Saturday, July 18, 2026

Government won’t do everything for citizens, Diri tells Nigerian youths

He said, “There is nowhere in the world that the government does everything for you. Let us get involved in businesses,” said the Bayelsa governor.

• April 1, 2024

Governor Douye Diri says the government will not provide everything for Nigerians.

Mr Diri said this during the Easter Sunday service at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in his community, Sampou, Kolokuma-Opokuma LGA.

The governor said although he was not against palliatives, he was more concerned with establishing the right structures and systems to address the economic challenges. 

He said his administration was initiating policies and programmes that would give the state’s people long-term empowerment rather than short-term palliatives.

According to him, the government was tackling the manpower shortage and the skills challenge by establishing technical colleges in the eight LGAs, embarking on skills acquisition programmes, building roads to connect the hinterlands, and investing in other infrastructure that would empower the people socio-economically.

The governor also explained that the government alone cannot provide for everyone and called on the people to get involved in businesses and other meaningful ventures toward adding value to their lives and the state.

He said, “There is nowhere in the world that the government does everything for you. Let us get involved in businesses. Take advantage of our skills acquisition programmes, and that way, you will add value to yourselves and Bayelsa state. That way, youths will become productive.”

On the significance of the Easter celebration, Mr Diri urged the people to learn from the lessons of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus and that of the doubting Thomas Didymus in the scriptures.

He advised that Christians should imbibe the virtues of trust, honesty and faithfulness to have a better society.

(NAN)

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