Diri urges patience on power project completion ….Osinbajo to commission Bayelsa road project
The Bayelsa State Government has assured residents that its long-awaited independent power initiative remains firmly on track, even as it called for patience over its full operational takeoff.
Governor Douye Diri said the state’s 60-megawatt gas-fired turbine power plant—installed under his administration to deliver 24-hour electricity—has not failed, contrary to speculations in some quarters.
The facility was among major projects commissioned on April 10, 2026, during the visit of President Bola Tinubu. However, the governor explained that the plant is still undergoing critical final adjustments before full activation.
According to a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, Governor Diri made the clarification on Thursday during the weekly Prosperity Walk held at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa.
He appealed to residents to remain calm and patient as engineers complete essential installations.
The governor noted that what remained were “finishing touches” involving protective systems designed to safeguard the turbines and the state’s investment in the energy sector.
“As a government, we want our people to be free from darkness. So, whatever you are seeing are the final finishing touches after the commissioning,” he said.
He further explained that safety devices must be fully installed before the turbines are brought into operation, stressing that the measures were necessary to ensure long-term functionality and prevent damage.
“Certain protective devices must be placed on the turbines so that when they start operation, they will not be affected,” he added.
Diri maintained that critics who had doubted the project from the outset were now uncomfortable with its progress, insisting that the government remained focused on delivery rather than political distractions.
“From the beginning, they said we will fail. Now we have surprised them and they are not happy,” he said.
The governor also used the occasion to address broader political concerns, cautioning against what he described as unhealthy rivalries among political leaders, particularly those who discourage the growth of their successors.
He argued that such behaviour contradicts the ideals of leadership and mentorship, adding that true political leadership should support progress rather than hinder it.
“A good father prays for his child to succeed more than him. So every political father should pray for his successors to do better than him.
” A father who prays for his son not to do better than him is a bad father,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Governor Diri announced that former Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo is expected to visit Bayelsa State on Monday, April 20, 2026, to inaugurate the Oxbow Lake–Agbura Road project.
He recalled that Osinbajo had earlier performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Angiama–Oporoma Bridge, noting that the former vice president would also inspect the project during his upcoming visit following its commissioning by President Tinubu.
