It Will Take Time For Bayelsa To Be Industrialised- Diri
Igoniko Oduma Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri says the state’s quest to become Industrialised will take a long time.
He noted that the state had remained heavily dependent on federal receipts over the years.
The governor, however, claimed that his administration was laying a solid foundation for the industrialisation of the state by investing hugely in road infrastructure and working towards stabilising power.
He spoke at the palace of the monarch of Ogboin clan, King Oweipa Jones-Ere, in Amassoma, as he rounded off his four-day re-election campaigns in communities across Southern Ijaw Local Government Area on Saturday.
Diri, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, who is also a member of the Publicity Directorate, Bayelsa PDP Governorship Campaign Council, rationalised that it was not the sole obligation of the state government to industrialise the state.
He said while it is the responsibility of government to provide the enabling environment through the provision of basic infrastructure, the private sector partnership and investment were equally important in engendering a viable economy.
He said, “Our state is yet to industrialise and still heavily dependent on government. It will take some time for us to be an industrialised state.
“A lot of people think it is the government that actually industrialises a state. A thousand times No. Government only provides the enabling environment for private capital and partnership with government to industrialise. By God’s grace, we will get there.”
He lashed out at his political opponents that had promised to industrialise Bayelsa, stressing that they had no idea on how to achieve it.
Diri said rather than politicise it, his administration had taken steps to ensure a solid base for industrialisation, including striking a partnership with a private firm to rehabilitate and expand the capacity of the gas turbine at Imiringi in Ogbia Local Government Area.
