Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has appealed to Ijaw individuals, businessmen, and women in the Diaspora to join hands with the government in developing their ancestral homeland, the only homogenous state of ethnic nationality.
Diri appealed in his New Year message on Wednesday, assuring that his administration would redouble its efforts to attract investments from both international and domestic sources.
The governor said the state government was looking forward to opportunities to collaborate with Bayelsans and Ijaw investors both, at home and abroad to un, lock the vast estate’s economic and other potent potential
According to him, Bayelsa State remained the most secure and hospitable environment for professionals and entrepreneurs.
His words: “As we begin the new year, I am filled with a sense of hope and optimism, eager to build on the progress we have made and to work assiduously towards a better, brighter, and greater future for our great state.
“I extend a warm invitation to our Ijaw brothers and sisters in the Diaspora to redirect their focus towards their ancestral homeland. I am pleased to assert that our state boasts the most secure and welcoming environment for professionals and entrepreneurs to thrive, as well as for individuals to relax and unwind, setting us apart as a haven among other states in the country. We eagerly anticipate the opportunities to collaborate with our brethren to unlock the vast potential that our state has to offer.”
Diri admitted that the past year was fraught with challenges, particularly in the country’s economic landscape and the depreciation of the Naira that impacted all sectors of society.
But, he noted that: “because we have been prudent in spending our state’s resources and prioritising expenditure to fulfil our mandate of shared prosperity, we have achieved significant progress on our legacy projects, including key infrastructure initiatives to unlock the treasures of the Atlantic Ocean and harness the potential of the Blue Economy.”
The governor stressed that considerable strides have been made to give an nduring facelift to Yenagoa, the state capital, with the construction and rehabilitation of access roads as well as several internal roads, which had improved connectivity and accessibility.
He said in line with his administration’s rebranded ASSURED Prosperity Agenda, the state government was taking on additional signature projects across various sectors as it looked prepared to launchProsperity Estates.”
Diri explained that “the project is a groundbreaking housing scheme that will bring 1000 affordable homes to our state capital and local government areas. This initiative is a major milestone in our mission to make housing more accessible and affordable for all citizens.”
On the issue of power, he explained that the government was working towards ensuring a sustainable and independent power supply with the procurement and eventual installation of a 60-megawatt gas turbine during the course of the year.
He expressed appreciation to the people of the state for their patience during the four months of power outage.
Diri described security as a top priority for his administration and that concrete steps were being taken to strengthen the state’s position as one of the safest and most secure states in Nigeria.
To achieve this aim, he said that new Closed-circuit Cameras would soon be installed while the existing ones around the state capital would be refurbished.
In tandem with ongoing efforts to revitalise and strengthen the state’s infrastructure, Diri said educational institutions and healthcare facilities would continue to receive critical attention and targeted investment.
He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to constructing an ultramodern in Yenagoa with facilities that would inspire and support talented sportsmen and women.
Diri said of agriculture, “We are proactively pursuing sustainable food production. To this end, we will provide farmers in the state with comprehensive support, including equipment, expert guidance, and high-quality seedlings and stems.
“Already, our partnership and bilateral relationship with the Republic of South Korea is yielding positive results. A few days ago, I received a technical team from South Korea who were in our state to train our farmers in modern rice cultivation.
“The team has also installed state-of-the-art rice processing mills at the School-to-Land farm in Yenagoa as we continue our ambitious rice revolution programme. A core component of our agricultural and food security agenda this term is the “Produce and Consume” initiative, which emphasises the importance of producing what we eat and eating what we produce.“
