Posted by By Samuel Oyadongha on
IN a bid to beef up security along its waterways, Bayelsa State government has commenced the recruitment of able-bodied youths for its vigilance outfit, 'Bayelsa Volunteers."
YENAGOA - IN a bid to beef up security along its waterways, Bayelsa State government has commenced the recruitment of able-bodied youths for its vigilance outfit, 'Bayelsa Volunteers."
The 'Bayelsa Volunteers" was a creation of the impeached former governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha to combat the menace of the sea pirates in the waterways.
The local security outfit, then under the supervision of the run away cousin of the former governor, Chief Abel Ebifemowei succeeded in bringing sanity to the troubled waterways along side with the support of the police before it went into oblivion following Alamieyeseigha's arrest in London and his subsequent impeachment.
However, most political observers in the state did not see the 'Bayelsa Volunteer" as a truly security outfit to effectively police the waterways but a band of foot soldiers assembled for political gain in the build-up to the 2003 elections.
But the state government in an attempt to resuscitate moribund body some time last month appointed Ijaw activist, Chief Joshua Benamaisia, as its coordinator.
Since the appointment of Chief Benamesia, one of the linkmen used by the state government to help secure the release of the four expatriates abducted by militants off the coast of Bayelsa State the government house secretariat of the outfit has temporarily moved to one of the popular hotels in the Amarata suburb of Yenagoa.
The hotel has become a sort of Mecca for jobless Ijaw youths' majority of who besieged the premises on daily basis with a view to collecting the recruitment forms since it was made public.
Some of the youth who spoke to Vanguard on why they preferred the job in spite of its risky nature said, 'it is better than doing nothing. Moreover, it would afford us to take care of our domestic needs instead of hanging on others to survive."
'If only there are companies here the situation would have been different but all we have is government as the sole employer of labour," a youth who said he has been making frantic attempt to get the form since last week told Vanguard.
However an official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the response from the public has been overwhelming adding that those to be recruited would be thoroughly screened to a view to eliminating the problem of engaging people of questionable character.
According to him, it was the intention of government to establish a new 'Bayelsa Volunteer" to complement the effort of the regular police to curb the menace of bandits in the waterways, which Bayelsans would be proud of.