22nd October, 2010
Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan this morning visited his home state of Bayelsa amid an extremely tight security.
Important personalities who were waiting to receive Jonathan at the Rivers/Bayelsa boundary town of Igbogene were kept at bay by security men who refused them entry pending when the helicopter conveying the president touched down.
Dignitaries were made to trek several kilometres. They were advised to park their vehicles at a far distance.
VIPs who were caught in the security web included the first military administrator of old Rivers State, now a high chief in Turan-brass, Alfred Diette Spiff, a former Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Turner Isoun, Chief Fumago, a retired state Security Services, SSS, chief and former President of Ijaw National Congress, an umbrella body for all Ijaw in Nigeria and in the diaspora.
Also denied access to the arrival arena was a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Chief Andrew Agwariovbodo.
Journalists from local and international media were also not given access to the area. The media men included those representing international wire agencies like Reuters, the Associated Press, AP, the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC and Radio Germany.
Armed soldiers and mobile policemen (MOPOL) and regular policemen told the dignitaries that even former presidents of Nigeria cannot be allowed entry until Mr. President’s helicopter landed.
Whereas newsmen and VIPs were at Igbogene as early as 8.00 this morning, the surveillance helicopter was hovering on air as at the time of filing this report about three hours later.
Residents of Yenogoa, capital of Bayelsa State who went outside the town were not left out. They were all locked out and none was allowed entry into Yenogoa this morning. Thus, the only access road to the South South has been blocked completely for the president’s visit.
As vehicles and people were not allowed entry into Yenogoa, so also people were barred from getting out.The president eventually touched down at about 12 noon.
Concerning the projects President Jonathan was slated to commission during his visit, P.M.NEWS gathered that a scandal was feared to be in the offing.
Indigenes of the state have alleged that the projects, especially roads, had been commissioned by either former President Olusegun Obasanjo or the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. It was alleged that Bayelsa State Governor, Timpere Sylva, merely resurfaced the roads and slated them for commissioning.
Most outrageous is the Ogbia water scheme located in Jonathan’s local government area. P.M.NEWS learnt that the overhead storage tank caved in and collapsed, during an inspection a few days ago.
It was gathered that the government official who inspected the tank was lucky to escape injury.
Thereafter the tank was patched. No one was sure whether Jonathan will still commission the water scheme.
—Okafor Ofiebor/Yenogoa