Bayelsa State Government has intervened in the ongoing dispute between the management of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and its host communities.
There have been incessant protests by some youths of the host communities at the headquarters of the NCDMB in Swali, Yenagoa, over delay in the training of 1,000 youths in various skills by the board.
At the meeting which took place inside the conference room of the office of the Secretary to the State Government, the leadership of the host communities led by Mr. Boma Albert explained the reason for the protest.
He said in 2019, the group had a meeting with the board where it was agreed that the NCDMB will train 1,000 Bayelsa youths in different skills and that after the meeting the process for the selection of the youths was instituted with traditional rulers of the various communities involved after which a comprehensive list was forwarded to the board.
“However, the NCDMB later communicated to us last year (2020) that the training was no longer possible due to the outbreak of the dreaded COVID-19, and the eventual global lockdown.
“But early this year, the board reestablished communication, notifying us of their readiness to commence the training, and immediately, we communicated same to the prospective trainees”, he said.
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According to him, they were all surprised when NCDMB wrote to them again that the board received a petition from a faction, claiming that Boma was not the chairman of Host Communities in Bayelsa State.
He said: “Hence, the board put off the training and asked security agencies to investigate the claims of the new group.
“After three months, the board wrote to them again that the security agencies had concluded its investigation and has authenticated me as the chairman and asked me to remobilize the youths for the training, which we complied immediately, only for them to send another letter that the training was no longer going to hold”.
The suspected hanky panky pushed the boys to resort to the protest and eventual shutdown of operational activities at the Content Tower, the NCDMB headquarters until the issue is addressed.
Responding to the Executive Secretary of the NCDM, Engr. Simbi Wabote said it was not true that the board approved the training of 1,000 youths for Bayelsa alone, arguing that, the said one thousand was for the entire Niger Delta states.
When presented with supporting documents and approvals from the Board, Wabote, retracted his statement and agreed with the host communities.
He, however, made some clarifications that the NCDMB is a federal government agency with a clear mandate to regulate activities of multinationals and their host communities, and not what many people think.
Wabote said the board was only helping to facilitate the building of human capital through training on various skills, as well as carrying out some intervention projects in line with its cooperate social responsibility act.
He stated that most of such interventions are domiciled in Bayelsa being the host to the Content Headquarters, and wondered why the incessant protests against the board by Bayelsans.
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In his reactions, the Secretary to State Government, Rt. Hon. Friday Konbowei Benson, cautioned the host communities and all other groups to desist from blocking the Content Tower at the slightest provocation, noting that NCDMB is so dear to the government of Bayelsa State as the only Federal Government Agency domiciled in the state.
He urged anyone having a disagreement with the board to explore every legitimate means, including writing to the state government before embarking on any form of protest, adding that disrupting operational activities of the board sends wrong signals to other potential investors that may want to come into the state.
The SSG, therefore, asked the leadership of the host communities to prevail on the youths to stop further protest at the Tower, assuring that the government will ensure that any opportunity due to Bayelsa State from the board would be redeemed to the people.
Recall that Governor Douye Diri had set up a fact-finding committee headed by the SSG, as Chairman, while Commissioners of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Mineral Resources, Special Duties, East and Attorney General of the state as members to look into the matter and make necessary recommendations.
The Commissioner of Police, Director of the Department of State Service (DSS), and the Commandant of the NSCDC were all represented at the meeting.
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