Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Sunday said, giving or offering palliatives was not the lasting solution to the economic hardship in the country.
Senator Diri made the remark when he spoke during the Easter Sunday service at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church in his community, Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.
The governor said even though he was not against palliatives, he was more concerned with putting in place the right structures and systems to address the economic challenges.
He said his administration was initiating policies and programmes that would bring about long-term empowerment to people of the state rather than short-term palliatives.
According to him, the government was tackling manpower shortage and the skills challenge by establishing technical colleges in the eight local government areas, embarking on skills acquisition programmes, building roads to connect the hinterlands as well as other infrastructure that would bring socioeconomic empowerment to the people.
Governor Diri also stressed 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, Diri urged the people to learn from the lessons of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot and that of the doubting Thomas Didymus in the scripture.
He advised that Christians should imbibe the virtues of trust, honesty and faithfulness in order to have a better society.
In a sermon, the Bishop of Northern Izon Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt Rev. Funkuro Amgbare, said the power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ brought about salvation for Christians.
Bishop Amgbare, who urged the clergy to always uphold the truth and propagate the gospel, decried the moral decadence in the church and stressed the need to reverse the trend.
Governor Diri read the first and only lesson at the service taken from the book of John 20:1-18.
