Praise, criticism trail New Yenagoa City project

yenagoa city proj

The ambitious New Yenagoa City Project, a multi-billion-naira plan pitched as Bayelsa’s ticket to a modern, planned capital, is in between a mix of optimism of officials and the skepticism of political foes, with ordinary Bayelsa residents caught in the middle, writes SAMUEL ESE

Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, has long been regarded as the capital of the Ijaw nation. That identity began to crystallise in 1999 when the late Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha declared Bayelsa the “Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation.” Successive governors held on to that symbolism until Seriake Dickson went further to proclaim Yenagoa as the capital of the Ijaw nation. Yet, after eight years in office, Dickson himself dismissed Yenagoa as a “forest capital,” citing the sprawling slums that blighted its image – an observation that has been echoed by professionals and civic groups.

Determined to give the city a facelift, successive administrations have toyed with the idea of a new capital district. Dickson, like his predecessor and former President Goodluck Jonathan, muted the concept of a “New Yenagoa City,” and went ahead to designate a virgin stretch of land across the Epie Creek for the ambitious project. Designs were commissioned, and the plan was sold as Bayelsa’s ticket to a modern, planned city.

The New Yenagoa City Project is pitched as a state-backed development designed to provide a well-laid-out capital hub, combining administrative blocks, residential quarters and a modern road network. The project has continued under the Duoye Diri administration, awarding huge road and housing projects in Yenagoa city. Diri has been on the saddle since February 14, 2020. Engineering works have since included land reclamation to raise the area above flood levels, the construction of dual carriageways, and the building of housing quarters for lawmakers and commissioners. A naval facility, the NNS Soroh project, has also been allocated land along the River Nun, which marks the city’s western boundary.

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