Chief Timipre Marlin Sylva is fast becoming a celebrants of “unseen” and “unverifiable” achievements in his chase of the conveted seat of creek haven of Bayelsa State Government House.
In the last few weeks, Sylva’s supporters and Sylva himself, are struggling to convince the few Bayelsans still struggling to listen to the sounds of their voices about his achievements.
But they both agreed, from observation, that his so-called achievements during his el-dorado journey as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, cannot be celebrated.
Instead, while the deluded supporters brandished fading achievements made years ago as Governor of the state. Sylva himself talks about empowerment programme for ghost Bayelsans in countries of Europe and Asia.
According to Sylva, “I trained hundreds of Bayelsans in India for ICT, doctors in Russia, shipmen in Norway and fashion designers in European Nation, not skill acquisition in Yenagoa, where trainees are given one sewing machine”
Sounding unconvincing in their claims, the Sylva loyalists are basking in the “derailing, croaky,noise-making” voice of a PDP deviant Governor from Rivers State. Instead of highlighting the achievements of their master,Timipre Sylva, they busy applauding the anti-Bayelsa posture of the Rivers State deviant.
But again, like the claims of unverifiable performances indices claimed while in office as minister, he again failed to provide verifiable evidence of beneficiaries of his ghost empowerment schemes.
While Sylva’s claims, and the claimants, are seeking authentication, the Flag bearer of the PDP in Bayelsa and incumbent Governor, Senator Douye Diri seems to have added to the cache of Sylva’s loyalists.
A check showed that aside from various empowerment programmes embarked upon by the SDG and the Minister of Gender and Women affairs, the Governor Douye Diri administration has empowered hundreds with verifiable addresses and contribution to human capital index of the state.
Recently, Senator Douye Diri presented a grant of N200 million to 840 beneficiaries under the government’s Women and Youth Empowerment Programme for small and medium scale entrepreneurs (SMEs).
The grant was presented to four beneficiaries each from the 105 political wards across the eight local government areas of the state for January and February 2023.
The programme, which had been running for 11 months, had empowered 2,310 women and youths so far, noting that his administration was encouraged by its impact on the beneficiaries.
The governor also directed that an additional N1 million be given to a beneficiary, Nyanayo Inara, who was shot on the leg during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2019 governorship campaign in Nembe.
Sylva and his numerous web masters spinning lies, the forthcoming election means so much to the people and so, will base their support or otherwise on the capacity and antecedents of the two leading candidates on offices held previously.
The people will equally ask them, how well have the candidates supported or otherwise compromised the Peace, security and development of the people?
Given the pedigree possessed by the PDP and the APC, and of course the candidates, the people are already judging the duo of Governor Douye Diri and Chief Timipre Sylva from position of service in the last three years.
While Chief Timipre Sylva’s areas of assessment is becoming a mountain to climb with misgivings being expressed over his decision to vie for the Governorship seat after years of Eldorado at the Federal Level, and the protracted protest against his emergence.
Governor Douye Diri’s performance in office in the last three years is visible to the electorate and the generality of the people of the State.
Like a PDP member put it, the Sylva loyalists only talk of Peace Park executed during his administration as Governor for Five years in the state, “but Governor Douye Diri in the last three years is talking about 42 Kilometers Sagbama Ekeremo Road cutting Across Six Communities from Toru Orua to Ekeremo Main Town and six Bridges linking our Rural Areas”
Gov. Diri has also celebrated many victories in the state due to his commitment to the welfare of his people. He is now being celebrated by the people of the state due to his policy of inclusion, simplicity in Governance and amenable to convincing views from the people of the state.
Diri is spending his third year in office with the state at peace, secured beyond the reach of deviant elements and with the state sitting on many first including sports, education and security.
He is boldly sitting on top of the comity states with Bayelsans becoming respected for intellectualism not cultism or violence. He is being celebrated for the prosperity he has brought to bear on the people and the achievement of the goals he set for himself in 2019 while being sworn-in as the Governor of the state.
Gov. Diri’s return as the executive Governor of the State after the November 11th poll will be recorded in history with the voting acceptance by the people of the state.