Invest in Bayelsa, Diri woos Ijaw people in diaspora
By Jeffrey Agbo
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has appealed to Ijaw individuals, businessmen and women in the diaspora to join hands with the government to develop their ancestral homeland which is the only homogenous state of the ethnic nationality.
The Bayelsa State governor said his administration would redouble its efforts to attract investments from both international and domestic sources.
Diri, who extended the invitation on Wednesday in his New Year broadcast to people of the state, said the government eagerly anticipates the opportunities to collaborate with Bayelsans and Ijaw investors from both home and abroad to unlock the vast potential of the state.
He asserted that Bayelsa prides itself as the most secure and hospitable environment for professionals and entrepreneurs.
He said: “As we begin a new year, I am filled with a sense of hope and optimism, eager to build on the progress we have made and to work assiduously towards a better, brighter, and greater future for our great state.
“I extend a warm invitation to our Ijaw brothers and sisters in the Diaspora to redirect their focus towards their ancestral homeland. I am pleased to assert that our state boasts the most secure and welcoming environment for professionals and entrepreneurs to thrive, as well as for individuals to relax and unwind, setting us apart as a haven among other states in the country. We eagerly anticipate the opportunities to collaborate with our brethren to unlock the vast potential that our state has to offer.”
The governor admitted that the past year was fraught with challenges, particularly in the country’s economic landscape and the depreciation in the currency’s exchange rate that impacted all sectors of society.
He however noted that “because we have been prudent in spending our state’s resources and prioritising expenditure to fulfill our mandate of shared prosperity, we have achieved significant progress on our legacy projects including key infrastructure initiatives to unlock the treasures of the Atlantic Ocean and harness the potential of the Blue Economy.”
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The state’s helmsman stressed that considerable strides had been made to give enduring facelift to the state capital with the construction and rehabilitation of access roads as well as several internal roads which have improved connectivity and accessibility.
Diri noted that in line with his administration’s rebranded Assured Prosperity Agenda, he is taking on additional signature projects across various sectors as he looks forward to launching “The Prosperity Estates.”
According to him, “The project is a groundbreaking housing scheme that will bring 1000 affordable homes to our state capital and local government areas. This initiative is a major milestone in our mission to make housing more accessible and affordable for all citizens.”
On power, Diri explained that his administration was working towards ensuring sustainable and independent power supply with the procurement and eventual installation of a 60-megawatt gas turbine during the course of this year.
He thanked the people for their patience during the four months of power outage in the state.
On security, Diri equally noted that the sector remained a top priority for his administration and that concrete steps were being taken to strengthen the state’s position as one of the safest and most secure states in Nigeria.
In furtherance of this, he said new Closed Circuit Cameras (CCTV) will soon be installed while the existing ones around the state capital will be refurbished.
In tandem with ongoing efforts to revitalise and strengthen the state’s infrastructure, Diri said educational institutions and healthcare facilities continue to receive critical attention and targeted investment.
The governor reaffirmed the commitment to construct an ultra-modern stadium in Yenagoa with facilities that will inspire and support talented sportsmen and women in the state.
In agriculture, Diri said: “We are proactively pursuing sustainable food production. To this end, we shall be providing farmers in the state with comprehensive support including equipment, expert guidance and high-quality seedlings and stems.
“Already, our partnership and bilateral relationship with the Republic of South Korea is yielding positive results. A few days ago, I received a technical team from South Korea who were in our state to train our farmers in modern rice cultivation.
“The team has also installed state-of-the-art rice processing mills at the School-to-Land farm in Yenagoa as we continue our ambitious rice revolution programme. A core component of our agricultural and food security agenda this term is the ‘Produce and Consume’ initiative, which emphasises the importance of producing what we eat and eating what we produce.“
