The Bayelsa State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has offered to support the state government with practical policy solutions aimed at addressing the growing hardship, hunger and unemployment facing residents.
The opposition party also insisted that Bayelsans are poorer and hungrier than they were before the administration of Governor Douye Diri.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Ikaebimo Mark, described the Bayelsa State Government’s response to the party’s recent concerns over rising poverty and hunger as “disappointing, insensitive and disconnected from the realities facing ordinary citizens.”
The opposition party maintained that while infrastructure development is important, it cannot, on its own, address the worsening economic conditions confronting the people.
Reacting to comments credited to the Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy, Mrs. Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, in a national newspaper, the PDP faulted the government’s decision to attribute the state’s economic challenges to the policies of the APC-led Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the party, rather than presenting concrete programmes to improve the welfare of citizens, the state government focused on infrastructure projects while failing to outline clear poverty reduction and job creation initiatives.
The PDP acknowledged the importance of roads, bridges and other public infrastructure but argued that such projects alone cannot put food on the tables of struggling families or lift residents out of poverty.
It further contended that despite the huge revenues accruing to Bayelsa State through statutory allocations and the 13 per cent derivation fund, many residents are experiencing greater economic hardship than when Governor Douye Diri assumed office.
The party said the government’s inability to identify clearly defined and impactful wealth creation, employment generation and poverty alleviation programmes amounted to an admission that it had fallen short of the expectations of the people.
It also described it as irresponsible for the state government to continue blaming the Federal Government for hunger and poverty while failing to account for how state resources have been deployed to improve the welfare of citizens.
According to the PDP, every tier of government has a constitutional responsibility to safeguard the well-being of its people and should focus on providing solutions rather than shifting responsibility.
The opposition party questioned why unemployment remains high, why many Bayelsans can no longer afford basic food items, why investment announcements and Memoranda of Understanding have yet to translate into industries and jobs, and why many young people continue to leave the state in search of better opportunities.
The party also alleged that Bayelsa workers remain among the least motivated in the country, while political appointees receive poor remuneration under what it described as the “Madam Must Go Market” salary structure despite the state’s substantial financial resources.
The PDP called on the Diri administration to immediately launch a comprehensive State Economic Recovery, Wealth Creation, Employment Generation and Food Security Initiative with clearly defined targets, timelines and transparent implementation mechanisms.
It recommended increased investment in industrialisation, agriculture and its value chains, entrepreneurship development, skills acquisition, access to finance, sustainable job creation and the payment of bursaries to students in tertiary institutions.
Reaffirming its commitment to constructive opposition, the party said it remains willing to support the government with practical policy ideas capable of addressing the economic challenges confronting the people.
“The true measure of governance is not the number of infrastructure projects executed, foreign trips undertaken or memoranda signed. It is whether citizens can feed their families, secure meaningful employment, build sustainable livelihoods and live with dignity.
“Bayelsans deserve a government that makes prosperity a reality, not merely a slogan,” the statement added.
