POLITICS
Why I Took Over Construction of Three Bayelsa Federal Roads–Gov Diri
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Governor of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri has restated the commitment of his administration to construct and complete the Central, East and West senatorial roads in the state despite being federal projects.
Speaking in Ekeremor at the weekend shortly after inspecting the progress of work on the Bayelsa West senatorial road from Sagbama to Ekeremor, Governor Diri said the determination to construct the three senatorial roads was premised on their critical importance to the people.
He said that the three senatorial roads will readily open up the state and and stimulate socio-economic activities.
The governor said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, on Sunday that his administration would give priority to the construction of the roads because of their benefits to the people of the state.
Governor Diri who expressed satisfaction with the level of work done on the West senatorial road states that he was optimistic it would be delivered on schedule.
He commended the contractor, Setraco, for completing five bridges between Toru-Orua and Isampou communities and for the ongoing work on the sixth bridge at the entrance into Ekeremor main town.
He said the state was getting value for money so far spent and gave approval for the construction of another bridge at Ekeremor.
He said he is hopeful that on the second anniversary of his administration on February 14, people will be able to drive to Ekeremor main town.
On the Bayelsa East road, Governor Diri said efforts were still on to get the federal government to be involved in its construction and assured that regardless of the response from the federal government, his administration would commence the project.
His words: “I decided again to embark on an inspection tour of our big ticket project in Bayelsa West Senatorial District, the Sagbama-Ekeremor road, where the contractor, Setraco, is doing a great job.
“So far, they have completed five bridges on that stretch and I have given approval for the sixth bridge by the entrance to Ekeremor main town.
“The contractor has assured they would speed up work on the road and achieve a stone-base to enable us drive into Ekeremor main town by next month.
“The progress on the project is awesome and it is surely in the best interest of our people.
“I’m satisfied with the level of work on this Sagbama-Ekeremor road. The contractors, Setraco, are doing a good job and I think the value for money is commensurate. We are happy and we hope that they will deliver at the agreed time.
“I have always said that at the end of my first tenure, we will drive to Ekeremor town on a tarred road. I came here to see things for myself. A new bridge was proposed for Ekeremor main town, which I have also approved.
“We are trying our best in the face of the downturn in the economy. These senatorial roads are very fundamental to our people. Government is all about the people and we have taken them as our priority.
“This Bayelsa West road is one. The second, Bayelsa Central, is also ongoing and doing very well. The road has reached Angiama and I hear the people are very excited.
“It is the third one, Bayelsa East, that is the Nembe-Brass road, that we have some challenges. But I believe this year, we will equally start something.
“In the first place, it is our people that will use these roads. So, even on the East senatorial road, Bayelsans will hear from us very soon on the actions the state government will take “
Also speaking, member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr. Fred Agbedi, lauded Governor Diri for his commitment to construction of the senatorial roads in the state even though they are federal projects.
He remarked that at the appropriate time, members of the National Assembly from the state will initiate moves to ensure that the state government gets a refund for construction of the roads.
Also, in his remarks, member representing Ekeremor Constituency 1 in the House of Assembly, Tare Porri, hailed Governor Diri’s Prosperity Administration on the construction of the Bayelsa West road, stressing that the people of his constituency and the entire state were proud of him.
Porri assured the governor of the support of the people of his constituency to enable him succced.
The governor was accompanied on the tour by Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Moses Teibowei, and other members of the state exco as well as some top government functionaries.
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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