Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has said that he accepted The Sun Governor of the Year award, against his policy of not receiving awards, because the newspaper has a track record of integrity.
Declaring that he was happy to be considered for honour unsolicited, he promised that the award would propel him to do more for the people of Bayelsa State.
Gov Diri and 25 others will be hon- oured at The Sun Awards ceremony on January 28, 2023 at the Expo Conven- tion Centre, Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The governor, while speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, when the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Publishing Limited, Onuoha Ukeh, led a delegation to present to him a letter nominating him as the Governor of the Year 2022, said for The Sun to dig out most of his achievements in office in three years showed how meticulous the process of selecting the award winners is.
He charged The Sun to maintain the standard of integrity built over the years, in relation to its awards regime, which he said has stood it apart from others.
The governor said: “When I was informed about the award, my first inclination was that public officials should not be so recognised. I believed that we should wait until after our service before be could be recognised based on what we have done.
“However, with the realusation that The Sun has over the years carved a niche for itself and the whole country recognises that it is genuine, I could help but accept the award.
“I have seen that The Sun goes through some parameters before zeroing in on anybody that is recognised. I have been schooled about The Sun, and I agree and accept that yours is different.”
On some of the programmes undertaken by his administration in its three years in office, Diri said the welfare of the people earned a pride of place.
He said: “We have a Bill now at the State Assembly on pensions and gratuities. The moment I sign that bill into law, all of this will be taken over by pension fund operators and no worker will be owed his pension or gratuity, I want to put that before any other thing, so that even when I leave as governor, the law will be there, and no governor will default on that law.”
Diri said his administration has shifted emphasis, in school curriculum, from just paper qualification to skills acquisition.
He said: “As a government, we decided to move away from paper qualification to obtaining skills and talents. We decided to establish a technical college in every local government area in the state. We have a technical college in Brass, which we upgraded and we are building others in other local government areas. We want to emphasise science and technical education.
“Beyond infrastructure development, we are focusing on human capacity building of our youths and women.”
Earlier, The Sun MD said Diri emerged as Governor of the Year after a rigorous selection process by the Board of Editors.
He said: “We are aware that your administration embarked on major projects across the eight local government areas of the state and continued the projects initiated by past administrations.
“There is an urban renewal programme to give Yenagoa a face-lift that befits a capital city and to tackle the increasing traffic challenges of a growing metropolis.
“To ensure security of life and property, you reorganised the security architecture of the state by collapsing the two existing security outfits codenamed, Operation Doo-Akpo and the Bayelsa Volunteers into one operation; and empowered them with 50 top range operational vehicles, 40 motorbikes and various security gadgets.
“Within the first two years of your administration, over 50 internal roads in the state capital were rehabilitated. No fewer than 20 new ones were constructed and rehabilitated across the three senatorial zones of the state.
“Other projects executed under your leadership are Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme complex, laboratories and lecture halls at the Bayelsa University of Medicine; Yenagoa–Oproma Road; Bayelsa Media Complex housing the Niger Delta Television, Radio Bayelsa and Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation.”
Ukeh said that in the education sector, Diri has left indelible footprints, as “there is a massive rehabilitation and construction of new schools, including tertiary institutions such as Niger Delta University and the State College of Education, School of Nursing and Midwifery. About 12,000 teachers have been trained in computer and Information Technology.”
Apart from Diri, others who will also receive awards are, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Mallam Mele Kyari, Group Chief OperatingOfficer, Nigerian National PetroleumCompanyLimited (Man of the Year); Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, governor of Abia State and Governor Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa (Governor of the Year); Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State (Courage in Leadership); Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State (Political Icon) and Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu (First Lady of the Year).
Other award winners are, General Overseer, Omega Power Ministries, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, Chief James Chijioke Ume, Chairman, Unubiko Foundation (Humanitarian Icon); Mr. Festus Mbisiogu, Chairman, Shanghai Engineering Works Limited, Lady Ada Chukwudozie of Dozzy Group (Industrialist of the Year); Barr Mrs. Ngozi Ekeoma, Managing Director, Nepal Energies Limited, Chief Benjamin Igwe (Entrepreneur of the Year) as well as Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu, Chairman of Stanel Group and Dr. John-Kennedy Opara, Chairman, CSS Ingrated Farms Limited (Investor of the Year).
Also to receive awards are, Chief Kelvin Jumbo Onumah, Chairman of Sublime Group Limited (Hospitality Personality), Mercy Johnson-Okogie (Nollywood Personality); philanthropist and elder statesman, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, ex-Anambra State governor; Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu, ex-Lagos Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, former Jigawa State governor (Lifetime Achievement).
Others are, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, Executive Vice Chairman, National Agency for Science, Engineering Infrastructure; Dr. George Moghalu, MD, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA); Dr. Richard Okoye, Chief Medical Director, Save A Mission Hospital, Port Harcourt (Public Service) and Mr. Olukayode Pitan, MD, Bank of Industry (Banker of the Year).
