Unpaid salaries: Resign now or risk bloodshed, militants threaten Gov Dickson

A group of militants under the aegis of Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), has asked Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state to resign if he cannot pay salaries of workers and pensioners in the state, or else risk bloodshed.

The group threatened to attack Bayelsa state Government House, Dickson, his relatives and political appointees who “have given advice to Pharaoh (Dickson)” not to pay workers in the state.

The group which made this threat in a statement signed by some of their leaders namely General’ Torunanaowei Latei (Creek Network Coordinator); ‘General’ Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro (Pipeline Bleeding Expert) among others added that the Governor must make the payment in full as anything less will not be acceptable.

Part of the statement reads: “It was unacceptable for governor Dickson to be owing civil servants about seven months, local government workers for over 13 months, pensioners for about nine months and workers in the only state university, Niger Delta University (NDU) for about seven months.

“We are warning Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state, without further delay commence the final payment of all workers including the old pensioners been owed their several months of salary. Dickson is to pay these workers/pensioners in full and not 50 per cent or half of half of their legitimate salaries.

“He will not claim of no fund, when the Governor is busy doing projects and building personal buildings within and outside the state, while these workers are dying in abject poverty in the state.

“We’ll go after any of Dickson’s relation and political appointees who have given wrong advice to the Pharaoh (Gov. Dickson) of Bayelsa state to cripple the state. Since the governor cannot pay workers in the state, by avoiding the oath he took and his constitutional responsibilities, he should leave the seat of power in the state to avoid bloodshed.

“Whoever that attacks us in words will also go for it. If Dickson undermines us what he saw while serving as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the state on that fateful day of April, 27, 2007 were we came and sacked President Goodluck Jonathan then governor of the state at government house, he will experience same but this time around it will be disastrous and head will roll”.

“The group listed oil installations it may soon attack to include Ogboinbiri in Southern Ijaw LGA of Bayelsa state to Obrinkon in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers state, flow stations of Ogboinbiri, Oporoma, Peremabiri, Tabidaba, Nembe, Brass, Chevron platform in Koluama, Okordia-Zarama and Biseni and Gbarain-Ubie gas gathering plant.

Read also: Oil installation attack gets messier as Avengers blow up NNPC, NPDC, Chevron pipelines

“While the group commended Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, for intervening in the issues of the region it said, “We thanked the Minister of state, Petroleum Resources for the bold steps he personally took to resolve the injustice created and sponsored by the wicked companies and government in Nigeria.

“Our struggle is beyond monetary gains and we cannot be bribed by the Nigerian government to the detriment of our suffering people and the struggle is unstoppable until justice is done to the region. Our Field Commanders have been instructed what to do and those who are on standby in Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Edo, Delta Cross River await after Bayelsa state operations.

“We further warned that, henceforth, any attack on Ijaw communities or person(s) by the military or para-military body in the region, we will not hesitate to order our shoot-at-sight squad of any uniform personnel in the region.  For the records, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) are not in Delta state, we only go there to strike and returns back safely to the struggle base, Bayelsa state”.

 

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