The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dickson

  • US Congress Commends Bayelsa Governor

    US Congress Commends Bayelsa Governor

    Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, has commended Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State for placing the state on the “path of development, prosperity and peace.”

    She said Bayelsa’s developmental strides under Dickson are more remarkable given its difficult and treacherous terrain.

    Lee spoke during an interactive session with the governor at the Foundation Convention Centre in Washington DC, USA on Friday.

    She was optimistic that government’s well articulated policies and programmes, if religiously implemented, would take the state from the backwaters, according to a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo.

    Responding, Governor Dickson called for global support to tackle environmental pollution and the fight against terrorism.

    The governor also urged the international community to heed President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for global collaboration against terrorism.

    Dickson described Bayelsa as the safest and most stable state in the Niger Delta region, and thus a safe haven for investments.

    He said his administration has created a conducive environment for investments to thrive and assured investors of high return on investments (ROI) in the state.

     

  • Jonathan, Dickson battle for the soul of Bayelsa PDP

    Jonathan, Dickson battle for the soul of Bayelsa PDP

    They used to be allies, but now, they seem to have fallen apart. What happened to the relationship between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson? Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, traces the genesis of their face-off? 

    THERE is fear in Bayelsa State that the alleged power struggle between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson for the soul of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may threaten the party’s fortunes in the 2019 general elections.

    Insiders loyal to the governor have alleged that the ‘face-off’ could be traced to the bid of the former president to determine who will occupy important political seats in the state, especially the governorship seat. They said Jonathan’s passionate interest in the forthcoming elections in his home state is the first phase of his planned return to active politicking at the national level.

    The Nation investigation shows that the disagreement between the former President and the governor can be traced back to early January 2016 when Jonathan’s men were accused of mobilising to frustrate the election of the then PDP candidate, Governor Dickson, during the rescheduled governorship election in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    Before 2016, Dickson was a noticeable political ally of Jonathan. A source close to the two political leaders said “their political alliance dated back to the days when Jonathan was the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State. When he became the governor of the state, Dickson was one of his henchmen. The relationship deepened when Jonathan became Vice President and later the President of the Republic of Nigeria.”

    We learnt that all through Jonathan’s tenure as president, the relationship blossomed and Dickson, backed by Jonathan, rose through the legislature and emerged the governor of Bayelsa State on the platform of PDP, then under the leadership of Jonathan.

    But the intrigues of 2015 General Election and its aftermath changed the texture of the political relationship of the two PDP leaders. For them and many of their close associates, it was indeed, a period of change, when sudden defection of politicians from one political party to the other left sour tastes in the mouth of old associates. Perhaps more than in any other state, in Bayelsa, Jonathan’s home state, the effect was more, as longtime allies became mortal political enemies, especially following the defeat then President Goodluck Jonathan, in the presidential election. The enmity manifested in the suspicion of political allies, a development that was further fueled through grave allegation of betrayal and counter allegation. In fact, we gathered that soon after the defection of some prominent PDP chieftains, like Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa-East), who represented the former president; Chief Ikiogha Diekivie, a  former Chief of Staff, Government House and Jonathan’s close ally from Yenagoa; a  former Commissioner for Lands and alleged confidant of Jonathan; Furoebi Akene; a  surveyor and former commissioner under Jonathan and Bishop Deggi Eremienyo of FERMA, etc., from PDP to APC, Dickson’s associates alleged that Jonathan’s hand was behind the worrisome development. They also alleged that the former President’s wife, Patience, brokered a peace meeting between former Governor Timipre Sylva and a former militant leader, Ateke Tom, a meeting they said was meant to stop Dickson.

    By late January 2015, diligent observers noted the crack in the political family, especially when Dickson banned a prominent pro-Jonathan group, Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and its activities in Bayelsa State.

    A statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, had announced the proscription of TAN at a meeting with flag bearers of the PDP about 30 days to the presidential election.

    He accused TAN of “promoting subversive activities and inciting crisis and divisions within the PDP in the state,” and ordered members of the group, headed by a former Deputy Governor of the state, Werinipre Seibarugu,”to move their activities elsewhere.”

    According to him, PDP in the state, and not any other group, was the only recognised political platform saddled with the responsibility of leading the President’s campaign in the state with him (governor) as the leader. He added that “the activities of TAN do not seem to serve the purpose for which it was created in the state,” and that “TAN and some members of its top hierarchy have become tools of subversion, creating needless rancour, acrimonies and division.” So, “the government and the PDP in the state will no longer tolerate their actions,” Dickson said.

    Jonathan’s men fired back immediately, warning Dickson that he lacked the powers to ban it from the state.

    They also condemned a statement issued by the Bayelsa Youth Vanguard (BYV) which also banned the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, from accompanying her husband to campaign in the state.

    The group, in statement signed by its state Director, Publicity, Chief Nathan Egba, said “we are shocked because we find it hard to understand how an elected governor of a state would make such a statement in a democratic setting, as we have in Nigeria, as there is nowhere in the Nigerian Constitution that gives any governor such powers.

    “TAN in Bayelsa is however, aware of plots by some over-zealous government officials to portray groups such as TAN, Women for Change Initiative (WCI) and others in very bad light, in order to make it appear as if they are against the state government.”

    Since then, especially after Jonathan lost that year’s Presidential Election to All Progressives Congress (APC), the relationship between the two leaders had remained a source of concern both to their close associates and to other stakeholders.

    But both Jonathan and Dickson had managed the delicate situation with tact in order to give impression that all has been well in the political family.

    By May this year however, the matter was brought back to public consciousness when Dickson, while speaking at a conference of Ijaw leaders and youths, who had gathered for the annual celebration of their hero, Major Adaka Boroh, at the Ijaw House, Yenegoa, said in clear terms that the six years that Jonathan spent as Nigeria’s president was “a wasted opportunity for the Ijaw people.”

    He alleged that ministers and presidential aides from Ijaw, who worked with the ex-president for six years, failed to work with him in the interest of the Ijaw people but were after selfish interests.

    This, according to him, made “the six years of former President Jonathan a wasted period for the Ijaw people who thought their son had gotten to the helm of political affairs of this nation to change their lots for the better.”

    New pointers

    As the political leaders in Bayelsa State PDP prepare for the forthcoming general election, there are new pointers that the battle would be between Dickson’s men and Jonathan’s supporters. Already, Dickson’s associates are telling whoever cares to listen that no other political group or party has what it takes to defeat Dickson’s “Restoration team.”

    They boast that “Restoration Team is the only group with capacity and proper structure to win elections in the state.” “This emphasis, according to Engr. James Perekeme, is important because of the impression that the former president is still in charge in the state PDP. It is important to note that Dr. Jonathan is now a national leader. The leader here now in Bayelsa is Governor Dickson. He controls the political structure and no one should be deceived.”

    But since the former president visited the state, while Dickson was on leave, and allegedly held secret meetings with his associates on the strategy for the next elections, The Nation learnt that his supporters have regrouped and are set for the next political battles. Whether Jonathan’s men is set to dethrone Dickson or are willing to work with him for the sake of PDP remains to be established.

    But according to Perekeme, “we are all worried because of the unhealthy rivalry. We believe this is not good for the all of us and for the two leaders.”

    When asked to comment on the degeneration of the relationship between the former president and the governor, their aides declined, saying other leaders have made public comments on the allegations.

    Denials:

    Like the two aides said, elder statesman, Edwin Clark, the National Leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), described recent media reports of a rift between former Jonathan and Dickson as ‘mischievous.’

    He made the statement in Abuja. “In the past few days, the media have been inundated with stories about a so-called rift between a former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the Governor of Bayelsa.

    “As a father to both of these important Nigerians, I categorically want to state that these reports are the handiwork of fifth columnists.

    “It is the handiwork of persons who are deliberately out for mischief by creating disaffection between these two sons of mine.

    “As we all know, Jonathan has continued to maintain a fair level of dignified silence as expected of a statesman and he is working assiduously towards ensuring peaceful development of this country.

    “Lately, he became an acclaimed global citizen and international statesman with presence in almost all the continents.

    “This is obviously a source of envy and discomfort to some who are now the purveyors of these stories of supposed rift,” he said.

    He also said “Dickson on his part was working assiduously to see to the development of the state and had no time for such frivolities.

    “As can be attested by Retired Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Prof. Wole Soyinka, acclaimed writer, and Prof. J. P. Clark, following our recent journey to Bayelsa, Dickson is doing a great job.

    “He is investing heavily in the education sector. He had declared a State of Emergency in Education since 2012.

    “So, the revolution taking place today with free education at both primary and secondary levels with free boarding and free uniforms are unprecedented.

    “With such footprints and other developmental strides, these stories of rift are deliberately intended at distracting him.

    “They are also meant to create tension in a state that is today adjudged as one of the most peaceful in the country.

    “All through our stay of about one week, no incident of security threat or violence was recorded.

    “Also during the period, PANDEF held its General Assembly, which was attended by over 150 delegates from across the Niger Delta Region.”

    Also, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed reports of a brewing political crisis in its Bayelsa State chapter. It also said there was no rift between Jonathan and Dickson.

    The party’s National Caretaker Chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said these while receiving the executive committee members of the Bayelsa State chapter of the party who paid a courtesy visit to the party’s national leadership in Abuja during the week.

    He warned the leadership of the party in the state against yielding to what he described as the antics of mischief-makers to avoid generating problems in the party.

    “Don’t allow yourself to be fragmented by rumours. Your executive has been ratified by the convention and that is final. There is no need to pander to rumours of an impending sack of the executive members. Immediately the rumours broke out, the former president called me to dismiss that rumours and he said there was no iota of truth in the said petition against the Bayelsa executives,” Makarfi said.

    Also the Chairman, Bayelsa State chapter of the party, Mr. Moses Cleopas, had said: “The former president is a respected national leader and we have been holding him in high esteem in Bayelsa as our father. The governor is our leader in the state and the two of them have been relating well.

    “There is no feud between Jonathan and Dickson. Some people are just envious of the peace in Bayelsa PDP.”

    Given the obvious difference between the verbal assurances of peace, it remains to be seen how the unfolding scenario will impact on the fortunes of Bayelsa PDP in the coming elections.

  • Dickson in U.S, demands support for Buhari on terrorism

    Dickson in U.S, demands support for Buhari on terrorism

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has called on international community to support the recent call by President Muhammadu Buhari for global collaboration against terrorism.

    A statement issued on Saturday by Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Agbo, said the governor spoke during an interactive session at the Convention of Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington DC. United States.

    Dickson, who was invited to deliver a speech at the convention, insisted that the international community must close ranks to tackle the problems of environmental pollution and terrorism.

    “He called for global support to tackle environmental pollution and the fight against terrorism.

    “The governor also urged the international community to heed President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for global collaboration against terrorism,” the statement said.

    Dickson said Bayelsa was the safest and most stable state in the Niger Delta region, adding that the state and the country were safe haven for investments.

    He said his administration had created a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and assured investors of high return on investments in the state.

    The statement also quoted the Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Sheila Jackson Lee, as commending Dickson for placing Bayelsa on the path of development, prosperity and peace.

     

     

  • Dickson urges Ijaw to insist on unity, peace

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has called on Ijaw people, groups and stakeholders to insist on unity and peace in the country.

    Dickson said instead of dissipating energies on divisive tendencies, they should address issues affecting them, such as underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment and environmental degradation.

    Speaking in the Government House, Yenagoa, while inaugurating his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, on Monday, the governor said he would promote Ijaw national interest.

    Dickson said his administration kept faith with its policy of integrating Ijaw sons and daughters through appointments and scholarship.

    He urged the Ijaw not to denigrate one another, particularly at a period the country is facing economic and security challenges.

    The governor promised more appointments to deserving Ijaw sons and daughters.

    Describing Soriwei as one of the best hands in the media, Dickson urged him to be a team player in the restoration government and build cordial relationships within and outside the government.

    Until his appointment, Soriwei, who hails from Arogbo Ijaw in Ondo State, was a sub-assistant editor at Punch, with 19 years experience in information management.

  • We ‘II make Bayelsa Dubai of Africa, says Dickson

    We ‘II make Bayelsa Dubai of Africa, says Dickson

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, in this interview with reporters in Yenagoa, the state capital, speaks on his passion for health, education, security and infrastructural development. He also speaks on plans  to conduct local government elections. MIKE ODIEGWU was there.

    Which projects have you completed and scheduled for commissioning?

    Our government is about mega life changing projects. In the area of education,  we have only officially commissioned the Ijaw National Academy. There are many schools we have built that are ready for commissioning. I believe the results should speak for us, but given the political terrain in which we operate, I think we need to showcase some of them. In the area of education, additional five  model secondary schools will be opened. These are areas where there were no boarding schools before I took over in 2012. That is why you should not have been surprised, if you had militants, criminality, drug addicts, and so on..

    We have the Sagbama Model Secondary Boarding School, also in Ekeremor that has been on for some months now. Brass and NNGS are also set. We have three in Kolga, the secondary school in Kiama, the one in Asuama that will be starting this month, and the Ijaw National Academy. In Yenagoa BDGS will start this September. The facilities in St. Jude’s are well known. We also have in Oporoma, southern Ijaw which came on stream quite a while ago  and very soon even the one in Okugbie will start. We have not even talked about the constituency boarding secondary schools that are ongoing with new facilities comparable to what you see in tertiary institutions.

    By all analysis, our state has the best public schools in this country and we are not done yet. So, I am not surprised that exam results are moving steadily up, the performance of pupils is moving quite remarkably. That is an indicator of the investment we are making and I want to appreciate all the teachers, all parents for their understanding and let me use this opportunity to call on all parents and guardian to take advantage of the enormous opportunity we have opened up for all the young people in our schools.

    Education in all these state boarding schools is free in all sense of it. The uniforms are provided by us, the books by us. We even feed them three times a day. I was told that a number of the children refused to go on vacation and opted to stay back because they are fed three times a day.

    We also have the best health care facilities in the state. And even in this recession, we are deepening our investment in that area. Even in this recession, we are pursuing  our infrastructural development program. The airport project is going on, mega roads are going on, we have concluded sand filling beyond Aleibiri; you can actually get to Aleibiri with Hilux. This is the Bayelsa we came to change.. We came prepared. We cannot say we have solved all problems, or that we will solve all problems at the end of eight years; it cannot be done.

    But, we have a lot of projects ready. The Igbogene bypass with two or more bridges, dualized has been completed. When I said we wanted to turn Bayelsa to the Dubai of Africa we meant exactly this. So, all the interventions are like a signature of the restoration Government. Unfortunately, the recession hit us barely one year into the second term.

    I was going to address most of these things within four years. Most people do not know that I was not keen on a second term.  That was why I started so many things and worked feverishly  to try and complete them, but then,  the recession came in. But we are committed  in the remainder of our tenure to ensure that Bayelsa is a better place by the time we round up.

    How can Bayelsa sustain these investments in the education sector, especially after your tenure?

    I am quite satisfied already with where we are, although this is not where we want to be. We want Bayelsa to be the number one in education, the center of excellence and we are working hard to lay that infrastructure. When we took over Bayelsa, our WAEC and NECO rating for 2012 was over 20. If we rated any better , it was considered a fluke or an accident not a product of  conscious investment.  But from that position, we moved to number six or seven last year I think and now this year we are number five.

    That is why we directed the compulsory summer camping program for the SS3 students. Our thinking is this, if we camp them together as we did for between four to six weeks and they are not out there playing and we bring in  the best teachers in all areas to  coach them, the results should show . In the Ijaw National Academy and most of our models schools, the laboratories we have are very good so they had exposure to practicals and the like. Our expectation is that with this, by next year when they take the competitive national exams Bayelsa will improve more. Our target is to be number one and we can make it because it is a product of conscious effort and nurturing.

    Sustainability is the reason we created the Education Development Trust Fund.  I think the fund has so far received close to N500m and that is commendable. So that as long as that fund is there and the managers are there and do their job which we believe they are doing well, the compulsory programs will go on until such a time that we would have developed that critical mass of enlightened educated people who can compete in what is becoming an increasingly competitive global world. That fund with the law that has established it will sustain this policy beyond this administration. That is why people should be interested in the policies of people who want to lead.

    We are building world class health care facilities. The diagnostics center is there; the whole country is coming to our diagnostics center. The specialist hospital by the government is free for the public. A 100-bed hospital, well equipped and run by competent professionals from outside and within the country. Two days ago, they carried out  surgery that was done in the Southsouth for the first time. We have a forensic lab. We are still investing. Every LGA must have a modern health care facility. This has so far been completed in about 5 or 6 different LGAs and by November, you will see that a number of these facilities have begun operating. We had a state where you didn’t have modern health care facilities, where our people who were sick had to be taken to neighbouring states. Bayelsa is on course.

    When can the student loan board be constituted for students to access  loans to pursue their academic dreams?

    Very soon, I will constitute that board and some funds will be made available. I give five percent of the IGR to Education Trust Fund every month, five percent to health insurance and I am thinking of putting some amount to the student’s higher education loan board. But the board will come up with their criteria, it is not everybody that will access it. You must be indigent and you must be doing well and they will work through banks. It is going to be a loan that they will take for 4 years. That loan is not free. It is meant to be a revolving fund to help our students access tertiary education.

    When will the state government conduct local government elections in the state?

    Since we took over, no deduction has been authorised by me in respect of funds coming to councils. I do not even know how much they get. In this state we have local government autonomy. We didn’t dissolve the local government system we met in place. We wanted to conduct election showing we respect the autonomy of councils, especially in the area of respecting their finances. We constantly encourage them to  be transparent, hold transparency briefings, and inform their people about their income and expenditure, to judiciously utilise their resources and we give them some policy guidelines. Because of the recession, states are finding it difficult to muster the resources to conduct local council elections. These local council elections run into millions. So, it is a very expensive exercise. We are told the country has gone out of recession, or is trying to come out of recession. We haven’t seen or felt it yet but we believe and pray that is so. If our revenue improves by next year we willlove to have local council elections.

    What efforts are you making to assist the staff of the local government, in terms of teachers’ welfare and the backlog of salaries?

    It is a very pathetic situation. It is not just in Bayelsa, but across the country. It is a fall out of the recession. In my first tenure, you did not hear of such challenges, until the country went into deep recession. Every money we get comes from the Federal Government apart from the IGR which when I started was about N60m, but which we managed to raise to N500m on the average. The rest comes from the Federal Government which they get from selling crude oil and if people do not buy crude oil as a state we are affected. A states like Lagos is out of it because they are fully developed, people pay tax, run a modern organized economy but Bayelsa is not on that self sustainable level. Even, if we produce the oil, it is not owned or managed by us.

    The number of these people you are saying are local government workers is actually few.  80% are workers in name only because they had appointment letters and receive salaries and not because they go to work. When the economy was robust their wage bill was about N160m. Now, they are receiving about N90m, how do you expect them to meet up? That is why I tell people to take responsibility, to stop payroll fraud in the local government areas. If we take out all those that are working in more than one ministry or in the local government system and the state civil service system, all these fraudulent payrolls in Bayelsa there will not be much challenge. The responsibility lies with the stakeholders. Some of the stake holders of the local governments are doing well. I want to address most of these reforms before my term runs out.

    We are trying to get proper records. We have been compiling a number of data; they were not even keeping records. Before 2012 they were not keeping real records in the state.

    I am very impressed at the few dedicated teachers we have and the ones who are not dedicated I will deal with them. You will see the reforms taking place. We have been quietly collating names. The union leaders should please listen to me. We will not be intimidated; we will do what is right.

    What effort are you making to renovate the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium?

    I received certain assurances from the contractors just last week because we are as concerned as everybody else. We are paying them money that is left to enable them put that place to use. And they have assured me that they will be done before the end of this year. They had challenges with fluctuation in currency. We are looking beyond the Samson Siasia Stadium. We are looking at focusing on the sports academy by next year.

    Could you shed more light on the effort your administration is putting into the ‘Light up Bayelsa’ project?

    The government has made a lot of investment in electrification. Now a lot of communities around Yenagoa are connected to the national grid, and we still want to link up so many others. Amassoma for example is linked to the national grid. We had to do electrification in Sampou. Sagbama to Ofoni is all electrified, connected to the national grid. We want to do more and so we are working with Agip. Right now they are erecting a number of poles going to Nembe from Imiringi gas turbine. This could have been done several decades ago but we want to accomplish it if possible before the end of December. We are working hard. It may not be with the speed we want because of funding constraints but operation light up Bayelsa is on course and I have directed the ministry of power so that they can get a date when we will go and commission the projects in order to create awareness.

    We are working with our partners and I want to thank Agip. Very soon, we will formally unveil the content of collaboration with the IOCs whereby we are thinking of generating up to 50mws of power between now and next year so that we can call on the investing public and manufacturers to come to Bayelsa. We also have plans to power our airport.

    Is there any plan to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the creation of this state?

    There are no elaborate plans.  Instead of throwing money around, we will use that money to build one primary school or it will help to complete one secondary school or pay for the education of our children. That is one legacy I care about..  The days of frivolities have ended and we are going to do our best. We still have a long way to go.

    We want to use this opportunity to thank our people for their prayers and support. Our state is very much on course. Our state is stable and calm. All organs are doing their best to move the state forward. As leader of the team, I am doing my best to motivate my team members. You have all seen the programmes we have; these are the reasons I ran for governor and these are the reasons you supported our re-election and you are seeing the benefits.

    Support your government, support your state so that we can carry out this revolution till the end. We have two more years to go and in spite of the recession, we will try our best to conclude our programmes and policies. With the economy, we cannot take anything new, except minor things. And we will deliver a new and better Bayelsa.

  • Bayelsa creates over 7, 000 jobs in 5 years — Dickson

    Bayelsa creates over 7, 000 jobs in 5 years — Dickson

    The Bayelsa Government said on Thursday in Yenagoa that it created over 7,000 direct and indirect jobs through the release of N1.88 billion loan to Small and Medium-scale to entrepreneurs and cooperatives.

    Gov Seriake Dickson stated this at the 2017 African SME EXPO with the theme `Promoting SMEs for sustainable development and economic growth’.

    Dickson, represented by his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd), said that his administration achieved the feat in partnership with the Bank of Industry and other relevant agencies.

    He said that the initiative enhanced the growth of SMEs with direct impact on the economic growth of the state.

    Dickson said that In furtherance to his commitment on job creation and empowerment of the teeming youths in the state, the government was also negotiating for a N2 billion Micro, Small and Medium Scale (MSME) Enterprenuership loan.

    He explained that in 2015, the government launched Izon Microfinance Bank to provide small businesses and serious minded entrepreneurs with access to capital.

    “This is important for us because funding is crucial, if people are to innovate and think outside the box.

    “We have achieved so much since the commencement of the Microfinance Bank, especially because the bank, with support provided by CBN and other funding partners, has supported women groups and cooperatives in the state to venture on their own.”

    Describing SMEs as panacea for the growth of the local economy, Dickson stressed the need for the promotion of locally made goods and as well as simplifying business registration process.

    “We need to deliberate in strengthening the existing institutions as in the Bayelsa example, where there is a law that one per cent of the annual state budget is released to the Bayelsa State Microfinance and Enterprises Development Agency for SME development yearly.

    “We must simplify the registration processes for businesses and encourage their migration from the informal to the formal sector through regulation and proper monitoring.

    “As leaders and opinion shapers, we need to encourage technology diffusion through value chain processes and establish priority sectors for local investment,” the governor said.

    Dickson recommended tax incentives for priority sectors, saying that it is a means of boosting local production.

    In addition, he advocated for training and incentives for the utilization of local production resources for SMEs that establish operations in certain designated areas.

    Dickson said the gains of his administration included the 60 tonnes per day Cassava starch factory at Ebedebiri in Sagbama that is linked with the cultivation of a 100-hectare cassava farm.

    “Our Aquaculture village at Yenegwe in Yenagoa, with fish processing complex capacity of 7.5 tonness per batch, 20 tonnes per day feedmill, 500 non-earthen ponds capable of accommodating 700 fishes, hatchery with six million fingerlings per animals.

    “Our plans, in collaboration with the Federal Government over the the Peremabiri Rice farms/mills in Southern Ijaw, is also one of the largest in Africa with a huge capacity that has started.

    “With that in mind, the construction of a 3.5 Kms run away Cargo Airport is under way in Bayelsa,” Dickson said.

    In his contribution Dr. Ebiekure Eradiri, the Director-General, Bayelsa State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, applauded Dickson’s vision and support for the MSMEs sub-sector.

    Eradiri said that that since Dickson took over the mantle of leadership in the state in 2012, he has been of tremendous support to the scheme.

    He stated that the Africa SME Expo event had increased the perspective and that the Agency was willing to pursue vigorously its mandate to achieve its cardinal projects on fund recovery, job creation and wealth creation for Bayelsa.

  • Makarfi: No rift between Jonathan, Dickson

    Makarfi: No rift between Jonathan, Dickson

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarfi has dismissed the alleged rift between former President Goodluck Jonathan and Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson.

    Makarfi made the clarification yesterday while receiving the party’s Executive Committee members of the Bayelsa chapter of the PDP at the party’s Abuja secretariat.

    Media reports indicated that the alleged rift between Jonathan and Dickson was threatening the stability of the Bayelsa State chapter of the PDP.

    Makarfi told the Bayelsa delegation that he had discussed the alleged rift with Jonathan and that the former President had assured him that the reports were the handiwork of mischief-makers for the purpose of creating crisis in the chapter.

    The party chairman warned the chapter’s leadership against yielding to the antics mischief-makers, who he said, were out to distabilise the party.

    Makarfi said: “Don’t allow yourselves to be fragmented by rumours. Your executive has been ratified by the convention and that is final. There is no need to pander to rumour of an impending sack of your executive.”

    The party chairman, however, admitted that a certain group of people filed a petition against the Bayelsa State Governor and the executive committee of the state chapter, but that he had dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

    “Immediately the rumour broke out, the former President called me to dismiss that rumour and he said there was no iota of truth in the said petition against the Bayesla executive,” Makarfi said.

    Chairman of the Bayelsa chapter, Mr. Moses Cleopas, described Jonathan as a respected national leader, who is held in high esteem by the people.

    “The governor is our leader in the state and the two of them have been relating well. There is no feud between Jonathan and Dickson. I can confirm that. Some people are just envious of the peace in Bayelsa PDP,” Cleopas said.

  • Dickson:only my team can win polls in Bayelsa

    Dickson:only my team can win polls in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Governor  Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, vowed that only his Restoration Team of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could win elections in the state.

    The governor spoke at the headquarters of the party in Yenagoa when the PDP Chairman, Moses Cleopas, inaugurated a 10-member Contact and Mobilisation Committee, with a mandate to reach out to its former members, who were said to be  making moves to return to the party.

    Dickson said: “There is no political tendency in this state, nobody that can defeat this team in any election in this state. This is the only winning side.”

  • Dickson moves to reconcile aggrieved PDP members in Bayelsa

    Dickson moves to reconcile aggrieved PDP members in Bayelsa

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Saturday inaugurated a committee to reconcile aggrieved members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    Speaking at the occasion, the governor urged the committee to ensure all members that defected to other political parties returned to the PDP.

    He said: “We will receive our returnees with open arms.

    “PDP is the only political party that will ever rule in this state, as far as politics is concerned.”

    He said the committee should strive to bring peace and unity to the party in Bayelsa.

    Dickson lauded the state Chairman of the party, Mr. Wilson Cleopas, for his role in finding a lasting solution to the challenges of the party.

    The governor urged Bayelsa people to shun acts of violence during and after elections.

    In his remarks, Cleopas urged the committee headed by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Mr. Fineman Wilson, not to betray the confidence reposed in it.

    NAN

  • Dickson urges police, Misau to stop feud

    Dickson urges police, Misau to stop feud

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has urged the police and Senator Isa Misau to end their feud over allegations of corruption.

    He spoke yesterday when he resumed duty after his vacation.

    Dickson said the allegations were unhealthy to the image of the senator and the police.

    Misau, who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, alleged that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, received gratifications from police commissioners and corporate organisations.

    The police responded by declaring the senator a deserter for allegedly leaving the force to contest an election without following due process or getting the right permission.

    But, Dickson expressed concern over the controversy, which, he said, was capable of ridiculing public institutions by portraying the Senate and the police in bad light.

    Describing the two institutions as critical and sacred, the governor insisted that such crisis of confidence could undermine the police and the Senate.

    Calling on Misau to withdraw his allegations against the police, the governor also asked the police to restrain from making further statements on the matter or taking further action against the senator.

    The governor observed that the police had many problems that required the support of stakeholders, including serving and former officers.

    He said such support would help motivate policemen and officers, “who are underfunded but are doing a difficult job in a difficult situation to safeguard the country”.

    Dickson, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, confirmed that he had returned from his vacation after enjoying deserved rest and attending to personal matters.

    The statement said the governor as required by law had transmitted a letter to the State House of Assembly through the Speaker, Konbowei Benson, to notify the lawmakers of his resumption.