Participants at a Bayelsa infrastructure rebirth breakfast roundtable, organised by the South South Reawakening Group, have praised Governor Douye Diri’s administration for its infrastructure development while calling for sustained investment and stronger protection of public assets from vandalism.
According to a communiqué issued after the Yenagoa roundtable, themed Bayelsa’s Infrastructure Rebirth 2.0 Under the Assured Prosperity Government of Governor Douye Diri, participants resolved that the state should keep deepening quality infrastructure across every sector of the economy, describing infrastructure as a critical driver of growth, investment and better living standards, and passed what they called a resounding vote of confidence in Diri’s administration for initiating and funding ambitious projects despite Bayelsa’s challenging riverine terrain, arguing many ongoing projects have disproved the long held assumption that the state’s difficult geography makes major infrastructure development impossible.
The gathering did express concern over persistent vandalism of critical public infrastructure, particularly a recent attack that disrupted gas supply to the state’s gas turbine, condemning the act and calling on security agencies, host communities and relevant authorities to strengthen efforts to protect public infrastructure from sabotage, arguing that safeguarding these strategic assets is essential to uninterrupted power generation, economic stability and sustainable development statewide. The roundtable urged government and other stakeholders to institutionalise the ongoing infrastructure push by building a sustainable framework guaranteeing continuity beyond the current administration, arguing that embedding infrastructure planning into the state’s long term development strategy would preserve existing gains and let successive administrations build on them rather than start over.
Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government Nimibofa Ayawei said the proposed coastal road to Brass Kingdom would transform Bayelsa into a major logistics hub for Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas industry, significantly cutting travel time to offshore fields, attracting private investment, creating thousands of jobs and stimulating logistics, hospitality, marine transportation and other support businesses. South South Reawakening Group Convener Joseph Ambakederimo, who moderated a panel featuring Niger Delta University Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Francis Sikoki, Top News Founder and Publisher Charles Eni Umukoro, and public affairs analyst Daniel Abia, stressed the importance of sustained engagement between government and citizens to improve public understanding of governance and infrastructure development, arguing continuous dialogue strengthens transparency, accountability and public confidence while keeping citizens informed about policy and ongoing projects. The event drew government officials, professionals, civil society organisations and media practitioners who reviewed infrastructure’s impact on Bayelsa’s economic growth.
