The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has initiated a grassroots campaign against insecurity in Bayelsa State, South-South Nigeria.
The State Director of the agency, Grace Olobio made the announcement during a roundtable for critical stakeholders held at the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Federal Secretariat complex in Yenagoa, the capital of oil rich Bayelsa State.
Olobio, who was represented a Deputy Director in the agency, Mrs. Ndidiamaka Mumeya-Francis, said that insecurity was a threat to the fabrics of unity, peace and economic growth, which is supposed to bond the people despite socio-cultural diversities.
According to Olobio, “challenges such as insurgency, banditry, extremism, youth restiveness, herder-farmer conflicts, militancy, kidnapping, pipeline vandalism amongst others bedevilled the nation and must be tackled collectively as no single entity or organisation can succeed independently.”
She cautioned residents, “be vigilant at all times and report any form of criminality or infractions of the law to our security agencies. For us to develop as a nation requires that we all need to join hands and protect our country.
“We are using this opportunity to invite you to join this campaign to protect our State and the wealth of our dear country Nigeria from criminal syndicates, who drain our natural resources and damage the environment in the process,” she urged.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Director of a non-governmental organization referred to as “Peace Building, Conflict Resolution Trainers Network,” Dr. Dotimi Ogbofa highlighted the negative impacts of oil production and spillage across affected communities.
Dr. Ogboga attributed the challenges of unemployment and underdevelopment in most of the Bayelsa communities to the greed of some traditional leaders, urging that the priority should be for peace, unity and economic growth through job creation for unemployed people.
The roundtable featured Goodwill messages by the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, Nwankwala Stalin and a representative from the National Council for Women Society, Mrs. Nyanayo Maggi as well as that of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Oguntuase.
They expressed the willingness to collaborate with the agency on the campaign to grassroots communities across the eight local government areas in Bayelsa State.
The meeting was themed “Pathway to National Cohesion, Development and Unity.”