Diri seeks partnership to harness Bayelsa’s maritime resources

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has said the state, with the longest coastline in Nigeria, is interested in collaborations that will help it secure its maritime and harness its resources.

Speaking in Abuja when he hosted a delegation on maritime security from the European Union (EU), the governor expressed the state’s willingness to partner the EU towards ensuring security in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as describing Bayelsa and the entire Ijaw nation as critical stakeholders in maritime safety, given that the lives of the people depend on their coastal ecosystem.

Diri noted that the state government had intervened directly in communities where potential maritime criminal activities originated through the Community-Based Crime Prevention and Development Intervention strategy, which he described as the first of its kind put in place by any of Nigeria’s nine coastal states.

According to him, the administration has continued to create the enabling environment for good governance, transparency and accountability, which are critical elements in the fight against criminality in the maritime environment.

The governor called on the Federal Government and the international community to involve states on issues of maritime security, assuring that his administration would remain committed to the wellbeing of Bayelsans and the maintenance of peace and security.

His words: “We, from Bayelsa and the entire Ijaw nation, are critical stakeholders to the whole idea of maritime safety, protection of the maritime ecology, the healthy and sustainable development of the deep blue economy and preservation of our aquatic, cultural heritage.

“Our commitment to this is premised on the fact that our lives depend on the coastal ecosystem, and any threat to its peace directly impacts us.”

Earlier, the EU Senior Coordinator for the Gulf of Guinea, Nicolas Berlanga, had said the EU and its partners would work with the government and people of the state as long as they provide the needed leadership. 

In his remarks, Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Juan Sell, said the meeting with states was because they were conscious of the fact that success would not be achieved, if the coordinating units were not involved in the efforts to improve security in the GoG.