Friday 27 September 2013

THE EMBARRASSING LONELINESS eOF OUR GOV. AND CULTURE MINISTER AT NAFEST 2013

Bayelsa Governor and Minister of Culture
This year's hosting of the annual festival of Arts and Culture was a welcome development. It has come and gone, but the memories of all that transpired will ever remain fresh in the minds of all Nigerians who were part of the festival and who were partakers of the good the bad and the ugly of it all. What concerns observers in the and even outsiders was the way what was a national project or programme ended up with just the Governor of Bayelsa State and the Minister of Arts and Culture at the high table. Not even governors or deputy governors of neighboring states were identified with the so much acclaimed National Festival. It was a great surprise that instead of another to represent Mr. President at the great, held in the Bayelsa State Capital Yenagoa, it was Dickson that stood in for Mr. President. The question begging for answers is what was in the mind of all the governors of the State not to attend, whereas in previous years NAFEST had been a national jamboree which no state toyed with or ignored. The none attendance of the governors from other states really sent a wrong signal and that is the signal that most states seem to abhor, hate or dislike Bayelsa State. Why is it that only the Governor of Bayelsa State and the Minister of Culture alone waving their hands and beaming with doubtful  smiles at the supposedly  august occasion.  Now Bayelsa is celebrating another great national event National Tourism the state is hosting. Bayelsa should try harder to see that the loneliness experienced as in this picture be not repeated.

Sunday 22 September 2013

REACTIONS TO SAHARA REPORTERS REPORT ON JONATHAN'S ENTOURAGE AND ACCOMODATION

 
Just as the President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan leaves the Nigeria to attend this year's General Assembly of the United Nations, Sahara Reporters were so ready to come out at this year's with one unbelievable report that, the entourage of Mr. President was exactly 600 persons. Sahara Reporters did not just stop there, but went on to as mentioning the hotels locations and costs per every room and published the same for reasons that cannot be fathomed out yet. Sahara Reporters many stupid things in that report and that is why the word unbelievable is used. It is unimaginable and as well unbelievable Sahara Reporters has gone so petty to talk about how many persons a president chooses to have as his entourage to where he wishes to go.  And what is the business of Sahara Reporters with the hotels the Nigerian  Presidents and his entourage are in the US. What Sahara Reporters have done with the said report is a serious concern to most Nigerians especially from the Niger Delta Region who condemn the report as a dangerous outing with a serious security implication. 
Golden Pen as a medium saw the report as too personal, highly provocative and a flagrant breach of international security protocol against Nigeria and the person of Mr. President and his entourage. If the duty of Sahara Reporters was to publish names of all the presidents and their entourage, their hotel rooms and costs and whatever it would have been understood in that light, but the issue that borders all Nigerians is, why single out the President of Nigeria and his entourage for this ill intentioned publication. Let us look at some of the words used by Sahara Reporters 
"The Nigerian delegation is by far the largest of any nation at this year's UN event.......The Nigerian leader...is in a presidential suite that will cost $10,000 per night. This means his tab alone , will hit at least $50,000. ......... Nigeria has become internationally known for wasting valuable development funds on lavish foreign trips..."
This is an insult that cannot be accepted and if Sahara Reporters were fair and fairly domesticated they should have known that what they are doing against Nigeria is unimaginable and unbelievably unfair. For Sahara Reporters to make such a report it could have been better to tell the world all the presidents of the nations and their entourage, the hotels they stay and how much each nation spent. Singling out Nigeria and her entourage seems to suggest that  Sahara Reporters hates Nigeria.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

NO SPLIT IN BAYELSA PDP: WE ARE FOR JONATHAN-SECRETARY

The Bayelsa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has come out to announce that there is no split in the PDP in Bayelsa the home front of the President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. This is contained in a Press statement signed by  the Chapter's Secretary, Hon. Keku Godpower and made available to the media in the Stat Capital Yenagoa. 
According to the Statement, the Bayelsa State Chapter of the PDP is intact for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the Governor of the State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson and committed to the retuning of Dr. Jonathan as President in the 2015 presidential race.
The  Secretary of the Bayelsa State Chapter of the PDP, Hon. Godpower denied claims that the party was now divided to old and new chapters. He emphasized that instead of split the PDP was now getting more united and ready, so as to give total support to Mr. President. The Statement reads in par thus:-
"The Peoples Democratic Party {PDP} in Bayelsa state remains one and indivisible body, marching ahead spiritually to fulfill its destiny as laid down by its founding fathers."

" We are one family resolute in the basic ideals of democracy, leadership and development of our people. We are not factionalized  and no amount of rumour mongering, insinuation or even incitement will change the situation...that we are resolutely behind President Goodluck Jonathan, our dear Governor, Hon. Serake Dickson and the national leadership of our great party. For the avoidance of doubt, we in the Bayelsa State Chapter of the PDP joined other states chairmen just yesterday in Abuja to affirm our loyalty and outright support to the Bamanga Tukur leadership and we stand  by this conviction as a matter of honour and decency...."

Tuesday 10 September 2013

PDP CRISIS: SYLVA SUPPORTERS IN BAYELSA EMBRACE NEW PDP

By Evans Tubonah 
 As the PDP crisis raises on across the country, Bayelsa State,  the home front of President Goodluck Jonathan had not allowed itself to be in the status of mere onlookers. This played out on Monday when some political heavy weights, supporters of the former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva defected to the new PDP led by its Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as Secretary. The Sylva group was said to have been fed up with the lawlessness and impunity displayed by the party managers who they say subverted both the party's Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They noted that there was every need to change the PDP from its darkness to light where righteousness, peaceful co-existence at all levels, and where Justice and fair play should be made the way of life. 
The Supporters of the former Governor, Chief Sylva comprised of top politicians of the state amongst whom were, the former Security Adviser of the State Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, the former Honorable Commissioner of Ministry of Water Resources, Chief K.D. Francis Itioekife,  the publisher of Spynet Magazine, Mr. Sidi Godwin, Alabo Martins, the former Chairman of Kolokuma/Opokuma, Hon. Ineye Igbainfegha, and many others all carpeted the old PDP its lawlessness and impunity . The group said, it has automatic follower ship because of existing  structures put in place by Chief Sylva when he was governor of the State.
In an interview with newsmen the Chairman of the group, Chief Kpodoh announced names of coordinators in the state capital and in the various Local Government Areas down to the ward level. He assured that the New PDP under the tested leadership of Alhaji Baraje will reposition the State PDP to a Party of higher values and ideals, and therefore called on the people to join the train.
In a telephone communication, a close supporter of the former governor who preferred anonymity, told Golden Pen that their deflection to the New PDP from the Old was not made known to Sylva.
Following this development, President Jonathan is said to be visiting Bayelsa today Tuesday, 10th September to see that his home base be free from entanglement in the ongoing ravaging PDP crisis across the country.
Meanwhile there has been much tension in the State capital and its environ following threats and counter threats by militant groups from the camps of Asari Dokubo and Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta [MEND]. The venue of the meeting was not know as at press time.  

PDP CRISES: Sylva Supporters move


Monday 9 September 2013

PDP FACTIONALISM WHEN WILL INEC SPEAK?

The political impasse bedeviling the Peoples Democratic Party to two factions has confirmed that things have fallen apart in the party. The PDP family which is believed to  being the largest political family in Africa has been in crisis for some time. In fact the unity of the PDP was trimmed down by the North at the death of the former President, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Dr. Jonathan emerged as his successor. From that  day some Northern politicians who saw other Nigerians as trees or lesser human beings saw no reason for an Ijaw man, a Niger Deltan or South-Southerner to be President. They began to sing such songs as rotation agreement, that Dr. Jonathan should only complete Yar'Adua's tenure and  not vie for presidency in 2011. There were sponsored bombings in Abuja and parts of the North as campaigns against Dr. Jonathan's Presidential ambition. Thanks to all the rest of the nation who stood behind the ticket of Jonathan as  the fittest candidate to fix Nigeria in her myriad of challenges.  And from the day of his election and when the celebration of his victory was high,  some disgruntled politicians who believed it must always be the North to produce the President or nobody, went to subversive statements that led to the emergence of that deadly violent group called Boko Haram which went rampage with indiscriminate bombings targeted at Christian Churches in the North. All that was done with threats of making Nigeria ungovernable to President Jonathan. All those provocative acts by those so called born to rule Northerners did not make Jonathan to hate the North but continued to love them and offered amnesty to those who were bent on destabilizing  his administration. Even at that, those who secretly worked against the President continued to fest around him in the guise or pretense of being trust worthy party men. President Jonathan and the majority of Nigerians have always seen reasons to support the President for his God fearing disposition and love for all Nigerians. Being that as it is, those Northerners with power seeking tendencies have worked crookedly to let hell loose on President Jonathan who ls Constitutionally mandated to go for a second tenure ticket . And with this transparent position of the Constitution favoring Dr. Jonathan to go for a second tenure ticket those beclouded with selfishness and blinded by greed continued to hit up the polity. The latest outing of the political greedy men in the PDP family was on the 31st of August during the National Convention of the party when Alhaji Atiki Abubakar led 7 governors to stage a walk out of the Convention, and addressed a Press Conference calling themselves the new PDP etc. All these don't  not matter and not important, what is important is that the Independent National Electoral Commission  INEC will not recognize two factions of a party, and Nigeria is waiting for the INEC to speak now that it is most appropriate. Which is the authentic PDP and which is the fake?

ATIKU, 7 GOVERNORS EXIT A WELCOME DEV. TO PDP- OBSERVERS

 On the 31st of August 2013 it was a great day for the Africa largest party, the PDP at the Eagle square Abuja where a special convention was packaged by the party's leadership, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur with a view to reposition the PDP for another political success in 2015. While President Jonathan, the Vice President, the BOT Chairman, Tony Aneniy and other party faithfuls were looking  forward to a hitch free Convention where many political handshakes were expected amongst attendants across the nation, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a one time Vice President of the Federation who turned rebellious against his boss then, had a secret agenda that was going to be another unprecedented event in the political history of the Country. Atiku Abubakar had before going to the convention plotted a political coup to wrest power from the hand of the  PDP Exco. led by its Alhaji Bamanga T. The former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar was able to lure some unsuspecting governors to his side in his attempt to overthrow the PDP in particular and the Nigerian Government under the leadership of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in  general. That Atiku and his co-plotters stormed the Eagle square with the governors he pocketed drove in also and took their positions. 
Atiku' must have concluded that his move to destabilize the party with his stooge governors was going to  earn him a title and or a brighter political future or relevance in the country, but that is rather a costly mistake he will regret forever. Atiku is not a good organizer of people and anyone who does not have organizing spirit is self centered and a repellant personality to any organization. If you look back at Atiku when he was the Vice President, he lost himself in power struggle with his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo and ignorantly attempted a political suicide, but time allowed him to continue in PDP till this unbelievable show of shame in the working out of the PDP National Convention by him and his seven mindless governors.
In the eyes of millions of others who share the views of this writer, the likes of Atiku Abubakar,and the seven governors: Sule Lamido Jigawa, Babangida Aliyu Niger, Aliyu Wamako Sokoto, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, Kano, Murtala Nyako Adamawa, Abdulfatai Ahmed and Rivers Rotimi Amaechi have all displayed incompetence by dancing in the market place and are no longer qualified to hold national office to represent our interest haven failed in the little capacities they were given to hold for us in trust. This vies held strongly because these people if made President or Ambassadors will no doubt run out of meetings or conventions and leave either Nigeria or Africa unrepresented. It is a costly mistake in politics, a type of coup that should not be ignored or swept under the carpet. A committee has to be set up by the PDP to investigate the matter and relegate them to the abyss of political history. 
Come to think of it their exit should rather be seen as a welcome development and an answer to prayers that every bad egg in the PDP or in the Government of President Jonathan that are not for good be flushed out. Let them therefore goooooooooooo. And they cannot even impersonate PDP, because PDP is a registered party with its own structure and any attempt to claim paralleling PDP by Atiku and his seven miss-road governors tantamount s criminality the appropriate authorities need not ignore.
Anyone or group no matter how well or wrongly placed that try to raise their voices to say that the God chosen Son of the Niger Delta, South-South Nigeria of the Ijaw ethnic nationality,  Bayelsa State, Ogbia Local Government Area of Otueke Community, His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan should not contest in 2015 are not on the path of righteousness, because the Constitution allows him a second tenure ticket.








Friday 6 September 2013

ASARI DOKUBO'S INSULTS ON MR. PRESIDENT AN ABOMINATION TO AFRICA

Asari Dokubo and his own flag
The former militant leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, Alhaji Asari Dokubo has gone too far in the name of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality to talk recklessly  and publish reckless statements against the Cultured and God fearing people of the Ijaw race in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is a big disgrace to us especially the people of Ijaw to continue to listen to the uncultured talks and his own Buguma community he had almost quarreled or abused all those he wishes to just to announce that he is the Prince of Kalabari, and the strongest man of the Niger Delta who can say the final Yes! on any matter. This type of reasoning must have given him the got to abuse whoever including the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, that he was.."too weak". Asari Dokubo said a lot against the person and office of the President that he was not acting like an Ijaw man, just because PDP had a crisis and Mr. president was in the eye of the storm trying to sort out matters. What Asari Dokubo should know is that there is no way for him to be the first in anything in this world, in Africa, in Nigeria, in the South-south, the Niger Delta, in Rivers State and even in his own town and community Kalabari and Buguma. If he wants to boast because of his being Prince of Buguma he should not forget that there are greater and more prominent Princes in the world and in all the areas mentioned above. If Asari feels that because he was a militant whatever he says the nation and indeed the Presidency must jump up to act at once otherwise the nation is weak in his eyes and belief is arrant nonsense. He boast too much of destructive powers  in his utterances and postings. The power he thinks he has and would want Mr. President to use is most undesirable  to Mr. President, because the President is the father of this great nation and would rather build than to destroy. The split of the ruling party was not a sufficient reason for Mr. President to have released   a blow to someone or sent forces to attack and destroy people and communities just because PDP was divided to look tough in the eye of Asari Dokubo. One thing Dokubo should know that the Ijaw race has astute traditions and culture that does not play with seniority and or elders. A true Ijaw man must give respect to his elders even if the seniority is just for a day. The Ijaw man does not also dis respect his Amanyanabo (King),and every constituted authority. He should know that the way he is behaving and the way he talks is the direct opposite of the ways of the Ijaw man. The best option for Asari Dokubo is therefore apologize to Mr. President for calling him "too weak" and for embarrassing the Ijaw race. President Jonathan needs Joseph and not Osama bin Laden to make his administration successful or gain electoral victory. And let him know that he does not represent the Ijaw people in his undomesticated languages and utterances.   
By Chief Tubonah Evans

Wednesday 4 September 2013

BAYELSAN WORKERS GO SPIRITUAL INVOKE EZEKIEL 34

Workers in the Oil rich Bayelsa State of Nigeria have taken their problems of frequent salaries deduction and delayed salary payments of civil servants to Pastors and other spiritual heads for divine intervention. The government of Bayelsa,  according to some workers who spoke to Golden Pen stated that the Restoration administration led by Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has made a u turn from timely salary payment to unnecessary Daniel said the Restoration government has shown that those at the saddle have more interest on their own individual welfare than the welfare of the people of the state.
Mr. Daniel said the continued cut of salaries from poor civil servants of the state has further impoverished them, and wondered why the little that was being expected at the end of the month was delayed into the next month a situation he described as worrisome and anti-progressive. He explained that rather than having direct confrontation with government most of the workers have resorted to seeking spiritual solution to the precariously deteriorating money wahala  in the state civil service. Supporting Mr. Daniel's position, another Civil Servant who gave his name as Mr. Brakemi said that his prayer point has been based on Ezekiel 34 which as he puts it, will attract divine intervention so that the poor will not continue to cry unto God for help. 
In a sharp reaction to the delay in salary payment a lady civil servant an Accountant, Mrs Seiyefa explained that truly, the salary payment of these months cannot be compared to what was the case at the early period of the Restoration Government. She however attributed the experience as not unconnected with Governor Dickson's long absence in the state, who said the governor had been on leave  expressed hope that things may improve in the future.when he resumes.
Mr. Ingonabo who said he was at the verge of retirement this year, told this medium that he had never been drilled like this in his civil service career with month to month verification exercises and salary cuts.to the bones of the workers . Efforts to contact Government high ranking officials to comment on the issue was unsuccessful at press time.  

Monday 2 September 2013

PDP AND ITS MANY TROUBLES WHAT BAYELSANS SAY

Chief Anthony Anenih
The Peoples Democratic Party is unarguably the largest party in Africa and that is because of the Tom Dick and Harry that are in it, which started with controversies. At the early period of the forth Republican democratic experiment the PDP came out with one strange political ideology or philosophy called 'harmonization', an ideology that gave people in privileged positions to do whatever they liked with impunity without the fear of God. They oppress the poor and snatched the rights of the orphans of their positions and impoverish the defenseless. This attitude of the PDP, observers noted was the seed sowed that has now germinated and yielded so much fruit of its kind. The PDP at that tender age of its existence was said to have used the controversial harmonization abracadabra to rob Peter to Pay Paul and in the process caused acrimony buried in the hearts of almost every member of the party, whose father, mother, sister, brother, friend and or self had suffered deprivation in the name of harmonization. In fact it was like that is the tradition of Nigerian politics, because whatever PDP does, is like what Nigerians do because it is the ruling party.  There is no sufficient space to catalog the crisis of PDP at all levels, but one can just mention the very recent efforts made by some party big wigs to broker peace. The new B.O.T Chief Tony Aninih, the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson have in their own individual capacities brokered peace that ended up with political acceptance that ended at the surface and never at heart. The National Convention of Saturday 31st August 2013 is a show of shame and a monumental disgrace. PDP should make a u turn for the better.   

Sunday 1 September 2013

PRESIDENT JONATHAN AND THE BAYELSA PRESS

His/Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan
The National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP of Saturday the 31st of August 2013 has shown that the Reuben Abati led media managers of Mr. President have relegated the Bayelsa Press to the background. This is because the Baylsa Press which had a cordial relationship with Dr. Jonathan when he was the Deputy Governor and Governor respectively of Bayelsa before his elevation to the Presidency have in their heart that the President is their kinsman and saw no reason for their being sidelined or deliberately  excluded in the scheme of things at national events. The Bayelsa Press deserves inclusion in view of the fact that they have a role to play in informing the grassroots of the events of the nation with Dr. Jonathan as President. The Bayelsa State Press had suffered accreditation denials to the detriment of the people of the State. Publishers in the State who were ready to storm Abuja for the PDP Convention were disappointed as all efforts to get accreditation proved abortive. This must be a mistake that need to be corrected especially now that the Bayelsa State Press is all out to drum support for the President in the 2015 Presidential election. It is also a thing of concern to the Bayelsa Press especially the Newspaper Publishers that the Dr. Reuben Abati led Presidential image makers did not allow them to see Mr. President even at home in Otueke while fellow Nigerians from other parts of the country gained free access. Dr. Abati Should not take this as confrontation but rather a move to build bridges for unity and cohesiveness in our collective zeal to return, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan as President in 2015.
By Evans Tubonah