Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, at the weekend, disagreed with critics of the state, saying Bayelsa is not under-performing.
Governor Diri stated this at the opening of a three-day solemn assembly as part of activities lined up for the 2021 Bayelsa Annual Thanksgiving Celebrations at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.
The governor, who spoke through his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, emphasized that Bayelsa is not lagging behind any of the states created the same day with it by former Head of State General Sani Abacha (late).
Diri said Bayelsa was poorly developed at the time of its creation, and challenged critics to be objective in their comparative analysis.
He pointed out that unlike its peers, everything put on ground was built from scratch by successive administrations right from the military era to the present, in very challenging terrain and with scarce resources.
Governor Diri, therefore, urged people of the state not to be despondent and talk down at their leaders and government, but rather play collaborative roles in moving the state forward.
According to the governor, the task of developing Bayelsa is a collective responsibility that should not be left to those in authority alone.
He said: “Bayelsa State is dear to us. The task of development is a collective responsibility. It is only when we come together and play our roles that we can have a viable state.
“I don’t believe that Bayelsa has not progressed as a state. When you reflect on the status of Bayelsa today and what it was 25 years ago, you will have every reason to thank God and be grateful to Him.
“If we continue to speak ill of our leaders and of our state, the state would remain desecrated and backward. Let us speak good of our leaders and our state.”
In his exhortation drawn from the Jeremiah Chapter 29 verse 11, Reverend T.Y. Emmanuel said God had done his part for the state, noting that “what is left now is for the people to work hard and take Bayelsa to the next level of development.
Reverend T.Y. Emmanuel stressed the need for Bayelsans close ranks after every election season by setting aside their partisan differences and working together to build the state.
The only Bible lesson of the service was read by the Bayelsa First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Douye Diri, while special prayers were offered for the president, vice president, the governor, the deputy governor, Bayelsa state, and Nigeria.
