Governors of the South-South States of the Federation, BRACED (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta) Commission Governors Council on Tuesday appealed to the military to allow the villagers return home and resume their normal lives.
This is just as they have called on the Federal Government (FG) to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to unearth the circumstances that led to the killing of 17 military officers in Okuama, Delta State, to avoid future occurrences.
Residents of Okuoma have reportedly fled their community following an attack on the military officers which left 17 dead, a development that reportedly attracted a reprisal by the military, leaving villagers to go into hiding for fear of attacks by officers.
Meanwhile, the South-South Governors on Tuesday called on the Federal Government to properly define the missions of the troops deployed to the region.
The Governors appealed on Tuesday at the 12th meeting of the BRACED Commission held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa.
Chairman of the BRACED Commission Governors Council and Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, who read the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, also disclosed that the meeting highlighted the need for member states of the BRACED commission to develop better regional interconnectivity through road, rail, water, and air systems.
The communique read in part, “The council condemned unequivocal, the killing of 17 military officers and expresses its condolences to the commander-in-chief, the military hierarchy, and especially to the families of the bereaved officers. It called on the Federal Government to set up a high-powered commission of inquiry to unearth what transpired, to avoid such occurrences in the future.
“Council called on the Federal Government to properly define the missions of the troops deployed to the region. Involvement in community, boundary, business, or family disputes should not be part of the military’s operational mission. The council also appealed to the military to allow the villagers return home and resume their normal lives.
“Council calls on the Federal Government to expedite work on the East-West Road. It further commended the President for commencing the construction of the coastal road from Lagos to Calabar and appealed that, for speedy completion, work should also commence from the Calabar end.
“Council commended the Federal Government for the establishment of the National Agriculture Fund [NADF] and looks forward to working with the agency to improve the economic development of the region, particularly in the areas of agro-entrepreneurship and food sufficiency.
“The meeting commended Bayelsa State government on its cooperation with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNDOC] to build a peace architecture to curb crimes and prevent violence in the state and discussed modalities for the expansion of the program to include other states in the region.
“Council welcomed the ongoing efforts of the States to promote financial literacy and skills acquisition among women and youths in order to promote the growth of small and medium enterprises in the region and directed that the training and ongoing efforts should be sustained throughout the region.
“Council noted the persistent poor state of electricity in the region despite huge investments in the power sector by successive governments of the region. It therefore called on the power companies operating in the region to work more closely with the state governments to ensure the operationalization of the new Electricity Act of 2023. It also called on the Federal Government to embark on a comprehensive review of the power sector, particularly with reference to transmission.
“Finally, Council expressed its appreciation and commended H.E. Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, for his warm hospitality and all arrangements made to ensure the success of the meeting. Council also expressed its appreciation to the Chairman, H.E. Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State, and commended him for his leadership and drive to reposition the Commission and ensure its smooth operations. It commended the Director-General and the Commission for their contributions to the success of the meeting.”