MOSIEND Hails Bayelsa At 30, Seeks Federal Development Attention For Niger Delta

The Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality (MOSIEND) has congratulated the Government and people of Bayelsa State on the 30th anniversary of the state’s creation, urging unity and sustained development while calling on the federal government to give Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta the developmental attention they are due.

In a statement signed by its President, Dr. Kennedy Tonjo West, MOSIEND said the occasion carries personal meaning because the organisation was part of the wider movement of groups and patriots that pressed for the creation of Bayelsa State.

“MOSIEND was part of the wider movement of organisations and patriots who pressed for the creation of Bayelsa, and we remember that struggle well,” West said.

The MOSIEND president said the resilience of Bayelsans deserves recognition, noting that the state was carved out of difficult terrain and started with very little. He said Bayelsa has made real progress since then and is still growing.

West commended Governor Douye Diri for the work of his administration and urged him to sustain the momentum, widen participation in government and keep creating opportunities for the people.

He also paid tribute to the founding fathers and pioneers of the state, saying their vision, courage and sacrifice laid the ground on which Bayelsa now stands.

Looking to the next 30 years, West urged Bayelsans to hold on to peace, unity and a shared sense of purpose. He said political differences matter but should never outweigh the future of the state.

He cautioned politicians against politicising everything and insisted that the interest of Bayelsa must come before party interest.

West further called on the federal government to give Bayelsa and the wider Niger Delta the developmental attention they are due, saying the region’s potentials in agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, tourism, maritime enterprise, energy, oil and gas services, and logistics remain largely untapped.

According to him, every part of Bayelsa can become an economic and industrial hub that creates jobs, generates revenue and adds to Nigeria’s prosperity.

“Bayelsa’s future is bright, but it will not build itself,” he said.

MOSIEND therefore called on government, political leaders, traditional institutions, businesses, youths and citizens to choose development over division, production over dependency, and the future over the politics of the moment.

The organisation also prayed that Almighty God would continue to bless Bayelsa, protect her people, guide her leaders and make the state a greater centre of peace, prosperity and enterprise.

“At 30, we celebrate how far Bayelsa has come,” West said. “More than that, we believe in how far it can still go.”