Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Bayelsa State, Chief Timi Alaibe, yesterday vowed to end insecurity in the state.
He also said notwithstanding the outcome of the primaries in September, he would remain loyal to the party.
Alaibe, who was fielding questions in Yenagoa, during a visit to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), explained that his defections in the past were due to the exigencies of the time.
He added that having finally returned to the PDP, he was optimistic that he would get the party’s ticket to run for the November 16 poll, stressing that this time he has come to stay in the party.
Alaibe, who also spoke on his plans for the state, maintained that insecurity remains a major issue in the state, but promised to tackle it headlong by taking the majority of the youths in the state off the streets and rehabilitating those who are into drugs and cultism.
The politician had moved to different parties in several election circles from the PDP to the Labour Party (LP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and had recently returned to the PDP.
He explained: “I have spoken severally on it (defection) and I hope you read it up. There is not going to be any criss-crossing again , the exigencies caused that at the time. You can look for the grammar to support that.
“You saw me take the forms, you will soon see me submit them and we are running under the PDP. We will unveil very shortly our programmes and the details of our strategic plan for Bayelsa state.”
While bemoaning the insecurity in the state and how it affects investment opportunities, Alaibe, a businessman , said the abduction of the mother of former Nigerian coach, Mr. Samson Siasia, was a pointer to the fact that all is not well with the state.
He sai: “If we do not address the violence perpetrated by some youths, no company will come to invest here. Only a few days ago, the mother of our former coach, world class player of yore, was kidnapped for the second time.
“What does that tell you? It tells you that we need to address that sector. It’s not good news and it’s hoisted in the international space in the analysis of the risk of doing business in the state.
“We need to re-image our state and rebrand our state. These people doing these things are our children. So, we are going to be a government that is responsible. We will enumerate our youths and know what they are doing.
“We are not more than two million people. One laptop can enumerate all of us. It’s not rocket science. If you are still into tramadol , we will address it.
“These things hurt the average parent. We have done this kind of thing before. We will disarm, demobilise , rehabilitate and reintegrate them into the society.
“ I am passionate about this. They say they own the street. We need to address it. In the first six months, I will resolve that matter.”
