Follow Us on Google
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Udengs Eradiri, former President of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has called on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to create an additional 10 local government areas for Bayelsa State.
Eradiri described the existing eight local government areas in Bayelsa as abnormal, insisting that the state deserved more.
Eradiri, a former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa, said the state, where crude oil was first found in commercial quantity, has been suffering injustice since it was created with only eight local government areas by the late former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
He wondered why different administrations and various sessions of the National Assembly had carried on over the years as if all was well with Bayelsa’s constitutional composition in terms of the number of local government areas.
Eradiri, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa, called on the National Assembly, especially the state’s caucus in the Assembly, to correct the abnormality by creating an additional 10 local government areas for the state.
Other News
In a statement, Eradiri argued that the National Assembly should seize the window provided by the ongoing legislations for the creation of additional states in the country to increase the number of Bayelsa’s local government areas.
Eradiri noted that among all the states in the country, Bayelsa remained the only state with eight local government areas, despite its larger landmass compared to others, like Lagos and the Southeastern states, which have more local government areas.
He said: “This issue has continued to agitate our minds and it is high time the National Assembly and the Federal Government considered it as a matter of urgency.
“There is no justification for Bayelsa State to still have only eight local government areas. The state’s quantum contributions to the country’s economy and its large landmass, as well as its increasing population, qualify Bayelsa for 10 additional local government areas.
“We are hereby calling on the National Assembly and Bayelsa State caucus in the Assembly to do the needful by capitalising on the ongoing moves to create more states to increase the number of Bayelsa’s local government areas.”
Eradiri appealed to the state Governor, Senator Douye Diri, to constitute a team from within and outside the state to push for the demand in the National Assembly.
