Follow Us on Google
Oil, gas imprisoned Nigeria – Darah
_______________________________________________________________________
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri said on Wednesday that the state has conquered the daunting terrain challenges that confronted it at creation, recording significant transformation in infrastructure, connectivity and human development in its 30 years of existence.
Diri stated this at an exhibition and anniversary lecture marking the 30th anniversary of the state at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor said the state, created on October 1, 1996 by the late former Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, was beset by difficult terrain, limited infrastructure, poor connectivity and a fragile economic base, but that successive administrations had steadily transformed the landscape.
He said the emergence of roads and bridges where communities were previously separated by creeks, the development of an international airport and the establishment of universities and other institutions demonstrated the extent to which the state had overcome its geographical limitations.
He said: “Today, where there was once swamp, we have an international airport. Where there were once creeks, we now have five universities as well as polytechnics. Where communities were separated by water, bridges and roads now bind us together.”
According to him, Bayelsa has also expanded its federal presence with the establishment of facilities such as the Content Towers, Federal Secretariat, Nigerian Law School and various security formations.
He acknowledged the contributions of successive administrations to the development of the state, stressing that the progress recorded over the past three decades was a continuum built on the efforts and sacrifices of previous leaders and citizens.
Diri said renewed attention was being given to the state’s senatorial roads, while the Independent Power Project was being expanded from 60 to 100 megawatts.
He also cited the ongoing construction of the 30,000-capacity stadium and the nine-storey Secretariat Complex as major projects expected to strengthen public services, connectivity and economic activity.
The Bayelsa helmsman, however, stated that the 30th anniversary should go beyond celebrating past achievements, stressing the need to build stronger institutions, create opportunities for youths and women, protect the environment and ensure balanced development across the state.
He challenged Bayelsans to transform the sacrifices of the state’s founding fathers into a foundation for a more prosperous and united future.
Delivering the anniversary lecture, renowned scholar and public intellectual, Prof Godini Darah, said Nigeria’s dependence on oil and gas had constrained the country’s economic development.
Darah stated that the nation’s over-reliance on petroleum resources had prevented it from fully developing other productive sectors of the economy.
The scholar also called for fundamental reforms to Nigeria’s fiscal federalism and greater resource control for producing regions.
He challenged Niger Delta leaders to move beyond dependence on crude oil by investing in knowledge, science, technology, research and value-added industries.
