Bayelsa is not supposed to be on list of poor States – Peter Obi speaks on under development in Niger-Delta

Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate for the 2023 election, has stated that Nigeria has failed the Niger-Delta region and Bayelsa State with the level of underdevelopment and poverty 67 years after oil was discovered in the region.

Peter Obi made the remark at a town hall meeting of Labour Party stakeholders in Yenagoa on Tuesday to handover the flag to the party’s gubernatorial candidate.

He claims that the area where oil was discovered is still underdeveloped and smells of poverty, and that Bayelsa is not intended to be on the list of poor states given what God has given them.

Obi said,

“In a state where oil was first discovered, and after 67 years, you still can’t drive on good roads. After Sokoto, known as the poorest state with a 90.5 percent poverty rate, Bayelsa is at 88.5 percent. Bayelsa is not supposed to be on the list of poor states, considering what God endowed them with. It is the product of bad leadership, and that is what we are trying to change.”

“We want a new Bayelsa where those who come to serve know it’s service to the people. And also use the people’s money for public good. That is the only way to pull the people out of poverty. We can’t achieve that with people stealing and mismanaging funds.

“The future belongs to the youths and you must support someone who believes in you. We need to move from consumption to production. It is through production that jobs will be provided. Small businesses will be supported, which is the future of the world and Bayelsa.

“Carry our message everywhere; we want people who will create wealth and not those who will keep sharing and sharing everything.

“Go and verify what our candidate has said. One of the things we lack in our country today as a people is that we choose not to verify the things we were told during campaigns. That is what we need to do, and by doing that, we will know what the future holds.”

According to the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, the manifesto, dubbed “PEAP Agenda,” is what will fix the state’s problems.

He went on to say that the people are the most important part of any governing system.

“We don’t need foreigners to solve our problems; we can solve our own problems if we look inward,” he remarked.

When elected, he promised to prioritize strengthening the capacity of the people of the state.

Udengs stated that portable water will be acquired directly from the river source, treated, and reticulated to homes around the state. He also stated that medical tourism will be discouraged, and that scholarships will be granted for medical students who return to train others in the state to provide better healthcare.

Barr. Julius Abure, the party’s National Chairman, urged to Bayelsans in his brief to support a guy who understands and cares about their difficulties.

He asked them to turn out in large numbers during the election and vote out reckless governments who are just interested in stealing the common good.