The Bayelsa State Government has called on the Aiteo Group to expedite action to contain the oil spill that occurred at its facility in the Nembe Local Government Area of the state.
The state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made the call on Wednesday at the 57th session of the State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa. Senator Diri who expressed concern over the spillage of crude oil and its attendant degradation of the environment, called on Aiteo to take urgent steps at initiating remediation efforts towards ensuring that the spill at its facility was brought under control.
He further stated that government would embark on an on-the-spot assessment at the spill site to assess the extent of damage caused by the spill. To this end, Senator Diri directed the Commissioner for Environment, his Mineral Resources counterpart, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Governor’s office; the Commissioner for Information, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security One (1) as well as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice to undertake an on-the-spot assessment at the spill site.
Senator Diri also assured business owners in the state of improved security to enable them engage in their legitimate endeavours as the government was taking steps to arrest the situation. According to him, insecurity is not peculiar to Bayelsa State, noting that the state is comparatively one of the safest in the country. He disclosed that the government was taking every necessary step to restructure the security architecture of the state.
His Words: “I want to use this opportunity to encourage our brothers, who are in the state doing business, especially Igbo traders. The government is taking every necessary step in the right direction to recalibrate our security architecture. “The most important thing is to identify the problem and admit that you have a problem. As a government, we have admitted that we have a security problem and we are taking steps to address it. “The Commissioner of Police has reeled out some of the measures we have taken, and more measures would be taken as approved by the governor.”
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Deputy Governor, Senator Ewhrudjakpo, cleared the air on speculations concerning the absence of Governor Diri from the state. The Deputy Governor dispelled rumours that the governor was out on a jamboree, insisting that the governor’s trip was to woo investors to the state in the interest of the people. According to him, what makes a local economy vibrant is the inflow of external investments, adding that the erroneous impression that the governor was on a jamboree was not only unfair but also unfounded.