Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has said offering palliatives is not the solution to the economic hardship in the country.
Diri made the remark during the Easter Sunday service at the St. Peter’s Anglican Church in his community, Sampou, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state.
He added that even though he was not against palliatives, he is 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.
Diri’s spokesman, Mr Daniel Alabrah, in a statement on Sunday, quoted the governor as explaining that his government was tackling manpower shortage and the skills challenge by establishing technical colleges in the eight local government areas of the state, embarking on skills acquisition programmes building roads to connect the hinterlands as well as other infrastructure that would bring socio-economic empowerment to the people.
He also stressed that the government alone could not 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.