2 weeks Ago By THEWILL
April 25, (THEWILL) – In the words of Booker T. Washington, “Excellence is doing common things in an uncommon way”. Of course, excellence is the necessary leadership ingredient required in a great measure to recalibrate the metrics of development in a predominantly swampy, littoral state like Bayelsa, which sits in the heart of the Niger Delta region, making it one of the most difficult states to develop because of its peculiar terrain.
The current administration has since relegated the cliche of “difficult terrain”, which has been inadvertently used to justify the slow pace of development in the state. It is clearly a new order since the Prosperity Administration of Governor Douye Diri came into office in 2020, in the area of infrastructural development, where bulldozers are tearing down once dreaded swamps and creeks to construct strategic roads and other infrastructures. Governor Diri and his amiable Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, have been united in one voice, changing the narrative, and the Governor has dared to take on ambitious projects, some hitherto considered impossible, thus completely erasing the concept of “difficult terrain” in Bayelsa State.
The new message of hope is that, yes, the terrain is challenging, but it can be conquered with determination and sincerity of purpose. Aware of the fact that the government is a continuum, Governor Diri vowed to continue with inherited and abandoned big-ticket projects, including the three pivotal senatorial road projects. Today, the decision of the Governor to continue from where his predecessors stopped has paid off as Bayelsans can now comfortably drive to Ekeremor main town and other riverine communities in Ekeremor LGA, as well as communities like Angiama, Aguobiri in the Southern Ijaw LGA.
In 2022, Governor Diri braved the odds and proved the naysayers wrong when the Prosperity Administration flagged off the construction of the historic Nembe-Brass road project in the Bayelsa East Senatorial District. To consolidate the many achievements recorded in the first term that ensured his re-election, the Governor launched yet another road map, tagged: ASSURED Prosperity, to drive the second-term development agenda in the State. The Governor is very deliberate about the economic future of the state, and he is embarking on landmark projects which include: The 9-storey iconic State Secretariat Complex, a 25,000 capacity Ultra-modern stadium, 60mw gas turbines, the New Yenagoa City, and the Glory Drive Phase III.
Other projects captured in the ASSURED Prosperity Agenda for continuation include: the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie Road project, Akaba-Okodi Road, the Oxbow-Lake-Agbura Road, Toru-Ebeni-Okumbiri-Kabeama-Bulou-Orua Road, the commencement of the Ekeremor-Agge Road, the Agge Deep Seaport, etc. Furthermore, to effectively unlock the development potential of Bayelsa, the ASSURED Prosperity Agenda encapsulates the Agricultural Revolution and the Blue Economy. The overarching goal here is to transform the agricultural sector through mechanisation, partnerships and provision of grants; as well as take full advantage of the economic opportunities that abound in the marine sector that are currently untapped.
In the second term, the new agenda is also focusing on sports and youth development to engage the young population more meaningfully. Security, peace-building and tourism are also captured in the ASSURED Prosperity Agenda. Of course, it is no longer news that this administration has invested heavily in the security infrastructure of the state, and the positive returns on investment in the sector are evident as Bayelsa is unarguably one of the most peaceful and secure states in Nigeria.
So much attention is being given to the health and education sectors. While the government is building a strong primary healthcare system to achieve wider access to healthcare even in the far-flung riverine communities, in education, the Diri Administration has placed a high premium on technical and vocational education. To this end, new science, technical and vocational colleges have been built and equipped to provide new skills to young Bayelsa students.
From the foregoing, it is evident that the Assured Prosperity Agenda is on track with visible developments in virtually all sectors. The new Bayelsa, as envisioned by Governor Diri, is becoming a reality, and what is needed at the moment is the support of all to collectively build a greater, united and prosperous Bayelsa State. ***Written by Dennis Alemu.
