Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, says his second-term administration will focus more on human capacity building to provide quality leaders for both public and private organizations within and outside the state.
Governor Diri disclosed this while declaring open a 3-Day Leadership and Entrepreneurship Skills Development Summit at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, on Monday.
The Summit with the theme: “Building the Bayelsa Youth for Leadership”, is put together by the state government in collaboration with the Prosperity Youth Coalition and the Gotni Leadership Centre.
Speaking at the event, the Governor who was represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said concerted and deliberate efforts would be made to create a critical mass of responsible and competent youths who can fit into leadership roles anywhere in the world.
Emphasizing the importance of the human capital as a factor of production, the Bayelsa Chief Executive pointed out that the greatness of a society is better measured by the number of resourceful, quality and knowledgeable people that make up the society.
While drawing parallels between Singapore, Ghana, Rwanda and Nigeria, he noted that ‘only proactive and effective leadership can salvage the country from its backwardness and current socio-economic challenges.”
Governor Diri assured that though his administration was poised to sustain its drive for infrastructural development, appreciable efforts would be made to build the human beings to man the critical infrastructures being built by government.
His words: “The Government of Senator Douye Diri (in this second term) will give priority to human capital development because in vain do we build the hospitals, the roads, bridges, the recreational centres, ICT, if we don’t have the right human capital.
‘What makes a society to be called developed society is not the number of private jets parked at the airports, but the number of quality people with knowledge that have invested in that society.
“That is why while Nigeria has the highest number of private jets, Ghana has few private jets. Rwanda even has fewer private jets but they are better countries than Nigeria today.
“The difference is knowledged-based leadership where leaders serve effectively. And so, we are ready to make concerted and deliberate efforts to build the critical mass of youths from Bayelsa.
“In this second tenure, we want to retwerk the mentality of our people and turn this our generation 360 degree from the mentality of entitlement to that of service.”
He charged the trainees to take the programme which centres on effective leadership, entrepreneurial skills and resource mobilization seriously, adding that the best 24 of them would be sent elsewhere for further training.
In her remarks, the Bayelsa First Lady, Dr Gloria Diri, announced her plans to give priority attention to developing the youths, particularly the boy child in the second term of the Prosperity Government.
Dr Diri, who equally charged the summit participants to make good use of the opportunity to improve on themselves, said she would soon roll out what she calls The Boy Child Agenda in the state.
She also used the opportunity to call on youths of the state to participate in a national competition sponsored by the Wife of the President, where youths are expected to produce a unity fabric representing the 36 states of the federation.
According to the Wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, the overall winner of the competition will coast home with a N25million prize.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director General of the Prosperity Youth Coalition (PYC), Comrade Doubara Kumouko, expressed gratitude to the state government for investing in the development of the youths.