Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has inaugurated key projects ahead of the official marking of his one year in office on Sunday, February 14.
Diri performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bayelsa Media Complex along Azikoro Road, Yenagoa, on Thursday in fulfillment of his promise to ensure a better working environment for state-owned media outfits.
The Bayelsa Media Complex would house the Bayelsa Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Bayelsa 97.1 FM), Bayelsa Newspaper Corporation (publisher of New Waves Newspaper) and Niger Delta Television.
Governor Diri also performed the groundbreaking for the Elebele Bridge that connects the capital, Yenagoa, with Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area on the Yenagoa/Nembe Road.
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The bridge which collapsed in 2019 was not given any attention despite claims to the contrary by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), forcing travellers to seek alternative routes from Yenagoa to Nembe.
Another key project that the governor inaugurated on Thursday was the second phase of the Gloryland Drive from Igbogene to Tombia Road as well as the section of the 22-km Outer Ring Road from Igbogene to Opolo/Elebele Road.
The second phase of the Gloryland Drive had been in litigation for over eight years, but Governor Diri was able to resolve the pertinent issues and award the contract that is expected to reduce pressure on the Yenagoa/Mbiama Road.
The completion of the section of the Outer Ring Road would ensure that travellers to Ogbia, Nembe and Brass Local Government Areas as well as some parts of Yenagoa could bypass the main Yenagoa/Mbiama Road.
Governor Diri had already signalled resumption of work on the Yenagoa/Oporoma Road and the Sagbama/Ekeremor Road, expressing hope that both local government headquarters could be accessed by road before the end of his four-year tenure.
Once Oporoma and Ekeremor are accessed by road, only Brass would remain inaccessible among the eight local government areas in the state.
