Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, disclosed that, his administration is building a new Bayelsa where political boundaries would not hinder sustainable development of the state for any reason.
A statement by Senator Diri’s spokesman, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted him while stating this at the grand reception in honour of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, at the Ekeremor community pavilion in Ekeremor Local Government Area.
Diri stressed that the time for politicking was over and urged the people irrespective of political differences to rally round his administration to accelerate the pace of development.
Diri, also expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for appointing illustrious sons and daughter of the state into various positions of trust in his administration, also appreciated the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, for his role in the appointment of Senator Lokpobiri as minister.
“This is not the time for PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) or APC (All Progressives Congress). Politics is over. It is time for governance. We don’t have party differences in this state, but what we have is the development of our state and Nigeria at large. Let us join hands to develop our state so that it will grow from strength to strength”, he stated.
“The persons appointed have what it takes to represent Bayelsa. Under Senator Lokpobiri as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, we will see a different kind of representation. We need to partner with the NDDC and the Delta State government to build a bridge across both states. We also need to partner with the NDDC to take the Ekeremor road to Agge. We need this road infrastructure for easy movement of our people”, he added.
He further assured that, the construction work on the Nembe-Brass road in Bayelsa East senatorial district will continue and hinted that the Federal Government has indicated interest in the project.
“On behalf of the government and people of Bayelsa State, l thank President Bola Tinubu for making these appointments possible. Aside from God and the president, l also thank the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for contributing to the appointment of Senator Lokpobiri as minister”, he said.
Others who was honoured at the event were, the state representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Denyanbofa Dimaro, a member of the board of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mrs Bekearedebo Warrens as well as a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kemasuode Wodu and Mr. Felix Okorotie, who were both conferred with the legal titles of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Matthew Seiyefa, who is also a PRO chancellor of the state owned Niger Delta University also thanked President Tinubu for the appointment of the sons and a daughter of Ekeremor.
Seiyefa, said it’s heartwarming that Ekeremor alone produced two Senior Advocates of Nigeria that by dint of hardwork and perseverance attained the highest level in the legal profession.
Adding his voice, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said, the gesture of honouring people that have excelled in various fields of endeavour serves as source of encouragement for others to work hard.
Ogbuku said, the commission would collaborate with the government to ensure completion of the Ekeremor-Agge road project and on a regional bridge project linking Bayelsa and Delta states.
The Pere of Tuomo Kingdom and retired Supreme Court Justice, King Francis Tabai, urged the youths to see the celebrants as source of inspiration by taking their education seriously, saying without education, they would not have been celebrating the successes achieved by Lokpobiri and others.
In response, on behalf of others honoured, Lokpobiri expressed appreciation to the leaders of Ekeremor also to the state governor for the privilege and honour showered to them.
He said, the idea of honouring him despite being an APC member was laudable, noting that, what matters most is the character of the candidate in an election, rather than the party he represents.
He equally thanked the former rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike for being instrumental to his appointment and also expressed gratitude to the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and other prominent personalities for gracing the event.
Dignitaries who attended the event are Nyesom Wike, Senator Benson Agadaga (Bayelsa East), Senator Marshal Katung (Kaduna South), and Senator James Manager (formerly Delta South), Dr. Fred Agbedi representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, his Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency counterpart, Mrs. Marie Ebikake, Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abraham Ingobere, former President, Nigerian Football Federation and currently member of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), Amaju Pinnick among others.
