By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Government says its reforms in local government administration have repositioned the system for efficient and effective service delivery to the people.

Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, stated this while declaring open a two-day entrepreneurship workshop for retiring local government staff drawn from the eight councils and 32 Rural Development Authorities (RDAs) in the state.

He noted that all local government councils are now solvent and undertaking meaningful, people-oriented projects due to the bold initiatives introduced by the present administration.

According to him, before the emergence of the Governor Douye Diri-led administration, working in the local government service was perceived as “a curse” because the prospects of receiving retirement benefits as and when due were bleak.

Ewhrudjakpo, however, stressed that the situation has changed significantly following the reforms, assuring that the administration would continue to ensure that people at the grassroots feel the real impact of governance.

While appreciating Governor Douye Diri for creating the enabling environment for him to drive the reforms as the supervising officer of the councils and RDAs, he urged participants to take the training seriously in order to secure their post-retirement life and avoid unnecessary hardship.

His words: “I wish to first of all thank the governor of our state, Senator Douye Diri, for the opportunity he has given us in the local government system. Before now, people thought working in the local government was a curse.

But today, I can assure you that many people are now considering transferring their services to the local government because of the reforms we have introduced.

“The reforms are not meant to idolize or venerate the present administration. They were deliberate, conscious efforts based on our experiences and what people had passed through over the years. We felt we could not leave the stage and leave people the way we met them. And that is why we came up with the reforms. And with your collaboration and cooperation, the reforms are now manifesting in what you are seeing today.”

In his welcome address, Chairman of the State Local Government Service Commission, Chief Lambert Ototo, said the workshop, themed “Retirement to Relevance: Building Sustainable Livelihood Through Entrepreneurship,” is part of ongoing reforms designed to prepare retiring officers for life after service.

Ototo described participants as fortunate to undergo the pre-retirement training, expressing gratitude to Governor Diri and his deputy for transforming the previously pitiable state of the local government system.

Delivering a lecture titled “Understanding Entrepreneurship and Life After Service,” Dr. Zuobomudo Agbana urged participants to embrace retirement positively, noting that it marks the beginning of a new phase of life.

He encouraged retirees to adopt entrepreneurial ventures as a pathway to achieving financial independence and contributing meaningfully to their communities.