Notwithstanding reports suggesting that senator Douye Diri’s centenary day as Governor of Bayelsa State will not be celebrated as supposed, come the 24th day of May 2020, His excellency Senator Douye Diri, the executive Governor of Bayelsa state will mark his 100 days in office as the 5thdemocratically elected governor of the state.

It’s instructive to state from the onset, that the Global outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic; which index case for Nigeria was confirmed by the Nigeria center for disease control (NCDC), on the 28thof February 2020, barely a fortnight after the inauguration of the governor; may have limited a comprehensive and objective analysis of his administrations performance, in its first 100 days in office.

The emergence of Senator Doure Diri as the executive governor of the oil rich state of Bayelsa, according to political pundits and constitutional Lawyers was shrouded in controversy, following the Supreme court judgement which disqualified the candidacy of the earlier declared winner of the gubernatorial election, held in the state on the 22nd of November 2019. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had earlier declared Mr. David Lyon and Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo of the All Progressive Congress (APC), winners of the election having obtained the highest number of lawful votes cast in the election, with the required constitutional spread of 2/3 votes in all Local governments of the state.

The decision came less than 24 hours to the inauguration of Mr. Lyon and his deputy Degi as governor and deputy governor respectively, and preparations were already in top gear for the inauguration, when news began to filter in that, the Apex court has disqualified the candidacy of the declared winners, on the ground that the deputy governor elect, Biobarakuma Degi Eremienyo, having forged the WASSCE Certificate he presented to INEC, as a precondition for eligibility to contest the election; was not qualified to contest in the election as a running mate to the governor.

The Supreme court in its decision of 13th February 2020, on the eligibility of Mr. Degi to contest as a deputy governor in the election; averted itself to the constitutional provision enshrined under  section 187(1)(2) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution as amended, the said section provides for a joint ticket between the governor and its deputy. The learned justices of the supreme court in interpreting the constitution, held that having presented a forged and invalid certificate in gross violation of the provision of section 182(1)(j) of the constitution the APC candidates were not constitutionally qualified to contest the election, the court thereby discountenanced the votes cast for the APC candidates Mr. Lyon and Mr. Degi.

The Apex court went further to make consequential orders, directing INEC to declare the party and candidates with the second highest number of votes in the election and constitutional spread as winners. INEC was mandated to issue a new certificate of return to senator Douye Diri, and senator Lawrence, who were the candidates of the PDP, the party that scored the second highest vote cast in the election. The supreme court also ordered the Chief judge of Bayelsa state, to forthwith swear in senator Diri and senator Lawrence, as the governor and deputy governor of the state the next day.

The judgement of the supreme court was received with aghast feelings by the indigenes of Bayelsa state, and this quickly snowballed into violent protest both in the state capital Yenagoa, and in Abuja, the venue of the supreme court decision, and seat of power of the Nigerian federation. Majority of bayelsans, and APC faithful’s all over the country called for the outright reversal of the judgement, the indigenes tagged the decision as being anti-democratic, and a calculated attempt to sabotage the general wishes and electoral will of the Bayelsa electorates, who in their quest for good governance came out en mass to vote out the then government in the state.

Following the heavy protest and violence which erupted in the state, in the aftermath of the supreme court judgement, dusk to dawn curfew was imposed in the state, to enable security operatives restore law and order, and dispel any public gathering that may threaten the public peace. However, to avert constitutional crisis in the state, the Chief judge of Bayelsa state in full compliance and in giving effect to the supreme court judgement, swore in Senator Douye Diri, and Senator Lawrence, as the governor and deputy governor of Bayelsa respectively, on the 14th of February 2020.

In his inaugural address to the people of Bayelsa state after his swearing in, the new governor extended the olive branch to both the opposition party (APC) members, and aggrieved members of his own party the PDP, calling on all stakeholders in Bayelsa state, to join hands with him in moving the state forward. The governor went ahead to christen his administration a “miraculous government of consolidation for prosperity”, who was brought into power by sheer providence working in Gods purpose. He promised to initiate projects for the infrastructural development of the state, complete all projects initiated by his predecessors, and ensure that the collective wealth of Bayelsa state is distributed equitably to the people under his watch.



An attempt by the disqualified candidates of the APC, to have the supreme court reverse its decision by way of judicial review, was eventually thrown out by the Apex court on the 26th of February 2020, paving way for the new governor to begin implementation of his administration policies for the people of Bayelsa state.

It’s no longer news, that the global outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic, and its transportation to Nigeria, and discovery in late February 2020, forced the entire Nation including Bayelsa state, to proceed into economic and social lock down of activities in the country; because of the need to forestall and minimize rapid spread of the killer virus, which is usually transmitted through contact with droplets of carriers of the infectious disease. As a result of the forced lock down of the country and restrictions on interstate movement, the new governor has been working skeletally; his first point of call was to visit some project sites in the state capital, to get direct report and information on the progress of work done so far. He visited the Tombia-Etegwe roundabout supposed flyover and other indispensable projects, which was started by the previous administration.

Governor Diri promised to include the completion of the flyover in the 2020 budget, as one of the key projects of his administration. According to him, the project when completed, will decongest the area and ease traffic in the city, he also promised that alternative routes will be created, and the roads expanded to enable commuters by pass the roundabout during the construction work. The governor, assured those whose structures will be affected of adequate compensation, adding that his team had already gone through the project design, to ascertain the number of buildings that will be required to give way, for the expansion of the roads leading to the flyover.

The governor, despite the lock down appointed key members of his administration, including the SSG, COS, etc. to help formulate and implement his policy thrust for the state, which according to his chief press secretary Mr. Daniel Alabrah, was expedient for the smooth running of the state during the lockdown. in all these domestic appointments, as rightly observed by some of the critics of the new governor, his administration as constituted so far, seems to have clearly sidelined the opposition party, and warring members of his own party, contrary to the position he canvassed in different fora’s, to carry all stakeholders along, by ensuring that his appointments will be equitably spread across party divide and affiliations. However, the governor chief press secretary has defended his boss, contending that the governor is yet to constitute the state cabinet, insisting that when the cabinet is finally constituted, it will reflect the earlier promises of the governor to carry all critical and relevant stakeholders along, irrespective of party affiliations.

Counting down to the governors first 100 days in office, his administration on the 21st of April 2020, while the state was still on economic and social lockdown, presented an appropriation bill of N242.28 billion for the 2020 fiscal year, to the House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law. Barely 72 hours after the presentation of the bill to the House; the budget proposal was passed into law and christened “Budget of consolidation for prosperity” by the state house of assembly.

Speaking after the passage of the appropriation bill into law, the Speaker of the state house of assembly, Mr. Abraham Ingobere, explained that the budget proposal was accorded accelerated consideration, due to the exigencies of the moment, insisting that the budget fully addressed all the key areas of the state’s infrastructural needs, and laid commendable emphasis on the diversification of the state economy towards Agriculture, and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

A detailed breakdown of the budget as passed, reveals that N51.65 billion was earmarked for personnel cost, N52.33 billion for overhead cost, N91.48 billion for consolidated revenue fund charges; while a paltry sum of N46.74 billion was proposed for capital projects. A further breakdown of the budget shows that the ministries of works and transport has the highest budgetary allocation, with N8.6 billion , followed by the Agricultural sector which got the sum of N8.billion , the Education and health ministries will receive N2.1 billion and N1.75 billion respectively; power/water will get N800 million, housing and urban development N640 million, while the ministry of trade, industry, and investment, will have N430.938 million allocated to the ministry for the 2020 budgetary year.

Reacting to the details of the budget as passed by the Bayelsa state house of assembly, a human right activist and social commentator in the state, Comrade Nabai Alfred, has decried the low budgetary allocation for the provision of power and water in the state metropolis and environs. He noted with consternation the poor state of electricity and water supply in the state, and frowned at the meagre allocation to those sectors of the state economy, that will be beneficial to the teeming masses, who now depend on the popular “water vendors” who adorn the capital city, as the veritable source for portable water.

Also speaking in the same vein, one will wonder why an administration that came into power against all odds, will portion a minimal sum of N800 million for the provision of power and water, which are clearly the basic needs of bayelsans. Then earmarking N51.65 billion and N52.33 billion for overhead and personnel cost, while the state lives in darkness, without electricity to jumpstart the state economy, certainly, this is a misplaced prioritization of the peoples need, in this era of dwindling oil prices and scarce resources. To me fixing the turbine plant for electricity generation and distribution in the state metropolis, should be one of the primary policy thrust of the new governor, if he desires to win the trust and goodwill of the people who have continually questioned the legitimacy of his government. Surely, no sensible investor will want to establish a business in a state with epileptic power supply.

Recently, feelers from the state, has revealed that the whooping allocation of N51.65 billion for personnel cost, may be receiving huge implementation in the state, as the new administration of Senator Douye Diri, has begun the implementation of payment of backlog salary and pension arrears to beneficiaries in the state. Commending the governor for this noble gesture barely 100 days on assumption of office, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TCU) in the state, in a joint address presented by the state NLC chairman , Comrade John Ndiomu, applauded the decision of the governor on prompt payment of worker’s salaries, gradual payment of gratuity and death benefits, as well aa payment of the 33 percent harmonized pension increase of 2014, and the payment of weigh-in arrears to media workers in the state.

In another statement to mark the worker’s day celebration, Comrade Ndiomu and the state chairman of the Nigeria union of pensioners, Renner Hobobo, equally hailed the governor, for prioritizing the welfare of pensioners and retirees in the state; they expressed gratitude to the governor and his deputy for fulfilling their campaign promises to retirees in the state.

As the countdown to the governors 100 days in office reaches its peak this week, some indigenes of the state, have outlined their expectations from the new administration to include, constant power supply, provision of clean water, payment of student’s bursary, development of the Bayelsa palm, which is projected to generate billions of naira for the state, and canalization of Epie creek. According to them these should form the core priorities of the new governor, if he intends to succeed and gain his peoples trust come 1,360 days from now....read more https://statartinsights.com/appraising-senator-douye-diris-100-days-in-office/