Bayelsa Governor says breaking decades-old accessibility barriers motivated construction of Yenagoa–Oporoma Road, Aguobiri and Angiama Bridges
Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said that his administration’s determination to end decades of transportation difficulties and open up riverine communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area motivated its investment in road and bridge infrastructure across the area.
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The governor noted that road infrastructure not only enhances connectivity but also creates economic opportunities, facilitates development and improves the living conditions of rural communities.
Senator Diri stated this on Thursday at his country home in Sampou, where he received a delegation of Southern Ijaw women and members of his 1986 graduating class at Government Secondary School (GSS), Amassoma.
The delegation included the Acting Paramount Ruler of Amassoma, Chief Godswill Akedesuo, and the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Joanah Gigi, who were among the governor’s former students.
Recalling the challenges raised during his first-term electioneering campaign in 2019, Diri said one of the major demands of the people was the construction of a road linking Oporoma, headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, to Yenagoa and other parts of the state.
He also recounted the tragic death of his kinsman, late Chief F.K. Agara, a prominent Ijaw leader and politician, who reportedly sustained fatal injuries in a boat accident during a political campaign at Oporoma before the creation of Bayelsa State in 1996.
According to the governor, the incident further reinforced his resolve to address the transportation challenges confronting riverine communities through the construction of roads and bridges.
He said:
“One of my kinsmen died in a boat mishap at Oporoma when he and others were on a campaign. He fell off the boat and the propeller injured him. By the time he was taken back to Port Harcourt, he gave up. And I decided that I was going to break that jinx.”
Diri acknowledged that the enormous financial implications of constructing roads and bridges across the difficult riverine terrain could have discouraged any administration from embarking on such projects. However, he said the cost would not deter his government from pursuing its development agenda.
Expressing appreciation to the women for recognising his administration’s achievements, the governor said he shared in their excitement over the completion of the Aguobiri and Angiama bridges and the advancement of the Yenagoa–Oporoma Road project.
He stated:
“On behalf of government, I thank you for your show of love and support for my administration. When the cost of constructing the bridges at Aguobiri and Angiama and the road to Oporoma was given, it was fearful and anybody could have chickened out.
“One of the features that brings about civilisation is road infrastructure. Many communities like mine, Sampou, suffered the same fate because then they were not connected by road.
“I am as elated as you are that we completed the bridges and have taken the road to the Southern Ijaw Local Government headquarters. We can now drive to that place and to several other communities.
“On boat from there to Olugbobiri now takes about 15 minutes and from Oporoma to Ekowe is only about five minutes. Significant progress is also being made on the road to Eniwari. Your gesture is heartwarming, and it will spur us to do more.”
The governor also commended his former students at Government Secondary School, Amassoma, for their academic achievements and contributions to society, expressing pride in their accomplishments.
On the political front, Diri endorsed the candidature of Hon. Engr. Rodney Ebikebina Ambaiowei, the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer for Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency, urging the people to support his election.
He equally called on the people of Bayelsa State to vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC candidates in the forthcoming elections, noting that the Federal Government had supported key development initiatives in the state.
According to him, the Tinubu administration approved the construction of the second phase of the Nembe–Brass Road, granted a waiver to facilitate the delivery of the state’s gas turbines and awarded the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway project.
In her remarks, the Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Joanah Gigi, expressed gratitude to Governor Diri for giving her the opportunity to serve in his administration.
She also appealed to the governor to consider more members of their graduating class for political appointments.
Similarly, the Vice Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Dr. Josephine Ekeuwei, commended the governor for the construction of the Yenagoa–Oporoma Road, noting that the project had significantly improved the lives of the people.
She particularly appreciated Diri for appointing one of their own, Joanah Gigi, into the State Executive Council, adding that the people of Southern Ijaw were pleased with the administration’s developmental strides.
The leader of the Class of 1986 delegation, Rev. Innocent Opuene, disclosed that Governor Diri taught them Government while they were students at GSS Amassoma. He expressed appreciation for the governor’s continued support for his former students.
Other dignitaries present at the event included Hon. Engr. Rodney Ebikebina Ambaiowei; the member representing Ekeremor Constituency 1 in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon. Tare Porri; his Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituency 1 counterpart, Hon. Pamoh Werinipre; Dr. Isaac Kumokou; and other top government functionaries.
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