Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Mr Seriake Dickson, Monday visited police and army formations in the state and urged Nigerians to support the men in uniform wherever their operations are taking place in the country.
Apparently speaking against the backdrop of the controversy that has trailed the $1 billion earmarked for fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east and other parts of the country, the governor warned against the politicisation of the provision of necessary equipment for military and security services in the country.
Dickson said that it was the responsibility of government to place priority on security to be able to develop the society.
A statement by Dickson’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said the governor specifically visited the headquarters of the 16 Brigade and the Police Officers Mess in Yenagoa to felicitate with the officers and men at Christmas.
The governor also encouraged the security agencies to do more in the efforts to combat crime in Bayelsa State, the Niger Delta and in the entire country.
He called on the political leadership to take the challenge to give the necessary support to the military and security agencies whose efforts were required to realise the objective to develop the society.
“I want to assure you that under my leadership, the issue of security and stability will continue to be in the front burner. The first responsibility of any administration is to encourage the work for peace and stability. You can’t have development without security.
“I want to also use this opportunity to say what I have said all along that the political leadership in our country should rise to the occasion and support the great work that our men and women in uniform are doing.
“There should be no partisanship, no brinkmanship, no showmanship when it comes to the issue of giving necessary support and equipment to our men and women in uniform who are the only people that have volunteered to serve our nation at the risk of their lives,†the governor said.
He noted that Bayelsa remains one of the safest states in the federation and in the South-south because of the collaborative efforts of the government and the security agencies.
Dickson, who assured the security agencies of greater collaboration in 2018, urged them to redouble their efforts for security, peace and stability of the state next year.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the state Police Command, Mr. Amba Asuquo, in his remarks, said the governor has sustained his support for police operations in the state.
The commissioner said that 72 suspects arrested after a show of force in Yenagoa on Saturday were being screened, adding that a suspect who robbed a manager of a new generation bank and another robber who shot his colleague while attempting to shoot a victim were also in police custody.
Also, the Commander, 16 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Kevin Aligbe, who also hosted Dickson, thanked the governor for providing the brigade with resources that aided the realisation of its operational objectives.
“This is not an opportunity to patronise your person, but I will not miss this opportunity to declare how happy, how fulfilled we are, and how wonderful you have been to us in this journey particularly for the 16 Brigade that is the youngest in the Nigerian army.
“In a very short time, you ensured that we took off and we are not just running, we are actually flying and we are achieving all the operational objectives set out for us in the division by the COAS,†Aligbe said.
