*Inaugurates projects in Bayelsa
Deji Elumoye in Abuja and Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
President Bola Tinubu has given assurance that his government will take immediate steps to address sufferings being experienced by Nigerians in the wake of the Middle East crisis.
The President, who spoke yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital at a civic reception after inaugurating state government projects, stressed that his administration is aware of the ongoing economic challenges arising from the Middle East war.
According to him, the government at the centre will work with the Ministries of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning to see what can be done to ease the hardship faced by people.
His words: “We will continue to find ways to ameliorate the suffering of the vulnerable. This is a government that cares. We will look at the numbers with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning
“And we will see what we can do to ease the burden. But that is the development.”
Tinubu stressed that Nigerians are facing the burden of the war but was quick to add that his administration “will not look back”.
“These are the challenges of the war we didn’t call for. But the effects of interrelated world that we share. And both the joy and the pain of it is universal.
“Yes, I hear you from various angles of the economy. The fuel prices are biting hard. But look around. Let’s just thank God together that we are better off listening to what is happening in Kenya and other African countries. What they are going through.”
The President had earlier inaugurated several projects including the 60-megawatt gas-fired Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Elebele, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in a move aimed at improving electricity supply and accelerating industrial growth in the Niger Delta.
The power facility, executed under the administration of Governor Douye Diri, is designed to strengthen energy security by reducing dependence on the national grid and delivering more stable electricity to homes and businesses.
The plant, powered by gas turbines, will primarily supply electricity to Yenagoa and surrounding communities. Officials say it is expected to unlock new investment opportunities, support small and medium-scale enterprises, and drive economic diversification in the oil-rich state.
Speaking at the inauguration, Tinubu described the project as a critical intervention in addressing persistent electricity challenges in the region. He noted that reliable power remains central to economic growth, job creation, and improved living standards.
He also toured the facility, inspecting key infrastructure including turbines, transformers, and distribution systems to assess the plant’s operational readiness.
The 60MW IPP is widely seen as a strategic response to longstanding electricity deficits in Bayelsa, where erratic power supply has historically slowed economic activities and forced businesses and residents to rely heavily on diesel and petrol generators.
The President commended Governor Diri for constructing the roads and bridges linking communities, dual carriageways, creating opportunity and jobs and hope for our nation.
“Thank you for that commitment and thank you for being a very progressive governor. To the people of Bayelsa State, I must tell you I’m very, very happy and proud to be here and to feel at home.”
He stated that Governor Diri has demonstrated the power of very purposeful leadership, adding that “I’m here standing before you promising that the challenges that we face, the memory of those who led this country, face the battle, the challenges of security.
Speaking on security, especially recent killing of Nigerian soldiers, Tinubu assured that his government “will work hard, we will continue to equip and train our men and women of the armed forces, we will defeat terrorism and banditry, regardless of their shenanigans”
He stressed that his administration believes that the people deserve to see governance translated into roads, bridges, power, jobs and real opportunities that affect human beings saying “that signals the development of our country.”
“We’re all working hard and the project that I commissioned today demonstrates and testifies to an immutable truth. Development advances further, faster when the federal government and the state government work in partnership and towards a shared purpose.
Responding to Diri’s request for refunds, the President said ” I hear you, Douye. Federal road. Okay, I will take it with me when I’m going.
“You build it for your people. When we met in my office, you were asking for waiver for that and everything. Now you want reimbursement. It’s now federal road. I will take it with me.
“The independent power plant is a blessing and good thinking and I thank you for embarking on it. There can be no industrialisation and skill development and empowerment without power. That is a vision.”
He promised to encourage the Governor to do more. “I will support you to do more. But if it’s my road to take with me, that’s okay.
“I won’t put a Federal Road in Lagos. So you and I will have to debate that. All the projects remind us that we must do them, we must create job opportunities.
“In the project, in construction, you have water suppliers, you have welders, you have concrete mixers and all of that. It’s job creation. And I’ll do everything to support that.
“I’ll go along with you. The spirit of partnership, as you mentioned, is there and will continue to be there. And there’s no other way I could feel it.
Earlier in his remarks, Diri appealed to the President to approve a refund of the money the state government spent on federal roads in the state.
He revealed that his administration’s seven cardinal policies, under the “Assured Prosperity program, aims at strengthening rural and urban development.
He disclosed that his government is also prioritising accessibility, inclusion, focusing on projects like the outer ring road, covering the Elebele to Igbogene and the Glory Drive Phase2, as well as the intra-city connectivity.
Others include the iconic nine story civil servant secretariat and the 30,000 seater international stadium
The Yenagoa -Oporoma – Ukubie Road, one of the projects inaugurated by President Tinubu, had for several years been a source of nightmare for the people of Southern Ijaw.
Diri described it as ” a story of connection long denied, but finally pursued.”
According to him, the construction of the road has righted the injustice for the people of Southern Ijaw.
Before the road was constructed, like most areas in the area covered by water, it was only accessible by water
He noted that the newly inaugurated projects will further help in strengthening the economic development of the state.
Leave a Reply