HON.IRIGHA BRIGIDI EXPRESSES HOPE FOR APC VICTORY AT BAYELSA GUBER POLLS

The Deputy Minority Whip, the Honorable Member Representing  Nembe Constituency 2 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. (Chief) Irigha Brigidi had unequivocally stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will emerge victorious in the forthcoming November 16th 2019 Governorship Election in Bayelsa State.
The Parliamentarian stated this during an interview with the Golden Pen Newspapers Print/Online at the  David Lyon/Biobarakuma Degi campaign Secretariat along the Isaac Boro Express Way in the state capital Yenagoa.

Senator B.W.Degi-Eremienyo

The Nembe Constituency 2 LawmakerChief Brigidi said he has a strong conviction that the APC will sweep across the state to have majority votes to win the  guber election through what he described as massive galvanization of the grassroots and strategic campaigns through the nooks and crannies of the state. Besides that, he also spoke about the victories of the APC in the immediate past Presidential, National Assembly and House of Assembly Elections Hear him: "I strongly believe that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win the forthcoming November 16th 2019 Governorship Elections for the following reasons:
1. The APC has been waxing stronger and stronger every day. In 2015 the party won just two seats at the state Assembly, but this year 2019 that had been doubled we now have four honourable members at the state Assembly and also have a seat at the National Assembly and the Senate.
2.Bayelsans have trust for the APC more than every other party in the state, because there are a lot of credible men and women in the APC. The vibrant Youth in the APC are also credible future leaders.
3 And the choice of Chief David Lyon and Chief Degi Eremienyo  the most credible Governorship flagbear/running mate respectively for the 16th November, 2019 gubernatorial polls in Bayelsa State is being anticipated to bring about good governance."

Chief Edward I. Brigidi
Hon. Member Representing Nembe Constituency 2 BSHA 

Chief Brigidi who spoke well of the upcoming APC Government in Bayelsa, expressed confidence in David Lyon/Degi Eremienyo administration to better the lots of the people of the state, he therefore called on all registered voters to use their PVCs wisely by casting their votes for the APC candidates.

THE CONSPIRACIES OF KACHIKWu AND AITEO AGAINST OPU NEMBE ON OML 29 RENEWAL

Emmanuel  Ibe Kachikwu
Immediate past Petroleum Minister for State

There had been a running battle, a  legal battle between the people of Opu Nembe Bassambiri Kingdom  and the Federal  Ministry of Petroleum anl Aiteo  Oil Prospecting Company operating in the Nembe Local Government Area. This was a result of the divestment of Oil MiningL Lease OML 29 by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) secretly to AITEO without the involvement or even knowledge of the hosts; the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Kingdom and Communities.
SPDC gave a graphic picture of the divested OML29 in these words:
"OML 29 is also know as Oil Mining Licence 29 Oil Mining Licence OML is one of the two types of licences issued to oil producers in Nigeria with validity period ranging from 5 to 20 years respectively. OML 29 is a large block located in the Southeastern Niger Delta contain 11 Oil and Gas fields.
OML29 stretches over an area of 983 square kilometres. It includes the Nembe Oil Fields, Santababara Oil Fields and Okoroba Oil Fields. It also include the Nembe Creek Trunk Line NCTL. A 100 kilometres long pipeline with a capacity of 600 thousand barrels per day."
Shell sold the OML 29 to Aiteo at $1.7billion, March 25, 2015 still without the involvement or knowledge of the host

Chief Timipre Sylva
Minister of State for Petroleum

Communities.
Shortly after the sales, Aiteo without even visiting and knowing the host Communities went behind in connivance with former  Oil Minister, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu to renew the lease licence on the OML29, completely and deliberately denying all the rights of the host Communities of Opu Nembe Bassambiri, consequent upon which a legal action was taken against the defendants.
Before going for the legal option, the Kingdom first of all forwarded a petition jointly signed by the Opu Nembe Chiefs Council and the Opu Nembe Improvement Union called on the immediate passed Oil Minister, Kachikwu neither to approve of any  divestment or licencing of the OML 29 to AITEO without the host Communities being present and the issues raised addressed.

 But Golden Pen investigations revealed that the petition was ignored which culminated in the filing of
Suit NO: FHC/YNG/CS/62/2015 by the Plaintiff on behalf of the host Communities
*Ikaonaworio Eferebo-Igoma
*Iyerite Chiefson Awululu-Atubu
*Ayebaesin Edoghotu-Omoh
*Amaegbe-Orutari
*B.C.Benwari-Yousuo and
*Doibo Evans
at the Federal High Court Onopo, Bayelsa State capital Yenagoa.
"The agrieved Opu Nembe Bassambiri Community filed the suit and  urged the Court for an order setting aside the application, and processes initiated by Aiteo Exploration and Production Limited, identified as the fifth defendant, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
"In the writ of summon made available to newsman in Yenagoa the agrieved Communities through their counsel explained the grounds for the application. filed on the 4th of August 2015, addressed to the oil Minister (2nd defendant) not to approve renewal of Oil Mining Lease 29 in favour of Aiteo until the following issues were addressed.
" The fifth defendant between 22nd January 2018 and 2nd  January 2019, applied for and made payments through the Department of Petroleum Resources for the renewal or processing of application for renewal of Oil Mining Lease 29 (OML)29

Benedict Peters
CEO Aiteo Limited

"The plaintiff by this suit are also seeking an order of the Court mandating the 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants to commission independent and comprehensive environmental impact study to assess the impact of over 53 years of operations in OML29 on the Plaintiff's  Communities and Environment similar to the United Nations Environmental programme's Environmental Assessment of Ogoni '
Calling the attention of the Court to the impunity of Aiteo and her co-defendants, the lead Counsel to the plaintiff, Iniruo Wills revealed that:
" On or about 1st of March 2019, further conducting the plaintiff's prayers for an assessment, a massive explosion and a resulting fire occurred in one of the wells in OML 29 block exposing host Communities and other environment and traditional livelihood to great danger. This incident is yet to be properly investigated and the 5th defendant had so far failed to adequately involve regulators and host Communities in addressing it."
At the preminary hearing, the Opu Nembe Bassambiri host Communities told the Federal High Court sitting at Yenagoa and presided over by Justice Awogboro Abimbola that they were in Court to call the defendants: Aiteo, NNPC, the Directorate of Petroleum Products (DPP) to order on a case of illegal  renewal of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 29 involving $82m, but Justice Abimbola did not stop the renewal process, not minding the fact that: "The lease will expire June 30 while the operators of the oil fields had commenced renewal formalities with the payment of $82 million to the Department of Petroleum

Iniruo Wills and his team
of Lawyers briefing...

Resources,  'in a ruling in response to an application by lead counsel to the plaintiff Iniruo Wills that the renewal of the lease be halted decline to grant the application."
Report on a  deal struck between the two parties on out of Court settlement granted by the Judge was graphically posited by lead Counsel Iniruo Wills as follows:
"... there is no progress on the settlement. We have received no feedback from the defendants, we only have disturbing and dangerous signals while the settlement is not progressing. The 2nd and fifth defendants proceeded to release the lease the subject matter of the suit.
$82 million has been paid for the renewal of the lease, but we have filed a motion to set aside any step taken towards the renewal of the lease."
Iniruo Wills and his team of Lawyers contended that to forestall illegal renewal the Opu Nembe Council of Chiefs forwarded a petition to the Minister of State for Petroleum co-signed by Dickson Omukoro reads:
"The move by Aiteo and your Ministry is an affront of the jurisdiction of the Court and in violation of the proposed settlement particularly when at the last sitting of the Court the presiding Judge adjourned the matter on the application of the Lawyer to Aiteo to enable parties fully settle option"
He went further, saying:
"Without prejudice to the ongoing settlement, it is our view that renewing the lease while the suit is pending amounts to total disregard to the peaceful means the Kingdom had opted to use in resolving this dispute.

A cross section of Chiefs and Opinion Leaders of Opu Nembe Bassambiri at briefing

"As a host Community the Kingdom should not be disdained by Aiteo and the Government for restraining from shutting down operations and preferring to have the protracted grievances resolved peaceably...."
While briefing his clients, the Opu Nembe Bassambiri Council of Chiefs, Iniruo Wills flanked by his colleagues gave blow by blow accounts of the proceedings, but regretted that the oil company,

Otonye Evans Tubonah
Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief
Of Golden Pen Newspapers
Based in Yenagoa

Aiteo Limited did not approach the settlement resolutions and talks in sincerity as expected, a situation he described as a delay tactics to waste time while their operations go on. Case comes up 27th September, 2019.

THERE IS NO "CORE IJAW" ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, A WORD TO CONFUSSIONISTS

His Excellency,
Commander A.P.Diete-Spiff
Military Governo, R/S

The history of the world began at Mesopotamia, according to the biblical account that God created Adam and Eve,  man and woman and blessed them to "...be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth..."

 Genesis 1:28
After the flood that destroyed the whole world, Noah and his sons and their wives continued in fruitfulness and multiplicity because God also blessed Noah. And without doubts all the nations,  and tongues came to be and are all traceable to Adam and Eve.
The genealogy of mankind therefore does not exclude any race, color or creed, and that of-course indisputably include the Ijon people of the world, who are largely concentrated in Nigeria the largest African nation on earth and in other nations in the world.
Biblical information made it clear that Ijon as name of a people a society  and a community first existed  in the region of Naphtali in Israel until the days of the Assyrian King, Tigalath peleser who invaded the Ijon and other communities and took them away to Assyria.
 Looking at the map hereunder and reading through 2Kings 15:29 reveals that:

"In the days of  Pekah King of Israel came Tigalath peleser King of Assyria and took Ijon and Abel-beth, maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of  Naphtali and carried them captive to  Assyria"
That was how the Ijon people were forcefully relocated to Assyria and from there they spread to Nigeria and other countries across the world. The Ijon people are the aborigines of one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the sixth son.called Naphtali. Ijon later was misspelled or poluted to either Ijo, Izon and Ijaw, and today most popularly Ijaw.
In Nigeria they are the 4th largest ethnic group, after Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, and are largely concentrated in the Niger Delta region in a number of states in Nigeria of which Bayelsa is the only all Ijon (Ijaw) state in the federation, while Rivers and Delta States, also have vast lands and a large concentration of sons and daughters of the people of Ijaw.
Even after the historic amalgamation
of ethnic nations by Lord Lugard in founding Nigeria and listing Ijaw as the 4th largest ethnic group, the people under regional administration  were still scattered until the Federal Military Government led by General Yakubu Gowon, Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria created an Ijaw dominated state in 1967, called Rivers State and appointed her first Military Governor,  His Excellency Commander A.P. Diete-Spiff an Ijaw son from the Nembe, ethnic nation, who was in office for nine (9) years. Who laid a solid foundation that is indelible on the wall of mabels.
At that time, while Diete-Spiff was Military Governor of Rivers State, he was the number one  (NO1) Ijaw man while the rest humbly and joyously followed him. And in that very administration was another great Ijaw son also from Nembe.

CP Opuene Berena
1st Commissioner of Police
Rivers State Command

A Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Opuene Berena, who stopped the arrest on alcohol (local gin) in that state, because he said, that was a means of livelihood for his Ijaw people.
That time there was no selfishness, no segregation amongst them, they knew that their survival as an ethnic group depended on their oneness, which was the platform on which they walked and were able to elect Ijaw sons as governors of Rivers State before the creation of Bayelsa State.
Chief Melford Obiene Okilo who hailed from Emekalakala in Ogbia  and Ojoko house in Nembe Local Government Areas respectively,  was another illustrious son of the Ijaw that was elected 1st Civilian Governor of Rivers State under the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in  1979.
He also shunned segregation and every divisive tendencies amongst the Ijaw people during his first 4 years in office as Governor, the reason for which he was re-elected for second tenure.
Chief Okilo's de-centralization policy in administration showed that he was a true son of Ijaw land, whose ideas were not parochial but broad based. He thought much less about himself, and much more

Chief Melford Okilo
1st Executive Governor
Rivers State

about the well being and prosperity of the Ijaw race. His administration geared towards improving Ijaw territories and communities informed his works of canalization of creeks and rivers and  reclamation of lands etc. as  people oriented projects to the Ijaw people whose lot fell on riverine areas.
The point to note is the unity of purpose and oneness of the Ijaw race all that while, no division, no discrimination though some Ijaw people who hated the progress of their brothers and sisters were kingpins of petition writing in Rivers State, that was before the creation of Bayelsa and separation, there was no such thing as campaign about core Ijaw or none core Ijaw.
When Chief Rufus Ada George  became Governor of Rivers State, all the Ijaw people rallied round him, because they knew that he came from the Ijaw Ethnic Nation of Wakrike (Okrika). There was no discrimination amongst the people.
Just like Okilo, Chief Ada George did not forget his Ijawness in all that he did, and in the political history of Rivers State, he (Chief Rufus Ada George) is listed as the 2nd Civilian

His Excellency
Chief Rufus Ada George
2nd Gov. Rivers State

Governor of Rivers State an Ijaw man.
When Sumner Dagogo Jack of Kalabari was appointed Chairman of National Electoral Commission
(NEC), his appointment was in line with Federal character, but the underlying fact is that his appointment was counted as one given to the Ijaw tribe  and he, Sumner Dagogo Jack as an Ijaw man from Kalabari, served the nation in that capacity.
It was because the Kalabari are Ijaw like every other Ijaw, Asari Dokubo from Buguma, Kalabari was elected  by the pan-Ijaw youth body the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide as President.
Asari Dokubo was not just President but the 2nd President of the IYC.

Alhaji Asari Dokubo
Former I.Y.C President

Are we talking about Chief Dan Etete, a former Oil Minister during Abacha's regime? He was appointed on the ticket of the Ijaw people. An Ijaw man from  Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Etete's home and office became a melting point for many sons and  daughters of Ijaw without discrimination of "Core and none Core Ijaw".
When Bayelsa was created, the first elected Governor, Chief D.S.P

Chief D.S.P Alamieyeseigha

 Alamieyeseigha from Amasoma, Southern/Ijaw LGA., there was no discrimination amongst the Ijaw people. No first class no second class Ijaw, there was nothing like Core Ijaw in the political dictionary of Chief Alamieyeseigha's time in office. Making himself a true Ijaw nationalist he earned the uncommon title of "The Governor General of the Ijaw Nation"

When Dr.Goodluck Joñathan succeded him, he did exactly like Alamieyeseigha while he was Governor and when he went to Abuja as presidential running mate and became Vice President, Acting President and elected President, Goodluck Jonathan's presidency changed the narrative of Nigeria's Political history, writing  Ijaw in the list of presidents of Nigeria.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan
Former Gov./Former President

Dr. Jonathan is an Ijaw man from Otueke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa, and he never discriminated amongst the Ijaw people  The foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edward Kiagbodo Clarke, the leaders of Ijaw National Congress (INC), and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) can attest that there was no core Ijaw thing with Jonathan.
Chief Timipre Sylva who became Governor of Bayelsa State 2007-2011 from Nembe, Okpoama in Brass Local Government Area was a great leader of the Ijaw people indiscriminately and was given the title:

Chief Timipre Sylva
Former Governor,
Bayelsa State

"The Opu Abadi 1 of Kolokuma" Sylva who in the heat of militant activities in the Niger Delta took a bold initiative, entered the creeks and dialogued with militant leaders to accept amnesty granted by the President Yar' Adua administration is widely respected and honored by the Ijaw people
There was no mention of core Ijaw or none core Ijaw throughout his stay in office as Governor of Bayelsa State and even unto this day that he is the Petroleum Minister of State, Chief  Sylva stands for Ijaw unity.
But these days in Bayelsa State, especially amongst the political class a gospel has become the other of the day a gospel of 'core Ijaw and none core Ijaw' being preached by some faceless people, who probably do not know the history of the Ijaw people.
Then comes  the question who are those people calling themselves 'core Ijaw', who born them? How do they know, who told them that they are 'core Ijaw'? The present administration, led by Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson should take this divisive tendencies serious, and call those responsible to order, because it's only in unity and cooperation that the destiny of the Ijaw people could be arrived at.
It is the greatest height of insensitivity, political dwarfism and anti-nationalism for any individual or group of persons to plan and to embark upon such ill-fated adventure to slice the Ijaw Ethnic Nation to fractions or shreds with an unnecessary campaign of a none existent 'core Ijaw' thing.

Hon.Henry Seriake Dickson
Governor of Bayelsa State
Incumbent

Let us not forget or put under the carpet the fact that, the Ijaw people have their own Son Ernest Sisei Ikoli in the list of the founding fathers of Nigeria.
Sir, Ernest Ikoli, a veteran Journalist of Ijaw from Twon Brass  Nembe in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State ranked with Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe  and Obafemi Awolowo the founding fathers of Nigeria.

Sir, Ernest Sisei Ikoli
First Ijaw Veteran Journalist
Co/Founder of Nigeria

Ernest Ikoli was a key figure in the National struggles, and a pioneer leader in the Ijaw Ethnic Nation, the recognition of his role in the nation's struggle,  entitled his people of Ijaw which was the 4th largest tribe, pronounced  by the Federal Government  and listed as such and enshrined in the Constitution.
The unity and oneness of the Ijaw nation should be considered as of domestic importance and should be handed down from generation to generation for all sons and daughters of Ijaw to be in full knowledge that there is no 'core

Chief Otonye Evans Tubonah
Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Golden Pen Newspapers
Based in Yenagoa

Ijaw' or  'none core Ijaw', but one Ijaw.

BUHARI WINS ATIKU AT ELECTION TRIBUNAL

President Muhammadu Buhari

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (,APC) at February the 2019 Presidential Elections and President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari had won the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar at the election Tribunal sitting in Abuja
In a marathon judgement delivered, Wednesday 10th September 2019, the presiding  Chairman  Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba and members of the Presidential Elections Tribunal held that, the Petitioners,  Atiku  Abubakar and PDP had  failed  to prove their case against  Buhari and the APC beyond reasonable doubts consequent upon which the Tribunal had thrown the suit in its entirety out of the window.

Amongst some of the key issues raised by Atiku and the PDP against President Buhari were: (1) That Muhammadu Buhari was not educationally qualified to have contested the 2019 presidential election, because according to the Petitioners the President, Muhammadu Buhari did not have a secondary school certificate as required by the electoral laws.
But the Tribunal after careful examination of the facts before the Court from the evidences on the secondary school certificate which qualified Buhari's enlistment into the Nigerian Defense Academy, and the evidences of the Military Authority which stated in clear terms that Muhammadu Buhari rose through the ranks to a General and Head of State.
The Tribunal held that the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is not just qualified but eminently qualified to contest the February 2019 Presidential Election or any other election or hold any office in the country.

Atiku Abubakar 

(2) Atiku Abubakar in his petition avered that he and his party the PDP monitored the elections through an electronic device which they called central server from where he collated the results of the presidential polls and saw himself and his party the PDP on the side of Victory.
A claim INEC rejected as none existent, stated that votes were collated stage to stage from the polling units manually through the LGAs and states to the central collation center and announced.
The 5 man panel of Judges unanymously after careful consideration upheld the view of the electoral umpire INEC and dismissed  Atiku Abubakar's motion on the controversies of a central server.

A cross section of Lawyers

3. Application by Atiku and PDP that alleged Police and Army interference, harrassment and intimidation at the presidential election was also struck out by the Tribunal.The 5 man panel of Judges unanymously declared Buhari winner and dismissed the petition of Atiku and the PDP in its entirety.
It would be recalled that Muhammadu Buhari polled the total of 15,191, 847 in the February 23rd 2019 Presidential Election defeated Atiku Abubakar who scored 11,262,978 votes to come second.
Now Atiku who denied the victory of Buhari majority votes, is said to be heading to the Supreme Court.


                       

SOUTH/AFRICA NEEDS DELIVERANCE- Prophet Jeremiah

The South/African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has been advised by Niger Delta based Televangelist, Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin in an unambiguous message that that country needs deliverance and not at all  guns or violence.
This is coming at the heels of 9th of September ultimatum given by the South/African President, Mr. Ramaphosa for foreigners to leave his country or face dire consequences.
But the Prophet in his message conveyed by YouTube directly to the South African President has this to say:
"... The President of South Africa, Cyril, you are a politician there are things you don't know, that you need to know...
My name is Prophet Jeremiah Omoto Fufeyin. The President of South Africa and his cabinet I want to tell you what is happening now  and is going to happen. South/Africa needs deliverance, serious deliverance...
" The Bible says in the book of Leviticus Chapter 19:33-34  it says
"And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land yet shall not vex him.
But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you: and thou shalt love him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God."

President Cyril Ramaphosa
Of South Africa

Prophet Jeremiah said Xenophobic attacks is not the answer to the problems of South Africa, but deliverance, explaining the roots of the problems he said:
" The land offended  Prophets, go and meet Prophet Shepherd Busiri and every other Pastors and Prophets to crusade and cry unto the Lord and the proble will be solved, it is not by gun or by violence." the Prophet declared.
He also directed the message to Prophet Shepherd Busiri in these words:

Prophet Shepherd Busiri

"Prophet Shepherd Busiri, this message is also coming to you; if they come to you, receive them father other men of God and deliver the land "
Making it clear to the President, and people of South Africa that it isn't possible for the foreigners to leave just like that, they should be allowed to stay without molestation as South Africans and other Africans are free to stay wherever they like. 

PUBLISHER CONGRATULATES SENATOR DEGI'S VICTORY AT TRIBUNAL

Senotor (Chief) B.W.Degi-Eremienyo

The Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of Golden Pen Newspapers, Chief Otonye Evans Tubonah, Had Sent A Congratulatory Message to the 'Golden' Senator Representing The Bayelsa East Senatorial District At The National Assembly, Bishop B.W  Degi-Eremienyo On His Victory At The Election Tribunal In Abuja.
The Distinguished 'Golden' Senator, Your Victory Was Not A Victory To You Alone Or A Victory To Your Party Alone, But A Victory To The Electorate, A Victory To Democracy And ToThe Rule Of Law.
Once Again We Say: CONGRATULATIONS!

Chief Otonye Evans Tubonah
Publisher/Editor-In-Chief
Golden Pen Newspapers