Bayelsa State Governor, the Honourable Seriake Dickson has sought the collaboration of the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies to undertake emergency evacuation operations of flood victims in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, quoted the governor as having said in a statement on Saturday that several communities had already been submerged by flood in the state.
Governor Dickson who made the appeal when the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, and his entourage paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa, said that Bayelsa was the worst hit by the flood in the country as the entire state was below sea level.
The Governor said in the next one month, more communities would be affected, stressing that adequate preparations needed to be made by the state government in partnership with the military and other relevant agencies towards providing support to assuage the plight of those being displaced by the flood disaster.
He said, “Let me commend the AirForce for the way and manner your officers and men supported this state during the 2012 flood. I want to also use this opportunity to call for more support from you.
“As we speak, so many of our communities are under water. As you know, the whole of Bayelsa is below sea level. So, once there is a major flooding situation in our country, our state is one of the most impacted because all the major rivers pass through here to the Atlantic.
"I want to see a situation where your officers and men collaborate more with our people especially in the area of evacuation because the situation we have at hand is alarming.
“The reports we are getting are not palatable. We are told that the situation will continue for the next one month, by which time, I can count on my fingers how many communities in Bayelsa will not be evacuated. "
Governor Dickson, who reiterated his administration's commitment towards supporting security agencies to sustain the prevailing peace and stability in the Niger Delta region, also called for synergy with the Nigerian Airforce in terms of providing effective security in and around the Bayelsa International Airport.
The Governor who described the airport as the most critical and expensive infrastructure embarked upon by his administration, assured the Chief of Air Staff of the state government's readiness to provide land and logistic support to enable the Airforce establish its presence at the facility.
"We are also happy to partner with you on the airport project. We have already established contacts with your very competent team on ground.
“We want to work with you not only in securing the airport, which is your primary responsibility but also on how we can support you by way of land and even some support to enable your officers and men move down there to be in effective control because that is the most critical and expensive singular infrastructure project embarked upon by my administration that will serve the state, this region and our country for a long time to come."
Governor Dickson also urged the Nigerian Airforce to partner the state in the provision of quality education and healthcare delivery.
He stated further that the state government would hand over one of its model secondary schools to the AirForce as it did to the Nigerian Army.
Earlier, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar, said he was in the state on an operational visit to the Mobility Command as part of efforts to reposition the Nigerian AirForce for optimal performance.
While reeling out his achievements in office especially in the area of fighting insurgency in the Northeast and militancy, Air Marshal Abubakar assured the governor of NAF's preparedness to strengthen its security architecture in Bayelsa and the Niger Delta region to safeguard strategic national assets within the area.
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