A former Labour Party governorship candidate in Bayelsa state, Udengs Eradiri, has called on the state governor, Douye Diri and his colleagues to immediately embark on quick-win projects in their various states to alleviate the hardship fueling protest across the country.
Udengs, a former president of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, recommended some quick-win projects for Diri and other governors insisting that individual states must deliberately help President Bola Tinubu to ameliorate the situation.
Udengs, former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment, said with the flood approaching, Diri and governors of flood-prone states should immediately engage the youths to clean drainages.
He said: “With the floods approaching, it’s crucial to clean the drainages in the state capital and key local governments. Group youths into teams of 10 and allocate between N5million to N10million naira for each group to clean the drainages.
“Engage youths in painting streets and walkways in the state and local government headquarters. This initiative will not only beautify our surroundings but also inject money directly into the streets.
“Agriculture is vital, but our first hurdle is land preparation. The government should earmark funds for land preparation as an intervention, empowering the people of Bayelsa across the three senatorial districts”.
Eradiri in a statement said Diri and other governors had more responsibilities to calm the situation than the Federal Government.
He said: “We can start planting cassava, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, yams, peppers, and vegetables. These crops are familiar to our people. What we need is mechanization, monitoring, access to seedlings, pesticides, and funding, which Bayelsa State can provide”.
Speaking specifically to Diri, he said: “Governor Douye Diri should revive Igbogene Fish Farm. This project must move beyond lip service and provide practical solutions to the food crisis in the state.
“Governor Diri should revive the Ebedebiri Cassava Processing Facility. Utilize this facility by setting up logistics and offtake units to source cassava within the state. This will encourage more farming and job creation. Additionally, revive the 45,000-bird capacity poultry farm at Ebedebiri to boost local livestock production.
“Governor Diri should revive the Bayelsa Palm. Palm oil is a significant business in Nigeria. By bottling and packaging palm oil, we can make it affordable and generate revenue while creating jobs. This facility can partner with local producers, encouraging more production and supply to Bayelsa Palm”.
Eradiri said the governors should engage youth groups comprising young men and women to participate in the quick-win projects.
He said: “Start with a budget of one billion naira, which is a small investment compared to the scale of our problems. Scale up based on the initial outcomes, but ensure the government is committed to these solutions and avoids politicization.
“Ensure that the companies awarded contracts employ Bayelsans, including indigenous contractors and women, for supply tasks.
“The governors should please organise town hall meetings to gather more information and input from their subjects.”