TRACKING_____The deputy speaker of Bayelsa state house of Assembly Hon. Michael Ogbere has dissociated himself of allegation from timber dealeras union in Burutu local government areas Delta State.
Hon. Michael Ogbere the member representing Ekeremor constituency 3 and a member of the house Committee on environment in Bayelsa State House of Assembly.
TrackNews recalled that timber dealers union from Burutu local government area accused the deputy speaker Hon. Michael Ogbere that he is sending his boys to extort illegal levys from them in Ekeremor local government area of Bayelsa State.
In a brief chat with TrackNews, the deputy speaker condemned the allegation as baseless and said they are only looking for a way to tarnish is good reputation that he has build over the years.
He said, ” These are the same persons last year June went and attacked the vendor and other workers that are representing the Bayelsa State government and the matter was brought to me as the member representing that area”
“And i am fully aware of how much the Bayelsa State government spent at that moment. And all the timbers you are seeing from that creek is coming from Bayelsa state. That particular area the Delta people not even producing a single timber all is coming from Bayelsa state and is the duty of the state government to collect revenue and all the people you see there calling themselves timber union is from Delta State non of them is from Bayelsa State. And the Bayelsa state government spent millions of naira during the short down of operation sometime last year to this year January.”
“As a mattee fact, and the level they have taking it to, i have briefed my lawyers and i have asked them to take it up from there so that some of those boys will come to the court and prove their allegation.”
“They will come to the court and prove whether i am the contractor. They will also come and prove whether i am the Managing Director (MD) of the company.”
” You know sometime last year when Udengs Eradiri was the commissioner for environment he invited them for a meeting but they refused to come. When Udengs tenure expired, the permanent Secretary who is the acting commissioner of the ministry also invited them for a meeting but refused as usual. The funny part of is that i was the highest timber dealer in this region as far as Niger Delta is concern. So when it comes to timber issue i virtually know 100% of everything concerning timber in our region.”
” I am not a contractor, i am not even the vendor that the government appointed to collect forestry revenue from timber dealers. But i am a member of the house Committee on environment so is something that has to do with my oversight functions that is why i have pre-knowledge of what is happening in that area.”
” If you go to other local government areas everybody is working quietly there was complain, but Ekeremor local government area is sharing boundary with Delta state. And you know the Delta people that are there claiming to be timber union are not even producing a single timber in there forest. All the timber you see in that river is coming my community, Egbe-ama Angalbiri, Azagbene, Amabulo, Ayama, Lalagbene, Angalaoweigbene and others, these are the ones where you can have good forest to tap timber business.”
