Diri New Year Message Of Assured Prosperity

New Year Address to the people of Bayelsa State by His Excellency Senator Douye Diri, Governor of the State.

1. My dear Bayelsans,

2. As I address you on this first morning of 2026, I do so with supplication on my lips and a heart of humble gratitude for the sovereign grace that has sustained us and the mercy that has spared us through every trial and season.

3. Our shared faith was sorely tried in the closing days of 2025, as we prepared to celebrate the Christmas season and year‑end festivities.

4. On the afternoon of Thursday, 11 December we were struck by the devastating news of the passing into eternity of His Excellency Senator Dr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, Deputy Governor of our State. His steadfast support, quiet wisdom and unshakeable strength left an indelible mark on our Government of Assured Prosperity and upon our lives.

5. Even as our flesh may falter and our hearts may ache, let us recall that God is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever. He does not promise immunity from pain, but He promises to walk with us through it — to heal where there are wounds, to lift where we fall.

6. We had envisioned 2025 as our Year of Unexampled Miracles, and for good reason. We made important strides: we broke new grounds on landmark projects including the Nine‑storey State Secretariat Complex and the iconic 30,000‑seat Olympic‑standard Stadium, as well as the Faculty of Environmental Sciences Building and the Convocation Auditorium both at the Niger Delta University. The Angiama Bridge is nearing completion, and we are on the cusp of commissioning our 60‑megawatt Independent Power Project.

7. These endeavours — born of vision and forged in perseverance — will stand as enduring legacies of hope, progress and promise kept. Yet 2025 is not a year I shall look back upon with unbridled joy.

8. In faithful execution of the 2026 Budget of Assured Prosperity 2 — now law — we shall press ahead with our strategic infrastructure roll‑out and the expansion of essential education and health facilities across all eight Local Government Areas.

9. This includes, but is not limited to, Nembe–Brass Phase 1; the first phase of the Ekeremor–Agge road (terminating at Toru‑Ndoro with a spur to Peretorugbene); the Akaba–Ogu–Okodi, Oporoma–Ondewari, Angiama–Eniwari–Fonibiri, Toru‑Ebeni–Akeddei–Bolu‑Orua–Toru‑Orua, and Agbere‑Abuetor‑Osekwenike‑Asamabiri‑Elemebiri roads — each a vital artery for progress, connectivity and dignity in Bayelsa.

10. As we step into 2026, we once again lay Bayelsa State — its governance, its peace, its great works — at the feet of the Almighty. This is no empty tradition, but a solemn, heartfelt surrender: we acknowledge that every road built, every budget passed, and triumph won, rests not on our strength, but on His sovereign grace.

11. In that spirit, let us hold fast to the promise of 2 Thessalonians 3:3 as rendered in the King James Version (KJV): “But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” That is our State Covenant Verse for 2026. God’s power shines brightest in our weakness; His love is most radiant when our light seems dimmest.

12. In closing, I urge us to continue to give thanks — not only when it is easy, but in all things. As we enter 2026 — bruised but not broken, grieving yet standing — let us give thanks, remembering who holds the world and who holds us.

13. May God bless Bayelsa, and may His peace — that peace which surpasses all understanding — guard our hearts and minds. I wish all Bayelsans a prosperous 2026.

~ Hot News Reporters
1st January, 2026