The Bayelsa Government has resolved the long-standing operational disagreement among its revenue-generating Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Speaking after receiving the report on Tuesday in Yenagoa, Mr Peter Akpe, Deputy Governor of the state, said its adoption of the recommendations had resolved the operational conflict among the affected revenue-generating MDAs.
Akpe said conflict was between officials of the Environmental Sanitation Authority, the Ministries of Health and Environment, as well as the Yenagoa Local Government Area.
The resolution reached at a meeting between the feuding MDAs and the deputy governor, in Government House, followed the formal submission of a report by the Mr Ikobho Howells-led “Committee on Resolution of Conflicting Functions of Environmental Health Officers in the Yenagoa Capital City.
According to the deputy governor, the state capital has been demarcated into four operational zones, with each of the MDAs assigned to a zone to permanently stop the recurring clash of interest among them in the collection of revenue.
Akpe admonished the MDAs to recognise the fact that they all belonged to Bayelsa and working on behalf of government.
He urged them to hit the internally generated revenue target assigned to them in their respective catchment areas of operation.
“A breakdown of the report shows that Zone A, which covers Amarata, Onopa, Yenagoa, Ovom, Azikoro, Agbura, Swali, and Famgbe axis, is assigned to the Bayelsa state ministry of health.
“Zone B, covering Ekeki, Okaka, Yenizue-Epie, Okaka, Kpansia, Anyama Ijaw, Igeibiri and Obogoro, has been assigned to the ministry of environment,” he said.
According to him, Zone C has Yenizuegene, Biogbolo, Opolo, Okutukutu, Etegwe, Imiringi and Emeyal as its catchment and is assigned to the Yenagoa local government area.
“While Zone D, which covers Edepie, Akenpai, Agudama-Epie, Akenfa, Yenegwe, Igbogene, Okolobiri, Obunugha, Tombia and Amassoma, is exclusively preserved for Bayelsa State Environmental Sanitation Authority for its revenue drive.
Further classification of the operational module for the MDAs, he said, included the use of hand bands of different colours, with Yenagoa local government council officials to wear brown hand-bands.
He said environmental sanitation authority would be clad in Blue hand-bands, while operatives from Ministries of Health and Environment are to wear Yellow and green hand-bands.
Responding on behalf of the parties, the Chairman of Yenagoa council, Mr Bulodisiye Ndiwari, thanked the state government for its intervention.
He expressed satisfaction with the new operational arrangements marshalled out for the four government institutions.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the meeting, the Head of Service, Dr Wisdom Sawyer, pointed out that the MDAs had been engulfed in an operational stand-off for more than four years, leading to intervention of the state government.
Sawyer appreciated government for resolving the impasse.
He expressed optimism that the MDAs, haven been assigned clear-cut area of operation, would be better focused on their IGR targets without the usual inter-agency bickerings in and off the field. (NAN)
