Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, on Monday recieved the Minister of State for Environment, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor over the oil spill from a facility operated by Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited in Nembe community in the state.
The governor, who recieved minister at the state Government House, Yenagoa, said the government has shown less concern on the development.
He maintained that the government had a job to ensure the protection of lives and property of citizens, as well as appeal for peace where necessary.
In his words, “Let me formally welcome you to Bayelsa State. First, I like to thank you for coming to have first-hand knowledge of the suffering of the people of Nembe Local Government Area, and indeed, the environmental damage that has been occasioned by the oil spill that lasted over a month.
‘We are a peace-loving people. This Government has come in to preach Peace, Love and Reconciliation, and that is why, even when I went there to see things for myself when the spill was still on, I still appealed to our people to keep the peace.
“If a spill of this magnitude had occurred, we expect empathy from the Federal Government, who is our senior partner in the constitution of this country, and like you have come today to do, that is what I expected every other person to do.
“The interest of the Federal and State governments should be to protect our People who primarily, are the ones suffering this untold hardship that is visited on them. As a State Government, we assure you that we will do everything within our powers to protect our environment and our citizens.”
