1. My Good people of Bayelsa State, I congratulate you today on this occasion of the 17 th anniversary of our dear State. Indeed, on this day, we also celebrate Nigeria's 53rd anniversary as an independent nation.
2. Today as we mark the 17 th anniversary of the creation of our beloved state, we remember the sacrifices and contributions of our founding fathers. And we salute their vision. Our founding fathers envisioned Bayelsa to be a beacon of hope for the Ijaw nation wherever they may reside.
4. This laudable vision will be unattainable without a solid foundation built in the areas of good governance, peace and security, appropriate investment in critical infrastructure, human capital development, education, health and diversification of the state economy. Thus, the Restoration Agenda of our government is predicated on the realization of these core visions of our founding fathers.
5. As the fruits of our Restoration Agenda begin to manifest, we are encouraged by the feedback we receive regarding our modest effort so far. Many of you and indeed visitors also can testify that our administration has produced tangible results that are visible for the good of all.
6. As a government, we are determined and committed in our pursuit to make Bayelsa a model state, where government actually serves the best interest of the people. Our avowed commitment to --2-
run a focused, transparent, accountable and purposeful government that really cares for the broad interest of every Bayelsan remains an abiding social contract. We will never waiver in this direction! That is why we have said times without number that we will not play politics with your development.
7. As we celebrate Bayelsa at 17 today, it is pertinent to restate that your government, our government will keep faith with our commitment to deliver on every promise we have made. Our words will continue to be our bond as a way of sustaining your confidence.
8. On infrastructure, you are all witnesses to the revolutionary turnaround of critical infrastructure in our dear state even as we undertake the construction of more critical infrastructure. This is a work in progress.
9. There is a policy that education is free and compulsory in this state. Our commitment therefore to deliver on quality education with emphasis on computer literacy, science and technology is firm. Not only have you seen huge investment in the construction and rebuilding of schools in virtually all nooks and crannies of the state; we have also invested massively in the training of our teachers to adequately equip them to impart the right skills and knowledge in our children. Accordingly, the Teachers Training Institute, which is the foremost of such institutions in our country is near completion.
10. This government is youth-friendly. We have doubled our investment in building the human capital development. We have given scholarship to 137 PhD scholars in one fell swoop. We have sponsored close to 300 Masters degree scholars attending the best universities in the world. We also have the post-primary -3-
scholarship scheme, of which 250 of our deserving students are in top secondary schools in Nigeria. Our government pays all NECO, WAEC and JAMB fees for all our final year students.
11. A good number of our youths are equally are being sponsored abroad to develop their capacities in specialized fields like Agriculture, Maritime Engineering, Medicine and Aviation. This is strategic because we believe that the youths as the future of our state must be well equipped to serve the state and fully develop themselves.
12. The economy of the 21 st Century is largely knowledge-based and for our youths to be participants therein, their scope, depth and exposure must be broadened beyond traditional boundaries.
13. At this juncture, I will like to commend all our youths across the state, including those of you who have renounced cultism and are currently undergoing biometrics registration at the various local government areas. And to you I say that once you complete your biometrics, at the appropriate time, you will hear from us regarding the next phase. In the meantime, I urge you all to continue to work closely with government as you have been doing and resist attempts by some disgruntled politicians to lure you into trouble, all in the name of politics. Our youths are therefore reminded to take advantage of all the opportunities that this government has thrown open like the re-establishment of BYCAS, School of Tourism, strengthening of the College of Education, establishment of the school of Agric, the Youth Development Centre at Kaiama and the ICT centre of excellence, which is under construction.
14. I am particularly delighted with report reaching me from all our communities about the support being given by our community leaders, women and youths to the various contractors and -4-
government officials carrying out projects in our various communities.
15. I wish to thank all of you ou for joining hands with government and the security agencies to ensure the prevailing peace and security in the state. I urge all of you to protect the various government facilities and projects in your communities as these are indeed your projects.
16. In appreciation of all the support that all the stakeholders have given to my government before, during the elections and up till now, I will embark on a thank you tour in November to enable me have more direct contact with you so as to have further insight into your needs and expectations. The time-table of the tour will be released in due course.
17. To the political class, I want to urge you to take advantage of the open door policy of the present administration so as to avoid the acrimonious political culture of the past, which has thrust our state in the headlines for the wrong reasons. This has given the State a bad name and scared away tourists and investors. It is to avoid this vicious cycle that this government consciously refrained itself from reacting to the provocations and blackmail. Our patience and tolerance should not be construed for weakness. It is an essential building block of the new Bayelsa.
18. Our dear state once again has come back into reckoning. Investors, tourists have started streaming into Bayelsa. This is evident by the various events that the state has hosted which include AMMA, Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, which we won, the standing committee of the Anglican Communion, NAFEST which we also won and the World Tourism Day. In all of these, there was no of breach of peace and security. Consequently, we are -5-
now a tourist and investors destination and one of the safest places to live in and do business. To this end, all are welcome to Bayelsa.
19.Our modest effort of creating a peaceful environment has earned the nomination of the state security outfit, Doo-Akpo an international award by the African Security Watch in South Africa.
20. Similarly, it has led to the visit of high profile visitors to Bayelsa such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Baroness Valerie Amos, the UN Under Secretary General, the First Lady of South Africa and several other high profile dignitaries.
21. In the same vein, I have accepted the invitation of the Honourable Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation to lead the Bayelsa Council for Arts and Culture to China for the World Cultural Day. I will shortly leave for the United States to be inaugurated as a member of the Advisory Board of the prestigious Lincoln University to further build on the linkages of relationships.
22. To cap this emphasis on tourism and investment, we are going to unfold the new Yenagoa City which is 15,000 hectres lying between the Epie Creek and River Nun, beginning from Igbogene to Tombia in the north down to Yeneka. This will be unfolded soon
23. As we celebrate our 17 th anniversary, let us remember to pray for our state and the Restoration Government. Let us pray for peace in Bayelsa State and Nigeria. Let us pray that this state will live up to the dreams of our founding fathers. Above all, let us spare a word of prayer for our dear nation, Nigeria and the president in particular. I will on your behalf continue to galvanize -6-
support for the President, who is proudly Bayelsan.
24. Let me assure you once again, that Bayelsa is in safe hands.
Happy 17 th anniversary, once again, to you all.
God Bless Bayelsa State!
God Bless the Ijaw Nation!!
God Bless The Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
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