The dust has not finally settled yet, on the confrontation between Bayelsa State Government and Rivers State Government following the demolition in Port Harcourt of two prime properties belonging to Bayelsa State Government by Rivers State Government.
While Bayelsa State Government has vowed to do all that is legally allowed to recover the revoked land and get redress for the demolished houses, the Rivers State Government is standing its grounds, saying it has taken possession and removed the nuisance caused by the two properties located at 5 and 9 Akassa Street of the Old Government Reservation Area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
One of the demolished properties is a 12-flat two storey building while the other is a complex duplex. The bulldozers moved in on them and brought them to the ground on Friday, May 12th, 2023 when the notice of recovery of the properties by the Rivers State Government expired.
Bayelsa State Government had just before the demolitions rushed to the Supreme Court to secure an order to stop them. But it did not secure an order to stop the bulldozers from moving in one the houses as Rivers State Government went ahead to bring down the houses, despite being served the processes of the Supreme Court suit as claimed by Bayelsa State Government.
Mr. Esau Andrew, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Lands and Housing, in his response accused the governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, of executing a political vendetta against Bayelsa State in carrying out the demolitions.
Andrew however, did not substantiate his accusation. The governors of Bayelsa and Rivers States, Douye Diri and Nyesom Wike, supported different presidential candidates in the last presidential election respectively. While Diri backed Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wike supported Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Commissioner for Lands said, “Those properties were lawfully given to Bayelsa State during the assets sharing. So, with any technical grounds that they are causing nuisance can never create a fact for Rivers State Government to demolish the properties belonging to Bayelsa State Government. That is quite a very unfair deed to your brother state.”
Andrew said Governor Diri had in response to an earlier notice given by the Rivers State Government approved funds for the renovation of the properties and that renovation was about to begin when Rivers State Government gave notice of taken possession of the properties. “That is very very unfair of Rivers State Government,” he said.
However, a project notice at the site of the properties showed that Bayelsa State Government had planned to renovate the properties since August 2021. But nothing was done until the Rivers State Government moved in on May 12th.
Andrew accused Wike of failing to attend the burial of Diri’s father the week before the demolitions, saying, “No matter the political vendetta he has within him against his own sister state, that shouldn’t come at this material time when the governor is in a sorrowful mood. It is quite unfortunate.
“Bayelsa State Government will use all appropriate means, lawful means to recover its property including numbers 5 and 9 Akassa street Old GRA Port Harcourt.”
However Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chief Chris Finebone, denied any political consideration in the demolition of the properties.
Finebone told National Point that a long notice was given before the general elections. He promised to give a comprehensive response to the claims by Bayelsa State Government after consulting with officials of the lands ministry in Port Harcourt.
“First of all there is nothing politically motivated about it. But I am going to Ministry of Lands to get details about what happened.
“It will begin with the memo by the state government written in 2021 and the subsequent ones including the one of two weeks ago. I will include all. It is going to be a comprehensive response. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s all part of the urban renewal thing and even if you talk of politics in 2021 there wasn’t that issue of politics. So, why is it now looking like being given the colouration of politics as if everything happened and ended in 2023,” Finebone said.
The notice issued by Rivers State Government two weeks before the demolitions had said, “That in contravention of the covenants and conditions contained in the Certificate of Occupancy issued to Bayelsa State Government in respect of plots 34 & 35 (No 5 Akassa Street and plot 37 No 9 Akassa Street) Golf Course Extension Layout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, notice is hereby given by the Rivers State Government that the occupants of the said property should vacate.
“Take notice that the occupants of the above mentioned properties are hereby given 14 days from the date of this notice to vacate buildings thereon.
“As the said buildings are not only constituting public nuisance, but also defacing the Rivers State Government’s Urban Renewal Infrastructural Development Policies as relates to the Golf Course Old GRA Layout.
“Take further notice that at expiration of this notice, Rivers State Government will take possession of the properties.”
The Rivers State Government has since concluded the demolitions and secured the properties. When National Point visited the sites, a full trailer load of Dangote Cement bags was parked in front of the properties, with many construction workers hanging around.
Though Bayelsa was created out of Rivers State in 1996, the two states have from time to time engaged themselves in disputes over assets sharing and boundary adjustments issues tied to sharing of oil wells.
