By Kolawole Oredipe
Songs are often souls lifting. It is usually good when the lyrics are imparting and more refreshing when it is well delivered by great voices. Music is no doubt food for the souls and bodies just as heavens are usually opened for great and lovely voices. The Lebanese-American poet and writer, Kahlil Gibran, lays credence to the assertion about music in one of his quotes, ‘Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.’
In Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, Governor of the State from his inauguration speech on Friday, February 14th, 2020, has not left anyone in doubt as to his direction and vision for a greater and better Bayelsa State with more developmental projects.
Here is a governor who truly started with great songs preaching love, peace, unity and reconciliation among the people. Senator Diri, whose government is christened, Prosperity Administration, is running an open and accommodating system regardless of political affiliations, an attribute which has endeared him to all and sundry in the eight Local Government Areas of the State.
According to the historic speech, “Today is February 14, a day of love, as your Valentine Governor and Deputy Governor, we bring you message of love and peace, hope and a message of prosperity to Bayelsa State. Therefore, let us eschew bitterness and acrimony and learn to love ourselves whether of the same party or different party, primarily we are brothers and sisters from Bayelsa State. And our creed today is to serve you. Lord make us an instrument of thy peace, where there is hatred let us show love, where there is doubt let us have faith, where there is despair let us have hope, where there is darkness let us bring light, where there is sadness let us bring joy.”
In musical parlance, this message of hope in the speech could easily pass for a lyric that aptly captures the state of affairs under the Prosperity Administration where the governor advocated love and extended invitation to all Bayelsans to join hands with him to make the State great. He has continued to walk the talk and the manifestation is clear to all with the return of many persons who left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the November 19th, 2019 gubernatorial election back to the fold. It is interesting to note that some members never left the party but worked against Diri and the PDP in that election.
The humility and maturity of the governor has brought political stability to every corner of the State and this has given way to peace and security in hitherto warring communities. To strengthen the security architecture, the governor has signed into law the Bayelsa Safety Corps Act bringing all existing state sponsored security outfits, Operation Doo-Akpo, the Bayelsa Volunteers Force, State Vigilante and the Waterways security arms for effective coordination. To that effect, fifty brand new operational vehicles, forty motorbikes and security communication gadgets were donated to the outfits to tackle crimes and criminalities in the State.
Also, to boost the security system, the State Government embarked on demolition of illegal and makeshift structures, which had become criminal hideouts. This was also part of the urban renewal programme of the government to give the State capital, Yenagoa a befitting status. As a matter of pride, the popular Edepie/Etegwe roundabout is a testimony of the infrastructural upgrade within Yenagoa through expansion and beautification work. Also, over fifty internal roads within the state capital were earlier rehabilitated before the construction of twenty new internal roads.
Today, the ambitious Bayelsa International Airport project started by the Seriake Dickson-led administration is fully functional following the commencement of commercial flight operations facilitated by the Prosperity Administration. This is not far from the governor’s penchant for policy of continuity with inherited projects.
In two years of the present administration, a lot of progress has been achieved in the area of roads and infrastructure, education, health, empowerment, skills acquisition among other sectors. The 4.5 kilometre Igbedi road flagged-off barely a year ago is now ready for inauguration just as the reconstruction of the collapsed Elebele bridge has been completed.
Also, section one of the Igbogene- AIT Elebele outer ring road has hit the Okarki end and would be inaugurated as part of activities marking the second anniversary. The historic Nembe unity bridge that connects Nembe-Ogbolomabiri to Bassambiri, has been completed by this administration.
Reference must be made to the New Yenagoa city road from Onopa end and good to note that the road has equally been completed.
The ambitious projects to link riverine communities to Yenagoa, the State capital by roads through the three senatorial projects are still very much on course. The Sagbama-Ekeremor and Yenagoa-Oporoma road projects inherited from previous administration are progressing well under the Prosperity Administration with a renewed vigour. Today, vehicles can get to Angiama community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area paving way for the construction of a 640 metres bridge across River Nun crossing into Oporoma town, headquarters of the Local Government Area. In the Bayelsa West, the road has also hit Ekeremor main town as the contractor has been mobilized to construct an additional bridge by the entrance to the community.
In Bayelsa East, the State Government has reaffirmed commitment to the construction of the Nembe-Brass Road whether the Federal Government show interest or not. The desire to complete these projects is a clear demonstration of the governor’s political will and love for integrated rural development. These actions are clearly no mean achievements given the paucity of fund in the State.
This government has changed the face of the media industry with the completion of a modern office complex to house the three state-owned media organisations- Radio Bayelsa, Niger Delta Television and the Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation, New Waves.
In the education sector, while some blocks of classrooms have been renovated, a number of classrooms in different schools across the State have been constructed. The new school buildings in Ovom, Ogbogoro, Yenizue-Epie, Akenfa and Igbogene, are clear testimonies of the investments in the educational sector.
Again, a lot has gone into the accreditation of more programmes in most of the State-owned higher institutions and great to cheer that the accreditation results have been very positive so far.
The ongoing construction of health facilities across communities has portrayed the Governor as a man who values lives and well-being of his people. Within his first year in office. He ensured the completion of the Kaiama Referral Hospital and directed that work should resume on ongoing Referral hospitals and health facilities across the Local Government Areas. The expansion of the scope of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme (BHIS) to include artisans and other Bayelsans in the non-formal sector in the scheme is a show of commitment to good deeds. An imposing BHIS office complex is being constructed for effective administration of the scheme.
In a deft move to sanitise the state transport system, this government is completing a central commercial Bayelsa Transport terminal at Igbogene. Sports remains a part of the present administration because of the passion of the governor, who was one time Youth and Sports Commissioner. The investments in sports have been great and have produced sterling results at the 2020 National Sports Festival in Edo State. The icing on the cake was the victory of the two state-owned football teams, Bayelsa United FC and Bayelsa Queens at the 2021 Aiteo/FA cup, being the first time for a state to win both men and women versions of the event.
Today, Bayelsa State under the leadership of Senator Diri, has become a cynosure of celebration of physical and human development. While the government is investing in skills acquisition and provision of starter packs to empower youth and women, it has committedly kept faith with prompt payment of salaries to its workers and set aside the sum of two hundred million naira monthly to clear outstanding gratuities and death benefits to retirees.
As the government rolls out drums to celebrate its second anniversary, the occasion will not only provide opportunity to celebrate good governance and infrastructure development but also a celebration of the new spirit of unity of purpose that have become a visible trademark in line with the vision of the founding fathers of the state.
Indeed, great things are happening in the ‘Glory of all Lands’, since 14th February, 2020 when the Prosperity Administration came on board. The people of Bayelsa have no doubt wholeheartedly in a melodious chorus accepted this government that has restored hope, touched lives and impacted many communities. With the great songs and tunes coming from the fountains of Prosperity, it is truly a renewed commitment to a better Bayelsa State in the years to come under the Douye Diri-led administration.
Oredipe, is Director, New Media to the Governor.
