Champion Niger Delta Development, Diri Urges PANDEF

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has called on the leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) to prioritise the region’s development in its advocacy efforts.

He urged the group to focus on addressing pressing socio-economic challenges rather than political distractions.

Speaking during a courtesy visit on Wednesday by a PANDEF delegation led by its new chairman, Ambassador Godknows Igali, at Government House, Yenagoa, Diri reaffirmed his administration’s readiness to collaborate with the forum.

He emphasised the need for PANDEF to work closely with regional governors and interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the proposed South-South Development Commission to drive meaningful progress.

He said, “PANDEF should play a key advocacy role in supporting the South-South Governors Forum. It was a divine arrangement that your meeting in Bayelsa coincided with the just concluded governors’ meeting.

“We must take our development issues into our own hands before waiting to seek external help. That is why we are showing the example in Bayelsa.”

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Diri, who emerged as the new chairman of the South-South Governors Forum on Tuesday, said he would create a desk and assign an official to interface with PANDEF.

He stated that he had informed his counterparts in the South of the need to collaborate to establish a power project for the zone to attract investments.

Diri highlighted his administration’s efforts to facilitate the procurement of an independent power plant to enhance socio-economic activities.

The governor also spoke about infrastructure development to make communities accessible, noting that the ongoing central senatorial road leading to Oporoma, the headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, would be completed and inaugurated before the end of this year.

“We are now building a bridge across River Nun to the headquarters of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area that has produced so much crude oil for this country but was abandoned because they said the terrain was rugged.

“Now we are proving to them that the terrain can be conquered and that the bridge will be ready for commissioning by the end of this year. So we will drive to Oporoma by the end of this year.”

In his remarks, Chairman of PANDEF Amb. Godknows Igali affirmed the forum’s support for the South-South Governors Forum, which will help reposition the body to bring about development and address issues such as fiscal federalism.

He said PANDEF, as a voice for the people of the Niger Delta, was being strengthened to be heard like other regional groups in the country and to participate in national discourse and relate outcomes to leaders of the region.

Amb. Igali said the body would set up several strategic working groups of experts in various fields and study the outcomes to present them to the BRACED (an acronym for Bayelsa Rivers Akwa-Ibom Cross River Edo Delta) Commission.

While calling for political support for PANDEF, he congratulated Diri on his emergence as chairman of the South-South Governors Forum.