LATEST ON BAYELSA GOVERNORSHIP: NIGERIANS AWAIT IGP'S INVESTIGATION REPORT, AS LEGAL BATTLES CONTINUE IN TRIBUNAL AND SUPREME COURT

The last had not been heard of the Bayelsa State Governorship election of November 16, 2019 for the following reasons.

First of all, the APC had not given-up hope on regaining their electoral mandate to govern the Oil Rich Niger Delta State, Bayelsa because of an ongoing Investigation by the Office of the Inspector General of Police on the certificates of the deputy Governor elect of the APC, Senator.Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo, whose mandate was denied by the Supreme Court on widespread allegations of certificates forgery.

 Degi Eremienyo vehemently  denied the allegations and called on the Office of the IGP to investigate and verify the fact that he didn't forge any of his certificates and give true report of findings to vindicate him from the false allegations and accusations.

Secondly, there are still cases   pending in Courts, at the  Election Tribunal on the same November 16, 2019  BayelsaState Governorship election which the APC won with a wide margin of 352,552 votes as against the 143,172 votes of the PDP, but was denied by the Supreme Court 24hrs to inauguration, transferred the Peoples mandate to Douye Diri and Ewhrudjakpo as Governor and Deputy Governor of Bayelsa state.

But there has been disquiet within the PDP family, because of the sound of war drums being played there.

The disquiet indisputably had reached epic proportions, as one of the top contenders for the PDP ticket at the party's Governorship primary in Bayelsa, Mr. Timi Alaibe had filed an.appeal to the Supreme Court, against the procedures used in the election that led to the emergence of Senator Douye Diri as PDP flagbearer in the November 16, 2019 Governorship election.

Timi Alaibe, a former Director of Finance and Administration Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) turned politician, in the political ring wrestled with Douye Diri and other  PDP Governorship aspirants to secure the mandate of the flagbearer through constitutional means, but was denied due to what he described as irregularities, and had since been in Court seeking redress.

Timi Alaibe's move to the Apex Court is therefore not unconnected to establishing his position that:

"... the results of the primary was affected by inherent flaws bordering on disrespect for legal procedures and party guidelines.

"For instance for the provision of Section 50 (1) of the Party Constitution the authority to formulate guidelines all matters relating to the Governorship primary is vested in the NEC of the PDP. The election of adhoc deligates is one of such matters."

"... strangely the panel set up to undertake the exercise simpiy imposed . . a list of electoral and returning officers prepared by the state officers of the party.who are avowed members of the orchestrated Restoration Team. Thus the process was deliberately handed over to the Restoration Team... our protest was ignored."

Due to the strong allegations of irregularities, breach of

Constitution and guidelines at the Governorship primary, Timi Alaibe's move to the Supreme Court,  is a pointer to the fact that uncertainty surrounds who shall be Governor after the Supreme Court Judgement on this matter.

That is not all, there is another election case before the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal filed by the Governorship Candidate of the Liberation Movement (LM), Mr. Vijay Opuama against the deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who has been invited to appear before the Tribunal on  the 1st of June, 2020, according to media reports that reads:

"The Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has invited Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo to appear before it at.the resumption of.it's sitting on 1 June 2020.

"The invitation which is in the form subpoena duces tecum (witness summons) issued by the Chairman of the Tribunal on 5th May 2020 directs, Ewhrudjakpo to appear in person and tender a.copy.of disputed National Youth Service Corps.(NYSC) certificate allegedly issued.in 1998"

In a related.development, it was reported that:

"An Abuja Area Court ordered the Department of State Security.to investigate the allegation of.forgery of a National Youth Service Certificate.levelled.against the deputy Governor.of Bayelsa State Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. that:

"An APC Chief in Bayelsa State, Benjamin Youdiowei had approached the Area Court in Lugbe Abuja alleging that Ewhrudjakpo presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission a.forged (NYSC) certificate with number 139708 dated February 2, 1998."

This is another matter that is so daicy, as to the direction of the pendulum of victory, who shall be the Governor of Bayelsa at the end of this case!

This is the question, begging for answers! 

That brings us to the question,  what will be the outcome of the Police Investigation of the Deputy Governor Elect., Senator Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo?

Nobody on planet earth had come out and claimed any of the names of the Deputy Governor elect or any of his certificates as belonging to anybody even at the peak of the controversial accusations and Supreme Court Judgement that sacked both Governor elect, David Lyon and himself the Deputy Governor elect.

There was tension everywhere in Nigeria, been the outcome of the Supreme Court Judgement, that culminated in countless interpretions and debates in many quarters, in which some positions cannot be undermined.

In his reaction to the Supreme Judgement that stopped the mandate of David Lyon and Biobarakuma Degi as Governor elect and Deputy Governor elect respectively, Nigerian Lawyer, Senior Advocate, Human and Peoples Rights Activist, Mr. Femi Falana faulted the Apex Court as.follows:

"What their Lordships aught to have done is to ask the Lawyers can you address us with respect to our jurisdiction?

The Electoral Act stipulates that upon the conclusion of an election and once candidates are declared any challenge in the conduct of qualification of the candidate shall be heard and determined by an Election Petition Tribunal... Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter saying it should have gone before the Election Petition Tribunal.'

Former Bayelsa State Governor and incumbent Oil Minister for State, Chief Timipre Sylva announced to those who cared to listen, how the Supreme Court Judgement devastated Degi Eremienyo remarked on a program with.Channels TV:

"... described the Court Judgement as a push of the deputy Governor elect to suicide... said that the disqualified Deputy Governor elect of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Bayelsa State Governorship election, Senator Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo may commit suicide on accounts of doubts cast on his name by the case...."

"He confirmed that the deputy Governor elect... requested the police to investigate him to dissolve the allegation of forgery..."

Comrade  Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, said  there was nothing wrong with the documents of the deputy Governor elect,. Senator Biobarakuma Degi

 Eremienyo. Hear him:

"...the certificates presented by Mr. Degi Eremienyo to INEC when he contested for the Senate was the same he presented as Governorship candidate

"The qualification for being a Governor is the same qualification of being a Senator. It is the same documents that they used for his election as Senator that he provided to INEC. There is no evidence that he subtracted or added."

Oshiomhole posited.

Since the Police was invited by the Deputy Governor elect, Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo to investigate him, there had been great expectations for his vindication, but the Office of the Inspector General of Police is yet to come out with the findings.

BAYELSANS: STOP THAT CRAB ATTITUDE: LEAVE ENGR. WABOTE ALONE

If you put crabs in a container and keeps the cover open, none of them escape, because of pulling one another down, that exactly has been the story of the Ijaw people, mostly Bayelsa State.

It is not today, this demonic attitude or way of life is being exibited by the people of Bayelsa State.

They have penchance for writing petitions against their people long ago; especially those privileged to hold positions in governments;  at the Federal and State levels.

Sometime in Rivers State many years before the creation of Bayelsa State, tentatively in the 80s, when there was no elected Governor to pilot the affairs of the State, the Federal Government had nominated an Ijaw man, a Police Commissioner, Mr. Netima to be appointed Military Administrator of that State, the Ijaw people; especially those close to him raised alarm, wrote volume of petitions against him and the Federal Government regrettably substituted his name with a none indigenous, none Ijaw Military Administrator to the state. 

That was not a small lose to the rest of Ijaw people outside the greedy and wicked petition writers and or the entire people of Rivers State who lost that position to the Milad from another state.

It will be recalled that during the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Military Government transition to Civil rule program with  the two parties system experiment with  Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) was a most welcome development.

For the Governorship election in Rivers State on the platform of the NRC there were two strong contenders namely Chief Zebulon Abule of blessed memory and Chief.Rufus Ada-George. Though both gladiators were Ijaw illustrious sons of old Rivers State then, Chief Zebulon Abule came from present day Bayelsa State, while Chief Ada-George came from Okrika in present day Rivers State.

The NRC governorship primaries keenly contested was won by Chief Abule and those that were so close to him, not pleased with his victory,

consequent upon which some of them, you can call them, if you like, 'brother killer Ijaw politicians', said, Chief Abule must be stopped, they conspired against him, wrote a frivolous petition to the Federal Military Government that he was not a nationalist and may not work with the Federal Government, with insinuations of his not to be a push around Governor if elected.

That was how he was blackmailed and disqualified as he was preparing for the general election, unceremoniously in a National News broadcast via Radio Nigeria, 4pm Network News, Chief Abule's disqualification was announced without reason which made way for Chief Ada-George emerged as the flag bearer, who won the election and became the 2nd elected Governor of the State.

 Like in the case of Netima, the modality to stop Abule was not different. The petition 'tigers and or lions', you may call them, came from the Bayelsa Ijaws.

It is on records that when Bayelsa was created, some of the Rivers people did not hide their feeling when they openly said: 'thank God! these petition writers have left us."

Some Ijaws must have forgotten what happened shortly when the first Military administrator of Bayelsa State, Navy Capt.  Philip Ayeni assumed duty and nominated commissioner designates from the eight Local Government Areas for screening, it was unbelievable the spate of petitions written  against almost all the commissioner nominees, except a few.

As a result of that, the Government issued a Press Statement signed by the then, Chief Press Secretary to the Military Administrator,. Mr.Fidelis Agbeki which called on petitioners to henceforth attach their passport pictures, post petitions with fixed addresses, append genuine signatures amongst other things.

That administration was not able to constitute cabinet until the Military Administrator, Navy Captain Ayeni took ill and left the State.

That was another evil the 'crabs'  of Ijaw of Bayelsa did, against the then baby. State

Today, we are hearing about conspiracies about some self seeking, faceless idiots flying kites, making useless comments concerning the office of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote whose performance in office is being highly appreciated and commended by the masses for achieving practical and seeable evidences of the dividends of democracy.

Infact, Engr. Kesiye Wabote is a great man, a great leader, a humble leader, an administrative pacesetter, and of course  a creative Engineer who has made  the people of Ijaw nation in  general and Bayelsa in particular proud for establishing people oriented projects and all round productivity in the Niger Delta and other parts of the nation.

This crab mentality to pull down Ijaw leaders in office unjustly is very very sinful act as far as majority opinion and the bond of true Ijaw nationalism is concerned.

From careful observation one can say that this ' crabs attitude' against Ijaw leaders tantamounts stupidity, for which our supposedly enlightened Ijaw youths who are the leaders of the future should not allow themselves to be used to either cause confusion or disaffection amongst the people of Ijaw land.

The truth remains that Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has done well as Executive Secretary of (NCDMB) and needs to be given a path on the back by the people for his wonderful track record of achievements. 

THE CONTROVERSIES OF COVID-19: BAYELSA GOVT. RELIEF MATERIALS DISTRIBUTION IN NELGA

As the Coronavirus pandemic raises on, there are many experiences to gather from the myriad of information and activities coming from different parts of the.Global society.

Consequent upon the ravages of the deadly disease with contagious advantages, the world had strategized to avoid contagion to checkmate and to stop it's spread. 

These measures became inevitable resulting in quarantine orders that all humanity should stay at home: "Lock Down", which means closure of almost all activities; except what Governments list as.essentials, such as medical equipment,

foodstuffs, water supply etc.

The Coronavirus war is brutal and quite different from what obtains in conventional wars;  the tactics are also planned accordingly. The Bayelsa State Government, led by Senator Douye Diri and Senator Ewhrudjakpo as Governor and Deputy Governor respectively have noticeably been proactive in the battle with COVID-19 to ensure victory at all fronts, but who are the trusted fighters, the care givers, the honest diliverers of welfare packages at the fronts, who were they that were assigned the task to safeguard the lives of the quarantined populace to survive and to be in good health?

One of the devastating and or disastrous war tactics the virus uses as a letal weapon is hunger, because hunger is the fuel of the body, which functionality depends  on humanity having food on the table.

Bayelsans were not unhappy with the State Government for announcing to the world that, the Senator Douye Diri and Senator Ewhrudjakpo administration purchased foodstuffs and distributed same to the eight Local Government Areas of the State, which was a most welcome development.

But according to Golden Pen findings the anticipated joy was short-lived, because the foodstuffs distribution took a new dimention when came to public knowledge that items were not for the heads of communities to share as it used to be, but to Ward leaders who dictated the pace.

According to reliable sources at Opu Nembe Bassambiri the Bayelsa State Government Coronavirus relief materials stocked in First Nembe Town Hall, by the LGA Chairman, Hon. Alalibo West were said to have taken to Wards for sharing.

It was widely orchestrated that the formula used for distribution was unorthodox, because the moment it was announced that the items were for the Wards, then it dawned on the majority of the people that the foodstuffs were not meant for the community.

It would be recalled that:

".. the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri while sending the Relief Materials to the LGA'S charged leaders to distribute ... items to Bayelsans devoid of political party affiliation. 

"He admonished those tasked with the responsibility of distributing food at the local government level to put humanity first above politics!

"They are all your brothers and your sisters, the underlying thing is they are all Bayelsans. The physically challenged people, internally displaced persons (IDPS), NYSC Corps Lordge, Bakasi returnees Camp, Orphanages and other overlooked communities are weil considered in the distribution arrangement." Governor Diri emphasized. 

But the said foodstuffs did not follow due process as it went.

Earlier the same Bayelsa State Government reportedly distributed food items to LGA'S:

" COVID-19: Bayelsa government begins distribution of NEMA foodstuffs to Council LGAS ... mainly garri and gunea corn, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency, (SEMA) Major Zedekiah Isu rted. who supervised the exercise said the  items were by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), last year to cushion the effect of the 2019 flood season. He pointed out that over five thousand bags of garri and guinea corn... distributed to the eight Local Government Areas."

When NEMA'S foodstuffs from the State came by the SEMA Chairman 

it went directly into the hands of Community Leadership and distribution cuts across all segments of the society.

Every other COVID-19 relief material that came passed through the Community's leadership, most recently, the major Oil Company operating in the area, AITEO and joint ventures delivered relief materials through the Leadership of the community and it was fairly distributed.

Our sources who expressed displeasure at the development pointed out that the deliverance of the 2nd batch of the State Government's 2nd batch of relief materials into the hands of Ward Leaders instead of the Community's Leadership was a grievous administrative mistake.

When contacted to comment on the development, the Chairman of Nembe Local Government Area, Hon. Alalibo West who expressed appreciation to Golden Pen for calling for his comment, stated that due to the Coronavirus "lock down" in the state he may not be disposed to speak.

YOUTH ELECTIONS: I SUPPORT ZONING SYSTEM-CHIEF ENTIRE

As the elections for a new Executive Committee for the Opu Nembe Youth Federation comes closer, a prominent personality in the community, Chief I.M. Edoghotu-Etire had called for strict compliance to upholding the rules of zoning that had been most orderly and peaceful for many years.

He stated this during an interview with Golden Pen News Online in the Bayelsa State Capital, Yenagoa in the Niger Delta Region, South/South Nigeria.

Chief Edoghotu-Etire said the call became imperative following wide spread allegations of moves by some self seeking persons making clandestine attempts to sack or to bury the zoning system for their own personal interest, which according to him goes contrary to the overall interest of the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Community.

Calling for peace and orderliness whenever the said election shall be conducted, Chief Edoghotu-Etire advised as follows:

"I want interested parties to know that there has been a zoning arrangement for the Youth elections, the Presidency is zoned normally to compounds and to Chieftaincy Groups of Houses.

We have three compounds, namely: Sikakapolo, Ogbopolo, and Igbobeleupolo, and from these compounds we have the groups of Houses to which the zoning arrangement for the youth presidency had benefitted many."

He used the medium to graphically posit that:

"The incumbent Youth President, Mr. I. Theo Iruo comes from  Igbobeleupolo and from Pegi Group of Chieftaincy Houses. And from that very compound based on the zoning arrangement all the three Groups of Chieftaincy Houses of Duguruyai, of Iwowari and Pegi have all benefitted.

"The zoning is now going to Ogbopolo where we have four Groups of Chieftaincy Houses:

Ogbu, Elemah, Kalabo and Arisimo and out of these, three Groups Ogbu, Elemah and Kalabo have produced Youth President according to the zoning arrangement and now is the turn of the Arisimo Group to produce the next Youth President, whenever the election shall be conducted," said, Chief Edoghotu-Etire.

He gave a run down of former Youth Presidents, the Compounds and the Chieftaincy Houses they came from in this order:

* Youngboy Bokolo-Sikakapolo - Dede Grroup

* Johnson Theophilus - Ogbopolo - Elemah Group

* Christian Sambo -Ogbopolo - Ogbu Group

* Jonah Ogbopolo - Igbobeleupolo Kalabo Group

* Kuroghofa Walter now, (Chief  Benwari) Igbobeleupolo - Iwowari Group

* Okorigbanyo Yousuo - Igbobeleupolo - Duguruyai Group

* Naworio James Sikakapolo - Tamuno Group.

And it was very orderly and peaceful because of the zoning formula Chief Edoghotu-Etire emphasized, while calling on those scheming to abolish the zoning formula for their personal interest not to do anything that would jeopardize the overall interest of the Community.

CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 AND THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Coronavirus shortly called COVID-19 has become a thorne in the flesh of nation's across the world, and it's like a riddle, the answer to it is being sought from different angles and different quarters. 

The world is hopeful that a sure answer or cure could be found in earnest with the determined efforts by leaders at all levels to put the COVID-19 challenges behind.

Coronavirus posing as a global terror disease had cut short the lives of.many across the world, while others are in different categories of infection. It has been a battle being.fought with an invisible foe, but the nations are determined to win, or get over it by all means.

World leading Organizations such as the World Health Organization WHO and the World Trade Organization WTO have been upfront reaching out to nations with.medical equipment and other related needs as widely reported by the media, reads:

"The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Trade Organization (WTO) are collaborating to ensure the normal cross border of medical supplies and other goods and services.

"The DG of WHO Tedros Ghebreyesus and WTO Roberto Kzevedo said both global bodies..."

were in partnership to succeed in the supplies of medical equipment to put a stop to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

All over the world stringent measures have been introduced to curb the menace, restrictions and appliances were and are obeyed

CORONAVIRUS which started in China spread like wild fire across continents leading to introductions and adaptations of measures to keep safe from attacks by the pandemic rules that are:

GUIDE TO PREVENTION

To be safe from COVID-19.citizens of the world were and are enjoined to obey the following rules:

* Stay at home all time unless you need to leave for essential items like groceries.

*If you are on essential erand wear a clothe, face mask and keep your distance from others (about 6 feets) Avoid groups of 10 or more.

*Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough (into your elbow or use a tissue).

*Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Frequently you can use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent.alcohol...

*Clean and distance areas frequently touched surfaces..."

The President of Nigeria, Mohammadu Buhari had put all these and other measures in place  to stop the spread of the killer virus, which measures were replicated in states, with states adding their own measures to achieve the same goal.

The Government of Bayelsa State led by Senator Douye Diri had taken bold steps to ensure Bayelsan do not fall victim to the attacks of the pandemic, to which end  tough measures have been introduced and with the high level of compliance the state is moving forward.

The total of 140 Coronavirus suspects identified in the state  were reportedly tested negative.

Though that was a good report but Bayelsans were not happy for the fact that the said 140 Coronavirus suspects were not tested in Bayelsa but in Edo State, and that had generated disquiet in certain quatres calling on the government to brace up to the callenges ahead with a view to procuring the necessary COVID-19 medical equipment such as test machines, a befitting decease control center at the state capital with drugs to handle emergency situations and permanent cure.

What about the Local Government headquarters and interlands, and what about the satellite towns, the villages, the fishing settlements and amlets, what preparations?

Are there centers for disease control (CDCS) at the Local Government headquarters to co-ordinate the rural areas and the state capital? 

And are such.(CDCS) powered with desirable equipment, with ambulances for both land and creeks for each LGA, in the state with supervisors to reach out to the nooks and crannies of the state to achieve the desired results of preservation of lives from the scourge of COVID-19?

The Media and Security also need to be given befitting attention and roles to play. Government officials on this project for communication purposes needs walkie talkies, community elightenment and general flow of, information while the Security should be equipped of needs to enforce government orders.

On the distribution of welfare packages to cushion.the effect of the lockdown restrictions in the state, Bayelsa Government  needs "Joseph" to co-ordinate for effective and transparent delivery.

Update of Coronavirus deaths, and survivors '..across the world according to John Hopkins University' as follows:

"2,578,930 have been detected worldwide, with 178,096 deaths and 692, 333 people now recovered."

" In Nigeria there have been 782 cases with 25 deaths and 197 people recovering from the virus.'

" Nine patients five females and four male were discharged from the city's isolation centre today, Health Minister Akin Abayomi  confirmed..."

LATEST OF KENIEBI OKOKO'S DEATH: ACTIVIST CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION ON DR. OLUSOLA BENEDICT

The sudden death of Dr.Keniebi Okoko, a business mogul, billionaire, former governorship aspirant has taken a new turn with Bayelsa born Human and People's Right Activist, Comrade Bodmas Kemepadei raising alarm that the death must have been caused by 'quakery of the medical doctor, Dr. Olusola Benedict Oladipo who  performed cosmetic surgery on Dr. Keniebi Okoko, which led to his death.

He raised the alarm on his Facebook account, that Dr. Olusola Benedict Oladipo was not medically fit to have performed a cosmetic surgery on anybody, thus holding the view that.the death of Dr. Keniebi Okoko might not be  unconnected to the 'quakery' of Dr. Benedict Oladipo, who performed the said controversial cosmetic surgery on him.

Comrade Kemepadei had therefore called on the Ijaw nation not to accept that as their fate, but to step-up  investigation to ascertain the true cause of the death of Dr. Okoko. Hear him:

"... the late Bayelsa born Billionaire Mr. Keniebi Okoko died as a result of quqkery..." His Revelations:

"In a meeting held on December.2, 2016 the Texas Medical Board that "beginning March 1 2017 Dr.Olusola is prohibited from performing or administering.cosmetic procedures or treatments of any kind on any patient in any setting and is prohibited from performing or administering stern cell procedures or stern cell treatments of any kind  to any patient in any setting.

The Board found Dr.Olusola performed cosmetic surgery of five patients that were.allegedly inappropriate or inappropriately performed failed to maintain adequate medical records for seven patients and surrendered DEA controlled substances certificates in view of the alleged failure to comply with Federal requirements pertaining to controlled substances."

The Activist who wants the doctor arrested and prosecuted also said:

" I want to inform the entire Ijaw nation that I have received evidences and shocking Revelations which proved that the doctor who performed the surgery on our brother, late Mr. Keniebi Okoko was banned from performing cosmetic surgery under any circumstances in the US."

"After the Texas Medical Board in the US banned him from performing cosmetic surgery, he ran to Nigeria to continue killing people, and unfortunately he has killed our brother."

Comrade Bodmas Kemepadei concluded.

OPU NEMBE CHIEFS CONCIL CONSTITUTES INTERIM EXCO. WITH CHIEF EKPELEYAI-ORUWARI AS CHAIRMAN

The Opu Nembe Bassambiri Council of Chiefs had constituted an interim Executive committee to pilot it's affairs, members as follows:

1. Chief Ekpeleyai-Oruwari Duate- Chairman

2. Chief B.F.Amakiri- Duo Vice/Chairman

3. Chief W.T.Ivory Fikoru-Secretary

4. Chief N. Dressman Numo-Assistant Secretary

5. Chief (Barr) D.W.Wuku- Bugo- Legal Adviser

6. Chief W.D. Ogbari-Sokari PRO

7. Chief A.S Teki Febo-Treasurer

8. Chief Austin Omuso-Opuene Auditor

9. Chief I.M.Edoghotu-Etire Provost 10. Chief Waribugo Sambo- Isele Provost 2

The dissolution of the Executive Committee came at the heels of a motion raised by Chief (Barr.).S.T. Ikoli during an emergency meeting by the Chiefs Council, held at the sacred floor of the 1st Baptist Church Nembe on Tuesday, 

April 14, 2020.

Chief Ikoli who posited that the erstwhile Executive Committee of the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs  be dissolved and an interim Executive Committee be constituted with immediate effect also spoke among other things the expiration of the tenure of that Executive Committee described it's members as seating and or operating on illegality.

He reminded his colleagues that the Opu Nembe Chiefs Council and  indeed the heople of the kingdom no longer needed an expired and  or dysfunctional Executive

Committee especially now that  like every other community in our Country Nigeria, and our state Bayelsa, all justling for survival at the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, while our community has been relegated to the background by 'a docile, expired and unproductive Executive Committee, Chief Ikoli emphasized,  and subsequently moved for the immediate dissolution of  the Exco.

He was seconded by Chief J.D Allen Ameri and in the absence of a counter motion the Exco. was dissolved.

The Council unanymously as a follow-up, nominated Chief (Prof.) D.K.Derri to co-ordinate the election of the new Exco, who in his wisdom called on the ten groups of Chieftaincy Houses to choose who should represent them at the Executive Committee, that was how the Exco was constituted.

In a brief remark after the Constitution of the Exco. Chief. Derri  reminded the members of their mandate being interim, urged them to endeavor to work in the framework of time with the mandate given, pointing out that stay put attitudes in public offices had been a major problem of leadership.

In his acceptance speech on behalf of the rest, the Chairman, Chief Ekpeleyai-Oruwari Oriango Duate- thanked the traditional parliament for the honor done them with assurances to justify the confidence reposed in them.

The newly elected Traditional Council boss, announced official dissolution of all committees, while calling on both Exco members and those in committees in possession of Council property to submit or hand over to the Council's Secretary.

Ha also used the medium to announce that all citizens of Opu Nembe Bassambiri who had been on exile are free to come back home.without molestations.

In his submission, the Ibenyanaowei of Oluasiri, His Royal Highness, King Iyerite Chiefson Awululu commended the Council members for their orderliness at the meeting while emphasizing the needs of the interim Exco to work out strategies to build confidence in the masses to courageously pass through the threats and challenges of the  Coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier the former Vice Chairman Chief B.F..Amakiri Duo who prisided over the meeting, in his opening speech stated that the meeting was in response to demand from various sectors of the community who called on the Chiefs Council to hold such an emergency meeting to address some matters of public interest.

Speaking shortly after the meeting with Golden Pen News, the Honorable member representing Nembe Constituency 2 at the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Chief Edward Irigha Brigidi commended the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Chiefs Council for demonstrating full compliance to the rules of COVID-19.