 First, let me thank my dear brother, the governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Duyediri for the very kind invitation to be here to join you at this second anniversary of the government of Bayelsa State and for his warm hospitality. I must also express my deep gratitude to Israel Highness, the Ibena Nauwe of Angia Ibe, Professor, Engineer, Millionaire, and Nestor Fribon Abouay, for conferring on me the title of Ibea Kubo, Owe Kenny of Angia Ibe, which in other words means the one who brings glory to the land of Angia Ibe. I pray that the Almighty God will help me and help you to bring great glory to this land of Angia Ibe. I also bring you the very warm greetings of President Mohammad Buhari, G.C.F.R., President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who is excited about what is going on here, and sends his very warm congratulations to the governor and the government and the people of Bayelsa State. I am of course very excited to be joining you today at the flagging off of this extremely important infrastructure, the Angiama-Operama Bridge and what it symbolizes for the development of this region. But let me say that driving through the Yenogua-Operama Okubei Road, the natural beauty and the enormous potential of this great state is so poignant and self-evidence. Few places in the world can boast of some of the gifts that nature has graciously bestowed on the people of Bayelsa State and by extension Nigeria. The challenge historically has been in getting the obvious potential of the state to match up to its lived realities. And to this end we must appreciate the dodgedness with which Governor Deerey's administration has gone about ensuring that Bayelsa lives up to its billing. The sheer breadth of the projects that you have embarked upon and the thoroughness of the execution speaks clearly to your unfolding vision and gives confidence that in the near future we will see a state gradually elevated to world-class status. Speaking about the importance of the Yenogua-Operama Okubei Road to the developments across the state in some ways will be preaching to the choir. We know that there can be no inclusive prosperity without the effective linkages of communities and the effective facilitation of trade that roads like this can provide. One of the key challenges of Governors today more than ever is ensuring inclusive prosperity. Our ability to create an environment that enables each and every person in each and every corner of the country to get a fair chance at maximizing their potential is one of the surest roots to sustainable economic development. But for a country with a population and geographical span of Nigeria, guaranteeing inclusive prosperity is a major challenge indeed. And this is made all the more so by the rapid urbanization of the last two decades. The consequent pressure on cities and the difficulties of allocating scarce resources that are faced by governments at all levels across the country. But we must find the commitment, the innovation and the persistence to put in place the quality and scale of infrastructure that is needed to give our people the productive and competitive edge that they need to better their lives and to do it as fast as possible. This is why projects like this are of utmost importance. And we must commend our dear brother, Governor Deerey, and his team for the vision and commitment that they have shown to completing what was imagined almost 60 years ago and has been so long in coming. Previous administrations including the federal government also understood this and began the groundwork for its execution many years ago. But governance is a continuum and sometimes what began in the heart of Moses will find fulfillment in the hands of Joshua. The intention to build this important stretch of road has always been clear. With the efforts of past administrations, including that of Governor Siraket Dixon, your illustrious predecessor, culminating in the construction of the Ecole Bridge and the road towards Angama. But at various points, several factors, including militancy, floods and small gaps of will, have conspired to slow it down to the detriment of the people. And I must say at this point, just as Governor Deerey has acknowledged, this is a partnership with the federal government of Nigeria. And President Mohammad Ibu Hari, in his typical open-mindedness, has done what previous administrations have not done. And I'm so happy and thankful that Governor Deerey pointed this out. And that is refunding what had been spent by the states on this road, refund making sure that what has been spent is refunded. That is the true spirit of partnership. And it's so important that we have in President Mohammad Ibu Hari and Governor Deerey a combination that works. And I want us to not only congratulate Governor Deerey, but also congratulate President Mohammad Ibu Hari for this partnership that obviously is working. However marked by fits and starts, it is safe to say that we have arrived at a turning point in the history of the Yanagawa-Oporuma-Okubi Road. And with one more determined push, as we are seeing today, it will be brought to completion by the grace of God. The construction of the Angama-Oporuma Bridge, which in itself is a significant component of the Yanagawa-Oporuma-Okubi Road, will have far-reaching impact on the lives of the community, the lives of the people of this community. It's not hard to imagine how much commerce will be unlocking in Oporuma and the surrounding communities by flagging of this project and seeing it to conclusion. The farmers and fishermen will be connected to new markets as easier and more efficient logistics enables them to expand their operations, employ more people, provide better opportunities for their families, not to mention the improvement of security through an access road that circumvents sea pirates and allows traders to go about their business safely. No local economy in the world can survive being isolated. Cities and towns thrive partly because they develop and sustain infrastructure that allows for profitable and free economic, social and cultural exchanges. And so by facilitating easier access to places like Yanagawa and beyond, with this bridge we'll be laying a foundation for development that will deepen commerce and create individual and collective opportunities for the people of these communities. Communities like Oporuma and Guillama and others across the Niger Delta are host to vast amounts of mineral wealth and natural resources. And so they deserve to have considerable developmental gains to show for it and we're well on our way towards correcting historical lapses in this respect as a model of urgency through the collaborative efforts of the federal government, state governments and local governments, each one putting aside personal and parochial interests and doing the best they can for the communities which have undeservedly suffered for so long. And so we take this bridge in the long line of Governor Deary's ambitious projects across health, education, security and infrastructural development as a symbol of those ongoing efforts. It should not cost you almost the same amount of money to move from Oporuma or Guillama to Yanagawa as it does to Benin or Lagos. And we believe that those days, the days of spending as much money between Guillama and Oporuma and Benin and between Guillama and Lagos are behind us and are behind us for good. We are confident that what your administration, your excellency has started, will be completed at the highest level of quality possible and in good time. We encourage the people of this community to take ownership of this as with all the ongoing projects of this administration and to work with the government to ensure that it is completed and maintained without hindrance or sabotage. The miracle, the miracle government can only do the miracles if the people cooperate with it. And I am sure that people in this community will cooperate. We assure you of the federal government's full support and collaboration in every possible way. You have not been forgotten and this milestone is only the beginning of greater things to come. There are dreams on this side of the proposed bridge as it is flagged of today. Dreams that it will be completed speedily and that our people will thus be connected to all possibilities to realize their full potential. Once more I congratulate Governor Deary, the government and people of Bielsa State and all of the communities around here on these game-changing achievements as they unfold. We celebrate the progress being made here today and stand with you in your journey to building a Bielsa that commands the respect of cities everywhere in the world. A Bielsa where every town, every village, every person can benefit from their God-given resources and live their lives in peace and prosperity. Aloha. Aloha. Aloha. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you very much.