From Seyi Tayese, Yenagoa
Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umoh Eno, on Saturday, continued the harvest of projects marking the fifth anniversary of the Senator Douye Diri administration in Bayelsa State with the inauguration of Road Two, a dual carriageway in the New Yenagoa City.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, on Friday inaugurated the new legislatatives quarters built by the Governor Diri administration also in the new city.
Governor Umo paid glowing tributes to his Bayelsa counterpart, saying that it took political will to execute and complete quality projects in a marshy terrain such as Bayelsa’s.
He described Diri as a pragmatic leader that is committed to changing the developmental narrative of his state.
Umo noted that what Diri was doing in Bayelsa was consistent with his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) colleagues in the South-South in particular and the party’s governors in other zones of the country.
His words: “When one looks at the video and the pictures and see how this place was, you will know that it will only take a daring governor and a committed government to do what we have seen here.
“I believe by the time you leave office, Bayelsans would be proud to have supported a pragmatic leader.
“If you continue to support your governor the way you have been doing, you will encourage him to do more. Your support to the government is overwhelming.”
In his remarks, Governor Douye Diri said his commitment to execute projects was to show that the state’s terrain was a blessing rather than a curse.
He restated his call for increased allocation to enable the state develop alongside other states in the country.
Diri appreciated his Akwa Ibom counterpart for the solidarity, saying both states have a long-standing relationship.
“We have come a long way as brothers in this same terrain, which some see as a curse. But we like to prove that this terrain is not a curse. Rather it is a blessing to the people and to our region.
“That is why we are seeing in this area what would have been considered an impossibility being made possible for the rest of Nigeria to see. Give us our due allocation so that this place will develop alongside the other parts of Nigeria.”
The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Moses Teibowei, explained that the road and its spur was a 2.1km dual carriageway of 7.3 meters width on either side and 1.3m shoulders on both sides of the driveway.
According to him, the road creates access to the new commissioners and legislators quarters, and would accelerate development of residential buildings and add to the aesthetic value of the state.
Teibowei further stated that the New Yenagoa City was conceived by the immediate past administration of Senator Seriake Dickson.
Also, Managing Director of Lubrik Construction Company Limited, Engr. Hadi Cherade, appreciated Governor Diri for making the company a part of the history of the New Yenagoa City becoming a realty.
