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Tag: Bayelsa

  • Police seek clues on deadly Bayelsa community attack

    The Police Command in Bayelsa on Friday called for information that would lead to the arrest of suspects, who killed a resident of Korokorosei Community in Southern Ijaw.

    According to the Spokesman of the command, Mr Asinim Butswat, the killing carried out on Wednesday might be a reprisal attack.

    Sources at Korokorosei community told our reporter that the attackers shot dead a young man identified simply as Erelayefa.

    Two pupils of a primary school in the community were also injured.

    Sources said the home of the coordinator of the state’s oil and gas task force and three other homes were set ablaze.

    Butswat said the attack might not be unconnected with the arrest of three suspects by men of the Joint Task Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps over vandalism of oil facilities.

    He said the suspects were arrested over their alleged involvement in the December 2016 attack on the Tebidaba trunk line, operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company.

     

  • Inside Bayelsa’s new Governor’s Office

    Inside Bayelsa’s new Governor’s Office

    It  appears the architects of the new Governor’s Office in the Government House, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State had the sobriquet of the state, “the Glory of All Land”, in mind at its conception stage.

    In beauty, splendour, glamour and style, there is nothing epitomising Bayelsa’s sobriquet more than the newly-built office. Like or hate it, flashes of its glory and dazzling elegance cannot be ignored. The building is arguably the most sophisticated governor’s office in the country.

    In fact, with the attractive finishing, enduring fittings and a paradise-like ambience of the office, any first term governor will fight to return for a second term or may even be tempted to play the Olusegun Obasanjo by demanding a third term. Even persons aspiring to govern the state may do everything within and outside their powers to win a governorship election just to have a taste of the office.

    Niger Delta Report recently toured some sections of the building which stands like a pretty bride. The masterpiece with aesthetic beauty is divided into three interwoven sections comprising the Governor’s Office, Deputy Governor’s Office and the Administrative Block.

    The three-storey governor’s office with a pent house is designed with all the comfort for the chief executive and his visitors. The governor has three massive conference halls built to accommodate over 300 guests each.

    Within the section is the main conference hall with a reflective oval-shaped covering. It has a capacity to take 400 people. The main conference hall is built for executive council meetings while other engagements of the governor involving interactions with his guests are held in one of the three conference halls.

    The governor’s personal aides have tastily furnished offices close to him. In fact, the deputy governor’s section has similar outlook, design and provisions with little modifications to that of the governor.

    The two offices are linked to a lineal administrative block housing important offices and departments such as the media, protocol and account, finance, information technology and the chief of staff’s office.

    One of the busiest departments is the media which is located on the second floor of the administrative block. The social media team and the team of the Chief Press Secretary occupy the floor.

    On each floor of the block is a uniquely-designed conference hall to cater for the needs of each department. With such provision, each of the administrative departments holds meetings, trainings and emergency gatherings at will. Also on the last floor of the block is a restraunt built with a capacity for 500 people.

    Without mincing words, a major feature of the building is security. There is nothing hidden within the building because at various corners are Close Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring activities and movements of persons.

    The CCTV has the capacity to pick every object even in darkness. The building has a major entrance and exit coordinated by a computerised screening device to dictate weapons and other dangerous objects. Other protective features which are not disclosed for security reasons make the building exceptional.

    Indeed, every good thing that makes life comfortable is featured in the building. The edifice runs on uninterrupted electricity flowing from a giant generator which has surplus supply of diesel. The walls of the building are soundproof and there is a water-treatment plant to supply potable water to all the offices.

    There is no gainsaying that the new governor’s office is a tourist haven. It is located within the environment of other tourist attractions in Government House. From the last floor, one can see the Castle Hotel, the yet-to-be completed golf course and polo club. At the facade are five differently built water fountains to enhance the overall beauty of the environment. It has a massive car park for over 200 vehicles.

    Undoubtedly, the new office has changed the dress code of people who work in the Government House. It has compelled them to wear complete outfits to work. All the workers now beam with smiles especially as all their offices and corridors are fitted with multiple air-conditioners.

    The multi-billion naira edifice was dedicated late last year by the Founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi, who encouraged public office holders to dedicate their lives to God in the course of their service in office.

    Kumuyi, who was accompanied by his wife, stressed that beyond dedicating man-made house, builders occupants must also dedicate themselves to God. He commended Dickson for making God the center of his government.

    On why he undertook the project, Dickson said the state deserved a befitting governor’s office after 20 years of creation. He thanked members of his cabinet and people of the state for supporting him to build the structure.

    The deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) has been enjoying his new office. During one of his official engagements at his new conference hall, he recalled how he sweated in his small old office to welcome guests and discharge his functions.

    “Now I want the visitors to come and see my new office”, he said thanking the governor for the vision to build the structure.

    Some people have, however, criticized the structure saying it should not be the priority of the state. But the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, insisted that the new office was a welcome development.

    He said: “Since the creation of the state over 20 years ago, this is the first time we are having an office space purposely built and befitting enough to be called a Governor’s office.

    “Before now, the structure housing the Governor’s office was nothing but a makeshift building hurriedly put together to serve that purpose.

    “It wasn’t a fit and proper place to administer governance especially in the light of the new order, a paradigm shift, capable of rubbing off brightly on our socio-economic progress as a people.

    “For those armchair critics who never sees anything good in our government and may want to run their mouth or argue whether building a befitting office like this should be a priority, they should know that having a befitting workspace is not a luxury, it is an absolute necessity. Governance is a serious business.

    “Some of the policies we now see as solid achievements are products of serious thinking. They were informed by strategic thinking resulting concrete actions in the building of solid infrastructure, making Bayelsa one massive construction site as it were, leading to the greaterinterconnectedneswe now have in the state, which is good for economic development”.

    In fact, some former governor’s under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently praised the vision behind the vision when they toured projects executed by Dickson in the state. They were led to some of the projects by the governor and the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite.

    Obuebite, after the tour said: “The visitors were also surprised at the number of projects executed the by the governor. You have all seen what the Restoration Government is doing. We are taking Baylsa to the next level. In other states , previous governments  put in place the  project, but In Bayelsa state,  the present government  is the one building the projects, and without this we cannot be referred to as a state . We must tell ourselves the truth.

    “With what they saw and  what they said, especially the new Governor’s office , you heard them said , as former governors they never had the previllage of building a Governor’s office complex they had seen here in Yenagoa.

    “These are former governors; they are not just visitors. They even spent eight years in office , all of them, and they appreciated what Governor  Dickson is dong, and also accepting the fact that these were things they could not do while in office as governor”.

  • ‘Dickson has restored security in Bayelsa’

    ‘Dickson has restored security in Bayelsa’

    Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Strategy Jonathan Obuebite spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the first year anniversary of Governor Seriake Dickson’s second term, the security agenda of the state, the management of government/labour relations and how the state is coping with the economic recession. 

    It is a year into Governor Seriake Dickson’s second term. How far has it been?

    One year, how far? Ordinarily, because of the recession that we are into, governments across the states have been affected. But, in Bayelsa State, we have fared well. Within the one year, we have been able to complete so many projects. The good thing about the governor’s style of administration is that we made provisions for project funding and also for recurrent expenditure. Government decided that, based on the current realities, we had to cut our emoluments as government appointees. What we are getting now is half of what the commissioners used to get. That cut across all political appointees. Through that, we have been able to save some money which should have been used for personnel cost for political appointees and we channeled the money into project funding. That has reduced the recurrent expenditure.

    That’s a drop in the ocean. How much has the government been able to save through that?

    I think we have not saved enough from that. But, the number of political appointees has drastically reduced. That is the beauty of it. When you know you don’t have, you have to cut your coat according to your size. Now, we cut our coat according to the material available. So, in the last one year, we have been battling with a lot of issues and we are able to get it right in the sense that we were able to complete important projects. We were able to complete the new Governor’s Office, a multi-billion naira project. Also, we have been able to complete the Government House Hospital Complex this year. It has both the private and the public wing. It can be accessed from two frontiers. Also, we have been able to complete the House Officers’ Quarters, and the Federal Medical Centre, which is not a state project, but a Federal Government Hospital. But, since it is Bayelsa State and there is the need for that accommodation, we had to build it for them. We were able to complete the Diagnostic Centre; furnished and functional. We also have the forensic equipment within the same complex.

    What is unique about the Forensic Centre?

    It is unique. It is about the sixth we are going to have all over the country. Nigerians don’t need o travel out again for it. It is even good for security. It helps in curbing fraud and perjury. The centre can uncover the cause of the death of a person, if someone wants to attribute it to another cause. It is highly needed. The police work with it. It is very helpful to society. It is very important. It helps the society.

    What are other projects?

    Within the one year, we have been able to build the Civil Servants’ Hospital. We call it a clinic designated for civil servants. All civil servants go there and get treated. Where they are to pay N10 outside, they just pay three naira because they are civil servants. What they need is to show their identity that they are civil servants. Then, we have also completed the Cultural Boulevard. It has four different structures standing on their own. We have the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, the school of language studies.  We have also completed the Osborn Lake Pavilion. It is a place that will house about 3,000 persons at a go; with a VIP stand. It is a place of cultural activities. We want tourism to thrive in the state. We have competed the five hundred pounds acqua far. Each has a size of 50 by 70 metres. That is to tell you how big that place will be. It will take you three hours to go round. It has a processing factory, a conference hall, a restaurant. It is a village of its own. It was started and completed within the one year. The AIT/Sani Abacha Road was completed. It has two bridges. It is a dual carriage road, not a single lane road. We completed the Igbogini by-pass, linking the New Gate Road. We have done electrification in 50 communities across the three senatorial districts; in Sagbama, in Amasoma, where we have the Niger Delta University. The university now has a good power supply. The university cannot run with a generator alone. We now separate the school from Amasoma community. We have completed the Ijaw National Academy. It is going to be one of the best schools in Nigeria built by a state government. One thousand students will be in the boarding house. Al the beds and hostel facilities are provided for. We have completed the 11 boarding schools that the government has initiated. We have one in each of the eight local governments. For Southern Ijaw; Yenegoa and Sagbama, we have more than one because of the population. Then, we have completed the Tourism Institute. It has started functioning with students already admitted.

    How many projects are you commissioning during the one year anniversary?

    We are commissioning 34 projects. I don’t think you find that anywhere now in this period because of the recession. That is a cumulative of projects done from the beginning of his tenure from 2012. Some should have been commissioned. Most of the projects have a life span in terms of completion.

    What’s the cost of these projects?

    It is more expensive to construct roads in the coastal areas. In Lagos and the East, if you use N300 million to build a road, you will need almost N1 billion to build the same road. The studies have shown this. The oil companies will tell you because they also do social responsibility. Bayelsa State is more riverine than Rivers State. It is more delta than Delta State. That is why Bayelsa is the epic centre of the entire Niger Delta crisis. Bayelsa is the headquarter of the Ijaw Nation. Every Ijaw man has a root in Bayelsa. We have Ijaw in Ondo State, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. That is the fusion. If you look at the map of Nigeria, you will see what Bayelsa is carrying. Because the majority of the oil is found in the Niger Delta and the Ijaw area of the Niger Delta, the agitation is high among our people. They feel that the resources is taken from their area are used to develop other areas.

    Could you shed light on the security agenda of the administration?

    Bayelsa was adjudged the safest state in Nigeria. But, before the election, it became the worst state in terms of security because of the inflow of hooligans and thugs imported into the state. They were there before while the former governor was in the saddle. But, when Dickson came, he granted amnesty to the cultists. Then, the anti-cult law was passed. From that point, it means nobody will entertain cultism and crime from anybody. Moving forward, we now have the status of the most peaceful state in the country. But, that we lost within the spate of six or seven months. After the election, it became a major problem because they came and they did not succeed in winning the election. They left, but they left these criminals behind. It became a major problem for the Bayelsa State government. We had three-minute response rate before from Operation DOO-AKPO. Now, working with the security agencies, the governor was able to curtail those criminal activities. As I speak, all of them have left the state. There was an issue outside the state capital; the vandalisation of pipelines. Most of them were politically motivated before the Avengers came. You know Avengers declared me a persona non grata and threatened to kill me. They gave an ultimatum that they will kill me because of my openness and because of the government’s stand  on their activities. It was published in most of the national dailies. I was the person they said they were going to kill. If his commissioner for information could be threatened, that is to tell you government’s non-tolerance for crime and criminality. So, we fought seriously. Today, I must tell you, we have got it right again. Our crime rate response is three minutes. Some few days ago, the Assistant Inspector General of Police visited Bayelsa State and said Bayelsa State is now the most peaceful state in the Niger Delta and he also wished that other states should toe the line of Bayelsa State. Also, few days ago, the military intelligent officers that came to Bayelsa State and visited the Security Command Centre in Bayelsa State. Indeed, they also affirmed that it was a good thing that those facilities could be found here and that they can only be found in advanced countries.

    But, should there be no security in a state ruled by a governor who is a former police officer and a deputy governor who is a retired naval officer? How does that combination translate into security effectiveness?

    That is the beauty of it. The governor is a former police officer. The deputy governor is a retired Real Admiral. You can see the packaging. Because of whom they are, they enjoy a smooth relationship with the security agencies. Because of that, they have been able to provide what they need to do their job successfully. And that synergy between the governor, and the deputy governor and the serving security chiefs in the state has been helpful. We owe this to them because they are able to key in the state’s dream of making sure that there is no crime and criminality. When a security chief is posted to the state, the governor will tell him to deal with the criminal according to the law, irrespective of the person’s political tendency or leaning, and without political bias. It means if you are a member of the ruling party in the state, the PDP, you will be dealt with if you are found wanting. There is no alternative to that. He sings it like a song. Every member of the Restoration Government is guided by that. In everything in life, you need leadership. We have the right leadership when it comes to security and infrastructural development. The governor does not play with it. There are pockets of thieves. Even, in America, you find them, They are isolated cases. During that period of election, the governor’s younger sister was kidnapped for six months. He refused to pay ransom.

  • Bayelsa, workers disagree on salary arrears

    Bayelsa, workers disagree on salary arrears

    Bayelsa State government and its workforce have disagreed on the salary arrears owed civil servants.
    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that workers claimed they were owed six-month salaries, while government officials put the arrears at three months.
    The House of Assembly last Tuesday at a closed session approved N3billion loan request by the executive to buy cars for lawmakers and security agents.
    The development attracted criticisms from civil servants, who said seeking a loan to purchase cars at a time the government owed workers six-month salary was insensitive.
    Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seriake Dickson Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson denied in a statement the government was owing workers six months.
    He said it was owing workers only three-month salaries.
    The statement restated governor’s commitment to run a transparent system where workers’ and citizens’ welfare would be prioritised.
    “It’s not true the government is owing six-month salary as alleged in media reports.
    “Rather, it is making efforts to clear outstanding salaries and has even paid January salary,” Iworiso-Markson said.
    Labour leaders and civil servants insisted the government was yet to clear six- month salary arrears.
    The Chairman, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr. Tari Dounana and his Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) counterpart, John Ndiomu, insisted the government owed six-month salaries.
    He said: “The facts are there. We cannot lie on issues like this. I can be quoted.
    “Workers are owed six-month salary and we met the government last week.
    “It is likely those claiming we are not owed don’t have the details. We met the government finance team and they set up a committee to work out the payment plan.”
    A civil servant, Ebi Douye, spoke on the salary situation.
    Said he: “We are owed six-month salary. We keep the record. January 2015 salary was paid in full in April 2015. February and March 2015 salaries were not paid.
    “From April to September, half salaries were paid. December salary has not been paid.
    “Three full salaries are not paid, plus half of the six months, making them six months unpaid salaries.”

  • Bayelsa to collaborate with CIBN for benefit, says Dickson

    Bayelsa to collaborate with CIBN for benefit, says Dickson

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has expressed his administration’s commitment to partner Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) to explore areas of comparative advantage for mutual benefits.

    He expressed the commitment in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in Yenagoa.

    Iworiso-Markson quoted the governor as having expressed government’s readiness when he received the President and Chairman of the Council of CIBN, Prof. Segun Ajibola and other members of CIBN at the Government House, Yenagoa.

    Describing CIBN as strategic to the management of the national economy, the governor said his administration would collaborate with the organisation to showcase the potential of the state.

    He identified crude oil, gas and power generation as areas of comparative advantage the state was endowed with.

    Dickson hailed CIBN for its programmes and other initiatives for capacity building in the financial sector and its decision to establish its presence.

    He said the Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Duate Iyabi, would liaise with the institute on ways to improve the public financial systems and create opportunities that would be beneficial to the two parties.

    Ajibola told the governor CIBN planned to establish its secretariat and examination centre in Bayelsa.

    According to him, the examination centre, when operational, will enable people in the state and neighbouring states to write the institute’s examinations.

    Ajibola said the institute had been mandated to host the 22nd edition of the World Conference of Banking Institutes in the country this year.

    He said the conference would be a launching pad to exhibit Bayelsa’s and the rest of the country’s investment opportunities and tourist attractions.

    “This is the first time the country will be hosting such a conference and we solicit government’s assistance in that direction.”

  • Bayelsa donates land for ranch development

    Bayelsa donates land for ranch development

    The Bayelsa Government on Sunday said it had donated 1,200 hectares of land to cattle herdsmen to control indiscriminate grazing in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had in December 2016 announced the restriction of the activities of herdsmen in the state to the Bayelsa Palm area in Yenagoa.

    According to the government, the decision was to prevent the invasion of farmlands and check any security breaches.

    Mr Shitu Mohammed, State Chairman, Cattle Ranches Management and Control Committee, disclosed this at an interactive session which comprised stakeholders such as herdsmen, butchers, farmers and security agencies.

    Mohammed said that the 1,200 hectares of land were for ranch development, grazing and slaughtering of cattle.

    He said that more ranches would be donated to the cattle rearers in order to maintain peace and order in the state.

    He commended the Bayelsa government for releasing the land, saying that the gesture would help to sustain the lasting peace that had existed between herdsmen and farmers in the state.

    Mohammed also noted that the committee was set up by the state government to foster a cordial relationship between the cattle rearers, farmers and the people of the state.

    He noted that there had been no cases of violence by the herdsmen in the state.

    “This is simply because the committee in collaboration with the state government and the security agencies had put in place quick response mechanisms,” he said.

    The chairman called on the people of the state to appreciate the provision of the ranch as it will create job opportunities and boost tourism in the state.

  • Bayelsa loses N2.6b to ‘fraudulent employments’

    Bayelsa loses N2.6b to ‘fraudulent employments’

    A Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Thursday said Bayelsa State is losing a whopping N2.61 billion annually to fraudulent and unauthourised employments in its eight local government areas and 32 Rural Development Authorities (RDAs).

    The commission, established by Governor Seriake Dickson to investigate payroll fraud in the state, disclosed this when it presented volume one of its report on local government areas to the governor in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    The report which was presented by the Chairman of the commission, Justice Doris Adokeme, said 6,280 unauthourised employments were uncovered in the councils, blaming over-bloated wage bills on the activities of fraudsters in the system.

    The report revealed 3,243 unauthorized employees at the RDAs and 3,037 fraudulently employed workers on the payrolls of the eight LGAs.

    Ekeremor local government area topped the list with 1,162 employees followed by Southern Ijaw, Yenagoa, Ogbia and Brass.

    But the commission in the report gave Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA and the RDA a clean bill of health on performance.

    The council was said to be performing optimally with only 505 employees.

  • NWF commence 2017 activities to pick national team

    NWF commence 2017 activities to pick national team

    The Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) says it will start its 2017 activities with the 2nd Governor Dickson National Wrestling Classics in Yenagoa, Bayelsa from March 8 to March 13.

    The NWF President, Daniel Igali, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the competition was to select wrestlers that would form the national team.

    “This is the 2nd Governor Dickson National Wrestling Classics. It’s our national championships and on which the national team is determined for the year,’’ he said.

    The 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medalist said that wrestlers would compete in three styles.

    “They are the Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Female wrestling. Each style will have 10 weight classes,’’ Igali said, adding that each style starts and finishes competing in one day.

    He added that to participate, a wrestler must be a member of a state or a club.

    “This is to ascertain that a wrestler can at least be linked to a particular place,’’ said the former wrestler.

    He urged the states and clubs willing to participate not to register more than one person in each weight class.

    The Olympian advised all participants to give their best at the competition if they truly desire to make the national team.

    “Making the national team is a big deal and the slot is for the best and not average wrestlers.

    “To be there, you have to fight hard and prove that you have what it takes to make the country proud,’’ said Igali.

  • We have reduced Bayelsa wage bill by N1bn, says Dickson

    Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, said his administration had so far reduced the state’s wage bill by N1bn.

    Dickson said various reforms and verifications he introduced to tackle payroll fraud in the civil service yielded the result.

    He also said the state received N9.7bn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in December 2016.

    He said that the disclosure was in line with his administration’s policy of transparency, prudence and accountability.

    Breaking down the figure in Yenagoa, the state capital, the governor explained that out of the money, N1.16bn came from statutory allocation, N3.2bn from 13% derivation; N699million, Value Added Tax (VAT) and N2.4bn Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT).

    Other sources were budget support to state, N1.111bn, foreign exchange differential, N1.2bn and refunds on overpayment, N57.5million.

    Dickson said that N2.3bn was deducted at source by FAAC to service bond obligation, foreign loans, commercial agriculture credit scheme 1 and 2 and salary bailouts to state.

    The governor added that the government was servicing the loan it obtained for the construction of the multi-billion naira cargo airport, which he said would be of immense benefit to the economic growth of the state.

    Dickson ordered full payment of January salary with immediate effect but lamented that despite increase in crude oil price in November and December, there was no reflections in allocations to the state.

  • Bayelsa dazzles with diagnostic centre

    Kingsley Michael travelled to Halley Street in the United Kingdom (UK) for a medical diagnosis. He spent his hard-earned foreign exchange to visit a foreign medical centre on Halley to go through a Computerised Tomography (CT) Scan.

    Michael left Nigeria for a medical mission abroad because he was scared of prevalent cases of wrong diagnosis in the country. He was convinced that no medical centre in Nigeria had updated medical equipment to correctly detect his ailment.

    But Michael regretted ever going abroad for diagnosis when he visited Bayelsa State recently. His friend took him to a newly built diagnostic centre along Imgbi Road, Amarata area of Yenagoa, the state capital. He took his time to tour the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre (BDC) built by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    “I wasted my time going abroad for medical diagnosis. If I had known that such place with such modern medical equipment existed, I wouldn’t have gone to London. The CT Scan they used for my diagnosis in London is the same equipment in Bayelsa centre”, he said.

    Indeed, BDC is a complete suite of diagnostic solution. A visit by the Niger Delta Report to the multi-billion naira centre revealed dazzling and eye-catching modern medical equipment. Housed in a three-storey building with aesthetic beauty, the medical facilities in each department, are the latest in the country manufactured between 2013 and 2016.

    At the reception, a client (a name adopted by BDC for a patient), is welcomed by an interactive computerised system operated by amiable and adorable female receptionists. The receptionists take down the client’s request through the device and in real time, send the request to the appropriate medical unit. Technicians in the unit process the information and immediately give a signal to usher in the client.

    In fact, BDC is built to undertake all kinds of diagnosis. It is described as the best centre for X-Ray, mammography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), CT Scan, ultra scan, endoscope and cardiovascular investigations. The equipment speaks for themselves.

    The x-Ray machine is a 2013 model and is unique for positioning of clients especially in trauma cases. It has a sliding bulking system to position clients involved in accidents. Instead of manually moving parts of the body for imaging and aggravating fractured parts, the bulky system, which makes the machine rotational helps for the movement.

    The machine is also designed to assist in special procedures such as intravenous Urography. All parts of the body from the head to the toes can be captured using the modern machine. It is so advanced that captured images can be stored in the Cloud and burnt into a compact discs.

    In mammography, the unit is equipped with the state-of-the-art machine to detect any form of beast cancer. Technicians at the centre describe the pink machine  (colour pink for cancer awareness) as 2013 A Linum series. Its uniqueness lies in its ergonomics, ability to automatically rotate and help clients position their breasts to image an area of interest. It is built to accommodate different sizes of breasts and its image has amazing clarity.

    Also, the department for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for radio frequency and magnetic films makes the BDC thick. The machine has strong magnetic fields, radio waves and field gradients to generate clear images of the inside of the body including the brain. Health technicians say the MRI 1.5 equipment at BDC are only four in Nigeria as a whole with the ability to detect seizures, brain tumor, bleeding in the brain and other ailments affecting the tissues.

    Furthermore, the computerised Tomography Scan (CT) scan is a Toshiba aquilium prime, 2013 model. Dr. Ogonja Kanu, a consultant radiologist, says it is the latest model of the prime in Nigeria. “This is the only one in the country with I60 slides. The higher the slide the faster the scan. It takes just four seconds to conduct a brain scan.

    “It can do the chest, abdomen and the whole of the body. It has automatic injector to eliminate human interference in a scan procedure. Instead of pausing the process to allow a nurse or doctor inject the patient, the machine does the injection itself. The machine is not common”, he says.

    The BDC also boasts of the 2015 Toshiba ultra-scan machine. It is said to be the latest version currently in the country. It has four dimensional for wide range of studies in colored investigations. It has the facility for fabia, which helps for a proper diagnosis of a sickler to convert Hemoglobin S to F to stop sicklers from going into crisis.

    The latest machine for endoscope capable of picking the smallest particles in the body also exists in the centre. Experts say the model is the first of its kind in the country.

    To sustain the operations of the centre for effective management, Dickson has hired a private firm, Trigent-Craton, which has offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt, Rivers state to run the BDC. The government also makes efforts to give the centre uninterrupted power supply. There are three big generators to ensure that all the equipment are constantly energized.

    Isaac Olagbide is the the Operations Manager of BDC. Having worked and lived in the UK for 20 years, Olagbide says he is amazed at the facilities in the centre and the vision of Dickson on health.

    To eliminate wrong diagnosis, he says the centre operates telemedicine with real time exchange of medical procedures with expert radiologists in Canada, UK and America. According to him telemedicine allows foreign experts to have a second look at a medical procedure and compare notes with radiologists at the centre.

    “I never knew we can have such fantastic and state-of-the-art equipment in this part of the country. In fact, there is no reason why anybody should travel out of Bayelsa State or Nigeria to do any diagnostic investigations.

    “We have state of the art equipment. Our consultants that do our reporting are top professionals in the country and at the same time we engage at telemedicine whereby we have radiologists or cardiologists outside the country looking at all our images and reporting on them.

    “In terms of laboratory, we are in partnership with other South African laboratories as well whereby we use them as referral centers. For example, for quality checks we send the same samples to South Africa to run and and we compare notes.

    “The centre has the facility to stop wrong diagnosis. A lot of money had been spent to acquire the latest automation. The latest equipment because the more modern equipment is the more we are able to diagnose ailments.

    “We also have many consultants looking at all our images. We have a Chief Medical Director that lives in the US. He is one of the top surgeons in the US at the moment. The people posted here went through a lot of inductions and our clients are amazed at the kind of services they receive here. Our prices are very comparable. Dickson is on a mission to improve the healthcare of the people in the state”, he says.

    Addressing people that require diagnosis, he adds: “If you require any CT procedure, MRI, laboratory investigations, cardiology or endoscope, you don’t need to travel abroad at all.

    “Come to BDC and a report you see here take it to any part of the world it is going to be exactly the same. We can do it here and send the report to your doctor any place in the world”.

    Undoubtedly, the BDC is one of the signature projects of Dickson and he has been receiving kudos from different quarters. Recently, former ministers, governors and other office holders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) visited Dickson and seized the opportunity to tour the BDC.

    After the tour, a former Governor of Adamawa State, Boni Haruna, said: “Bayelsa State is having it better for health care delivery system. You know that a lot of money is spent by lNigerians going overseas to threat themselves.

    “I remember some years back , I had to go to the  US for surgery and what I have seen here ,I now know that  I don’t have to go to the US again. So I want to take this opportunity to congratulate his excellency.

    “It takes a man of vision to have this kind of facilities and with increasing cost of things for us to have this kind of facilities is commendable. I am impressed and I want to urge Nigerians to take advantage of this faciltiy, I have already booked my place to come and have a review of my case, I don’t need to go  to the US again”.

    On why he built the diagnostic centre, Dickson says he is unhappy with increasing cases of wrong diagnoses of ailments adding that it remains the bane of the country’s health sector. He said that the problem compelled him to build the facility and make huge investment in the health sector to create heath tourism in the state for Nigerians and Africa.

    The governor described the project as world-class and called on the people of the state to make good use of it.

    “What we are addressing now is diagnosis. Because what is killing our people is wrong and inaccurate diagnosis. So we are addressing that. We are building hospitals and this place will feed most of them”, Dickson said.