The Bayelsa State governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson yesterday met with Ijaw youth leaders and ex-militant leaders from 9 states of the Niger Delta region over the controversy trailing the allocation of 1,200 hectares of land to Fulani herdsmen, insisting that the allocated land was not sold but done to forestall breakdown of security in the state.
Governor Dickson also expressed concern over the recent bickering among of the fold of the Ijaw youths over the parralel convention held by the factions of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) and called on the visiting youth leaders to put aside their differences and work for the common goal of Ijaw nation.
Governor Dickson, who made this known in Yenagoa during the Monday night Ijaw youths and ex-agitators at the government house Yenegoa, restated his administrations commitment to the development of Ijaw nation.
He enumerated the achievements of his administration in the last five years to include infrastructural development that cut across the three senatorial districts, adding that that these did not go down well with people that do not mean well for the state.
According to him, “as you rightly observed, the state is more secured than how we met it five years ago and I am bold to tell you that your state has been adjudged as one of the best in terms of security.
“All of us, including you played major role in this regard and I want you to continue in this spirit. As I always maintain, Bayelsa is the Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation. Whether you are from Ondo or Akwa Ibom states, Bayelsa is your home.”
On the allotment of grazing land for herdsmen, governor Dickson said the decision was taken to forestall clash between farmers and Fulani herdsmen, saying that, “we do not want to experience what is happening in other states.
“In no distant time, it will soon become a criminal offence for herdsmen to ply their trade in our villages and communities, as government has restricted their operation to the Bayelsa Palm.”
He warned against all those who are inciting the public and misleading the people as the decision is for the interest of the state and the Ijaw nation and not a political matter.