Diri honours Lokpobiri, others, says it’s time for governance

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has urged the political class in the state to bury their political differences and jettison petty jealousies in the interest of the unity and development of the state.

Diri, who spoke at the grand reception in honour of some eminent sons and a daughter of the state from Ekeremor Local Government Area held at the Ekeremor community pavilion on Saturday, said politics was over and it was time for governance.

The governor and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, were sworn in for their second term in office on February 14, 2024 following their victory at the November 11, 2023 governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Among those honoured were the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; the state representative on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Denyanbofa Dimaro; a member of the board of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mrs Bekearedebo Warrens; a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kemasuode Wodu; and Mr Felix Okorotie, who were both conferred with the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

The governor, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, on Sunday, 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.

He claimed that his administration was building a new Bayelsa where political boundaries would not hinder sustainable development of the state.

Diri, who expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for appointing illustrious sons and a 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 Lokpobiri as a minister.

He said, “This is not the time for PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) or APC (All Progressives Congress). Politics is over. It is time for governance. We do not have party differences in Bayelsa but what we have is the development of our state and Nigeria at large. Let us jettison petty jealousies and join hands to develop our state so that it will grow from strength to strength.

“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 need to also partner with the NDDC to take the Ekeremor road to Agge. We need this road infrastructure for easy movement of our people.

“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.”

Diri also assured the people that the construction work on the Nembe-Brass road in Bayelsa East Senatorial District would continue and hinted that the Federal Government had indicated interest in the project.

In his remarks, chairman of the occasion, a former Director-General of the Department of State Services, Matthew Seiyefa, also thanked President Tinubu for the appointment of sons and a daughter of Ekeremor.

Seiyefa, who is also Pro-Chancellor of the state-owned Niger Delta University, said it was heartwarming that Ekeremor alone produced two Senior Advocates of Nigeria and by dint of hard work and perseverance attained the highest level in the legal profession.

Also delivering his solidarity message, 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.

Responding on behalf of other honourees, Lokpobiri expressed appreciation to the leaders of Ekeremor as well as the state governor for the honour done them.