The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the November 2023 election in Bayelsa State, Engr. Udengs Eradiri has urged Governor Douye Diri to take steps to reduce the level of hunger in the state.
He said people are hungry and there was need for an immediate action to provide succor for them, particularly the youths who are more vulnerable to violence, crime and criminality.
Eradiri in a public appeal message, said Governor Diri should implement "Quick Win" projects to infuse money into the streets and economy of the state.
He recommended that quick win projects such as drainage cleaning, stree painting, land clearing for agriculture, crop planting, amongst others, can turn the Bayelsa local economy around and put money in the hands of the people.
He said: "With the floods approaching, it's crucial to clean the drainages in the state capital and key local governments. Group youths into teams of 10 and allocate between 5 million to 10 million naira for each group to clean the drainages.
"Engage youths in painting streets and walkways in the state and local government headquarters. This initiative will not only beautify our surroundings but also inject money directly into the streets.
"Agriculture is vital, but our first hurdle is land preparation. The government should earmark funds for land preparation as an intervention, empowering the people of Bayelsa across the three senatorial districts.
"We can start planting cassava, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, yams, peppers, and vegetables. These crops are familiar to our people. What we need is mechanization, monitoring, access to seedlings, pesticides, and funding, which Bayelsa State can provide."
The former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), also charged the governor to revive the Igbogene Fish Farm, saying the project "must move beyond lip service and provide practical solutions to the food crisis in the state."
On the Ebedebiri cassava processing facility, Eradiri said "utilize this facility by setting up logistics and off-take units to source cassava within the state. This will encourage more farming and job creation. Additionally, revive the 45,000-bird capacity poultry farm at Ebedebiri to boost local livestock production.
"Palm oil is a significant business in Nigeria. By bottling and packaging palm oil, we can make it affordable and generate revenue while creating jobs. This facility can partner with local producers, encouraging more production and supply to Bayelsa Palm," he added.
Eradiri also advised the governor to form groups of young men and women to participate in the Quick Win projects by starting with a budget of one billion naira, adding that the project should not be politicized in order to get the intended outcomes.
He further added that "there is need to support indigenous contractors by ensuring that the companies awarded contracts employ Bayelsans, including indigenous contractors and women, for supply tasks.
"The governor should please organize town hall meetings to gather more information and input from Bayelsans on solving our problems. Nobody cares about Bayelsa in the broader Nigerian context. Only we Bayelsans can solve our issues."
