Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has made a passionate appeal to Ijaw individuals, businessmen and women in the Diaspora to join hands with his administration to develop their ancestral homeland, which according to him is the only homogenous state of the Ijaw ethnic nationality.
The Bayelsa State governor said his administration will redouble its efforts to attract investments from both international and domestic sources.
Gov. Diri, who made the appeal on Wednesday in his New Year broadcast to the 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 potentials of the state.
He asserted that Bayelsa State 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 potentials 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.
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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 potentials of the Blue Economy.”
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 had improved connectivity and accessibility.
Gov. Diri noted that in line with his administration’s rebranded assured prosperity agenda, the state government was taking on additional signature projects across various sectors as it looks forward to launching the state housing scheme.
“The project is a groundbreaking housing scheme that will bring 1, 000 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, Gov. Diri explained that the state government is 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.
