In this post, Platinumtimes.ng chronicles the biography, education, career and achievements of Gov. Douye Diri.
Sen. Douye Diri is a Nigerian Politician who presently servess as the Governor of Bayelsa State. He was former senator who represented Bayelsa Central Senatorial Constituency between 2019 to 2020 in the 9th National Assembly.
Profile summary
Name: Douye Diri
Born: 4th June, 1959
State of Origin: Bayelsa, Nigeria
Education: University of Port Harcourt
Political party: Peoples Democratic Party
Spouse: Gloria Diri
Career: Politician
Early life
Douye Diri is a indigene Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa state and was born on 4th June, 1959.
Education
He started schooling at Okoro Primary School, Sampou, and concluded it at Rev. Proctor Memorial Primary School, Kaiama, in 1977, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate.
He later attended Government Secondary School, Odi, in Bayelsa and the College of Education, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, where he obtained a National Certificate in Education (NCE) in 1985.
He bagged a Bachelors of Education (B.Ed.) degree in political science in 1990 from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Family
Douye Diri is a Christian and has two wives, the state’s first lady, Mrs Gloria Ebibomo Diri, and his second wife, Barr. Patience Mrs. Ama Zuofa Douye.
Career
Douye worked as a classroom instructor in various government schools in Rivers State before joining politics.
He was appointed executive secretary of the Centre for Youth Development during Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha administration and Commissioner for Youth and Sports in Bayelsa State during President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
From 2000 to 2012, Diri served on the University of Maiduguri’s governing council.
He was also the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Disciplinary Council in Bayelsa State in 2012.
In August, 2012, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, at Government House followed by a promotion to the post of the Principal Executive Secretary, a position until 2014 when he resigned to contest for the House of Representatives seat representing Kolokuma, Opokuma, and Yenagoa Federal Constituency.
He was elected in 2015 and he represented Bayelsa Central senatorial district of Bayelsa state in Nigeria’s 9th National Assembly.
In 2019, he was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2019 Bayelsa gubernatorial election. He won in the polls and was sworn in as governor of Bayelsa State on February 14th, 2020.
On 17 August 2020, a tribunal at Abuja, ordered the dismissal of Douye the state governor. However, this verdict was overruled by the court of appeal sitting in Abuja on 2nd October, 2020 and he retained his position as Governor of the state.
Controversy
In August 2021, it was reported that Diri and his aides had forced their way through security checkpoints at Murtala Muhammed International Airport while trying to board the inaugural United Nigeria Airlines Lagos-to-Yenagoa flight.
Net Worth
Douye Diri’s net worth is estimated to be over $10 million owing to his Political career and businesses.