Timi Alaibe, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and one of the governorship aspirants in Bayelsa State has expressed that ‘visible underdevelopment’ in the state came about as a result of bad governance and visionless leadership.
Addressing newsmen at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress ( APC) on Thursday when he returned the nomination and expression of interest forms bought for him by friends stated that the need to rescue Bayelsans from ‘dungeon’ was the much reason why his friends found him worthy to come the rescue of the state.
His words: “You were here when the elders and leaders Bayelsa state came to purchase form, asking me to contest for the governorship of the state. In answer to that call and following my acceptance, I have come here to submit the expression of interest and nomination form.
“We as Bayelsa people are tired of accidental leadership. We are tired of visionlessness and you know that I come with a lot of experience, goodwill, integrity and reputation. As one of the major oil producing states in this country, Bayelsa has not been able to see structured development in terms of infrastructural development and even in terms of environmental development as consequence of oil production.
On why he supported Dickson four years ago but turned against him now, Alaibe said “I am a party man and that is what I have always being. I even have course to step down for people by following party directive those days, so I am a party man but in spite of how we try to support them, the leopard and his skin refused to change, you can not give what you do not have.”
When asked whether he has taken cognizance of the terrain in Bayelsa state which might contributed to slow spate of development in the state, the former NDDC boss who said he is coming out with load of experience added that he has built roads, Schools and shops in the state, saying “there is no terrain challenge that can not be resolved.
“Is like talking about Netherlands, city of water, and you can see infrastructures development. If you know what to do, let us not use the excuse of terrain, that is deceit, that is not the problem. How does the excuse of terrain made you not to resolve the drainage problem in Yenagoa town? How does the excuse of terrain made you not to clear the refuse? It is leadership we are talking about, leadership with vision, leadership that gives direction, leadership that know critical issue of infrastructural development and empowerment, leadership that connect with the people, that is what is absent and that is what we want to fix.”
KEHINDE ABDULSALAM
