He was pronounced governor a day before his rival was to be sworn-in and he assumed office on St Valentine’s Day. Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri marks his miraculous emergence as governor with a thanksgiving service and inauguration of several projects either initiated or completed by his administration, reports OLUKOREDE YISHAU.
On Sunday, the Bayelsa Ecumenical Centre in Yenagoa, the state capital, was filled beyond capacity. Many stood in the huge centre and several stood outside. All were there to thank God with Governor Douye Diri, who two years ago the Supreme Court pronounced the governor after nullifying the election won by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Diri, who was sworn-in on Valentine’s Day in 2020, was joined by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)National Chairman Iyorcha Ayu and ex-Governor Seriake Dickson among other dignitaries, said God deserved the honour and the glory for his emergence at a time the battle was assumed over.
Jonathan urged Diri to use the God-given opportunity as governor to better the lot of people of the state.
He commended the governor for encouraging peaceful co-existence of Bayelsans from across party lines.
“God has given you opportunity to pilot the affairs of the state and you are doing well. I thank you for encouraging peaceful co-existence. We pray that you have the wisdom to bring more development. All of us should continue to support him and through him God will bless us,” Jonathan said.
Diri recalled how trying the few hours before his swearing in were and how God turned things around for his good.
The governor said: “What we have done is to come back to remind ourselves that we started something, which is growing. At a point when the flags of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were taken out of the Government House, when the former governor was almost arrested in Government House, we hoped in God who rules in the affairs of men. In the end, the God of impossibility made it possible and today marked two years of that miracle.
“My dear people of Bayelsa, I like you to retrospect and see how far God has brought us. Let us live as one people. Let us forgive one another. Let us come together to develop our state. Let us shun politics of lies and blackmail.
“Today, we are here to thank God. For these two years, if we count our blessings, we will all agree that God has been faithful to us. Therefore, we have every reason to be gathered here to thank Him.
“Politics is here again and the antics have started. But like I always say, when they bring hatred, we bring love. When they bring darkness, we bring light.
“I like to call on all of us not to run down our state but to support it. We have existed before APC and PDP.”
Speaking on behalf of the PDP governors, Okowa said the party’s governors were in the state to rejoice with their colleague and people of the state because of what God has done for them.
The Delta State governor hailed Diri for his strides in office and urged him to continue to work for the development of the state.
Ayu lauded Diri and other past PDP governors of the state for contributing their quota to its development.
In his sermon, the General Overseer of Gateway International Church, Pastor George Izunwo, urged humans to slways appreciate God.
He said God did not perform the miracle for Diri to become governor without a purpose, urging the governor to stay focused and work for the prosperity of all Bayelsans.
A day before the thanksgiving, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike inaugurated a block of classrooms and laboratories built by the administration at the Bayelsa State Medical University.
Wike hailed the Bayelsa State governor for his development strides. He donated N500m for the completion of the Faculty of Basic Clinical Sciences building. He expressed delight at the courage of Diri in providing such a training institution for medical personnel and noted that in the Niger Delta, there was a need for mutual support while resisting attempts to create division among the states.
Diri said his administration had built on the vision of his predecessors in expanding the university and increasing the programmes of studies to make it one of the best in the country.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Ebitimitula Etebu, said the institution had eight academic programmes in the Faculty of Science and Basic Medical Sciences when it was established in 2018.
Two days earlier, the 4.5km Igbedi community road in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area was inaugurated by Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde. The community had no road before then, making movement herculean. Igbedi was the only community in the council area not connected by road.
Diri promised that his administration would construct more roads to link communities in the state.
He commended Igbedi community for owning the project and protecting it and called on other communities to emulate the people.
Diri said: “Today is a historic day for Igbedi community, KOLGA and the state. Igbedi was part of the communities that contributed land to build the airport. While other communities have been accessible by road, Igbedi was looking for this day and God has brought it to pass.
“We like to thank God who has given the administration the funds and will to construct this road. We pray for more money and we will construct more roads to link our communities.
“Let me also appreciate the Igbedi community. They took this job as their own and never allowed anybody to obstruct construction. That is what I expect from other communities.”
Makinde lauded the performance of his Bayelsa State counterpart in just two years in office.
His words: “We cannot stop Nigerians from celebrating road projects because wherever there is road, development follows. I was amazed to learn that this is the first tarred road that links the community since its inception about 500 years ago. Your celebration is in order and I am happy too.”
On Valentine’s Day, the administration showed its love to the media by inaugurating the Ernest Ikoli Media Complex, the expansive structure will now be home to Radio Bayelsa, Niger Delta Television and the Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the New Waves Newspaper. Ikoli, a former Editor of The Daily Times, was from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The complex has 430 offices, 107 restrooms, two restaurants and other facilities.
Ayu, who inaugurated the building as part of activities marking Diri’s second anniversary in office, said the PDP was proud of Diri’s achievements in two years.
He said Diri had done so much in such a short time when some others were still struggling to find their footing in governance.
He added that Diri stood against all odds and was breaking new grounds through the inauguration of several projects.
The party’s chairman said: “I’m very proud of Governor Diri. It takes a man of singular commitment to do so much in a short time. Many of you who have governed states will know that sometimes it takes a governor about a year before he finds his feet.
“Governor Diri came and stood on the shoulders of giants and because the ground was so prepared, he hit the ground running.
“Today after only two years, we are able to come here to inaugurate several projects.
“Two days ago, the governor of Oyo State called that he was in Bayelsa to inaugurate the project. This is how governors of the PDP work. They work for the people. They do not leave their states to stay in Abuja as some of those other parties that abandon their states and become chairman of their party.
“I want to thank all the PDP governors across the country for making the party proud. It is your work that is giving confidence to the Nigerian people that PDP is coming back after staying out of power for about six years. Nigerians now know that members of PDP are determined to serve this country.”
Diri said unfortunate incidents, such as fire, windstorm and the attack on the station and employees on the eve of his swearing-in by opposition party members, left the station without a home.
“There were situations that necessitated the decision to put up this masterpiece. We had some natural disasters that affected almost all our media operations.
“Upon the pronouncements of the Supreme Court of the victory of the PDP, some overzealous persons came in here and destroyed everything they could lay their hands on, ” the governor said.
Other projects ready for use include the Unity Bridge linking two feuding communities in Nembe Local Government, Igbogene-Okarki Road, Transport Terminal Building, New Yenagoa City Link Road and Elebele Bridge.