Non indigenes Endorse Gov. Diri For 2nd Tenure . . . As Igbo Promise Spectacular Igbo Day
4 min read
by Our CorrespondentThe chances of Senator Douye Diri getting re-elected as Governor of Bayelsa State come November 11, 2023 governorship polls in the State appears to be getting brighter day by day if the gale of endorsements from several individuals and groups is anything to go by.
Adding to the number of numerous groups pledging support for the Governor’s re-election bid is the community of non Indigenes resident in the state.
Their endorsement for the Governor’s 2nd Tenure aspiration was expressed during activities that marked the first Non indigenes Cultural Festival in Bayelsa State.
The novel event which was initiated and organized through the office of the Special Adviser To The Governor on Non indigenes Affairs under the able leadership of Mazi Onuma Johnson saw the four major blocks of Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and South South peoples come out in their numbers to display their respective cultures through dance, fashion and food exhibitions.
The event which took place at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre Ovom, Yenagoa, was àttended by a cross section of persons ranging from government officials, business men and women, students among others.
Governor Douye Diri was the special Guest of honour. He was however represented by the Special Adviser Political Affairs, Chief Collins Cocodia.
Highlights of the event included dance displays by the various blocks of the non indigenes community and presentation of prepared foods indigenous to the said groups to the admiration of the governor’s representative.
In the cultural dance display, the Yoruba community which was adjudged to have performed exceedingly well was rewarded with a sum of #200,000.00 (two hundred thousand Naira only) by the governor’s rep.
Speaking shortly after the event, Chief Collins Cocodia, on behalf of Governor Diri congratulated the non indigene community for the festival whose major objectives he noted was to foster unity among non indigenes with the view to encouraging peaceful and cordial relationship between and among themselves on one hand and with their hosts on the other.
He encouraged them to keep the ensuing momentum high and wished that the festival will become an annual event that will enrich further the socio cultural and tourism potential of the State.
He recalled the amiable relationship between the Prosperity administration and the non indigenes community noting how it has been expressed in the appointment of over 40 of the community’s members into various positions of authority in the State.
He promised that winner of next year’s dance category of the festival will take home a bigger sum as prize money.
In his remark, the SA to Governor Diri on Non Indigenes Matters, Mazi Onuma Johnson stated that at no time in the history of Bayelsa State have non indigenes fared better than in the administration of the Miracle Governor.Peace and security which is the hallmark for the development of any given society, he emphasized, have been brought to stay in the state by the governor.
He remarked that since non indigenes who have taken Bayelsa as their home and have continued to go about their respective businesses within the confines of the law have not had cause to regret their stay in the state, they have resolved to cast their lot for the governor’s second tenure bid by voting enmasse for the PDP in the coming November 11, 2023 governorship polls in the State.
He assured the Governor that the non indigenes leadership in the State shall do all within it’s powers to ensure that Gov. Douye Diri’s victory at the said poll comes to pass so that the prevailing peace, law and order necessary for the progress and development of the people and the state is sustained for the next 4 years and beyond.
Meanwhile, speaking after the end of the Non indigenes Cultural Festival at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Ovom Yenagoa, a top leader of the Igbo community in the State, High Chief Chris Ogonna Alatu aka shegbelegbe has promised guests, friends and lovers of culture in the State a spectacular event to mark the Igbo Day celebration in Bayelsa State slated for Friday, 29th September,2023.
The Igbo Day celebration which is an annual event that is held simultaneously all over the world he remarked , is an occasion meant to rekindle the Igboness: that is, promote and highlight the socio cultural and economic values of the Igbo people in every aspect of human endeavour.
This year’s edition in Bayelsa to be held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre according to High Chief Ogonna Alatu, promises to be one that guests will not forget in a hurry as efforts have been made to ensure that all those “who attend would be well catered for and truly entertained.”
