OPINION: In Response To Worried Critics Of A Silent Revolution

By: Agency Report

Democracy has given opportunities for the participation of the citizens in governance. It becomes inclusive when every segment of the society plays one part or the other to support the government of the day or simply make constructive criticism.

But when such a criticism becomes abusive, such actors are now worn the toga of unprogressive and uncultured soul. That is the case with some set of armed chair critics in Bayelsa State where unfortunately, a lot of them had been part of various governments in the state.

Today, many Bayelsans are aware that the prosperity administration under Senator Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, is very receptive to genuine and constructive criticism. In African homes, when a child becomes erratic and showing signs of near dementia , parents and loved ones on quick detection either seek medical help or spiritual help. But when it is discovered that he or she is being mentally affected by unexpressed bottled up emotions, they only allow it to be detected in choice words, tone, and body language.

Governor Diri has become a victim of parochial, selfish and demented criticism by unguarded critics who operate in full scale of ignorance on the social media space. The two and half-year journey of governance in Bayelsa and the appreciable achievements despite the daunting challenges is not of interest to these resenting critics, but a public show of ignorance on the development dynamics in the state is paramount to their confused soul.

On one hand, these critics have been diagnosed as being part of the governance of the state in the past as aides, but their unceremonious exit has affected their judgement and develop within their souls bottled up angst against any administration their pay masters are not fully in charge.

Despite their rants on the pages of social media, Governor Diri and his prosperity team have refused to be disturbed and are treading carefully to raise a disciplined team to complete projects, revive a new culture of patience and inculcate a culture of service to the people of Bayelsa across the sections of the state.

While the so-called “critics” are displaying their foolery by claiming to have worked for respectable personalities as “media handlers” or “social media influencers” in the past, the prosperity administration is known and working towards finding the cure for their anger by not encouraging nepotism, financial recklessness by churning figures which don’t tally with the reality on ground. The administration will not also allow characters, such as the road side critics, to distract it from ongoing service to the people of Bayelsa.

The joy of the people of the state, across political divide, is that Gov. Diri came through a court process and divine intervention devoid of political godfathers. He came through the people in general elections who elected him, affirmed by the court and crowned by the Almighty God.

That is why cleansing the Augean stable, rather than probe which wastes time and resources, is necessary. For the critic that have clearly shown they have lost touch with realities, Senator Diri, the fifth civilian governor of Bayelsa State has, since he came to power miraculously in 2020, revealed truly a visionary man.

With a deep sense of maturity, rare patience, simplicity and focus, Diri, like the famed eagle, is uncommonly and incurably visionary and deeply “aware” of his sense of mission to humanity and strategies to deliver his developmental agenda to the people.

He is visionary enough to remember his little beginning from his country home of Sampou in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the State and now that he is governor in a move to change the story of development in Bayelsa State. Steadily, things are changing for good and many citizens who never gave him the chance now openly confessed “that they were misinformed about the capacity and personality of the governor”.

And now, they know better that Diri is kind-hearted and a good man who loves his people across the eight local government areas. In just two years in office, Governor Diri, has left no one in doubt as to the direction of his government of prosperity. He has touched many lives positively through infrastructural projects and various empowerment programmes. The criticisms about performance is absolutely lost to the sane mind.

Bayelsans are aware and can visibly see the development pattern embarked upon by the administration of Gov. Diri in last two and half years. It is only a blind and confused critic that cannot see. It is a normal decimal for members of same gang that are united in unexplained anger to engage in negative campaigns whenever their paymasters direct.

How do they expect a governor that is a product of people’s electoral trust and accepted by all divide to be cowed by their claims of “non-performance” and “sinking in bad leadership”. Gov. Diri has raised the bar in good governance, security, infrastructural development and peace.

The state has moved from these impediments that becloud our development, cleansing the rot to place food on our table, livelihood, security, peace and prosperity. Development is not about newspaper, radio or television propaganda but perception and appreciation of physical accomplished projects by the people. We are lucky to have a leadership that abhors praise singers as sycophantic political tools.

As a matter of pride, the popular Edepie/Etegwe roundabout is a testimony of the infrastructural upgrade within Yenagoa through expansion and beautification work. Also, over 50 internal roads within the state capital were earlier rehabilitated before the construction of 20 new internal roads.

The prosperity administration has penchant for policy of continuity with inherited projects. So much has been achieved in the areas of roads and infrastructure, education, health, empowerment, skills acquisition among other sectors. Projects completed and inaugurated so far include a 4.5 kilometre Igbedi road, reconstructed Elebele bridge, section one of the Igbogene- AIT Elebele outer ring road to Okarki end, the New Yenagoa city road from Onopa and the historic Nembe unity bridge that connects Nembe-Ogbolomabiri to Bassambiri.

The audacious move by previous administration to link riverine communities to Yenagoa, the state capital by roads through the three senatorial projects are on course. The prosperity government has continued with the construction of Sagbama-Ekeremor and Yenagoa-Oporoma road projects.