ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has declared that his appraisal of the two years of Douye Diri’s administration is an honest, genuine and intellectual analysis of governance in Bayelsa State.
The state government had in a statement on Tuesday by the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mr Ayibaina Duba, berated Sylva over attacks on Diri’s performance in the last two years.
The government had described the minister’s comments while featuring as guest on a Yenagoa-based radio station on Saturday as indecorous, misguided and aimed at scoring cheap political points.
But Sylva, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bukoro, said his comments on the state radio interview was straightforward and the highpoints were based on “high and low points” of the Diri administration.
Reacting to a barrage of criticisms by the government, Sylva noted that despite the fact that he harped on some of the brighter sides of the current administration in the state, his comment on Diri’s performance was far from being caustic and combative.
He said it was an honest, intellectual analysis and genuine appraisal of Bayelsa, his home state.
The statement said Sylva’s chief concern was that the current administration in the state had yet to fully wean itself off the previous one which was a complete circus, stressing that Diri is significantly more humane compared to his predecessor.
The statement reads: “As a Bayelsan, a former governor, a major stakeholder of the state, Sylva has the right, like everyone else, to comment, analyse and proffer solutions to aspects of governance in the state that can be improved upon”.
“That interview was an act of patriotism and critical appraisal hence the avalanche of applause from all parts of the state and beyond. The development of Bayelsa State is a continuum, it doesn’t begin and end with one individual, any single government or a group of people. It is a journey that will require every single Bayelsan, every day of his/her life to work towards that very divine project. Serving Nigeria through the Federal Government is not a licence to ignore one’s home state.
“Sylva will keep on working for the development of Bayelsa State in any capacity he finds himself. As a minister, through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, he inspired and partnered with Rungas Prime Industries Limited to establish a 1,000,000 per annum Type 3 LPG composite Cylinder Manufacturing plant in Polaku, Bayelsa State. Sylva also sited an infectious Disease Hospital in the state through the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and one of its agencies, the NNPC.
“There was the signing of the Final Investment Decision (FID) on gas processing and methanol plant project by Brass Fertilizer and Petro-Chemical Company which will create 30,000 jobs. Commencement of the Oil and Gas Museum at Oloibiri, Ogbia LGA and inauguration, along with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Content Tower which vastly improved the aesthetics of Yenagoa and also created jobs.
“So, national service does not collide with service for one’s home state. There will be more of such interviews and more acts of patriotism and critical appraisal from Sylva.
“Sylva also congratulates Governor Douye Diri on his two year anniversary as governor, and notes that while the former Senator seems to have the will to perform well, the momentum still has to be increased until the next polls where ‘Bayelsans’ will seek alternatives.”