By Samuel Oyadongha

Stakeholders want the state government to fight environmental pollution occasioned by oil exploitation, provide security, protect the environment and develop other sources of revenue in addition to oil and gas.

They want the state government to start holding the International Oil Companies, IOCs responsible for cleaning the environment because the world is looking at renewable green energy. Soon, fossil fuels will be a thing of the past and most oil companies which are currently looking at same renewable energy will divest from hydrocarbons.

Governor Dickson

‘’Our forests need to be protected as well. Felling of trees should be discouraged and Bayelsa needs to start a tree-planting campaign, a vigorous one. Infant mortality needs to be reduced; Bayelsa can adopt ways from other success stories to address this.

‘’Our language is a key thing, the university must be encouraged to study and research things that will make the area thrive. A people who don’t know their culture, traditions and history are finished. Documentation must be an ongoing process with more people studying languages and also having teachers trained who can teach them.IOCs, others raise alarm as vandalism, oil theft rise in Niger Delta(Opens in a new browser tab)

Security is an area of concern; the communities have a bigger role to play. There must be regular interface with security agencies. Bayelsa should invest in sports to carve a niche for itself. More extensive agricultural projects should be embarked on to grow another area of the economy.

Tourism has greatly been overlooked even with larger beaches. Bayelsa can start earning good foreign exchange. This can only happen when there is adequate security,’’ they said.

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