…Explains Why Sawyer Was Chosen
…Directs Redeployment Of Pension Board Staff

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Wednesday, swore in Dr. Wisdom Sawyer as the state’s 12th Head of Service.

Dr. Sawyer was appointed on Tuesday, September 2 following the retirement of his predecessor, Mrs Biobelemoye Charles-Onyema on August 31, as contained in a statement by Daniel Alabrah, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

Governor Diri also swore in two Special Advisers on Legal Matters, Dr. Alabo Ozubide and Inemo Oruebimiekumo, during the 172nd state executive council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa.

The governor, who charged the 55-year-old HoS to exhibit a high sense of professionalism in executing his duties and ensure that the civil service remained loyal and disciplined, explained that he was appointed on merit.

He also stated that Sawyer was chosen based on integrity and as the most senior Permanent Secretary and not on any other primordial considerations.

His words: “You were appointed as Head of Service not because you are from the governor’s local government area but that you have proven to be a man of integrity. Also, among your peers, you are the most senior.

“There are some who are qualified by several other parameters but their dates of retirement are just one or two years left and l do not want to appoint another HoS before l leave office. Having gone through your resume, clearly you will outlive my administration the way l inherited your predecessor.”

The state’s helmsman appreciated the immediate past HoS, who he noted discharged her duties with utmost responsibility, describing her as among the finest in the civil service.

The governor directed the new HoS to ensure the redeployment of all staff of the state Pensions Board, including heads of departments, and that new postings be done.

“You are hereby directed to post out every civil servant in our Pensions Board, including those coming from the Ministry of Finance, from the Accountant General’s Office and all the heads of departments. New postings should be done and ensure that men and women of integrity are posted there. A report should be sent back to me.”

Diri equally charged the two Special Advisers to display the highest standards of integrity in the performance of their duties and continue to create synergy with the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

‎…Diri Assures Of Support, Commends Tinubu
‎
Bayelsa State government has solicited for equity stake in the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company project about to commence on the Brass Island in the state.

Governor Douye Diri made the request on Tuesday when the management team of the company paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

The Bayelsa governor said the state’s position became necessary due to the negative fallouts in excluding oil producing states and local governments from the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Senator Diri in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, contended that implementation of the PIA had been hampered in host communities due to the anomaly in the legislation.

He noted that the disregard in the PIA of the Nigerian Constitution, which vests control of land in the state government, was a flaw that has necessitated calls for its review.

His words: “Let us ensure that the state is not totally excluded from being partners in progress in this whole process. The PIA is one good example.

“When it was in its formative stages as a bill, we made a presentation through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. We did that after consulting with our people, communities and chiefs. But at the end of the day, our inputs were ignored and thrown overboard as the PIA excluded the oil producing states and their local governments.

“The federal government now interacts directly with the communities and that is an affront on the Nigerian Constitution. The Constitution says the land belongs to the state government and not the federal government.

“The Constitution recognises communities as under the local government and the state government. These anomalies in the PIA have made the law a time bomb.

“Today, because of the PIA, there are intra and inter-communal conflicts and litigations. So even funds that have been realised for their development cannot be disbursed to the communities. If anybody thinks the state is not much important, we will then wash off our hands.”

The governor expressed the hope that the petrochemical company would be different and urged the management to partner the state government to correct the imbalance and avert conflicts in its host communities.

Diri, who commended the President Bola Tinubu administration for resuscitating the project, said it was long overdue.

He said that the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company was conceptualised in 2009 but gained some traction during the administration of his predecessor before it fizzled out again.

He equally appreciated the president for his positive response to the state’s requests for federal government presence as exemplified in revival of the fertiliser and petrochemical project.

Speaking earlier, Managing Director of the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company, Chief Ben Okoye, said the visit was to formally inform the state government that work on the $3.5 billion project would start in October this year.

Chief Okoye explained that the 10,000 metric tonnes of methanol per day project was delayed as there was no agreement reached on the gas component but that President Tinubu last October directed the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas) to get it started and that the agreement was signed in January this year.

He assured the state government that the necessary steps have been taken to implement the project in full and thanked the governor for constructing the Nembe-Brass road, which he noted would save the company up to $100,000 in logistics costs in moving equipment and materials on the river to the project site.

The Project Coordinator, Mr. Cyril Akika, in a presentation, listed the benefits of the project to include economic transformation as more than 15,000 jobs would be created during construction and over 5,000 permanent jobs.

He also stated that the project would increase tax revenues, royalties, internally generated revenue, boost Bayelsa SMEs through project supply chains and equity dividends for the state.

Other benefits include infrastructure and community impact, positioning of the Brass Free Zone as global petrochemical hub as well as development of port, jetty, logistics base and a 300MW gas-fired power plant to ensure energy security among others.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has approved the appointment of Dr. Wisdom Ebiye Sawyer as Head of the Civil Service of the state.

This was disclosed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Tuesday.

The appointment of Sawyer, a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, followed the retirement of Barr. (Mrs.) Biobelemoye Charles-Onyema on August 31, 2025.

The new HoS joined the Bayelsa civil service on June 8, 1998 as a Medical Officer.

He was born on May 14, 1970 in Odi community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, and began his education at Town School, Okrika in Rivers State.

He finished in 1981 to attend Okrika Grammar School where he sat for the West African School Certificate examinations in 1986.

In 1988, Sawyer gained admission at the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, where he studied and obtained the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree in 1996.

He also attended the University of Lagos for a Master’s degree in Public Health in 2000 as well as the National Post-Graduate Medical College, Lagos in 2005 and later obtained a Part 2 Fellowship in Public Health at the same institution in 2010.

Dr. Sawyer has already defended his dissertation at the faculty level for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) in Clinical Sciences and Public Health at the state-owned Niger Delta University Faculty of Clinical Sciences.

The newly appointed HoS is equally a member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).

A total of 300 youths from the Niger Delta region have graduated from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Technical Skills Training Programme in various areas of specialisation.

Addressing the youths during the graduation ceremony at the NDDC event centre in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai, said the training programme was part of efforts of the Commission to reduce youth restiveness, create employment and reduce poverty among the people.

In a statement by NDDCs Director, Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, Antai, who spoke on behalf of the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, explained that the training in the areas of pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations and sand blasting was meant to fill the job vacuum in the oil and gas industry.

He noted that the effort to develop human capacity for the people of the Niger Delta region to learn and benefit from the training programme was in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Antai said further: “It is noteworthy that we are gathered to celebrate the graduation of youths from the Niger Delta region who have been trained to acquire skills in pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, sand blasting to learn and to benefit from a programme such as this. This is in line with the Provisions of Section 7 of the NDDC Establishment Act 2000, as amended ”

The Executive Director stated that NDDC was committed to realising its mandate of human capacity development that would be sustainable and regenerative, noting that trainees from the nine states of the region participated in the training.

Antai advised the graduands to remain focused, as the NDDC invested a considerable amount of money to train them in the various areas to produce worthy trained personnel for various industries that require skills in oil and gas, and manufacturing.

He added that the development would further lead to a decrease in the demand for white collar jobs, development in the SMEs among others, in line with the ideals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He described the graduands as pioneers and ambassadors of the NDDC, part of the fulfilment of the current NDDC board’s vision to restore hope to the people of the region.
The Director, Commercial and Industrial Development, Mrs. Lyna Okara, said the training programme was well thought out to address the needs of the oil and gas industry.

In a goodwill message, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Timothy Iyenabo urged the graduands. to develop a road map towards upscaling and training others.

The ceremony, which was witnessed by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume and other NDDC Directors, featured the presentation of certificates to the graduands.

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has stressed the importance of documenting historical milestones through books.

Ogbuku spoke during the launch of two books, “Pirates of the Gulf” and “The Kingfisher: An intimate portrait of environmental injustices in the Niger Delta,” written by the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Yenagoa.

The occasion, attended by Bayelsa State Governor Senator Duoye Diri and other dignitaries, marked the celebration of King Bubaraye Dakolo’s 60th birthday, the 25th anniversary of his marriage and the launching of his two latest books.

The NDDC Managing Director said that literature was critical to preserving knowledge in society, noting, “It helps us to document our thoughts and relate to others. Without literature, you leave your generation behind.”

Ogbuku observed that agitations for better conditions should be more of an intellectual negotiation than a violent confrontation. He commended the author for writing the two books, stating that “he has contributed to preserving history for generations to come.”

He encouraged all knowledgeable individuals to emulate the author by putting their thoughts in writing as a means of preserving knowledge, culture, and tradition for future generations.

Ogbuku launched the books, pledging that the NDDC would buy many copies for distribution to higher institutions in the Niger Delta region.

The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri, acknowledged the ‘intellectual militancy’ deployed by the royal father through his books to highlight the environmental and developmental challenges faced by the people of the oil-rich Niger Delta.

He stated: “We honour your contributions to the promotion of peace and the preservation of our rich culture. I want to acknowledge your dedication to the development and progress of Bayelsa State.”

Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and the Royal Father of the Day, King Pere Stanley Perediegha, as well as the Mother of the Day. Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Douye Diri, other Senators, House of Representatives members, Commissioners, traditional rulers, and academics.

King Dakolo, the Chairman of the Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council, a forthright Ijaw patriot, soldier, environmental rights activist, and prolific writer, remains a role model to our younger generation for his exemplary life of service.