October 08, (THEWILL) — Bayelsa State Government has acquired two aircraft to commence commercial flight operations from the Bayelsa International Airport, Yenagoa.
Governor Douye Diri disclosed this on Monday when he received the Prime Minister of the State of Africa in Diaspora, Dr. Tin Louise-George, on a courtesy visit to Government House, Yenagoa.
Diri said the aircraft, expected to arrive soon, would ply the Yenagoa–Lagos and Yenagoa–Abuja routes, adding that the move was part of efforts to make the state-owned airport fully operational and commercially viable.
The governor, who described the visit of Dr. Louise-George—on his first official trip to Nigeria—as significant, likened the State of Africa in Diaspora initiative to the global humanitarian organisation, “Doctors Without Borders.”
He said the state was open to partnerships in areas such as airport expansion and the development of a smart city.
Diri said, “I heartily welcome you and your team to Bayelsa. We are happy to note that this is your first visit to Nigeria.
“During my recent trip to London, we had a fruitful virtual meeting facilitated by my Technical Adviser, Prof. Oweikumo Eradiri. My team presented some of our key projects, including the expansion of the Bayelsa International Airport.
“We are now working to ensure regular, daily flights. Our earlier arrangement with a private airline almost collapsed, leaving the airport inactive for some time. To address this, we have procured two aircraft that will soon commence operations between Yenagoa, Lagos, and Abuja.”
He also said the state was developing a new residential and business hub known as New Yenagoa City, which he described as ideal for a proposed smart city project.
Earlier, Dr. Louise-George proposed development support and funding for key infrastructure projects in the state through a cooperation agreement.
He explained that the African Union, in 2003, formally recognised the Africa in Diaspora as the continent’s sixth region, representing over 350 million people of African descent living outside the continent.
According to him, his visit to Bayelsa was to explore opportunities for collaboration in aviation, smart city development, education, and healthcare.
He said, “Our objective is to strengthen Africa through the diaspora and the diaspora through Africa.
“We are ready to support Bayelsa with resources to develop the airport, establish a smart city, and improve education and medical facilities.”
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
