Yenagoa—Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said despite the challenges of the outgone year, his administration is proud of the progress it made in efforts to better the lot of Bayelsans.
Governor Diri, who stated this in a New Year Day broadcast on all Yenagoa-based radio and televisions stations, also said there were many reasons to be thankful to God despite the difficult times in the country.
The governor noted that one of the challenges faced by the state in the previous year was funding but despite that, his administration recorded laudable achievements in sundry areas including healthcare, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment, security, infrastructure development, among others
Governor Diri also said several projects will be commissioned during the second anniversary of his administration in February.
He assured that his administration will continue to take the necessary actions to address the challenges of youth unemployment, poverty, inequality and poor health.
Diri also lauded Bayelsa sportsmen and women, who brought glory to the state by their success in their respective fields in sports, particularly, Bayelsa United and Bayelsa Queens that won the men and women version of the AITEO Cup as well as the nine-year-old Deborah Quickpen that won the Under-10 Africa Chess Championship.
According to the governor, their success justified his government’s investment in sports by winning laurels for the state.
In the area of security, the state helmsman recalled that in the outgone year, the state’s special security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo, was rejigged, re-commissioned and kitted with upgraded assets.
He noted that regardless of the undeniable progress made so far, there were still areas to be consolidated upon and called on the people of the state to join hands with the government to take Bayelsa to the promised land.
Diri said: “In retrospect, in 2021, whereas we had to deal with several challenges, particularly in the area of funding, we can nevertheless applaud ourselves for the strides we made in the year by the grace of God.
“By prudently managing our lean resources we have been able to progress in sundry areas including, but not limited to, healthcare, education, agriculture, youth and women empowerment, security, extensive infrastructure development and reconciliation of aggrieved communities, just to mention a few.
“The vision for a prosperous Bayelsa is evolving and ongoing. I am the first to acknowledge that despite the undeniable progress, there are areas to improve and gains to consolidate upon.
“This is the time for genuine friends of the state to align with the prosperity vision so that together we can transform challenges to opportunity and prosperity.”
The Governor equally reemphasized the need by oil firms for more responsible exploitation and exploration of oil in the Niger Delta and Bayelsa in particular, bearing in mind the recent oil spill in Nembe and other parts of the state, which he said has jeopardized the lives and livelihood of the people.
