At 60, Diri Reveals Why Nigeria Is Drifting

Lack of justice, fairness and equitable distribution of Nigeria’s resources and key appointments have crippled the country from making significant national progress these past 60 years.

And, except Nigeria’s leaders ensure justice, fairness and equitable distribution of the nation’s resources and key appointments, the country will continue its slow pace of development.

These are the strong views of Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state in Nigeria’s oil and gas region, the Niger Delta.

The hard-hitting Diri says a country whose leaders do not practice justice, fairness and equity is at risk of a very slow pace of development.

The governor’s spokesperson, Daniel Alabrah, in a statement says his principal is calling on the leaders of Africa’s most populous country to ensure justice, fairness and equitable distribution of its resources and key appointments.

“Let me seize this opportunity to call on our leaders to note that a country cannot develop where there is no fairness, justice and equity because these are some of the things that are counting for our slow pace of development.

“Anybody who finds him or herself in a leadership position should practice equity, fairness and justice no matter whose ox is gored. That way the country will be developed. Resources and appointments will be equitably distributed and we will all be happier for each other”, Governor Diri says.

The PDP governor acknowledged that the country and Bayelsa have made some progress just as he expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the headquarters of Zone 16 of the Nigeria Police as well as the support to the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board in Yenagoa, the state capital.

According to the governor, on the country’s anniversary and that of Bayelsa, his message is that of peace, love and forgiveness as captured in his inauguration address on February 14, 2020.

He said as a state and a nation, the anniversary called for sober reflection and advocated the need for the people to shun all forms of divisive tendencies that could hinder growth and development.

“The Bible passage that was read succinctly summarised my inauguration address. We live in a world of hatred, acrimony and strife for material wealth. Greed has torn us apart. If only we are contented with what we have, then a lot of things we do would not be necessary. As Ijaw people, we clamoured for the creation of three states out of which Bayelsa was created. So we should learn to cherish our only homogenous state.

“I call on all Bayelsans to exude love. Where there is hatred, they should show love. And where there is darkness, show light.”

Chairman of the state Traditional Rulers Council, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, however, notes that at 24 years, Bayelsa has come of age and has made significant contributions to the development of the country, pointing out that Nigeria had contributed immensely to the world economy in terms of what Nigeria had lost to other nations.

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