitive to the wellbeing of Bayelsa people and has often facilitated partnership with the federal government to develop the state.
The chieftain recalled how the Sylva’s administration “sand-filled the hectare of land that houses the Niger Delta University main campus at Amassoma community and also championed the accreditation of the University Faculty of law, an institution today that has gone on indefinite strike over the state Government inability to honour agreements previously reached with the institution academic staff union.”
Izzi however said the university’s academic engagement was halted because of “Non-implementation of 25/35% salary increment; non-payment of arrears from January 2023; non-implementation of the N80,000 new minimum wage; non-payment of annual step increment arrears dating back to 2018; and non-payment of promotion arrears from 2018 including provision of on-campus residential accommodation for staff.”
He recalled that Sylva’s educational programmes provided opportunities for over 300 Bayelsans to study in Russia, Malaysia and other countries.
He said the former minister has a strong history of positive influence that has helped many Ijaw sons and daughters to serve in various capacities in the nation’s public service.
He noted that the former governor facilitated “the appointment of three Bayelsans as Federal Government Commissioners, over thirty persons into various Federal Government agencies/Institutions board and employment of many Ijaw people into various Federal Government agencies when he served as Minister in the administration of former President, Muhammadu Buhari.”
