Degi Warns Senate Against Ceding Bayelsa Communities to Rivers

The immediate past Senator representing Bayelsa East Senatorial District, Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Alabo Eremienyo, has faulted a proposed amendment to the Border Communities Development Agency Act, warning that it could trigger inter-communal conflict and undermine Bayelsa State’s territorial and economic interests.

Degi raised the concern while reacting to a bill sponsored by Senator Benson Agadaga seeking to amend the Border Communities Development Agency Act, 2003, as amended in 2006.

The former lawmaker expressed opposition to provisions in the proposed legislation, which is scheduled for a second reading in the Senate and seeks to remove some communities in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and attach them to Rivers State.

According to him, the affected communities are historically, administratively and geographically part of Nembe Local Government Area and should not be excised through legislative action.

Describing the claims contained in the bill as false, misleading and capable of provoking inter-communal tensions, Degi warned that the proposal could create avoidable disputes between Bayelsa and Rivers communities.

He further cautioned that the passage of the bill could have serious economic implications for Bayelsa State, including the possible loss of 13 per cent derivation revenue accruing from oil and gas wells located in the affected communities.

Drawing from his experience as a member of the Federal Government Committee on the Disputed Oil Fields Verification Exercise between Bayelsa and Rivers states in 2000, Degi maintained that the communities referenced in the Border Communities Development Agency Act, 2006, have always been recognized as part of Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

He therefore called on Senator Benson Agadaga and the 10th Senate to discontinue the bill or amend it to remove the contentious provisions, stressing that boundary adjustment and demarcation remain the exclusive responsibility of the National Boundary Commission.

The former Bayelsa East Senator also urged lawmakers at all levels to maintain regular consultations with their constituents to ensure that legislative actions reflect the wishes and interests of the people they represent.