Since the inauguration of Senator Douye Diri as the governor of Bayelsa State on unique Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2020, the ever-smiling occupant of the Creek Haven, the state seat of power has left no one doubt of his preparedness to make a difference and leave behind a legacy worthy of emulation for those coming after him.
Though the daunting challenges posed by the uninspiring outlook of things especially with the Covid-19 pandemic on the national economy, and the state bleak revenue prospect slowed down the process of governance, his passion for a peaceful and united Bayelsa devoid of the acrimonious politics of the past was not broken.
Interestingly, despair has given way to hope of a new dawn as the governor has kept to his solemn promise to complete all the on-going legacy projects initiated by his administration as well those inherited. Despite his reserved disposition, the governor’s accomplishments have been very loud in terms of infrastructural development and social progress with the administration breaking boundaries in the execution of landmark projects.
Being a civil service state where everything revolves around the government, Diri has remained committed to improving the welfare of the state workforce by ensuring regular and prompt payment of salaries to civil servants and pensioners. Bayelsa rank among the first set of states to implement the new minimum wage for its workforce, a gesture also extended to local government workers.
His administration has also made remarkable strides in the education sector. It has sited one technical college in each of the eight local government areas as deliberate policy to deemphasize paper qualification and lay more emphasis on skills acquisition, craftsmanship and entrepreneurship in order to churn out job creators that would in turn boost the state’s economy through small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Perhaps Diri’s role in the Ijaw struggle may have shaped his vision and leadership style as according to the pioneer elected president of the Ijaw National Congress, INC, Chief Joshua Fumudoh, “the governor, had seen it all and translated his passion for the Ijaw nation into development and transformation of the only homogenous Ijaw state.”
He asserted that there was a clear difference between those who fought the Ijaw cause and others whose ambition were for personal gains adding that Bayelsa now witnesses politics without bitterness because the true Ijaw man accommodates all irrespective of political differences.
Interestingly, today, Bayelsans are united more than ever before and there is peace in the political terrain with the present state executive council having a mix of some members of the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
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