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Tag: Dickson

  • Bayelsa teachers suspend strike as Dickson releases N300m

    Bayelsa teachers suspend strike as Dickson releases N300m

    Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigeria Union Teachers (NUT) yesterday called off its strike.

    It directed primary school teachers to resume academic activities.

    The union said it stopped the strike, following the release of N300 million by Governor Seriake Dickson to augment the payment of primary school teachers in the local government areas.

    A statement by its Chairman Kalaama John Tonpre and Secretary Johnson Hector expressed appreciation to the state government for its gesture, which it said would alleviate their plight.

    Others who endorsed the statement are: the Chairmen of five local areas, including the Vice-Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kuroghofa Walter Benwari and its Secretary, Ebiango Egain.

    The resolution to stop the strike, the union said, was reached after deliberations between the various local government and executive committee of the NUT in Yenagoa.

    The NUT hailed the state government for its financial assistance and resolved that local government areas would facilitate the payment of February salaries to teachers.

    The statement added that no teacher would be victimised by any local government area for participating in the strike.

    It said other issues raised by the NUT would be subsequently addressed.

  • Nobody can separate Jonathan from Dickson, says PDP

    Nobody can separate Jonathan from Dickson, says PDP

    The Bayelsa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said despite the efforts of those it called mischief makers, former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson remained inseparable.

    The party said the plot by “enemies of the state” to cause disaffection between Jonathan and Dickson was dead on arrival.

    In a statement in Yenagoa, the state capital, PDP’s state chairman, Sir Cleopas Moses, frowned at the negative interpretation of “Dickson’s patriotic statement” during the 2017 Isaac Boro Day celebration.

    He said the governor’s statement was being misinterpreted by those he called troublemakers, those he said were bent on destroying the cordial and enviable relationship between Dickson and Jonathan.

    Referring to Jonathan as PDP’s leader, Moses noted that Dickson’s unalloyed loyalty and respect for the former President remained intact.

    He said: “The governor’s remark was purely aimed at calling on Bayelsa indigenes holding public offices within and outside the state to work together and bring meaningful development to the state through effective collaboration with the state government for the collective good of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation.”

    Moses ýurged party members and the public to disregard the antics of those he called self-seeking politicians and armchair commentators.

     

  • Group carpets Dickson over comments on Jonathan’s Presidency

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the South-South League group has described as a shock a statement credited to Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, where he described former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as a waste to the Ijaw nation.

    The group spoke in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday and signed by its Delta State Chairman, Barr. Ariolu Tebidapa and its Akwa Ibom state Secretary, Akpan Ibibio.

    The group in the statement titled: “Apology to his excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR,” described Governor Dickson’s statement as a betrayal of trust and an insult on the personality of the former president.

    It also described the governor’s comments as a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to ridicule Jonathan considering his achievements across the country.

    The statement reminded governor Dickson that Jonathan was the President of Nigeria and not a president of Niger Delta region.

    The statement said: “We were swept off our feet with shock in the wake of a recent comment credited to no other person than your own State Governor, His Excellency Governor Dickson, saying that ‘your six years at the Presidency was a waste to the Niger Delta region.’

    “This we consider as a betrayal of trust and an insult on your person considering that this is a misrepresentation of facts and an attempt to ridicule you considering your achievements nationwide and as one who was President of Nigeria and not a regional President.

    “Those who has refused to invest the opportunity which you have given to them has failed to develop their states and cannot even pay salaries. They are the one today calling you names and blaming you for their failure even with the enormous resources at their disposal,” the group said.
    The group pleaded with Jonathan to ignore the comments of the governor and stand up for the party to overcome its current challenges.
    The group also advised Dickson to blame himself and not the former President for his current woes.

    “We plead with you (Jonathan) as a leader and father not to join issues with him but rather forgive him in case he (Dickson) comes like the ‘prodigal son’ because we have always known you for your large-hearted nature.

    “Now that you are back home to settle accounts, we can see other governors giving good accounts of their stewardship, inviting you to commission projects and paying salaries up to date without complaints.

    “As we all know, this period has never been the best of time for our party, so we should be mindful of black legs who may want to create further disaffection within the party in order to achieve their selfish agenda of selling our party to the ruling party at the centre.

    “Finally sir, you (Jonathan) are a great son of our region and we can’t sit and watch anybody insult you, no matter how highly placed the person or people could be because you are our hero,” the statement added.

  • Dickson’s bag of honours for Boroh

    The late Major Isaac Adaka Boroh resurrected again this year. Boroh is remembered May 16th of every year. The celebration, which took place on Tuesday, was a memorable event especially for the family members of the dead hero.

    Esther, the first daughter of Boroh, the wife of the late hero and others, who gathered at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, to mark the momentous day, gave Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson a standing ovation.

    The governor reinstated the monthly allowances his administration has been paying to the Boroh’s family and other Ijaw compatriots. Dickson started paying the allowances in his first tenure as a governor, but suspended them following the economic recession that hit the early months of his second tenure. But the governor has brought the grooves back.

    Dickson has also given priority to Kolokuma-Opokuma, the local government area of the late hero, in his projects.

    He took a road to Boroh’s Town, created in the council in honour of the late Ijaw hero, after many years of neglect. The governor sited one of his most enduring legacies in education, the Ijaw Academy, in Kaiama, the community of the late Boroh. It is an academic institution with boarding facilities designed to offer free education to Ijaw pupils. Dickson also built the Youth Development Centre in the council.

    In fact, the Paramount Ruler of Kolokuma-Opokuma, King Mosi Agara, named the governor, the Adaka 2nd for stepping into Boroh’s shoes. The traditional ruler  said Dickson was the first leader, who went through a rigorous process, to bring back the remains of Boroh from Ikoyi Cemetery to the Heroes Park, a special place he dedicated in Yenagoa for burials of distinguished late Ijaw leaders.

    The traditional ruler eulogised the governor for naming the Bayelsa College of Education in Sagabma Local Government Area  after Adaka Boroh.

    Also, Esther, the daughter of the late hero, poured encomiums on the governor for bringing back in action Boroh’s memories. She said the governor saw the need to build a road to Boroh’s town, skill acquisition centre in Kaiama and the NYSC permanent orientation camp.

    She appealed to the youths to desist from vandalism of oil installations and destruction of the environment, saying such actions defeated the true essence of Boroh. Instead, he said youths should help the governor develop and move the stage forward.

    The people, who gathered for the celebration were also thrilled for the adjustments and other pronouncements the governor made in the spirits of Boroh. Henceforth, the celebrations will be held in schools. Teachers trained on Ijaw Language by his government are hereby given immediate employment. Ijaw anthem to be launched soon and the first Ijaw International Conference to be held outside Nigeria.

    Dickson said: “Beginning this year, the government of Bayelsa State as part of our policy of taking Bayelsa and Ijaw nation to the world, will be sponsoring the first ever World Ijaw International Conference outside the shores of Nigeria to sensitise the world about the Ijaw condition”.

    The governor seized the opportunity to speak hard truth to the Ijaw.

    He said: “For those of you who think that you have a Bayelsa that exist only to fill your pockets, think again. For those of you, who think that this state only exist to satisfy the greed and avarice of the elites and few people, think again.

    “For those of you who are civil servants who think that this state exist to fill your pockets without you doing your duties by going to work, where 43,000 or 45,000 of you in the state in a population of close to three million will think that everything we receive in this state should be channeled towards you even without doing your work, think again.

    “For those of you who connive and perpetrate fraud on our state at every level, think again. Isaac Boro and persons who fought beside him believe in the wellbeing and welfare of their people not themselves. They stood trial, were convicted and sentenced to death and later granted pardon. They later came to fight for our liberation and they died.

    “As we speak, we have a thousand young Boroh’s being incubated. We took them from their parents. They are there fed by the state, clothed by the state and accommodated by the state with books and other materials provided by the state. By Friday this week (today) another set of five boarding schools are starting in Bayelsa. That is the way to carry out the dreams of Boroh”.

    The governor, his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) and other dignitaries laid wreaths in honour of Boroh.

    In their goodwill messages, the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, Alfred Diete-Spiff and the chairman of the Bayelsa Elders Forum, Chief Francis Doukpola said Boro lived and died for what he believed in.

  • Dickson to parents: let your children attend school

    Dickson to parents: let your children attend school

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson yesterday urged parents to allow their children benefit from his government’s efforts in the Education sector.

    He decried the attitude of some parents towards the education of their children, saying it was a setback to his administration’s efforts in the sector.

    The governor spoke at the opening of 76th Bayelsa State Executive Council (SEC) meeting in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Dickson said it was time to correct such anomaly in order to produce more educated Bayelsa indigenes.

    Reacting to preliminary reports of poor enrolment of pupils in the compulsory boarding school, which started in four schools last Sunday, the governor said parents should teach their children the value of education.

    THe said: “What most Bayelsans are interested in is how to buy big cars and live in big houses. But the education of their children, which is very important, they don’t take it serious. We really have to change that.

    “We have spent over N50 billion in the last five years to deliver the most comprehensive and robust educational infrastructure designed to empower our children to become agents of change for a better society.

    “We have built modern secondary schools with boarding facilities across the state, built from scratch by the Restoration Government and fully equipped with science laboratories and modern facilities required in 21st century learning.

    “Each of the schools can accommodate a student population of over 400 with free tuition, free textbooks, free feeding and free uniform.

    “Everything has been provided free because we want to incubate and nurture these children, instil discipline, create the value standard and raise academic excellence so that they we can have a new generation of leaders with a totally different mindset that will enable them achieve economic success and live more satisfying lives.”

    Dickson said the Education Trust Fund (ETF) had started, adding that his administration was serious about building a new generation of future leaders who will take over the state and consolidate on the gains he had made.

  • Ijaw wasted six years in Presidency – Dickson

    Ijaw wasted six years in Presidency – Dickson

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, on Tuesday regretted the six years administration of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, describing the period as a wasted opportunity for the Ijaws.

    Dickson said ministers and other presidential aides from Bayelsa were after selfish interests, thus losing the unique opportunity of attracting development to their domains.

    The governor spoke at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, where handful of Ijaw leaders and youths gathered for the annual celebration of their hero, Major Adaka Boroh, who fought and died for the Ijaw struggle for self determination.

    Dickson led his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) and members of his cabinet to the event.

    Also at the event were former Military Administrator of old Rivers State and King of Twon Brass, Alfred Diette-Spiff; wife, daughter, other family members of the late Boroh and some traditional rulers.

    For the first time in many years, the two leading Ijaw groups, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) played no role at the event because of leadership crisis ravaging them.

    Speaking before laying wreaths at the tomb of Boroh in the Heroes’ Park, Dickson recalled that the persons who served in the Presidency for six years failed to work with him in the quest to bring development to the state.

    Instead, he said they were preoccupied with “devilish plot” of unseating him and installing another governor in his stead.

    “They suffered from the Bayelsa-Ijaw disease of pulling-him-down syndrome,” Dickson said.

    The governor lamented that similar scenario was playing out in the current administration at the federal level, where ministers and aides from the state had refused to use their positions to assist his government’s developmental efforts.

    He added: “It is true that we are celebrating Boroh, but ask yourself whether you are doing your bit. Boroh came, saw and did his bit and has gone. I and my team have come and we have taken up the battle from where Boroh stopped and we are doing our duties.

    “Each of us must examine ourselves and to be frank we have not done very serious examination in this state and in the Ijaw nation. We cannot blame God. God has been very merciful and kind to us particularly of late.”

  • Dickson vows to end teachers’ plight

    The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has pledged to end plight of primary school teachers, including issues surrounding their backlog of unpaid salaries.

    The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, in a statement issued on behalf of the state government, said the governor had demonstrated his zeal to permanently tackle the problem by setting up a committee to resolve the crisis.

    He said the governor had also ordered immediate release of funds to augment the payment of the teachers’ February salaries.

    Obuebite said an agreement had been reached between the government’s team and the State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT).

    He said that Dickson was not happy with recurrent issues of non-payment of teachers’ salaries and had decided to work with the local government councils to permanently address the problem.

  • Dickson, Bayelsa mourn first military administrator Ayeni

    Dickson, Bayelsa mourn first military administrator Ayeni

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson and eminent residents have mourned the state’s first Military Administrator, Navy Capt. Philip Ayeni.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor condoled with the family, the government and people of Ekiti State on Ayeni’s death.

    The late Ayeni, who was the pioneer military administrator when Bayelsa was created by the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha in October, 1996, died last Thursday after a protracted illness.

    Dickson described Ayeni’s death as untimely, painful and devastating.

    The governor said it happened when the state was beginning to reap the benefits of the policies he initiated when he was the administrator.

    He said though the tenure of Ayeni was cut short by his health challenges, the governor noted that the late administrator meant well for Bayelsa State and put the state on a sound, progressive and worthy pedestal.

    Dickson said successive administrations built on the plans, policies and programmes of Ayeni to give Bayelsa its pride of place.

    The governor said in appreciation of his pacesetting roles and sacrifices, the state government recently built, furnished and presented a befitting residential apartment for Ayeni at his country home in Ekiti State.

    He said: “To us in Bayelsa State, Retired Navy Captain Philip Ayeni remains one of our heroes, because it takes a lot of courage, sacrifice, commitment and genuine love for a people to be able do the little he did at the time.

    “From the available facts and records, he would have done a lot more but for the health challenges that abruptly ended his tenure. Clearly, his good intentions too for our state were obvious.

    “So, for a such a leader and personality, my government, and indeed the people of Bayelsa State, will stand shoulder to shoulder with his family and the government and the people of Ekiti State.”

    Dickson said the beautiful and wonderful story of Bayelsa State would never be complete without the pioneering legacies and efforts of Ayeni.

    The governor said the government and people of the state would remain grateful to him.

    He assured the government and people of Ekiti State of the continued support of Bayelsa indigenes.

    The governor prayed God to guide, protect and strengthen the deceased family.

  • Dickson signs N243.2b Appropriation Bill into law

    Dickson signs N243.2b Appropriation Bill into law

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has signed this year’s N243.2 billion Appropriation Bill and the Educational Development Trust Fund Amendment Bill into law.
    A statement yesterday in Yenagoa, the state capital, quoted Dickson as saying the budget, tagged: Budget of Repositioning for Consolidation, was put together to complete various projects across the state.
    The governor said N111 billion was appropriated for capital projects.
    He urged ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to adhere to the implementation guidelines of the budget.
    Dickson advised the ministries to fast-track the award of contracts, adding that his administration was committed to completing most of the projects and programmes this year.
    The governor said recurrent expenditures, such as salaries, pensions, gratuities and overhead, would gulp the balance of the budget.
    He hailed workers for their understanding and patience, saying the government was working out modalities on how to settle their salary arrears.
    On the Educational Development Trust Fund (EDTF), Dickson said the law was amended to include the elevation of the secretary of the board to the level of a director in the public service, among others.
    Presenting the bills, House of Assembly Speaker Benson Konbowei said of the N243.2 billion, personnel expenditure, including gratuities and pensions, was allocated N52.5 billion.
    The Speaker said consolidated revenue funds stood at N14 million, bringing the total to N66.7 billion.
    He said N40.8 billion was for overhead cost, while N24 billion was allocated to Cash on Transfer (COT), Value Added Tax (VAT) deductions and other financial consultancy services.
    Konbowei added that N88.1 billion will be expended on capital expenditure while other aspects of capital project funds are to take N23 billion, bringing the total to over N111 billion.

  • Tambuwal, Dickson, Gwarzo, others bag degrees from Maryam Abacha University

    Tambuwal, Dickson, Gwarzo, others bag degrees from Maryam Abacha University

    Sokoto state Governor, Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo were among prominent Nigerians conferred with honourary doctorate degrees (Honoris Causa), during the maiden convocation of the Maryam Abacha American University of Niger Republic (MAAUN) in Maradi.

    Others who got the honour include Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, Governor of Maradi in Niger Republic, Zakari Oomarou and Katsina State Governor’s wife, Hajiya Khadija Aminu Bello Masari.

    Senator Gwarzo was honoured with doctorate degree.

    He served in the Senate consecutive four times before 2015.

    According to the president and founder of the University, Dr.  Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo, those honoured were recognized for their contributions to the development of education and humanity.

    “We honoured these personalities for their contributions to the development of their societies especially in the field of education.

    “The University honoured Governor Dickson with a Doctorate Degree in International Relations, while Hajiya Khadija Masari was honoured with a Doctorate Degree in Public Administration.

    “The University also honoured the Governor of Maradi State in Niger Republic, Zakari Oomarou with a Doctorate Degree in Human Capital Development and Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo with Doctor of letters Honoris causa,” he added.