Tag: Douye Diri

Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has received accolades from stakeholders following the graduation of 15 Bayelsa youths sponsored for training at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) by his administration.

Bayelsa Commissioner for Youth’s Development, Alfred Kemepado said the programme of training youths at NIPSS was in line with the governor’s belief that the dream of a great nation could not be realised without deliberate attention to the dreams of its young people.

His words, “The prosperity government of Governor Douye Diri is taking the lead in empowering the youths. At the heart of Bayelsa’s development strategy is an unwavering commitment to building human capacity among its youths at home and abroad.”

He said in line with the Bayelsa State Youth Policy Draft under the leadership of Governor Diri, the state took the bold steps to equip young leaders with the knowledge, tools, and exposure required to compete globally and to thrive in today’s dynamic world.

He said the beneficiaries were drawn from the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP), Student Union Governments (SUG), Centre for Youth Development (CY, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Federated/Community Youth Presidents, and Youth Development Officers from the Ministry of Youth Development.

Kemepado said that the beneficiaries went through youth leadership development training at the prestigious NIPSS in Kuru, Jos, describing it as just one of many youth and leadership development programmes approved by the governor to run home and abroad within the year.

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He said, “The governor approved these programmes to ensure strategic investment in the minds of youths to shape Bayelsa’s future. The young leaders are being sharpened in policy, leadership, and nation-building; gaining insights from Nigeria’s top policy think tank; engaging in dialogue that challenges perspectives, and being prepared to take on roles of greater responsibility across communities, institutions, and government.”

Kemepado noted that the initiative underscored the governor’s enduring belief that true development must begin with the people.

“It is a clear expression of the Prosperity administration’s ASSURED agenda to drive youth development, not only to empower youth, but also to position them as active contributors to governance, growth, and global relevance,” he said.

He vowed that the Ministry of Youth Development under Governor Diri remained committed to sustaining and expanding efforts geared towards extending the ripple effects of the training to every ward, local government area and community in Bayelsa.

“Bayelsa is not just training leaders, we are raising a generation equipped to lead with purpose, wisdom, and vision. We commend Governor Diri’s foresight,” Kemepado said.

Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has dismissed rumours of his alleged plan to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), attributing the renewed speculation to comments made by the Minister of Works, David Umahi.

Speaking at his country home in Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area, during a thank-you visit by the member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, Rodney Ambaiowei, and other stakeholders, Diri said he was neither disturbed nor distracted by the rumours.

According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Dan Alabrah, the governor acknowledged that his recent presence at the inauguration of a section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road project may have contributed to the speculation.

He, however, explained that his attendance was to appreciate President Bola Tinubu for the project, which he described as crucial to the socio-economic development of the Niger Delta.

Governor Diri reassured his supporters that any political decision would be made in consultation with the people who elected him.

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“If for any reason there has to be a movement, you are the people who will advise me because you voted for me. The decision to move or not will be made based on the interest of the Ijaw nation and Bayelsa State, not my personal interest only. So, do not mind what is trending. When the right time comes, you will hear from us,” he stated.

“A fortnight ago, I was invited to Lagos for the inauguration of a section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road and the flag-off of phase two of the Nembe-Brass road. I raised observations when l saw a map of the coastal road displayed in the hall with Bayelsa and Edo states missing.

 “l immediately drew the attention of the contractor and the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to the anomaly. Both of them admitted error in the drawing as the two states were part of the project, and that it would be corrected.

“So, when it was the turn of the Minister to speak, he gave me special attention by stating that the Bayelsa governor was thinking progressively and working progressively. A lot of people then assumed that the deal had been done.

“The Minister of Works started this new wave that the Bayelsa governor was about to defect because of the attention he brought upon me on that day. At the end of the day, what is important is whether we can bring development to our place.”

Commending the people of Southern Ijaw for appreciating his Prosperity Government’s support and developmental projects in their area, Diri urged them to remain united, shun politics of division and focus on development.

He advised the political class to put God first while serving the people, adding that politics should be played according to the rules.

Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has advocated a global climate fund to mitigate environmental issues, including ocean rise in communities in the Niger-Delta region.

He also called for a collaborative governance model in the fight against ocean rise

Governor Diri, who spoke weekend at the Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Summit preceding the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in France, called for collaboration among global, national and sub-national stakeholders in order to save communities ravaged by ocean surge and coastal erosion.

Diri said the conference was an opportunity to draw global attention to environmental challenges of his region.

In a paper titled: “Multi-Level Governance of Coastal Cities and Regions,” Diri emphasised the primacy of collaboration among stakeholders if the challenges of global warming, climate change and ocean rise would be adequately addressed.

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He said Bayelsa communities face an ever-present threat from rising sea levels and coastal erosion as a result of its geographical location.

Diri stated that his administration had initiated innovative policies to address some of the issues, including creating a ministry.

His words: “As a coastal state, Bayelsa lies below the sea level and consequently faces the risks associated with ocean rise. About 70 per cent of its land area is occupied by rivers and it borders the Atlantic Ocean on its three senatorial flanks.

“Bayelsa is the first and the only sub-national in Nigeria to create a Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in 2024 after President Bola Tinubu’s pioneering initiative in 2023. We have done a lot of policy innovation in the state in line with what the federal ministry has done.

“We are equally promoting mangrove restoration as a state with a lot of mangroves, rivers and rivulets. As a state bordering the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Guinea, Bayelsa communities face the threat of ocean rise and are either being destroyed or at the verge of being wiped out.

“I believe this is not the time to be looking at competitiveness but rather on some form of multi-governmental approach to address this challenge. This approach should look at collaborative and synergistic governance at the national, sub-national and international levels with all the stakeholders involved.

“We are very glad to be part of this process, which if well-coordinated would lead to sub-nationals like mine having access to climate funds and other support. So, we believe that there has to be more collaborative governance among stakeholders than the competitiveness we see.”

The well-attended summit, which had in attendance a former United States Secretary of State and Special Envoy on Climate, Mr. John Kerry, attracted other global stakeholders, scientists and policymakers in a bid to address the challenges of rising sea levels, coastal erosion, climate adaptation and sustainable development.

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has urged the Ijaw nation, particularly the youths, to reflect on and imbibe the ideals of discipline, selflessness and justice that the late Major Isaac Boro stood for.

Diri, who gave the admonition yesterday at this year’s Boro Day celebration/wreath laying ceremony at the Heroes Park in Yenagoa, advised Ijaw youths to show respect to constituted authority, leaders and their elders.

The governor emphasised that Boro sacrificed his life fighting the injustice to the Ijaw nation and advised the youths to celebrate the ethnic nationality’s hero with honour and integrity.

He said the ljaw nation should always embrace intellectual and legal means in seeking justice because no society exists without law and order.

He particularly charged youths to abhor crime and cultism, and called on leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and Ijaw National Congress (INC) to work closely with the government to put an end to the menace.

Diri stated: “Let us celebrate our hero with sobriety, honour and integrity. Was Isaac Adaka Boro a criminal? Was he a selfish man? Did he sacrifice and fight for his people? These are questions we must ask ourselves when we embark on the journey of celebrating a man like Boro.

“Boro was not a cultist. So shun cultism as it would not pay you. Government is creating several opportunities, including sports, for youths to develop and empower themselves.

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“The recent resurgence of cultism has to stop. The IYC and INC must work with the government to put an end to cultism. We are close to another political season and such vices must stop in this state.”

Responding to the request of the IYC president on declaring Boro Day a public holiday in the state, the governor said the state executive council would deliberate and take a decision on it.

Also, on the INC president’s request on preserving the Ijaw language and identity, Diri said the government had taken steps on it and that it was working towards establishing a full-fledged Ijaw language department at the Niger Delta University.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Ijaw National Affairs, Chief Godspower Oporomo, represented by his Permanent Secretary, Mr. Fred Kemedei, urged Ijaw people to live by the ideals Boro stood for while championing the cause of his people.

President of the INC, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, advised that in celebrating the 57th Boro anniversary, the Ijaws must not forget that their late hero stood for justice, peace and truth.

He commended the Diri administration for improving the welfare of the Ijaw people through its strategic intervention projects and support to the ethnic group’s socio-cultural bodies.

Okaba revealed that the INC had embarked on an Ijaw language project, lamenting however that the language was going into extinction and appealed to the government to make the study of Ijaw language compulsory at the primary and secondary school levels.

Also, president of the IYC, Comrade Jonathan Lokpobiri, said the issues that Boro fought for were still prevalent in the Niger Delta even though the region had made some progress.

Lokpobiri noted that Boro’s legacies would remain evergreen in the minds of the Ijaw people.

In a goodwill message, chairman of the state’s traditional rulers council, King Bubaraye Dakolo, lauded the Diri administration for directing the affairs of the IYC and INC aright.

King Dakolo observed that the Ijaws were not where they were during the time of Boro because they had made a lot of progress and called for unity of purpose to address issues of underdevelopment and injustice.

Highpoint of the event was the laying of wreaths at the Boro tomb by Diri, Okaba, Dakolo, Lokpobiri, Boro’s children – Felix and Esther – and the state council of Nigerian Legion led by Elder Okubokekeme Ogele.

•Flags off key projects

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Friday, gave a stern warning to students engaging in cult activities at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area to withdraw from the institution or be ready for expulsion.

Diri also directed the Vice Chancellor and the institution’s management to fish out culprits and dismiss anyone found culpable.

The Bayelsa governor gave the directive during the NDU 7th Combined Convocation following recent incidents of students’ cult rivalry that reportedly claimed lives in the community.

It was the second time in a week that the governor had issued such warning.

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He gave a similar directive to security agencies in the state and the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice on Wednesday during the state executive council meeting to speedily prosecute anyone arrested for cult-related crimes in the state.

He restated his call on students to avoid cultism, stressing that there was no room for such activities in universities, but rather it is a place for character building and learning.

He said: “Recently, I spoke to the Vice Chancellor about the resurgence of cultism in this university. May I use this opportunity to warn those who did not come here for learning and character building to on their own withdraw.

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has again given security agencies a pat on the back for the effort and sacrifices they are making to maintain peace and security in the state.

He gave the commendation while speaking at a dinner organised by the state government to honour staff and students from the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, who were on a study tour to the state, at the Chief Dappa Biriye Conference Centre in Yenagoa.

The governor, who spoke through his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, acknowledged the synergistic working relationship among security agencies, and urged them to maintain it to continually address the security needs of the state.

He disclosed that the vision of his administration was to make Bayelsa the most peaceful state in the country to attract both domestic and foreign investments to complement efforts at achieving enhanced economic development and prosperity.

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Diri, who thanked the study tour Coordinator and his team for coming, and expressed the hope that the report from their study would be made available to the state government whenever it is ready.

The governor said: “The Bayelsa State Government has been doing its best in terms of security, but we believe that your study will further give us the headway and the tail wind in the area we are not flying very fast.

“You are going to help us as part of the compass that we are going to use to fly to our destination, in terms of providing an all round resilient, robust, resistant, combative, determined and committed security system in Bayelsa State.

“We believe that your presence in our state and the study you have carried out will be of added advantage to our aspirations and our determination to have a very peaceful, productive and prosperous state.

“Let me again commend the various security agencies that are working with us in the state. They have been of immense support to us, and that is why you see that Bayelsa State is one of the most peaceful states.

In his remarks, the Coordinator of the Senior Course 47 Study Team to Bayelsa, Brigadier General Ernest Orakwe, described the purpose of their visit as “perfectly achieved” due to the uncommon cooperation and support of the state government.

He assured the governor that the team would make the report of their study available to the government to add value to the existing security architecture and strategies of handling internal security challenges in the state.

He said: “Our tour has been eventful, impactful and memorable. Starting from the warm reception accorded to the team at the Government House, to the logistics, administrative and transportation support we receive from the state government.

“We also want to thank the office of the State Commissioner of Police, the office of the Chairman, Yenagoa Local Government, and down to other establishments that we visited in the course of our duty. What we observed in all was preparedness to receive us and to give us the best treat in Bayelsa State.

“I must also say that the very essence of our study which hinged on the topic,” Harnessing Grassroots Intelligence for Enhanced Internal Security Operations” was well achieved. This was made possible by all the establishments visited. After all, I must mention that the very essence of our study tour to Bayelsa was perfectly achieved.”

The Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Irorodamie Komonibo, his Deputy Governor’s Office counterpart, Comrade Gowon Toruyouyei, the Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai and several other government functionaries attended the dinner.

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has urged media practitioners in Nigeria not to abandon their responsibility as watchdogs, agenda setters and drivers of development in society.

He made the call while declaring open the maiden media summit organised by the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Yenagoa.

The two-day summit with its theme, “Media, Culture and Identity: Promoting Indigenous Perspectives, ended yesterday in Yenagoa, with stakeholders hailing the journalists in Bayelsa in particular, and Nigeria in general for their dogged roles they have played in shaping journalism practice.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the governor noted that journalists could contribute to the development of society by speaking truth to power through effective reportage and investigative journalism.

Diri recalled with nostalgia the critical roles played by nationalists like Herbert Macaulay, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ernest Ikoli, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu, among others, who used journalism to fight for Nigeria’s independence.

He noted that investigative journalism had since lost its fervency in the country.

The governor identified what he called “the carry-and-go” brand of journalism where quackery and unethical conduct loomed large, as the major bane of contemporary journalism practice in the country.

He, therefore, called on all critical stakeholders to work towards achieving the goal of quality journalism that would not only be authoritative and fearless but also credible and dependable.

Diri, while commending the current leadership of the state council of the NUJ for being innovative, highlighted his administration’s supportive role in the development of journalism in the state, including the building, completion and equipping of the iconic Ernest Ikoli media complex.

He said: “I want to commend and congratulate the Bayelsa State Council for organising this media summit. I want to thank the NUJ for its foresight and collaboration with the state government over the years.

“Journalists have played a major role in our progressive development as a nation. Herbert Macaulay and others all used the media to fight against imperialism during the days of the nationalist struggle.

“But today journalism is suffocating because of the carry-and-go journalism. Investigative journalism has virtually disappeared because only few journalists are actually doing investigative journalism. Let’s look at quality journalism at this point in time..

“The theme of this media summit is quite apt. As a government, we have done much for practicing journalists to thrive in the state. We also promote our print media.”

In his keynote address, Prof. Aniefiok Udoudo, a professor of journalism and media studies, reminded both government and media practitioners of the great expectations the people hold about them to develop society.

He emphasized the critical responsibility of media practitioners in actively engaging with society.

He highlighted the media’s influential role in shaping cultural perceptions, noting that it can either promote or undermine cultural values.

He said the summit encompassed concepts such as cultural imperialism, cultural homogeneity, and the evolving landscape of global culture, all while underlining the importance of enhancing and preserving the cultural identity of Bayelsans.

Hon. Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku Obiyai, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, also spoke during the event.

She pointed out that the ongoing summit is poised to attract vital investments that will directly benefit journalists.

Furthermore, she underscored that these initiatives could generate significant profit for both the state’s economy and the media industry as a whole.

Obiyai said this collaborative approach aims to foster a thriving media environment in Bayelsa, ultimately enriching the cultural and economic fabric of the state and the region.

“I grew up in Lagos State, where during programmes; you would see a translator interpreting from Yoruba to English. I am happy that the summit will also address the blue economy,” she stated

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The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Alhassan Yahaya, commended the Bayelsa State Government for its numerous ongoing projects.

He said: “Since I arrived, I have been moving around the state monitoring projects such as the ring road, Nembe-Brass road, internal road constructions, and the dualisation of the Opolo road.”

Comrade Yahaya also noted the unity among NUJ members in the state and appreciated the elders for their contributions.

He emphasised the importance of using social media responsibly not for personal gain but for accurate information dissemination.

In his welcome address, the state Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Tonye Yemoleigha, said one of the key objectives of the summit was to promote professional accountability in both the conventional mainstream media and the social media.

Thanking the state government and all stakeholders, on behalf of the state council of the NUJ, for their support so far, Comrade Yemoleigha informed that the summit would be an annual event because of its capacity to effect a paradigm shift in the business of journalism in the state.

He recalled an incident a few weeks ago when journalists interviewed a woman who could not speak English, and the people around laughed at her.

He stressed that journalists should be capable of translating into major local languages like Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, and Ijaw to ensure accurate reporting and avoid spreading fake news.