The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, has called on the leaders and people of the South-South zone to be united, saying that the zone cannot be defeated by any region if there is unity.
Diri made the call during a day zonal prayer summit organised by the south-south zone of the Christian Association of Nigeria at the Saint Patrick Catholic Church, Ovom, Yenagoa, on Tuesday.
According to him, the south-south was endowed with the potential to be great but that greatness could only be achieved if the leaders and people were united.
He condemned the politics of violence in the zone, emphasising that politics should be seen as a means to develop people and not to kill and disunite them.
Diri rationalised that democracy did not require the use of arms but the building of consensus for development, and urged people of the region to embrace politics of development.
He said, “If we cooperate, it will be difficult for any other region to beat us. It is not all about oil. South-South is rich in agric and other resources. But we need peace for investors to come in.
“South-South is a blessed region. Let us pray that God will give us leaders that will see the potential and develop the region.”
The governor admonished Christians not to avoid politics as even Jesus Christ was concerned about the welfare of the people, which politics is all about.
He thanked the south-south zone of CAN for the prayer summit and urged the church not to relent in praying for the region and the country.
Diri also lauded the national president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, and others for being steadfast in prayers and fasting to ensure that Bayelsa did not go into the wrong hands.
In a welcome address, the CAN south-south zonal chairman, Archbishop Israel Ege, said the essence of the summit was to seek the face of God for development of the region and country at large.
Delivering a sermon, Bishop Wale Oke said the nation was passing through challenges that God alone can solve, stressing that nothing was impossible for God.
