As the political crisis continues to hit Rivers State, Douye Diri, Governor of Bayelsa State, has called on the people of Rivers State to give peace a chance in order to put the state on a steady path of development.
Describing Bayelsa and Rivers people as having a common heritage, the governor noted that his administration needed to collaborate with Rivers to promote economic development and reduce poverty in the region.
A statement which was issued on Wednesday by Daniel Alabrah, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor after the 129th State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, reads: “We call on all key actors to eschew bitterness and sheathe their swords in order to give peace a chance.
“There must be give-and-take so that the much-needed development can take place and people will not suffer. We are all praying for peace to be restored in Rivers State.”
The statement also stated that Diri’s participation in the recent AFREXIM Bank’s Annual Meeting (AAM) in Nassau, the Bahamas, was part of efforts to attract investors to the state.
Governor Diri stressed the need for the people of the state to appreciate his administration’s initiatives at attracting development partners that would harness the economic potential of the state, in order to create jobs and bring about economic prosperity.
The governor said he held fruitful meetings at the four-day event and that he has directed his team to follow up on them, noting that his travels out of the country were in the state’s interest.
He expressed appreciation to his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo and other members of the Executive Council for the smooth running of affairs of the state for the one week he was away.
The statement added: “We will take our destiny in our hands and look for development partners across the world. We had fruitful meetings and l tasked my team to follow up on all the meetings so that we could have investors.
“Whenever l move out, l do so in the interest of our state. On my last trip, l put Bayelsa on the map of Africa. There were two governors, Bayelsa and Lagos, at the meetings.”