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By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic party, PDP, in the 2019 Bayelsa State Guber election, Architect Reuben Okoya has stressed the need for unity of the state to foster development.
Okoya made the call Friday in Yenagoa, the state capital, during an interactive session with the leadership and members of the Nigerian union of Journalist, NUJ, Bayelsa State Council.
The former commissioner for special projects and one time administrator of the Federal Capital development Authority maintained that it is only in an atmosphere of peace and unity that development could thrive, noting that the unity of the state would be paramount if he emerges winner in the PDP primaries and eventually wins the governorship polls scheduled to take place November 16th.
Architect Okoya mentioned that the state can no longer depend on the monthly federal allocation for its survival, saying the over dependence on the federal allocation has impeded infrastructural development in the state.
According to the guber hopeful, the many years of his requisite experience as a businessman and two time commissioner alongside his former position as administrator of the federal Capital Territory, FCT would come to bear on governance should he succeeds in the guber race.
His words, “for 8 years I was commissioner for special Projects in Bayelsa State, and for 4 years I was the administrator of FCT, I have the experience, knowledge and what it takes to develop the state”.
While reiterating his commitment and desire to revamp the state`s economy, the aspirant acknowledge Bayelsans for giving him the opportunity to serve them in different capacities, first as commissioner between 1999 – 2007. He emphasized that he has track record of service delivery.
Also speaking, the Director–General of the Reuben Okoya Campaign Organisation, ROK, Hon. Donald Daunemigha, said after carefully looking at the pedigree and resume of all the PDP guber aspirants, he chose to pitch tents in the Okoya`s camp, stressing that it is only a passionate and un-ambitious aspirant like Okoya that can work toward the development of the state when he becomes governor.
Daunemigha called on Bayelsans to take cursory look at anyone who came campaigning as guber aspirant just as he declared that amongst the aspirants in the race no one has as much cognate experience and zeal as Okoya.
In the main, against the backdrop that Bayelsa is a civil service state, Okoya has promised diversification of the state economy with agriculture, giving preference to aquaculture. He maintained that the terrain of the state gave it a comparative advantage in fishing and other maritime sources of revenue to fund developmental projects.
