Bayelsa shouldn’t be on list of poor States – Peter Obi

• He stated that Nigeria has failed the Niger-Delta region and Bayelsa State with the level of backwardness and poverty 67 years after oil was found in the area

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi, says failings and corruption of successive government have left Bayelsa state stagnated and impoverished.

Obi spoke during a town hall meeting of Labour Party’s stakeholders in Yenagoa on Tuesday to present the flag to the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

He stated that Nigeria has failed the Niger-Delta region and Bayelsa State with the level of underdevelopment and poverty 67 years after oil was found in the area.

He said a place where oil was first discovered is still languishing in underdevelopment and reeks of poverty, adding that Bayelsa is not supposed to be on the list of poor states considering what God endowed them with.

Obi said, “In a state where oil was first discovered, and after 67 years, you still can’t drive on good roads. After Sokoto, known as the poorest state with a 90.5 percent poverty rate, Bayelsa is at 88.5 percent. Bayelsa is not supposed to be on the list of poor states, considering what God endowed them with. It is the product of bad leadership, and that is what we are trying to change.”

“We want a new Bayelsa where those who come to serve know it’s service to the people. And also use the people’s money for public good. That is the only way to pull the people out of poverty. We can’t achieve that with people stealing and mismanaging funds.

“The future belongs to the youths and you must support someone who believes in you. We need to move from consumption to production. It is through production that jobs will be provided. Small businesses will be supported, which is the future of the world and Bayelsa.

“Carry our message everywhere; we want people who will create wealth and not those who will keep sharing and sharing everything.

“Go and verify what our candidate has said. One of the things we lack in our country today as a people is that we choose not to verify the things we were told during campaigns. That is what we need to do, and by doing that, we will know what the future holds.”