Technical Adviser to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri on Information and Strategy, Barr. Owoupele Jeremiah has said the factional Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) Dr. Dennis Otiotio should honorably tender his resignation letter as APC helmsman and concentrate on his private life.
The statement reads in parts, “I have carefully listened to the radio interview of the disputed Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Dr. Dennis Otiotio.
“While I submit that he raised a few issues that need attention, I’m however unable to reconcile his avowed love for Bayelsa when placed side by side his submission that it took him three weeks to visit the Santa Barbara oil well blowout that has spilled an unquantifiable amount of gas and oil into our aquatic environment.
In the words of Otiotio in a live transmitted radio program over the weekend, “I’m a leader and I love Bayelsa. And, as you know, I accompanied the Minister of State to visit the site, he said“
Reacting to the above statement, Owoupele state; “it is evident that the disputed APC State Chairman was not serious with his claim of being a patriot. Rather he is using this to deceive some gullible minds.
“A site that is within his home vicinity suffered the evil of massive pollution, yet he was relaxed. By his own admission, about 140,000 barrels has been unethically discharged into our environment within three weeks. That he found nothing urgent but remained in his comfort zone tells a deep story of self-centeredness.
“Recall that His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri upon his return from an official trip overseas, proceeded to Nembe to assess the situation. This was in spite of the fact that he had earlier made pronouncements about the spillage before visiting the site.
“When these actions are placed side by side, the Governor certainly has demonstrated unquestionable leadership. This has also been attested to by the people of Opu-Nembe Kingdom, who have commended the Governor for his action and for bringing succour to them.
“In the light of this, Dr. Otiotio should immediately relinquish his disputed position and continue with his private life. His actions are truly below the standard for leadership and deserves nothing but absolute rebuke.
The statement continues, “Criticism is good when it proffers alternative options. Unfortunately, the APC leader displayed a low level of understanding of governance and never proffered any better course of action. This he exhibited when he made a failed comparison in terms of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Rivers and Bayelsa States.
“He might not be aware that between January and June 2021, the Rivers State government generated about N57bn, which translated to about N9bn monthly. This figure dwarfs even some of our state’s FAAC receipts.
“The inability of the APC leader to get his facts right shows his poor understanding of governance. For instance, Dr. Otiotio said in the 2022 state Appropriation Bill before the House of Assembly, the Ministry of Budget and Planning was allotted N7bn, which in his view was a misnomer as it is just a policy-making ministry. For this reason, he called for the withdrawal of the budget.
“Sadly, he misfired again with his voodoo figures. In the 2022 budget estimates before the Assembly, the Ministry was actually allotted N500m. One therefore wonders where he always got his figures from.
“As a government, we are always open to positive and constructive criticism and not one whose major objective is to play to the gallery.
“We look forward to better, passionate and results-oriented criticism” Owoupele added.
