… hails demolition of illegal markets, structures
ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State, Chief Perekeme Kpodoh, has described Governor Douye Diri as a godsent to the state.
Kpodoh, a former Security Adviser to the Bayelsa State Government, who made the assertion in an interview on Sunday in Yenagoa, the state capital, noted that Diri had accelerated urban renewal and infrastructural development of the state.
He said despite the paucity of funds, Diri and his entire team had brought into Yenagoa, a breath of fresh air and opened up the state through ongoing road projects, urban renewal and various welfare policies for the state workforce and pensioners.
Kpodoh said his administration had taken the bull by the horns by clearing the state of shanties, illegal markets and many others illegal structures.
The party stalwart stated: “When you drive through the state capital, you will notice a gradual change and a breath of fresh air.
“First of all, let me thank the Governor himself for presiding over a performing team. In fact, he has taken the bull by the horns by clearing the state of unauthorised markets and shanties. I drove round the state and I saw a bright lights around the state capital and saw cleanliness.
“If you look from Tombia to Igbogene, you will see bright lights and cleanliness. If we maintain this pace, we will be ranked among the cleanest states in the country.
“We have been agitating and confronting past governors on development and we are happy that the present administration does not need confrontation before doing the right thing. Goveenor Diri, through what he has done, is really God-sent. We never expected what he is doing and that shows he is prepared to lift the status of the state on development and prosperity.”
He also commended members of Diri’s administration involved in translating the policy into action such as Commissioner for Works, Moses Tebowei, members of the State Environmental Sanitation Authority and members of the Yenagoa-Urban Renewal Committee for a job well done on the increased rate of cleanliness in the state.
Kpodoh equally called on non-indigenous traders and businessmen in the state to support the urban renewal project of the state government instead of becoming a stumbling block to the development in the state.
He stated: “Let me call on the non-indigenous businessmen and traders to align with the current development strides of the present administration. They should take a cue from what the former Imo Governor Rochas Okorochas did by destroying a whole market and later built a modern international market to replace it.
“We need development in Bayelsa. Like as it happened in Owerri under Okorocha, that is exactly what Douye Diri is doing here. Nobody raised an eyeball in Owerri and they left the demolished place. Are you coming to another man’s state to challenge authority?
“They pushed you here, you say no, they pushed you there, you said no. What are you doing? Is it that you have bad plans against the state government? Therefore, when the government demands total compliance, they should obey to avoid being arrested for violation.”