Bayelsa governor credits Abacha with creating a state for the Ijaw

Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri has described the late military ruler Sani Abacha as the person who freed the Ijaw people from oppression by creating Bayelsa State in 1996. Mr Diri made the remarks at a dinner and awards ceremony in Yenagoa marking the state’s 30th anniversary. He said Abacha’s record might be assessed differently by Nigerians, but his decision to establish Bayelsa remained significant to the Ijaw people.

The governor said the new state gave the Ijaw a more homogeneous political unit after communities had been divided among several states and had become minorities in some of them. He asked Abacha’s children, Abba Abacha and Fatima Gumsu Abacha, to convey Bayelsa’s gratitude to their mother. Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who received an award at the event, also thanked Abacha for making Bayelsa one of the six states created during his rule.

Mr Jonathan dedicated his award to Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who appointed him deputy governor of Bayelsa. Mr Jonathan said the state had gained substantially since its creation, although it had not reached its full potential. Mr Diri said Bayelsa had progressed from having severely limited infrastructure, including no tertiary institution and only a single-lane road linking Mbiama and Yenagoa.

He said the state now had more than five universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, as well as an expanding road network, dualised highways and three senatorial roads. The four-day anniversary programme, titled “Celebrating Legacies”, ended with honours for 63 individuals and groups. Award recipients included former administrators, politicians, athletes, musicians, academics, businesspeople and members of the Abacha family.