By Samuel Oyadongha

Following the free fall of crude oil price in the global market and its impact on the nation economy, the candidate of the All Progressive Party APC in the Saturday governorship election in Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva has said his administration would diversify the state economy and create wealth with a view to cushioning the sharp dropping in the state allocation.

He also assured that the issue of security and well being of the people would be accorded the deserved attention.

Sylva at a recent forum in Yenagoa where he spoke on his plans for the state if elected declared that the diversification of the state economy would make funds available for the desired development.

The former governor said, “I believe that it is important for us to diversify this economy so that we will have the ability to be able to actually develop Bayelsa, because if you do not diversify the economy, you cannot even have the funds to develop Bayelsa.

“So one thing we must first do is to develop and diversify the economy. But of course, that cannot be achieved without security. So we are also going to really develop the security infrastructure in the state.”

Sylva, who introduced the “Triple E” policy of engagement, empowerment and enforcement to rein in the youths during the time of militancy when he was governor lamented the security situation in the state.

He said, “the present state of insecurity I dare say, cannot be equalled with any time in Bayelsa State. When I came in there was militancy and we dealt with that problem in a very credible way and today, there’s no militancy but the problem is even worse than ever before.