By Julius Agadaga, Yenagoa
Media practitioners in Bayelsa State have commended Governor Douye Diri over his infrastructural projects and cordial relationship with journalists in the state.
Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, during a parley with the Technical Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Wisdom Oniekpar Ikuli, the journalists said the governor’s infrastructural revolution has placed the state among the fast-developing states in the country.
They described the governor as a leader with the requisite experience and ideas whose initiatives have transformed the state into a safe haven where investments are thriving.
The journalists also noted that the governor’s investment in peace-building and security has ensured the protection of lives and property across the state.
On the governor’s disposition towards media practitioners, the media executives said while he enjoys a cordial relationship with journalists, some of his media handlers need to improve in their dealings with journalists.
“Governor Diri has done well for Bayelsa State. His infrastructural projects and peaceful disposition have endeared him to Bayelsans across party lines, and even non-partisans from and outside the state,” they said.
“We want to plead with the governor not to relent in his efforts at continued development of the state. As media stakeholders, it has always been our intention to engage in factual and positive reportage of the state and the Diri administration.
“We would also like to ask that the governor extends his magnanimity to us by including journalists in the Bayelsa State insurance scheme, as well as providing practising journalists with financial support to enable them to cope with the prevailing economic realities,” they added.
Earlier, Dr. Ikuli applauded Governor Diri for the developmental transformation in the state, particularly the three senatorial roads which will link the state to the sea where the wealth of the state lies.
He noted that prior to the Diri-led ‘Assured Prosperity’ administration, the state was 75 per cent riverine and mainly accessible by boats, adding that the trend has been reversed due to road projects executed and ongoing in the hinterlands.
“The governor’s investment in road construction, especially the three senatorial roads to Brass, Agge and Ukubie, and the several connecting spurs, is a testament to the political will he has to open up the hinterlands for development,” Ikuli said.
“Governor Diri’s administration has opened the state for investment with the construction of the 60-megawatt gas turbine. His massive investment in technical education is intended to curb the skill gap in Bayelsa State. Very soon, Bayelsa will be exporting skilled labour to other parts of the country,” he added.
Ikuli commended journalists for their sacrifices, particularly during difficult periods in the state. He recalled the vandalisation and collapse of 19 electricity transmission towers about two years ago, which plunged Bayelsa into darkness, noting that journalists covered the incident despite difficult terrain and water travel.
He said at the time, many people blamed the government without understanding the circumstances, while the governor mobilised resources to ensure contractors returned to site and restored power supply.
He urged journalists to assess the administration’s performance by visiting communities across the state, rather than judging from Yenagoa alone.
“Someone may drive around Yenagoa and conclude that the government is doing nothing. However, when you travel to Angiama, visit the inner communities of Yenagoa, take the Nembe-Brass Road or visit other parts of the state, you will appreciate the level of investment that has gone into infrastructure development,” he said.
According to him, before now, about 75 per cent of Bayelsa was riverine, with many communities accessible only by speedboat or canoe, with journeys lasting up to eight hours in some areas.
“However, within a period of six years, Governor Douye Diri has significantly reversed that situation. Today, about 75 per cent of Bayelsa State is accessible by road, thanks to the sacrifices and commitment of one leader,” he said.
He cited the Angiama-Opuruma road and bridge project, noting that the 630-metre bridge is one of the longest ever constructed by a state government, despite the difficult terrain, land reclamation and soil filling required in areas such as Nembe and Angiama.
He said the state, once stereotyped as lazy, violent and unproductive, has become one of the most peaceful states in the country.
On government-media relations, the Technical Adviser called for partnership, stressing that while democracy allows journalists to ask questions, the image of the state should be protected.
“I don’t see any journalism that has been antagonistic. In democracy, one of the ingredients is that people must ask questions. So I commend the media and I still beg us that in our reports, anywhere that will paint us and the state in a negative light, let us manage it,” he said.
“If there are issues, communicate them to us and we will see what will happen. I can assure you that nobody will be neglected.”
He also disclosed plans to partner with health facilities such as Family Care Hospital to provide health insurance and medical checks for journalists in the state.
He said the achievements of the Diri administration remain underreported, citing sports, education and technical colleges.
“In sports, Bayelsa today is one of the best, competing with Delta and a few other states during the National Sports Festival. In education, Bayelsa has one of the highest numbers of technical colleges,” he said.
He explained that the technical colleges were established to bridge the skills gap, as the state previously depended on artisans from other states and neighbouring countries for tiling, cabinetry and other trades.
“In the next few years, Bayelsa State will be exporting artisan skills, men and women, out of this country. The same thing with the Bayelsa Medical University. In the next few years, BMU will be producing medical doctors,” he added.
