‘Douye Diri, He Weigh? He Weigh!’

Emmanuel Okara

The title for this piece is a typical campaign trail parlance during election seasons in Bayelsa State written in pidgin English. It’s simply asking if Gov. Douye Diri is worth a second term in office… And the obvious answer is Yes!

Rendered in the King’s English, the caption is asking if Duoye Diri is worth his salt…. This question is usually asked by different individuals at regular intervals at political rallies or on the campaign trail, and the crowd, responding will chorus in the affirmative, “E Weigh!!!’’

But has Diri done enough to merit a second term in office, you may ask. His deeds these past three years plus at the helm in Bayelsa State have portrayed him as a tried, tested and trusted administrator which the majority of Bayelsans would attest to.

Even though Gov. Douye Diri is the odds-on favourite to win the upcoming Nov. 11, 2023, Gubernatorial Elections in Bayelsa State; he is not in any way taking things for granted.

But as incredible as it may sound, it will interest you to know that, Diri had passively and unwittingly started campaigning for a second term in office through his people-oriented policies which has brightened his chances at the polls, come Nov. 11.

Already campaigning? You may ask. Yes, it is only a politically naive individual who would want to leave campaigning to the very last minute or rather the period of the campaign allowed by the electoral umpire.

Knowing full well that a sterling performance in office would put him in good stead for a second term in office, he set about his objective intelligently by ticking all the right boxes from the get-go in a manner that resonated with the good people of Bayelsa State.Against the backdrop, of his fortuitous emergence as a governor, Diri, who was initially elected as a senator to represent Bayelsa Central Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly, has since turned out to be the right man at the right place and at the right time. Being a consummate politician with a strong sense of NATIVE INTELLIGENCE, the Bayelsa helmsman has set about revamping the socio-economic fabric of the coastal state through wide-ranging populist programmes to the benefit of the citizens of Bayelsa State.

We must at this juncture stress that everything Diri has done in the office, since the advent of his administration in February 2020 did not come by happenstance rather, it came about through the well-thought-out policies of a visionary administrator.

Infrastructure-wise, Diri has not only built quality roads and bridges across the length and breadth of the riverine state, but he has also opened hitherto inaccessible areas of Bayelsa much to the delight of the communities that benefitted from the developmental projects.

During his three years plus as governor, the Diri administration has been able to impact the different strata of Bayelsa where the citizenry has been meaningfully engaged in one entrepreneurial pursuit or the other.

Gov. Diri has not only campaigned in poetry, as the saying goes he has also governed in prose, and by so doing becoming conversant with the nitty-gritty of leading a complex state like Bayelsa.

Through his sociable mannerisms and charisma, Diri has attracted previously implacable foes to his fold to join him in his onerous task of turning things around for the better in Bayelsa State. In terms of insecurity and the like, the Diri administration has reduced crime to the barest minimum in collaboration with the security agencies and Bayelsa is now a safe haven for the organised private sector to thrive.

So, on Sept. 30, when the campaigns officially began for the Nov. 11 Gubernatorial Elections, Diri kicked off his campaign in the Brass Council Area of the state; the home turf of his main opponent Chief Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is a move that can best be described as a masterstroke (emphasis mine) because of the numerous developmental projects he had been able to execute there…Most significantly the Nembe Unity Bridge which means a lot to the people.

Diri, while addressing the Okpoama Council of Chiefs, said that the construction of the Nembe-Brass road by his administration was beyond any political consideration, but about the economic benefits to the state and country.

He added that the decision to embark on the project, which is a federal road in the Bayelsa East Senatorial District, was borne out of his strong desire to create access to the Atlantic Ocean to harness its abundant natural resources.

“When I became Governor, I wrote to the Federal Government and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company on the need to collaborate with the state government to construct the three critical senatorial roads.

“These are not projects that only the Bayelsa government can handle because the cost runs into hundreds of billions of naira.

“But when I saw that nothing was coming forth, and knowing that my tenure was time-bound, I became very ambitious and had to take the bull by the horns to undertake these projects, which also included the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Ukubie and the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge roads.“The Nembe-Brass Road is not a political project. It is the major project I have brought to the people of Okpoama and the Bayelsa East Senatorial District.

“I am here to ask you for a second term. I do not want to leave projects abandoned. This is about the destiny and the development of our people.

“You currently have a governor who is already doing what you want. As I speak, work is ongoing on the Nembe-Brass road,” Diri said.

In his response, Chief Paul Omubo Suobagha, Chairman of the Okpoama Council of Chiefs, who represented King Ebitimi Banigo, underscored the importance of the Nembe-Brass road, saying that they look forward to driving to their hometown in the not-too-distant future.

We can go on and on about how Diri has made his mark on the socio-political landscape of the coastal state, even though his opponents might think otherwise.

Diri’s opponents can be likened to spectators watching a game of draught seeing all the game-winning moves from the outside looking in, but when given the opportunity to be on the driving seat they suddenly run out of the fanciful ideas they had previously bandied. To paraphrase the famous saying of Mario Cuomo (a former Governor of New York State now deceased) the Bayelsa helmsman is the quintessence of one who has campaigned in poetry and governed in prose with aplomb and eminently poised for a second term in office.

This piece is not saying that Diri has turned Bayelsa into an El Dorado of sorts, but he is obviously taking Bayelsa state to a better place like never before and the people are equally appreciative of his meritorious services.

With D-Day fast approaching and barring all unforeseen circumstances, the onus is on all Bayelsans of goodwill to come out en masse to exercise their franchise come Nov. 11, to foster a continuation of the “Prosperity Administration” in Bayelsa State.

Douye Diri, He weigh? He weigh o!!!! Egberi fador!’