A group known as “The Destiny Movement TDM” has enumerated the qualities the electorate in Bayelsa should look out for in whom they would vote as Bayelsa’s next Governor.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that that the advice is in a communiqué after one day roundtable, organised on Wednesday in Yenagoa by TDM, entitled “Bayelsa State and the Leadership Question: Problems and Prospects”.
Stakeholders, including politicians, academia, women, youth groups and Community Based Organisations (CBOs), said the next occupant of Creek Haven must be someone who has “vision, discipline, wisdom, courage, humility, a sense of duty and all other virtues”.
The one-day roundtable which was organised by Sen. John Brambaifa and Sen. Nimi Barigha-Amange-led Destiny Movement, was chaired by a former President of Ijaw National Congress, Prof. Kimse Okoko, with Prof. Ambily Etekpe of the Institute of Niger Delta Studies as keynote speaker.
The Chairman of TDM, Sen. John Brambaifa, said the conference was convoked with the theme: “Bayelsa State and the Leadership Question: Problems and Prospects”, to look dispassionately into the various problems bedeviling the state with a view to proffering solutions to them.
They regretted that since the emergence of the present political dispensation, governors who ruled the state had been imposed on the people either by the Presidency or the national working committee of political parties.
The communiqué said: “That Bayelsa State problem is leadership, that by natural resources of the state and its human potential have not been developed and utilised properly for the development of the state.
“That the leader of the state must have vision, discipline, wisdom, courage, humility, a sense of duty and all other virtues.
“That the economy of the state is virtually affected and needs infrastructure development, functional educational system, skills acquisition and capacity building among others.
“That in order to ensure good governance, a proper electoral system that is free and fair must be entrenched in our state.”
The communique said political parties should enhance and empower their democratic mechanism and encourage membership participation in the affairs and deliver good governance.
“That eradication of poverty should be driven to the barest, as poverty have been used over the years as a tool for political thuggery and violence.
“The conference agreed that Bayelsa must hence be on the front role with the governorship election coming up in three weeks time that the public should get involved and participate in the process of choosing a Governor of their choice.
“That the security condition has become worrisome and something must be done urgently about that and all issues should be tackled seriously to reduce the security issues in the state.
“That the private sector, NGOs, free will organisation and all stakeholders should come together and ensure the stability, development and prosperity of our dear state,” it said.
