According to him, the state cannot afford to also be polluted by soot as had been the situation in Rivers which was traced to illegal bunkering popularly called ‘kpo fire’.

Diri, who gave the warning when he received his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, at the Government House in Yenagoa, lamented the impact of crude oil production activities by operators on the ecosystem.

He said it was unacceptable for people to destroy the environment while the international oil companies were continually blamed for the same reason.

The governor, therefore, warned operators escaping from Rivers to Bayelsa to go elsewhere as his administration had set up a standing committee to arrest and prosecute anyone caught in the illicit business.

He said, “Whatever that happens in Rivers State is transported down here (Bayelsa). We have intelligence that most of them (operators of illegal refineries) want to move to Bayelsa. I want to warn that Bayelsa will not condone any of those oil bunkering. Those days are over. We have moved on. Anyone who is planning to leave Rivers State to come and start that illicit, illegitimate, illegal business in Bayelsa State, please, have a change of mind and look elsewhere because we already have a standing committee on that from our state security council meeting and we will come down very hard on anyone that will do that illegal and illegitimate business in Bayelsa.”

Diri spoke a special thanksgiving service held in honour of ex-servicemen at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, on Sunday, as part of activities lined up for this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day celebration.

Underscoring the vital role played by the armed forces to secure and keep the nation together, he said the government could not gratify military officers in commensurate measure considering the sacrifices they had made and continue to make for the country.

The governor represented by his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, noted that Nigeria was standing as one indivisible nation because of the sacrifices being made by military men despite the pockets of separatist agitations across the country.

According to him, over 80 per cent of serving military officers were not living together with their families, leaving the mentorship of their children in the hands of others.

Diri, therefore, reiterated his call on the National Assembly to enact legislation to adequately provide for the care and educational training of children of officers who die in the line of duty.

He said, “I really want to use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government, that we need to do more than we are doing currently for the servicemen in uniform. The sacrifices they make are unquantifiable and inestimable. Nigeria is united today because people risked their lives to keep Nigeria united. Even as I speak to you, there are various frontiers of discontentment and agitations, whereby some people are trying to pull the nation apart because they want to go their way.”

In his sermon entitled, ‘Honouring a life of sacrifice’, Senior Apostle Michael Makpah, urged people to emulate the life of the biblical Abraham, stressing that anywhere sacrifice is offered, there is the need for honour to be given.

Makpah noted that members of the Nigerian armed forces were driven by love for the country to put their lives on the line for the maintenance of peace, security and territorial integrity of the nation, and therefore must be better appreciated.

On February 13th, the apex court nullified the election of Lyon and his Deputy, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo on the grounds that the latter ran for the election using forged certificates.

Delivering judgement today, the Supreme court justices led by Justice Amina Augie, held that the application filed by the APC for the review of the court’s judgement, lacked merit, and that the decision of the court is final. She added that the applicants failed to point out errors and added that no court on earth can review the judgment.