The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson has urged militants and other criminal elements to stop scaring investors and visitors in the Niger Delta region.
Dickson insisted that the survival and economy of the region depended heavily on peace and stability of various communities in the Niger Delta.
The governor spoke at a state banquet he organised at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Hall, Government House, Yenagoa on Saturday as part of the activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa.
The event was attended by founding fathers of the state, leaders and elders from various communities, cabinet members of the governor, members of the state House of Assembly, religious leaders, security heads and traditional rulers.
Dickson lamented that the Niger Delta was bleeding because of the activities of some “misguided people from within and without”.
He said businesses including enterprises that had existed for a decade were relocating from the region because of the nefarious activities of criminal elements.
He said, “It is unfortunate that a few misguided people from within and without continue to engage in activities capable of scaring investors and visitors to this region.
“The region is bleeding. Businesses already established even for decades are relocating and meanwhile the irony of it is that our economic prosperity and survival depend on peace and stability in our communities, in our state and in our region.”
Two globally celebrated achievers in their disciplines, foremost historian, Prof. Ebiegberi Joe Alagoa and a literary giant, Dr. Gabriel Okara, who hail from the state, were given distinguished icon awards by the governor.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.