Diri Explains Promise Of Prosperity

TRACKING____Yenagoa- Five months after his inauguration, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has explained the philosophy behind his administration’s promise of prosperity to the people of the state.

Diri, who christens his administration “Prosperity Government”, clarified the slogan while responding to questions during the public forum on the state’s revised N183.16billion 2020 budget in Yenagoa.

He said that in promising prosperity, his administration did not intend to share money to people or cause manna to fall from heaven.

According to him, the principle of prosperity as envisaged by his administration meant that the people must engage in hard work and industry to better their lives, including civil servants.

Diri said the government’s responsibility is mainly to provide the enabling environment for the people to create wealth and prosper in whatever business they choose to do.

The governor said, “The way we promised prosperity; when we say prosperity people think it will fall from heaven. Some people think government will just come and give you money and then you begin to prosper.

“Prosperity means you have to work. You have to work. As a government, our function is to provide the environment for you. The environment should be secure, peaceful and one that if you start a business in selling pumpkin leaves, you should be able to prosper in that business.”

“The environment should be such that every civil servant should be thinking of one fish pond or one cassava farm to supplement or augment their monthly wages.”

“From that one pond, you will become a big time fish farmer; you will become a big time cassava farmer. That is the underlying principle of prosperity.”