Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa has described the late former Head of State, Sani Abacha, as a great man and hero to all the people of the state.
Diri stated this on Sunday during a thanksgiving service held at the King of Glory Chapel in Government House, Yenagoa, to mark Nigeria’s 61st independence anniversary.
The event was also used to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa State.
Abacha created Bayelsa from the old Rivers State on October 1, 1996.
The governor insisted that the late dictator remained a hero in Bayelsa over his decision to create the state.
Diri said: “Let me use this medium to thank one man. He may not be popular in Nigeria but to me and all of us Bayelsans, we see him as a great man and a hero. The man, who by the stroke of the pen, approved the creation of Bayelsa State. I am talking about the late Gen. Sani Abacha.
“We acknowledge him as a state and people. By his singular assent, he created this state with just eight local government areas which was less than the constitutional requirements.”
