The economy of Bayelsa State keeps getting more promising, with indications of an end to scarcity of potable water, especially in the state capital. This comes after the state government successfully achieved the provision of steady power supply from the gas turbine installed and commissioned recently.
The water supply will be coming through a partnership between the state government and the World Bank, according to the governor, Senator Douye Diri. Diri disclosed this on Wednesday during the 196th State Executive Council meeting held in Government House, Yenagoa.
Describing the development as “good news” for Bayelsans, Diri said the state would soon begin to work with officials of the bank for the mapping of Yenagoa and some neighboring communities for water infrastructure deployment.
His words: “We have been on this water thing with the World Bank, and Bayelsa is one of the states that has passed the hurdle of the bank.
“So, the World Bank will alongside our state government officials go round the whole of Yenagoa and some neighboring places. They will deploy geo-mapping and also sensitise the people on this water supply project to Bayelsans.”
He further stated that by providing water, electricity, road infrastructure, schools and health facilities, his administration was laying a solid foundation to attract private sector investment to the state.
The Bayelsa helmsman stressed that government was not always the best businessman and advocated public-private partnership as the way forward for industrialising the state.
He called on Bayelsans to take advantage of the foundation being laid by his administration, adding that outsiders might see the economic opportunities in the state before them.
“Investments do not hang in the air. We have seen how some other some past governors made certain investments but those investments are now a shadow of themselves. I believe every economy is mostly private sector driven,” Diri said.
“Sometimes we may not even see the opportunities as Bayelsans. It is outsiders that see them before our people. So let us open our eyes to the opportunities for economic growth.”
During the meeting, the governor received an award of excellence for disability inclusion presented by the Commissioner for Women, Child Empowerment and Social Development, Mrs. Joanna Gigi.
According to the commissioner, the recognition from Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) was for the governor’s commitment to disability inclusion, particularly his assent to the Persons Living with Disabilities Law 2026, which she described as a significant milestone for the state.
