President Tinubu Inaugurates The 60MW Gas Turbine Power Plant In Bayelsa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday inaugurated the 60-megawatt gas turbine independent power plant in Bayelsa State.

The facility, sited at Elebele in Ogbia Local Government Area, forms part of the Bayelsa Independent Power Plant project executed by the state government under Governor Senator Douye Diri. It is designed to strengthen electricity supply across Yenagoa and surrounding communities while cutting reliance on diesel generators.

Tinubu was joined at the event by former President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience Jonathan, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and several South-South governors. NaijaChoice News reports that the President also commissioned the 630-metre Angiama-Oporoma Bridge across River Nun in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, along with other legacy projects delivered under Diri’s administration.

The bridge project, which had remained on the drawing board for over six decades, now provides the first direct road link between Oporoma, the Southern Ijaw headquarters, and the state capital. Residents say it will ease movement of goods and people in the riverine belt and open fresh economic opportunities.

The power plant, a gas-fired independent facility, aligns with broader efforts to harness Nigeria’s abundant gas resources for stable electricity. Bayelsa, long plagued by poor power supply despite its oil and gas wealth, stands to benefit directly as the project feeds into the state grid.

Governor Diri, whose administration branded the initiatives under the “Government of Assured Prosperity,” described the projects as deliberate steps to transform infrastructure in both urban and riverine areas. He had earlier declared Friday a work-free day to allow residents to witness the inaugurations.

After the twin ceremonies, President Tinubu headed to the Bayelsa State Government House in Yenagoa for a stakeholders’ meeting. The closed-door session is expected to focus on deepening federal-state collaboration on power, roads, and economic development in the Niger Delta.

The developments come as the Tinubu administration pushes gas-to-power initiatives nationwide. For Bayelsa, the new assets mark a major boost in the state’s drive to reduce environmental pollution from generators and attract investment into local industries.