Schoolmates of the Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Rivers State have acknowledged his outstanding performance in office and conferred on him an award of excellence.
According to a press release on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 signed by the Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, the UNIPORT 80s, on Tuesday, presented the award to the Bayelsa governor at the Government House, Yenagoa, in recognition of his performance in sustainable infrastructure development and inclusive governance in the state.
The body comprises former students of the institution in the 1980s.
Coordinator of the UNIPORT 80s steering committee, Mr. Ben-jamin Willie, in his remarks, said the governor got the award due to his commendable performance in different sectors, and especially for running an inclusive government in appointing non-indigenes and opposition party members into his cabinet.
He said his Abia State colleague, Dr. Alex Otti, who is also a member of the UNIPORT 80s, hosted the group’s reunion in Umuahia two weeks ago but the steering committee decided to physically present the award to the Bayelsa governor as he was unable to attend the event.
According to Willie, the group had undertaken some social responsibility to their alma mater by providing safety equipment and an isolation centre during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as well as provided water and good sanitary system for a secondary school within the university community at Aluu.
He said: “We deemed it necessary to honour our own during the reunion and one of the alumni of the university that we are so very proud of is Governor Douye Diri.
“We are not shy to celebrate our own. We know the great strides he has made as governor of Bayelsa State. It is not easy for a governor to appoint people from other parts of this country into positions in their state. But he has an all-inclusive government by appointing people from other parts of the country.
“In terms of infrastructure development, I have been to Bayelsa several times and today driving into the state, we could see the difference and the good works the governor has done. The legacy projects of the senatorial roads as well as the changes in the health and education sectors.
“We just want to take the opportunity to come and honour and celebrate one of our own. It is an award that celebrates excellence and service to humanity.”
In his response, Governor Diri thanked the group for the honour.
He noted that his style of governance was influenced by his background as a former student of the institution, which had students from different parts of the country and from outside the shores of Nigeria.
The Bayelsa governor equally appreciated the body for giving back to their alma mater and the society, and urged the group to maintain the unity in order to impact those that are not privileged.
Diri said: “I cannot thank you enough. I thank you profusely for what I have seen and heard. You are doing great things.
“For me, this is a wake-up call to most of us to give back to the University of Port Harcourt.
“I feel so highly honoured by you and I like you to keep it up. Let us have this camaraderie and look out for one another. That way I am sure that each and every one of us will feel that sense of belonging and oneness.
“We all came from a background that was so unique. That is why wherever we find ourselves, we uniquely still place ourselves.”
The UNIPORT 80s delegation included a former Bayelsa Commissioner for Information, Chief Nathan Egba as well as Mrs Uloma Saiye-Braide and Kobi Emmanuella-King.
They were joined by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, who is also a member of the group.
