This is Bayelsa…The Glory of All Lands

By Oludaniels

The name ‘Bayelsa’ was derived from the first few letters of major local government areas from which it was formed – Brass LGA (BALGA), Yenagoa (YELGA) and Sagbama (SALGA).
In population, the Ijaw ethnic group is the fourth largest in Nigeria. But in terms of natural resources, they are the wealthiest in South-south region, more than 70% of the nation’s proven oil and gas reserve is been exploited from their region.
The Ijaw ethnic group consists of 50 loosely affiliated clans. These clans are based along kinship lines under the Benin Empire.
The capital of Bayelsa State would even have gone to Amassoma but Major General Abacha(late) who had earlier queried, if Amassoma was where Isaac Adaga Boro hailed from, used military intelligence and boycotted the ideaof crossing rivers to get to the state capital and stated emphatically that the state capital should be accessible by land and the capital ‘Bayelsa’fell on Epie-Atissa’s land.
Bayelsa is in the core Niger Delta region, between Delta State and Rivers State, land surface is approximately 10,773 km² which houses eight local governments:

Brass
Ekeremor
Kolokuma/Opokuma
Nembe
Ogbia
Sagbama
Southern Ijaw
Yenagoa
The Bayelsa State Executive Council (also known as, the Cabinet of Bayelsa State) is the highest governmental body that plays important roles in the Government.
The four major languages recognised in the state are: Izon, Nembe, Ogbia and Epie-Atissa. The predominant religions in the State are Christianity and Traditional worship, the state has 24 first class traditional rulers (and many second and third class traditional rulers) recognised by the State Government.
The Governor of Bayelsa State is also the leader of the Ijaw nation. There are Ijaw minorities in Ondo, Delta, Rivers and Lagos States that are also bonafide indigenes of ijaw Nation.

Bayelsa State since inception has
been ruled by Eleven men:

Non-indigenous governors during military rule
Phillip Ayeni: October 1996 to February, 1997
Habu Daura: February to June, 1997
OmoniyiOlubolade: June 9th, 1997 to July, 1998
Paul Obi: July, 1998 to May, 1999

Seven indigenous executive governors under this political dispensation (Nigerian Fourth Republic)