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The Bayelsa state Commissioner for Ijaw national affairs,Elder Patrick Ucheowaji Erasmus has commended the State governor, Senator Douye Diri and his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson for accepting the Chieftaincy titles recently confered on them by the people of Ataba Kingdom.
The Ijaw national affairs Commissioner gave the Commendations while speaking with National Wire in his office at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa,capital city of the state.
Our correspondent reports that elder Erasmus who hails from Ataba Kingdom of the Andoni local government area of the oil rich Rivers state got his first political appointment as Special Adviser to former Bayelsa state Governor,Seriake Dickson and was later appointed as Commissioner by Governor,Senator Douye Diri upon assumption of office.
It would be recalled that the Ataba monarch, King Benson Mgbowaji Egwenre(Oruk XIII) and his council of Chiefs recently conferred the chieftaincy titles of ‘oro- Ata 1’ ( one who does good to his people) on the Bayelsa state Governor, Douye Diri and ‘Utoron 1′( the light of the community) on former Governor of the state, Seriake Dickson respectively.
Erasmus who noted that chieftaincy titles of such numenclature from the kingdom where hardly earned by people irrespective of creed, maintained that the duo of Governor Diri and his predecessor where meticulously chosen for the conferment,saying their trajectory of achievements and activities in the kingdom and the entire Ijaw nation necessitated the conferment of the titles on them.
“The conferment of the chieftaincy titles of ‘Oro-Ata 1 on my boss, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator, Douye Diri, executive Governor of Bayelsa state and my immediate past boss, former governor of this great state, senator Seriake Dickson by my home town, Ataba Kingdom was purely based on their track record of achievements and unflinching support for the Ataba Kingdom and other parts of the Ijaw nation.
“Myself and other people of Andoni origin have been given the previledge to serve in various capacities by these two great sons of Ijaw nation and my people of Ataba Kingdom and whole of Andoni are so pleased with them.
“As you know Bayelsa state is known as the Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation. And so Governor Diri and his predecessor believe that all Ijaws’ can be given the previledge to serve and contribute their quotas towards the development of the state and the entire Ijaw nation.
“Governor Diri has a vision to make Bayelsa and other parts of Ijaw nation feel the impact of his leadership as the Governor-General of Ijaw nation” he said.
The Commissioner who also relived his time as a member of the national executive council of the Ijaw national congress(INC),restated the resolve of the Ijaw people to Continue to be partners for the progress of the ethnic nationality, stressing that the INC has been doing its best in this regard, reassuring that the state governor was resolved to executing impactful projects and policies for the development of the state and Ijaw nation in general,being the presently the only serving Ijaw executive Governor of a state in the country.
