Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has expressed appreciation to the legislature and judiciary in the state for their support in his first term.
Speaking during the monthly praise at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, the governor said, without the support of the other two arms of government, his administration would not have recorded the modest achievements in the last four years.
Governor Diri also lauded the security agencies for their role in ensuring the state remained peaceful and for their professionalism during the elections in the state, which he won.
He expressed the optimism that Bayelsa will achieve greater success in his second term as his desire was for every nook and cranny of the state to feel the impact of government.
He also appreciated God for his electoral victory, saying despite threats from the opposition, he prevailed.
“As men, we did all we could but God who sees everything went ahead of us to straighten crooked paths. We live by His grace. Our prayer is that God would do more for us than He did in our first term so that every corner of our state will feel the impact”, he stated.
“As we move toward February 14, I want to appreciate my cabinet. Our policies were well implemented and that is why we recorded some success. The love among members of the cabinet is worth commending too, I equally appreciate the legislature, which worked hand-in-gloves with me as well as the judiciary and our security agencies, which have done very well, we also appreciate the church as a whole, your endorsement during the election meant so much to us, indeed, God delivered us”, he added.
He expressed satisfaction with southern Ijaw people, for their peaceful and non-violent disposition during the election and thanked them for responding to his call not to engage in electoral violence.
He said, that Southern Ijaw was susceptible to political unrest and election rigging but noted that under his administration, the trend had changed not only in the area but also across the state.
“In spite of all the odds in Southern Ijaw, we still came tops. In every election, even if the margin is just by a simple majority, you have won. And this time around, the votes that came from Southern Ijaw were authentic and realistic. Some think that, you need guns to lead people, which is not true. Somebody who does not have a gun could have all it takes to manoeuvre your gun and make it useless, like you people did in the last election”, he said.
Governor Diri advised the leadership of the caucus to give room for emerging leaders to prove their capacity in politics and not blackmail them for selfish interests, and also assured them that all ongoing projects in the area, especially the Yenagoa-Oporoma road and the bridge at Angiama community would be completed.
Speaking earlier, the caucus chairman, Chief Talford Ongolo, who was a former Speaker of the old Rivers State House of Assembly, said the visit was to felicitate with him in the new year and on his victory at the poll, also commended the governor for his exemplary leadership style that has endeared him to people of the state even in strongholds of the opposition.
