DIPLOMAN TIMES

Governor Douye Diri, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Peter Akpe, addressed the inauguration of the 10th National Executive Council of the Ijaw Youth Council in Yenagoa, where he charged the newly elected leadership under Dr. Doubra Okotete to provide responsible and unifying leadership for the Ijaw nation. The Governor encouraged the council to emulate the patriotic ideals of Major Isaac Adaka Boro by promoting peaceful, principled, and constructive advocacy. He also identified environmental justice as a strategic priority, urging the organisation to utilise the recommendations of the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission while maintaining dialogue and mutual respect in engagements with government, industry, and traditional institutions.

The Bayelsa State Government officially dismissed public reports and social media claims alleging a proposed relocation of the College of Health Sciences of the Niger Delta University (NDU) from Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. In an executive statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, the government confirmed that Governor Douye Diri had neither approved any committee recommendation nor considered relocating the college. The administration further clarified that the admission capacities of both Niger Delta University and the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) remain insufficient to satisfy regional demand for medical education. Consequently, relocating an existing institution would undermine rather than strengthen the state's healthcare education objectives and training capacity.