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.
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