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.
A statement by the Bayelsa state governor’s Spokesman, Mr Daniel Alabrah quoted Diri to have 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.
Diri said, “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.
