Many things are happening in Bayelsa State. Senator Douye Diri is a tall man. But he appears to be walking taller than his height these days. His achievements in different sectors inform the confidence he exudes. And he showed it when Vanguard visited his office to present their letter informing him of the award for good governance that the newspaper will bestow on him on April 11, 2025.
His strides in healthcare, infrastructure, sports and most importantly, security are tremendous. Bayelsa that was the centre of violence in the Niger Delta many years ago is now very peaceful, thanks to Douye Diri’s efforts. Right now, the governor is expanding Yenagoa, building new city in the city. He is developing the state and making many wonder where he is drawing the resources from.
He is a product of the Ijaw struggle and former Organising Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) who appreciates the yearnings of the people for development.
The Vanguard team was led by Saturday Editor, Onochie Anibeze who was accompanied by the Sunday Editor Wale Akionla. Sam Oyadongha was there, too. They asked Diri how he was coping and funding the many projects he has embarked on that won him the award.
“That is the question some people are asking,” he retorted, smiling. “They are telling me that ‘we have not seen you borrowing money and then you are doing projects of N50bn, and above, how are you getting the money?’ Well, we are just being prudent with resources.
“The ones that come in to us we manage them. We are not even an economically viable state as to say our IGR is high. That is why when the statistics of poor states come out they say Bayelsa State is among the states that cannot survive without federal allocation. I challenge them to bring back our money and see whether we will not survive. You are collecting our money from us and then giving us 13 percent. The 87 per cent you are collecting actually belongs to Bayelsa,” Diri said of Federal Government’s allocation to an oil producing state where the country earns billions of dollars but allocates just a little.
Said he: “So, if you want to bring those statistics, then let everybody control their resources, so that at the end of the day you will know which state cannot survive without federal allocation. Right now you have disarmed us and then you are the same people bringing statistics of states that cannot survive. That is an insult to the people.
