From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva has slammed the Bayelsa state government over the pains caused residents of the state due to the flood disaster that ravaged seven out of the eight local government areas in the state.
Sylva speaking in an interview monitored on a private radio station, Peoples FM, against the backdrop of groundswell of criticism directed at the Federal Government for its delayed response to help the state, warned against politicizing the flood disaster.
He admitted that the plight of the people was “saddening” noting that the focus should be on how to prevent a recurrence.
“I really sympathise with Bayelsa people of Bayelsa over this experience. But what I want to say is that we should stop politicising very serious problems in Bayelsa. I heard unscrupulous politicians saying Sylva has not come; other politicians have not come etc. It is not about coming. Now, this problem is a problem we have lived with. We were all born to see this problem. This problem is a recurring decimal. Why can’t we come together and find a solution to this problem? Elsewhere in the world, people would have come together to find a solution to the problem.”
Sylva while pointing out that before the 2022 flood, several warnings were issued stated that the expectation was that a responsible government would have made adequate preparations to cushion the effects of the disaster on the people.
“Before this flood people were warned. A responsible government should be ready and prepared for this. It should not be caught napping. The government should have prepared. It is a matter of preparation. You were expecting flooding if you don’t have a solution, no problem, then you should have made sure you made adequate provision to alleviate the suffering of the people. Look at the price of food items. The Government could have from early this year get food stuff and stored for this period. The government could have bought medicines. It could have prepared camps where people can stay. It is not something that you did not expect, you were caught napping.
“We should not point our hands at the Federal Government, what have we done? You put people in makeshift IDP camps and then we now expect people to come and donate. As far as I am concerned the PDP government in Bayelsa State is irresponsible. Why should the government wait till the problem comes, they should have made provisions before now. It is their problem and we have come to join hands with them.
“I am not trying to politicise the problem but let us call a spade a spade. Because what I saw in Bayelsa is so sad. And it is not something that caught us unawares. What I want us to do is to leave politics and come together as a state to find a solution to the problem.”