Douye Diri, 60, takes oath of office as Bayelsa governor

Senator Douye Diri, who until two hours ago, represented Bayelsa Central senatorial district in the Nigerian 9th National Assembly, has been sworn in as Bayelsa State governor.

Before he became a Senator, he had represented Yenagoa, Kolokuna and Opokuma Constituency  of Bayelsa in the Federal House of Representatives.
He is the 5th democratically elected governor to be sworn in the State sine the rebirth of democratic practice in 1999.

He was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Bayelsa State
His swearing-in comes a day after the Supreme Court sacked former governor-elect of the state, David Lyon, and his running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremieoyo.

Born in  Kolokuma/Opokuma  on June 4, 1959,  Diri ,  a businessman and  politician,  started   his basic education at Okoro Primary School Sampou. He earned his First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1977 at Rev. Proctor Memorial Primary School Kaima (then State school Kaima). He obtained his West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASCE) at Government Secondary School Odi in 1981 and followed it up with a  Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) at the College of Education ,  Port-Harcourt, Rivers state in 1985. He thereafter got  Bachelors of Education degree in Political Science at the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State in 1990.

He started his career as a teacher and taught in several Government Schools in the Rural Area of  Old Rivers State.

Politically, he began as the first National Organizing Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the foremost organization of the Ijaw Nation; Executive Secretary, Centre for Youth Development in Bayelsa State (2000-2002); Commissioner for Youth and Sports (2005-2006).; Council Board member university of Maiduguri (2008-2012);  Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Disciplinary Council, Bayelsa State (2012).
Deputy Chief of Staff, Government House, 2012;  Principal Executive Secretary (2013-2014) before being sworn in today as Bayelsa governor. He is happily married with children