A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa state, Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, has offered reasons why he allowed the Bayelsa state government to demolish his property located along the Tombia/Etegwe road as part of the ongoing Yenagoa urban renewal project by the present administration in the state.
According to Kpodoh, the demolition of his property and many others in the state capital should be considered as a sacrifice for the remodeling of the Bayelsa state capital into a modern day state capital where all Bayelsans can be proud of in future.
Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, who is considered a fierce critic of government policies in the state, described the Yenagoa urban renewal projects being embarked upon by the administration of Governor Douye Diri as welcomed, bold and commendable development that will eliminate shanties, illegal structures and destroy the red sports in some parts of the state that had harbored some criminal elements for years.
Kpodoh dismissed the complaints by some few over the demolition of illegal structures and shanties as “myopic and misplaced, insisting that unlike past administration that had backed out of such urban renewal project due to politics, the decision by Governor Douye Diri will double up on the existing peace in the state and improve his ratings among the populace at the end.
He said: “It is very unfortunate that some people are complaining unnecessarily. Are we going to continue to live in this dark and dirty age? Some past governors lost favor with the people over their decision to back out of such exercise. But Governor Diri has come to upgrade the state capital and make it clean. The only area I want to advise is that the places demolished should be cleared and some security personnel stationed to ward off those stubborn ones.”
“Look at Tombia, the markets demolished are already springing up with Umbrella markets by the two sides. Its still looking dirty as if nothing was done by government. Every area demolished should be policed to discourage them from returning and to allow government to construct what they wanted. These people are testing the might of the state government despite the adequate information given for the exercise.”
“My property was demolished. And I allowed it because it is even more beautiful than before. Let us support these efforts and within six months or a year, we will see the beauty that will come out of this demolition. Take a look at Swali and Tombia, the area is clear and the criminals have run away. For those complaining, I am sorry. It is a sacrifice that must be paid for the state capital to compete with other state capitals. Yenagoa is the capital of the Ijaw homogenous state and it must be beautiful. This is the only way the people of the state can show their support for this administration.”
“Gov. Douye Diri is not selective. My property, as a PDP man, was demolished. Those dragging politics into the demolition exercise are engaging in fallacy and lies. If the government does not take the bull by the horn, Bayelsa will not develop. In some area, some communities sell land and you as a man buy it. And build to block the road. And you expect the road to bend because you blocked the rights of way. Who are you? Are you bigger than the state? Even five or ten feet to the roads are blocked by shanties. People have blocked all drainages and roads with illegal structures and shanties. Gov. Diri has a lot of jobs to do and at the end people will queue for him.”
