Describes Duke as a “Jester” and “National Champion Without a Base”
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has disclosed his disagreement with the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, over the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.
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Diri also stated that governors of the South-South region were unanimous in their support for the coastal highway, insisting that it should not be realigned with the East-West Road.
The Bayelsa governor, however, criticised former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke over his comments on the project, describing him as a “jester”, a pretender and a politician without a political base.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, Diri spoke during the 200th session of the State Executive Council at Government House, Yenagoa, on Thursday.
Speaking on his disagreement with Umahi, the governor said he had read reports suggesting that the coastal highway would be realigned and merged with the East-West Road, a proposal he said he opposed.
“I read, like everyone else, that there would be a realignment and that the coastal road would be merged with the East-West Road, which I do not believe is the same project. That should be a South-South road.
“I privately called the Minister of Works and said, ‘Honourable Minister, that is a no, no, no for us. These are two different projects.’
“I agree with you that the East-West Road should be reconstructed. It is called the East-West Road, but its reconstruction should not take the place of the coastal road.
“While you reconstruct the East-West Road, the coastal road must continue because you have already won the hearts of all the coastal states,” he said.
Diri explained that the discussion eventually reached a point of disagreement.
“I told him that, for me and my state, the coastal road must continue. He kept mentioning Mr President’s name, and I felt that he was the implementer and was the one who addressed the media. So, go back and tell Mr President that this is the position of the governors of the South-South, because I also speak as chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum,” he said.
Diri Faults Duke’s Comments
On Duke’s comments, the Bayelsa governor said he was perplexed after watching a video clip of the former Cross River governor discussing the project on a television programme.
Diri said he was particularly concerned that Duke, a fellow son of the South-South region, had reportedly questioned the feasibility of the coastal highway on the grounds that Bayelsa State was swampy.
“When I watched the video and listened to everything he said about the coastal road, what actually made me respond was the example he gave using my state, Bayelsa. He said the coastal road was not feasible, and his reason was that even the state capital of Bayelsa is a swamp. According to him, for the coastal road to pass through Bayelsa, 100 to 200 bridges would have to be constructed,” Diri said.
The governor also criticised Duke, whom he described as a pretender, and accused him of failing to act when the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded from Nigeria to Cameroon during his tenure as governor of Cross River State.
Diri further questioned Duke’s political standing, saying his presidential ambition was not backed by a substantial political base in Cross River State.
“You pretend to be a presidential candidate of PRP. There is not even a councillor from PRP in Cross River. Not even in your own ward. Yet, you pretend to be a presidential candidate so that, at the end of the day, you can be rehabilitated.
“You can continue to be your national and international champion without a nucleus, without a base.
“I advise you to go back and settle the huge debts hanging over the heads of generations yet unborn, debts that you incurred and passed on to successive governments in your state.
“Do not use Bayelsa State as an example of a place where roads cannot be built. You were in office when Bakassi was ceded out of Nigeria. But because you were not a local champion, you did nothing about it,” he said.
The Bayelsa governor also criticised the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort project, which was initiated during Duke’s administration, alleging that it contributed to the financial burden inherited by successive governments in Cross River State.
“Above all, Donald Duke, you embarked on a white elephant called Tinapa. You took loans and incurred debts that you placed a huge burden on the people of Cross River State and every governor and government that succeeded you. That is because you were not a local champion.
“I believe you are more of a jester and a pretender. You pretend to be a presidential candidate, even though you have been out of government for over a decade — almost two decades,” Diri said.
‘I Am the Sitting Governor of Bayelsa State’
Diri maintained that he was not ordinarily inclined to engage in public confrontations or exchange insults with other political leaders.
“I am not one of those who insult people. I do not insult leaders or elders. But what you have done is not just about me. It is about my environment and my people. I will always stand tall to defend this environment and the people of Bayelsa State.
“With our limited resources as a state government, we are building bridges and roads in the same swamp that he says cannot be developed. We are inviting him to come to Bayelsa since he has used our state as an example,” he said.
The governor recalled that, in his earlier response to Duke’s comments, he had argued that the same swamps being portrayed as obstacles to development were responsible for producing the oil wealth that had sustained Nigeria’s economy.
He expressed further displeasure over Duke’s subsequent remarks, particularly the former governor’s reported reference to him as “that fellow”.
“Yet, after that press statement, which I asked my Chief Press Secretary to issue, the former governor of Cross River State went back to say what I saw as more of an insult to my person. He started by saying, ‘That fellow.’
“Donald Duke, I am not that fellow. I am the sitting governor of Bayelsa State.
“He also said, ‘I do not even know that fellow.’ But I do not want you to know me from Adam, and I do not know you, just as you do not know me.
“Hear me well: I am not that fellow. I am an elected, sitting governor of Bayelsa State, and I am very surprised that this is coming from a son of the Niger Delta and, more importantly, a former governor who should respect the office of a governor at all times,” Diri said.
According to the governor, Duke had also described himself as a local champion in response to the controversy.
Diri said he embraced the description because of his commitment to representing the interests of his people and advancing development in Bayelsa State.
“He did not stop there. He went on to say that, since I do not know him, he is a local champion.
“Yes, I am a local champion because that is where I was raised. I was elected to defend the local people. I was elected to champion their cause. I was elected to see possibilities where there seem to be impossibilities,” he said.
Diri Rejects Narrative That Bayelsa Cannot Be Developed
The governor said it was time to end what he described as a persistent narrative that Bayelsa’s difficult terrain made meaningful development impossible.
“Enough of this narrative that the Bayelsa environment cannot be developed. Oil and gas resources can be taken away from our land, but the land itself cannot be developed? That is a fat lie from the pit of hell, and we reject it,” he said.
Diri also praised President Bola Tinubu for the coastal highway project, describing it as significant for the Niger Delta region and the Ijaw nation in particular.
“The coastal road is a very important, relevant and impactful project for every state along the coastline, particularly for us in the South-South and Bayelsa State,” he said.
The governor recalled that, on the day he and other political figures announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), he presented a document containing the demands of the Ijaw National Congress (INC).
According to him, one of the longstanding demands, dating back to the military era, was the construction of the coastal road.
“If you recall, on the day we were all crossing over from PDP to APC, I brought out a document containing the demands of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). One of the major demands, dating back to the military era, was the construction of the coastal road. These were some of the relevant issues that made some of us decide to say, ‘Okay, let us go,’” he said.
Diri commended Tinubu for supporting the project, arguing that coastal communities deserved infrastructure and development comparable to other parts of the country.
“I like to seize this opportunity to thank Mr President. The very thought of it alone — that these coastal people should not continue to wallow in poverty and be dehumanised, and that they should not be seen as second-class citizens of this country — is commendable.
“If we can have roads in the North and other parts of the country, then the coastal road should also be built. The very idea of it is a big plus for Mr President and his administration. I welcome it with both hands,” the governor said.
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