Bayelsa at 25: Gov. Diri says ‘state is on course,’ salutes founding fathers
[From CHRIS EZE, Yenagoa]
Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri has paid glowing tributes to the founding fathers of the state. This is just as he stated that Bayelsa has maintained steady progress since its creation 25 years ago.
In a state wide broadcast aired on Bayelsa based radio and television stations to mark the nation’s 61 independence and 25 years anniversary of the creation of the state, the Governor eulogized the state’s heroes, founding fathers and late General Sani Abacha for their courageous acts that led to the creation of Bayelsa.
He said under his Prosperity Administration, the state had recorded some significant milestones in infrastructural development.
According to Diri, “My Government of Prosperity has sustained ongoing construction of the Yenegoa- Oporoma road in Central Senatorial District and the Sagbama –Ekeremor road in the Bayelsa West Senatorial District.
“Also we are constructing the collapsed Elebele Bridge in Ogbia Local Government, the 4.5 kilometer Igbedi road in Kolokuma /Opokuma Local Government Area, phase 2 of the Gloryland Drive Road in Yenagoa as well as construction of the Nembe Unity Bridge in the East Senatorial District.”
He further listed construction of the outer ring road from Elebele to Igbogene, phase 2 of the Isaac Boro Expressway in Yenagoa, completion and commissioning of Imiringi Bridge and completion of the Onopa Bridge and construction of the access road into the New Yenagoa City.
The Governor used the occasion to equally outline the achievements of his administration in other sectors including education, health agriculture, among others.
He urged Bayelsans to appreciate God for the creation of the state, saying it has witnessed remarkable developments in 25 years of its existence.
The state’s Chief Executive noted that although the state had not developed to the level it desired to be, it has recorded appreciable growth in terms of human and infrastructural development compared to when it was part of the old Rivers State.
While calling on the sons and daughters of the state to close ranks and support his administration to move the state forward, Diri stressed that there was no other state they can call theirs, urging them to avoid acts that would pull the state backward.
Describing the development of the state as steady, the Governor thanked his predecessors for their development efforts, which he said his administration is building on, saying that it is a demonstration of the fact that “team work makes the dream work.”
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to amend the Petroleum Industry Act, (PIA) in line with the desire of citizens of the Niger Delta.
According to him, Bayelsa and other Niger Delta states needed to be fairly and equitably treated in the distribution of resources to bring about robust development of the region and country as a whole.