Niger Delta in a hurry for development — Dickson

Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has bemoaned the age-long neglect of the Niger Delta region by successive administrations in the country.

He said was worrisome that privileged people from the Niger Delta states who occupied and those still occupying various political offices preferred to give preference to mundane issues rather than the development of the region.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Francis Agbo, indicated that it Dickson stated this when he received the management team the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) led by its chairman, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, in his office.

Dickson, therefore, stressed the need for the NNDC and other government agencies to set politics aside and focus more on projects that would impact on the lives of the people.

He said the Niger Delta, particularly Bayelsa State, was in a hurry for development and this had been the topmost priority of his administration.

The governor, of therefore, called on leaders from the region to close ranks and rededicate themselves to the development of their people who had waited patiently for long.

According to him, the ancient community of Oloibiri, where the crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity, was now a shadow of itself.

“Till today, 61 years after the discovery of oil and gas, there is no road to get to the Brass Oil Terminal, and even as we speak, that is where oil is being lifted day and night. No road as we speak, to Oporoma, Koluama; we are not a happy people,” he said.