Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has
expressed delight over the peaceful resolution of the Soku oil well dispute
between Rivers and Bayelsa states.
Speaking in Porthacourt on Saturday during a Yuletide
visit to his Rivers counterpart, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, Governor Diri said he
was delighted that under Fubara, both states have agreed to return to status
quo, thus ending the dispute and withdrawing the case from court.
The Bayelsa governor said the peaceful relations
between both states was necessary for their development and called for its
continuity.
Diri also lauded Fubara for his handling of the
demolished property of the Bayelsa government in Pott Harcourt, which is still
in court while both states are close to reaching an amicable settlement.
He stressed the importance of regular interactions
between both states while assuring Fubara of the support of the government and
people of Bayelsa at all times.
The Bayelsa helmsman also hailed the cooperation of
the sister state in tackling vandalism, which has led to a joint taskforce to
tackle the menace and forestall further damage to government facilities,
particularly power infrastructure of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
His words: "We came to pay you a Christmas visit.
You surprised us early this year and as brothers we decided to also visit you.
Going forward, we should continue to visit each other to keep both states
peaceful and to allow for our development.
"Rivers and Bayelsa are one. Since you came on
board, both states have been peaceful. Now we have understanding even in areas
where we had issues.
“For instance, the Soku oil well. We have agreed to go
back to status quo before the crisis and there is peace now. That matter is out
of court.
“Recently, our state was in darkness for four months
due to vandalism of TCN facilities. We waited for TCN but took up the challenge
because they were too slow and the vandals destroyed more facilities. Today, we
have a joint surveillance team to check vandalism and we are happy.
"We also had issues with Rivers because our
property was demolished. We instituted a case but as you came on board,
solutions are being sought."
In his response, Governor Fubara said both Rivers and
Bayelsa needed each other to make progress and insisted that they cannot be
separated.
He called on Diri to revive the BRACED Commission and
strengthen the cooperation among states of the Niger Delta region.
The Rivers governor noted that whatever happened in
one state affected others and as such states cannot develop individually.
He also stressed the need for both states to live
peaceably together, saying that but for the purpose of administration there was
no difference between the two states.
He said leaders owe the people of their states lasting
legacies as leadership was about serving the people and bowing out when it is
time to do so.
Also, in Porthacourt, Governor Diri attended the 80th
birthday celebration of General Stanley Diriyai (rtd) where he hailed him as a
father, mentor to many and a worth son of Bayelsa.
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