Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has stressed the need to allow the establishment of functional state-owned police across Nigeria.
Diri spoke during the gala night to wrap up the 2022 Ijaw Diaspora Convention in Newark, New Jersey State in the United States of America. He said the operations of state police would end the state of insecurity in the country.
In a statement yesterday by his Director, New Media, Dr. Kola Oredipe, the governor insisted on the restructuring of Nigeria and devolution of powers to the states.
He said the Federal Government should respect the true dictates of a federal system of government that is fashioned after the US democratic system where equity, fairness and justice remain the order of the day.
Diri said: “The security challenges are there in Nigeria and that is why some of us are asking for the restructuring of Nigeria. There has to be devolution of powers to the states.”
He noted that the current administration in Bayelsa State was investing massively in security to create enabling environment for investments to thrive.
The governor informed the Ijaw Diaspora about development in Bayelsa State, including the ongoing construction of the three senatorial roads, the news that was received with excitement.
He added: “Through the three senatorial roads, we are connecting many riverine communities by roads. We also want to ensure that all our local government headquarters hitherto not linked by road are connected.
He urged the Ijaws in the diaspora to ensure they work closely with the national executive of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and add their voices to trending national debates and promotion of the culture of the fourth largest ethnic group in the country.
The Chairman on the occasion and member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr Fred Agbedi, stressed the need for the Ijaw people to continue to unite and urged those in the diaspora to always contribute to the development of their state back home.
The President of the Ijaw Diaspora Council, Prof. Mondy Gold, expressed the appreciation of the council to the governor and other top Ijaw leaders for their attendance and participation, saying that the forum had formed a strong network across the globe to stand firmly together for the progress of the Ijaw nation.
Also, the Interim Administrator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (rtd), has appealed to the Niger Delta people in the Diaspora to come home and invest their money in the region.
Dikio reeled off various opportunities in the region, especially in maritime, agriculture and oil and gas, saying the sectors were begging for investments.
Speaking at the 2022 Ijaw Diaspora Convention, which was held in New Jersey, USA, on July 3, Dikio referred to the palm oil sub-sector as another opportunity with huge economic potential begging for attention.
He decried the emphasis on crude oil, explaining that palm oil had a broader market, greater economic value and better profit if serious investments could be made to harness it.
Dikio in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media, Neotabase Egbe, described the opportunities in the region as new market frontiers waiting for investors to unlock them and reap bountiful economic benefits.
He allayed the security fears of those in the Diaspora saying the interventions of the amnesty office had calmed down frayed nerves and restored peace in the region.
He told them that he had redesigned the training programmes of ex-agitators with the introduction of the novel Train, Employ and Mentor (TEM) initiative.
