Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has said his administration’s urban renewal programme will transform Yenagoa, the state capital, into a modern city.
Diri stated this against the backdrop of the recent relocation of inter-state commercial transporters to the new state-owned transport terminal at Igbogene.
Speaking on Wednesday during the state executive council meeting in, Yenagoa, the governor said centralised motor parks were features of modern cities, which Yenagoa was gradually turning into.
He warned against touting around the vicinity of the terminal, saying that all travellers were expected to go into the terminal for booking and boarding of vehicles.
Diri also stressed that the relocation would curb crime as passengers coming into the state would now be monitored.
He said: “I visited the new terminal and saw its beauty. This is what every modern society does.
“For those who play politics and are still criticising, I am very sorry for them. Bayelsans are however, happy with what we have done.
“It is only those who do not know what a modern society looks like that make derogatory statements about me and the government.
“For the first time in our state, we are seeing what a city is like. We want to actually turn Yenagoa into a modern city. We want to bring Yenagoa to a better place.
“I am happy that the terminal is bubbling. Nobody should act like agbero (tout) in that place. That park is a model with everything provided.
“For those who want to come into Bayelsa to commit crime, we have stopped them with the movement to the new terminal,” he said.
Commenting on the peaceful and crime-free Yuletide period, the governor commended the security agencies for their collaborative efforts that ensured the state was secured throughout the festive season.
He also noted that there was a boost in tourism and entertainment during the period, and particularly commended dancehall music star, Enetimi Odon (popularly called Timaya) for giving back to the state through his annual Timaya Day concert held on January 1.
Diri observed that the event attracted a huge crowd of mostly youths and that the show had great tourism potential for the state.
“In the whole of these festivities, what I consider as the final lap was the January 1 Timaya Day that had to do with youths of our state.
“Instructively, there was no incident of crime. I was there. The youths were well behaved and they became security by themselves.
“From what I saw, I believe there is hope for this country and for our state. We all need to do what is right,” he said.
Commenting on an ugly incident at Agbere in Sagbama Local Government Area, Diri thanked the leadership of the community for maintaining the peace and for not taking the laws into their hands.
He assured that ongoing investigation would unravel those behind the dastardly murder of a chief in the community.
Meanwhile, mix reactions have greeted the relocation of all the motor parks in Yenagoa, the state capital to a central terminal at Igbogene because of its distance from the city centre