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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said political opponents talking about industrialisation of the state have no idea what it takes to achieve it.
Governor Diri said rather than politicise it, his administration was laying a solid foundation to position the state for industrialisation by investing hugely in road infrastructure and working towards stabilising power.
Diri who spoke over the weekend at Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government to round-off his four-day re-election campaign tour in the area disclosed that the state government has already gone into a partnership with a private firm to rehabilitate and expand the capacity of the gas turbine at Imiringi in Ogbia Local Government Area.
He said: “Our state is yet to industrialise and still heavily dependent on the government. It will take some time for us to be an industrialised state.
“A lot of people think it is the government that actually industrialise a state. A thousand times No. Government only provides the enabling environment for private capital and partnership with the government to industrialise. By God’s grace, we will get there.”
The governor thanked King Jones-Ere for his leadership style that ensured peace in the kingdom that is host to the state’s pioneer tertiary institution, Niger Delta University at Amassoma.
Speaking through spokesperson of the Council of Chiefs, Chief Albert Karikarisei, the monarch congratulated the governor for achieving almost a hundred per cent success in his first tenure and prayed that his journey to the second tenure would be smooth.
Diri had also visited HRH Godwill Akedesuo, Birinanaowei of Alomu and Acting Amananaowei of Amassoma as well as inaugurated the remodelled community town hall, which is a constituency project of Mr. Bonny Ayah, the member representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 1 in the House of Assembly.
Diri who listed the recent reinstatement of over 600 staff of the NDU, many whom are from the community as one of his achievements said he was not in Amassoma to campaign but to identify with his people, who had always demonstrated love for him and the PDP even as he thanked them for standing by his government.
Earlier at Otuan, Diri stated that the community would be linked by road through the ongoing Yenagoa-Oporoma road and that his administration had already installed solar-powered light and renovated the community school.
He also directed the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure to immediately ensure continuation and completion of the internal concrete road project in the town.
He stressed that his government was community-friendly and would not abandon the rural dwellers.
The campaign trail also stopped at Amatolo community where Diri directed the installation of solar light across the town and assured that the Toru-Ebeni road project, that had already been awarded, would connect Amatolo to the rest of the state.
