The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Governor Seriake Dickson

  • Community leaders partner Dickson’s aide to end insecurity

    Enough of this violence. That was the expression on the lips of grassroots leaders from Ogbia, the Local Government Area of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in Bayelsa State, when they visited Yenagoa, the state capital, recently.

    The Community Development Committee (CDC) chairmen from Ogbia were at the Information House to visit one of the illustrious sons of Ogbia and Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson.

    They had followed up the activities of Iworiso-Markson in Ogbia and they were convinced that the commissioner is genuinely interested in the development of the council. He has been preaching the unity of Ogbia and sponsoring programmes and projects aimed at restoring peace, unity and progress of the council in line with the body language of his boss, Governor Seriake Dickson.

    In Iworiso-Markson, they found a dependable ally, a friend and a leader for the Ogbia rebirth. Having been jolted by series of violence in their domains, the CDC leaders decided to meet with their kinsman to find lasting solutions to the problems.

    They were unhappy that a council hitherto known for peace was gradually sliding into violence and confusion. They traced their current crisis on persons, who masqueraded as their leaders but only protected their selfish interests. It was time for a crop of new leadership powered by Dickson’s Restoration Government to emerge and the commissioner has shown the required character and attitude.

    As their name implies, the CDC plays crucial roles in the development of each community in a local government area. Every community in Bayelsa has a CDC leadership that oversees and coordinates the activities of the community. It is the eye and the messenger, which acts as a go-in-between for the community.

    So, the meeting that held in Yenagoa between all the CDC chairmen in Ogbia and Iworiso-Markson was key to the eventual resolution of the problems in the council. The community leaders first pledged their support for the administration of Dickson, describing the governor as a righteous man, whose government brought joy to their council,

    The Chairman of CDC chairmen, Chief Sylvanus Egele, said the governor had done well in education, health, agriculture and infrastructure. He referred to the airport projects, senatorial road projects, Agge Deep Sea Port, flyover, sports academy, Ijaw National Academy, boarding schools and others as the key achievements of Dickson.

    “We have vowed from this day to partner with the Restoration Government to move Bayelsa State forward”, he said.

    He, however, lamented the recent insecurity in Ogbia such as armed robberies, kidnapping, cultism, piracy, killings among others and sympathised with the families of policemen murdered at Ogbia Town waterfront by unknown gunmen.

    He said: “This body had, therefore, unanimously decided to walk closely with all security agents to fish out all suspected criminals from all our communities and hand them over to government for possible prosecution”.

    Iworiso-Markson said he was humbled by the visit and promised to channel some of the demands of the chairmen and their goodwill message to the governor.

    But he said: “The security of Ogbia is very paramount. Security is key. To drive to Ogbia town now, you need personal security. But that is not who we are. We are peaceful people.

    “For more than 50 years, they carried out exploration of oil activities in our communities, we cooperated with them. Not one day did we hear that any of the oil workers were kidnapped in Ogbia land.

    “Out of that same land they took oil that built bridges in cities across the country but neglected us. Yet we didn’t do anything. We remained peaceful and we have continued to remain peaceful.

    “So, it is a source of concern to some of us who are from that area that the peace that we want seems to be evading us. There are some people coming to create insecurity in our community. We must not allow it. You are CDC chairmen and you have a duty to protect our kingdom.

    “We have the duty to maintain the peace in Ogbia. I want to work with you to ensure there is peace. I am tired of the report we are getting from Ogbia kingdom. I know all of you are tired. We want to live in a place where there is peace.

    “It is when you have peace and security that development can come. If Ogbia is not peaceful, people will not come. This security challenges must stop and you need to make it possible.

    “I am very concerned about the peace and development of Ogbia more than anything else. It is a must that we develop Ogbia. Nobody can develop Ogbia apart from us”.

    He insisted that the council would not develop in disunity and urged the people to shun divisive tendencies, which he said were propelled by greed and selfishness.

  • How Dickson spent N50b on health sector

    How Dickson spent N50b on health sector

    How did the Governor Seriake Dickson-led administration justify about N50bn it had so far spent in Bayelsa State’s health sector? The question hung in the lips of stakeholders, who recently trooped to the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Youth groups, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), students, women, traditional rulers, labour unions and journalists were among the stakeholders, who came to hear explanations on how Governor Seriake Dickson spent N50 billion on the health sector. They came out prepared for a visual tour of health projects and facilities executed and built so far by Dickson and his Restoration Cabinet.

    The tour guide was Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu. He is a professor of medicine and Commissioner for Health. Most people believe that Etebu’s appointment underscored Dickson’s seriousness in repositioning the health sector. With numerous requisite credentials, Etebu, who was a former Chief Medical Director (CMD), Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yenagoa, is seen as a round peg in a round hole.

    Armed with files and electronic devices, Etebu wasted no time to arrive the venue. Like a pilot, he hit the runway and took off with his curious tourists. His first port of call was the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre (BDC) at the heart of Yenagoa. The tourists were greeted by impressive sight. Some of them did not know that such state-of-the-art health facility exist in Bayelsa.

    Indeed, they confirmed BDC as a complete suite of multi-billion naira diagnostic solution. It has dazzling and eye-catching modern medical installations and 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 2017.

    In fact, the 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 centre is designed with the capacity for telemedicine.

    The stakeholders were dazzled. But what they saw was a tip of the iceberg. Etebu took them to the Bayelsa Specialist Hospital. Little did some of them know that what they used to know as the Government Clinic had been upgraded, expanded and transformed into a full-fledged specialist hospital. It is now open to members of the public.

    The proximity of the specialist hospital to the Bayelsa State Diagnostic Centre gives the state the confidence of having a complete medical solution. Combined with the diagnostics centre, the hospital has been saving lives.

    Addressing his audience on the significance of the diagnostic centre and specialist hospital, Etebu said: “The Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre in Yenagoa, is a major facility of world-class standard. People are beginning to use it, saving lives, hundreds and thousands of lives, with early diagnosis.

    “That is a modern diagnostic centre, one of the best in the country. People now come from Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and many other states to Bayelsa for diagnosis. It was built, equipped and handed over to American specialists to run it for efficiency.

    “It is the same thing government did to the Specialist Hospital at the Government House. It used to be Government House clinic, but Governor Dickson felt what is good for the governor, deputy governor, and their families must be good enough for all Bayelsans. That was how it was expanded with a public wing, fully equipped.

    “You cannot find the equipment they have there, with the personnel anywhere else. They have installed telemedicine facilities, which means you can communicate with doctors from abroad right there, they can even direct an operation from where they are in America or London. That is the investment the Restoration government has made in Bayelsa State.”

    On that visual tour, Etebu took the stakeholders round modern hospitals springing up in all the local government areas of the state. He said healthcare had improved significantly under Dickson. Hitherto, Bayelsa could not boast of modern hospitals. Residents travelled to nearby states to access their health facilities.

    “But all that have now changed. In Brass we have a modern one there. We have completed the one for Ekeremor, ready for furnishing and take off; we have completed the one for Sagbama, ready for furnishing and take off.

    “Same for Kolokuma/Opokuma, Oporoma and now completing the one for Ogbia  in spite of some initial delay. Governor Dickson has also directed that another one be built in Nembe, making it two for use there”, he said.

    Etebu boasted of another ambitious health project of the governor.

    “The government is doing more,”he said, “before the end of December 2018, every ward will have a functional health centre, equipped with quarters where nurses and doctors will stay”.

    To ensure quality healthcare for people in the state, he told the stakeholders that the government established a Health Insurance Scheme (HIS) with Dicksoncare project factored into it. He said the scheme had made healthcare affordable in the state.

    “The health insurance scheme recorded over 300,000 people with the one man, wife and four children approach. The governor has also approved 5 per cent of our the Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) for ‘Dicksoncare’”, he said.

    The professor later redirected the tour. He took his audience to a project Dickson initiated in his first term and later completed. It is the Drug Mart, a quality control centre for all drugs brought into the centre. It was designed as a clearing house to eliminate fake drugs in the state. In fact, its foundation was laid by the late fake drug czar, Prof. Dora Akunyili.

    “To ensure that that fake drugs do not compound the health situations of our people, government built the drug mart and Bayelsa pharmaceutical centre, ready for commissioning.

    “It has already started working and there are not many states that have that. Everything we have put together, everything we have been working on, is targeted to cover an area of lack in our state,” he said.

    Etebu shocked pregnant women in the state with good news.

    He said: “This year, government is coming up with a policy for our pregnant women. From the month a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes government property. She will be registered and taken care of. Women who are pregnant can confirm their pregnancy and put on a special allowance; we then register them to have their data so that we can monitor.

    “If anyone has any challenge, we know and we can deal with it.”

    Indeed, persons, who embarked on the visual tour were happy. They said with what they had seen on ground, the government has justified its expenditure in the health sector.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who initiated the tour, gave further insight on the motive behind the investments in the health sector. He said the investment had curtailed capital flight in the state.

    He said: “The facilities we have in our state are comparable to anyone outside the country. Professionals from the USA have also been brought into the state to man these facilities. The whole idea is to create medical tourism in Bayelsa.

    “By the time this administration completes its programme on health, this state will be the hub of medical tourism. We are replicating quality health delivery across the state. The government is building general hospitals in each of the eight local government in the state.”

    The stakeholders, who participated in the visual tour had their questions answered by Etebu. They insisted that Dickson had justified the massive investment in the sector. But like Oliver Twist, they want more.

     

  • Bayelsa govt challenges stakeholders on Dickson’s scorecards

    Bayelsa govt challenges stakeholders on Dickson’s scorecards

    The Government of Bayelsa State has challenged citizens in the state. The Governor Seriake Dickson-led administration recently asked them to present a contrary view of its assertion that Dickson had fulfilled his campaign promises, a social contract he signed with them.

    How was Bayelsa before Dickson assumed office six years ago? It was bereft of basic infrastructures. Many facilities especially roads and good schools were missing in the oil-rich state’s landscape. Has anything changed within the period of Dickson’s administration? Or has the governor done more of talking than action?

    In fact, an infrastructural scorecard presented recently in the ongoing inter-ministerial briefings proved the legal parlance reps ipsa locutor (the facts speak for themselves) true. At the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenagoa, the state’s Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ewrujakpor, rolled up his sleeves and spent hours reeling out the achievements of Dickson in the sector. With PowerPoint presentation, his oral rendition was matched with pictorial evidence.

    The list was endless. At a point it became boring as it dragged from one project to another. But the orator, who laced his presentation with a good dose of local proverbs and native intelligence kept the audience laughing and clapping intermittently. The sea of heads that filled the venue lost count of the number of projects.

    But the commissioner assisted his audience, comprising members of Dickson’s executive council, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, traditional rulers and journalists. He said the administration initiated 104 projects in 2012. He explained that some of the projects were inherited as a going concern from the previous administration while the rest were built from the scratch.

    The Commissioner who described Governor Dickson as a true patriot with penchant for development, transparency, accountability and single minded commitment to the public good, said posterity will be kind to the governor

    In his presentation, the audience saw the quantum leap in the educational sector. Many schools had been built and renovated. Model schools with full and free boarding facilities had been completed. They were also convinced that the new university project, the University of Africa, was initiated by Dickson in the best interest of the state. Most of the people were also happy that the state for the first time in its history has boarding schools.

    On road construction, the commissioner’s presentation, listed many many road projects in the state. Many of them had been completed while others are at different stages of completion.

    But key among them are the three senatorial roads. Dickson made it possible for people to drive to Ekeremor through the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road in the Western Senatorial District. His efforts promoted the completion of Ogbia-Nembe road in the East. The Yenagoa-Oporoma road in the Centre has reached an advanced stage. The commissioner promised that Dickson would continue to pursue the completion of all the senatorial roads.

    Ewrujakpor described the governor as the champion of health infrastructure. He reeled out all the completed hospitals such as the diagnostic centre, which he said had the best equipment in the country. He mentioned the specialist hospital and invited the audience to visit the places to access the quality of the facilities. He said general hospitals were being built in each of the eight local government areas.

    The commissioner juxtaposed the old Governor’s office and the new office built by Dickson. It was obvious that there was a paradigm shift. He said the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, was amazed by the building when he visited the state.

    “I thought I had a governor’s office until I visited the one built by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State”, he quoted Wike as saying. Beyond the office in Yenagoa, he said other local government areas had governor’s lodges springing up.

    On the controversial five-star hotel, the Tower Hotel, the commissioner laid bare the impediments to the completion of the facility. He said the facility was being redesigned and restructured to become self-sustaining through efficient management. He said the government was shopping for high-class managers in the hospitality industry to take over the management of the hotel. According to him the project will be completed after such managers have been given the job.

    He said: “For the Tower Hotel, we won’t continue building it without a concrete business plan. So we have to have a concrete plan before going into execution. Don’t expect us to sink N18 billion without a manager to run the hotel. The project was not conceived by us”.

    After running though other projects like the Oxbow Lake Pavilion, the Odi Pavilion, Bayelsa Ecumenical Centre, Quality Control room, Helipad among many others, the commissioner spent time to answer questions bothering his audience.

    In his remarks, while declaring the event open, the state’s Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah, said the administration also spent a lot of money on security infrastructure. He said such expenditure had paid off.

    Jonah said: “When we came into government, the first thing that we pursued was security. We had no choice but to do so, knowing full well that without security, you cannot do any meaningful projects; without security, there will be inhibition of movements.

    “The concept of security that has evolved over the years, the end point of security today is what we call the human security. You have to ensure that every human being is secured and this should permeate all areas and communities.

    “So, we started by improving the security system in the state. Today, our security system is second to none in this country. A lot of investment was put into it and because I was in the security myself, I drove the system directly.

    “At a point, after establishing the state security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo, we went to Doo Akpo marine and conceptualised constructed boats. Most of the security boats used by security forces were conceptualised in the state.”

    He, however, decried inequality in the country, saying that most parts of Nigeria were living in denial pretending that all was well. ”When we say that they should not use our derivation for something else, these are the things we are talking about. The challenges we have here are far more than what others have.

    “So, whatever is legally ours should also be released to us and we know how to manage it. We are not stopping at infrastructural development, we are also talking about efficiency in government. That is the essence of public reforms we are doing. We need a system that is more efficient so that when you come to work, you earn your pay. “

    In his welcome address, the Commissioner for information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, who initiated the inter-ministerial briefing, said the government conducted need assessment before deploying required resources.  after need assessment, deployed the state resources of the state and the evidences were all over the place.

    He said: “The last six years have been a watershed. No doubt it has been challenging, very challenging but the important thing is the resolve of our government’s focused leadership to make a difference, against all odds. Today, six years down the lane, history has been made.

    “So we want to use this occasion to duly acknowledge and appreciate Governor Dickson for his sterling stewardship that has changed our collective story in Bayelsa State, making what may have been thought impossible in the past to now become possible and thereby giving our people a renewed hope for a brighter tomorrow.

    “This is the power of leadership and vision.  And in the true spirit of today’s event, therefore, I think everyone who has followed the remarkable turnaround in education, healthcare delivery, infrastructural development on all fronts, including the numerous successes recorded in virtually all sectors in the last six years, will agree with me that indeed, our six year journey as a government in the service of our people is really and truly a watershed”.

    Iworiso-Markson insisted that the impact of the Restoration Government was real and could be seen in all the developmental projects. He said the administration was determined to build on its successes to finish strong at the end of its second term.

    “The next foreseeable years will come with so much improvement in the quality of life for our people. That is when our people can better appreciate the true meaning and impact of the investment in education.

    “We have built model boarding schools across the State with over 5,000 students on scholarship enjoying free nutritious three square meals daily, free uniforms, school sandals, school bags and free textbooks are all given to the students without a single kobo being paid by them or by their parents.

    “This is in addition to the huge resources committed to building roads across the state in spite of the huge cost, building and equipping public hospitals, healthcare centres,  solid empowerment to unleash the creative energy of our people in business and such innovative ideas of building an international airport with a 3.5 km runway with the singular objective of opening up our state to attract genuine investors and thereby expanding the economic base create alternative sources of wealth for our people”.

    Declaring that the future of Bayelsa State was bright, he expressed his conviction and that the Restoration Government would go down in history as one of the very best with a track record of quality service delivery to the people.

    “Bayelsa has been truly restored to its pride of place as the Jerusalem of the Ijaw nation. In all of this, we have our leader and able governor to thank for his leadership and vision.

    “Through thick and thin, he exhibited uncommon approach to governance. He is firm, resolute, pursuing, doggedly, his goal with vigour despite the many distractions and undue criticism.  He surely knew where he’s heading and looking back now, he has made a distinct success of his mission.

     

  • Lois Anyanya rocks South- South at three scores and ten

    Lois Anyanya rocks South- South at three scores and ten

    It was a carnival-like atmosphere a few days ago in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as South-South elites flocked to the popular Hub Centre to celebrate with Major Owajironiche Lancelot Anyanya (rtd) and his siblings as they paid homage to their parents, Elder Lancelot Anyanya and his wife Lois.

    It was double celebrations for the venerable old couple who trace their descent to Ataba in Andoni LGA, Rivers State. The occasion marked the 55th wedding anniversary of the senior couple as well as the 70th birthday of the matriarch of the family, Elder (Mrs) Lois Sobie Anyanya.

    Expectedly, the Anyanya children were determined to make hay while the sun still shone on both parents, and the result was a wonderful occasion which had royalty, prominent politicians, captains of industry, military top brass, cultural and religious icons and other rank and file of the South-South nobility in attendance.

    Leading the outpouring of tributes to the Anyanyas were Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State; the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani; former Minister of Transport, Abiye Sekibo, and past and present commissioners in Bayelsa and Rivers states, among others.

  • Ex-ANA boss sets agenda for literary prizes, new writers in Bayelsa

    Ex-ANA boss sets agenda for literary prizes, new writers in Bayelsa

    Like a heavy rainfall, literature especially the genres of prose and poetry pounded the creeks of Bayelsa State last year. Creative minds were continually engaged in the art of writing through many programmes, competitions and events especially during the reign of Mr. Michael Afenfia as the state Chairman, Association of Nigerian Writers (ANA).

    Afenfia had an earnest desire to make Bayelsa, the capital of literature in Nigeria. Stakeholders, who branded him the most successful and engaging ANA chairman in the state, believed that he helped to reposition the state in the literary map.

    In fact, the writer, who is also the Speech Writer to Governor Seriake Dickson, has not given up his desire to lure the world to Bayelsa through the genres of literature even after his leadership of ANA. Afenfia, who has to his credits four books, “Don’t Die on Wednesday”, “When the Moon Caught Fire”, “the Street Called Lonely” and Paxoid”, started the New Year with a literary event.

    On the first day of the year, Afenfia rolled out the ’18 Questions (2018 Questions) to reawaken his desires that the streams of literature would never run dry in the state. The ’18 Questions has become part of series of competitions he had organised to encourage writings among the youths such as the JB Afenfia Flash Fiction Competition and a literary blog containing stories in episodes, called “the Mechanics of Yenagoa”.

    Therefore, youths, writers and other stakeholders in literature trooped to the serene compound of Afenfia in Yenagoa, where they received answers to questions bugging their minds. It was, indeed, an encouraging start for them in 2018.

    Throwing more light on the event, Afenfia said: “The programme ’18 questions was borne out of the zeal to reveal that Bayelsa now has a vibrant and active literary community.

    “So, while appreciating God for keeping us till this year, we want to remind Bayelsans that this community of literary and creative minds exist and 2018 will be a great year for us as we have a lot to offer, so much to write about and so many things happening in the state to portray and communicate to the rest of the world.

    “There are so many projects going on that has not being before and policies that are being introduced by the government that will transform the lives of the people in a very positive way. The government cannot do this alone. Sometimes, these things are disguised in stories and books that people can read and appreciate what is going on.

    “We want to begin to present ourselves as a formidable platform for Bayelsans to take advantage of. We are storytellers, that’s what we are and do and there are lots of stories to tell in Bayelsa state.

    “We are beginning to rally the community together and identify young, talented writers who ordinarily will be doing other things but because of the deliberate direct mentorship that we have embarked on, we are able to harness this potential and use it to better the lives Bayelsans.

    “We bring up competitions to encourage them to be fearless and believe in themselves. They are young and need mentorship. We want them to believe in themselves, to be a voice that people want to reckon with.

    “Those invited for the programme are some renown writers and poets as well as the young writers and poets in the state. I can categorically state that the Governor of Bayelsa state is keen, committed and devoted to anything that has got to do with education, nurturing the minds of the young ones productively and dissuading them from truancy.

    “The governor will always support any project that has got to do with this and he has demonstrated that in the way he supported the competitions organized in the previous year as well as the Ministry of Education”.

    Afenfia challenged the young ones to grow and compete with their colleagues in the bigger cities and the world at large. He said the essence of the competitions was to make them utilize their skills and give them confidence.

    “When I was in secondary school, I was already writing so well like the university graduates. That is why we created this platform, to deliberately mentor them, visit them in their schools. We don’t want to lose them.

    “We want to expose them. Not just to win the prizes attached to it but to mentor and train them for leadership positions in future, to train them to have the potential of influencers in future, to be a voice to reckon with. They are doing this for the state not just for themselves.

    “At the end of this year, I and like-minds like me want to see the youths as better than they are, exposed continentally and a step ahead of their mates, fully equipped for what lies in wait for their future”, he said.

    Speaking on some of the literary platforms he had so far created, he said: “So far, I have organized competitions to encourage writing in our youths, one of which is “JB Afenfia Flash Fiction Competition”, a nationwide competition on the internet.

    “It’s been going on for like a month now and it’s winner, Jason Osisiogu’, a medical student from Abia State, was unveiled recently. Such competitions will of course make the youths imbibe the culture of writing and reading voraciously.

    “Also, I recently started a blog where I upload a story in episodes ‘The Mechanics of Yenagoa’. I just feel it’s time to start telling the Yenagoa story and place it on the global map so that whenever the name Yenagoa is mentioned, people can picture the streets, the people and state”.

    One of the participants, Martin Franklin, pioneer winner of the Robert Iworiso Foundation Essay Competition, expressed happiness for being part of the ’18 Questions.

    He said: “I have received direct mentorship from Mr. Michael Afenfia. Inwant to grow up to achieve better than he had achieved. To me, he is just like my father. He has been so concerned in all I do since that competition and I hope to make him proud always and uphold my family name”.

    Also, a 15-year-old Poet, Alagba Kingsley Andris, said: “I am happy to be a part of this programme. It is an honour to participate and ask the “Mighty” Afenfia a question. This has made me understand that with writing, I can meet anyone in this world. I hope to go higher every day and better this year”.

     

  • Growing discontent over Bayelsa’s deep seaport

    Growing discontent over Bayelsa’s deep seaport

    Determined to make Bayelsa a developed state, Governor Seriake Dickson pledged to establish the Agge Deep Seaport in Ekeremor Local Government Area. At an estimated cost of over $3 billion, the project will be beneficial to, not only the Agge people, but also the state and the entire Niger Delta. SHOLA O’NEIL and MIKE ODIEGWE write that the Agge community is angry with the government for considering no member of the community worthy to be among the 14-member committee set up to oversee the project.

    At an estimated cost of over $3billion (about N1.1 trillion), the Agge Deep Seaport project in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, is a massive investment layout for, not only the Agge people, but also for the state and the entire Niger Delta.

    With the gigantic constructions which it is expected to commence with when the project gets off the drawing board, the state government is laying a very strong base for the economic development of the tiny, very rich but mostly underdeveloped state.

    The dream inched further towards becoming a reality recently when Governor Seriake Dickson inaugurated a 14-member committee for the project. Governor Dickson had mooted the idea of the deep sea port since 2012, shortly after his inauguration, and while inaugurating the ‘wise-men’ for the project, he said some sort of operation would surely commence before the February, 2020 terminal date of his administration.

    He said: “All I want to see before the end of my tenure on February 14, 2020, is that, some commercial port-related activities should have started in that seaport.  That is why it has become necessary to put this team together.

    “Already, a lot of work has been done.  But going forward, it is the intention of the government to create a formal platform beyond this team either by way of a state corporation, which will be established by a bill that I intend to send to the State House of Assembly. Or, we get the Agge Seaport Development Company registered as a corporate entity that will run the actual management of the assets of that company.”

    However, “the road to hell”, as the saying goes, “is paved with good intention”. It is very clear that Dickson and the present government that he leads mean well for the people in general and Agge people in particular. But he and his team might have stepped forward with the wrong foot, if the seething disenchantment from the host communities is anything to go by.

    The 14-member committee headed by Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ewhurjakpor, included several known indigenes of the state, retired military officers, representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and others.

    Ironically, the list, much to the chagrin of Agge leaders, did not include any member of their communities, who have already given up 15,000 hectares of land, excluding the 15,000 more that the state government has asked the Nigerian Army to survey for it.

    It was not surprising; therefore, that shortly after the state government announced the composition of a committee for the project, the leaders of Agge expressed their displeasure at their alleged neglect and non-involvement in the committee. The traditional ruler of Agge, His Royal Highness (HRH) D. G Isiayei, who praised the initiative, lamented that the communities only learnt about the constitution of the committee on the pages of newspapers.

    The monarch spoke with The Nation’s Niger Delta Report shortly after an emergency meeting of the kingdom, which was convened to find a way to deal with the announcement and their perceived neglect.

    He said: “It is a thing of joy for development to come to this area; we are a major oil-producing community and our land is blessed to be located in a place suitable for this project. We are also grateful to the governor for choosing Agge for this project. Our joy at the project should not deprive us of our rights; nobody should do that to us.”

    Isiaye, who, along with six prominent leaders of Agge, later wrote an open letter to Governor Dickson, regretted the attempt to ‘cut the hair of the Agge people without their knowledge and on their behalf’.

    The letter to Governor Dickson, a copy of which was made available to our reporter noted: “Your Excellency, it is important to inform you that the Agge people have only learnt about this mouth-watering Agge Deep Seaport Project from  the  pages  of  newspapers from its conception to the stage of commencing operation in 2020.

    “In a capsule, we have not been carried along. We have been treated as total strangers to the project while we shall be the people to provide the land for this laudable project,” the monarch who signed the document along with Chairman and Secretary of Agge, Chief Arthur Benidiwei and Dhemeon Wuka respectively stated.

    Nevertheless, prior to the announcement, the state government had released N230 million to a consultant, while the Nigerian Army was carrying out survey of 15,000 hectares of land that are required for the project, including the port and other ancillary facilities.

    Reacting to this, the Agge leaders said: “It was also in the Newspaper that we got to know that the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps shall undertake the survey of 15,000 hectares of our land. The Army came to Agge and its Federated Communities stayed with us and surveyed the land and left. We later read in the newspaper of June 6, 2013 how the head of the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps, General Funso Owonibi, presented his survey reports to you.

    “No recourse whatsoever was made to us the landowners who are prepared to give you the land for this laudable project,” the letter stressed.

    No doubt, the Agge Deep Seaport is a laudable project, with an industrial park, fabrication yard, dry dock, jetty, outfield chemical plant and tank farm. It will also incorporate cement and bagging plants, port housing complex, forward operations base (FOB), container terminal, schools, steel pipe rolling mill, scrapping centres and hospital, among others, which would be powered by a 500 Megawatts power plant.

    However, the growing discontentment in the handling of the project could spell doom for its success, even before a brick is laid.

    Speaking with our reporter, the monarch noted that land is a scarce community in the area, because of its location.

    “If we are giving out so much land for this project, the least they should do is let us know what they are doing with the land.

    “We are farmers, fishermen and business people and land is essential in all of these business ventures; to take that much land and not carry us along, without hearing our pains, hopes and expectation is not good because we have to survive and our survival is tied to our land,” he said.

    Speaking in the same manner, Benediwei, who is the Chairman of Agge and its Federated Communities and the Chairman of the five-man Agge Land Committee appointed by Isiayei to handle the land required by the Bayelsa State Government for the Agge Deep Seaport, warned, “it will be wrong for the Agge people to be treated as strangers for the same project and completely taken for granted.

    “The Governor just appointed the Agge Deep Seaport Project Implementation Committee and our perusal of the members revealed coldly that no single Agge person was included in the picture for the same Agge Deep Seaport that we shall be providing 15,000 hectares of land. I know for sure that the Governor will still require land for the forward operation base (FOB).”

    He said it was important for the Agge Land Committee “to meet with Governor Dickson and the Commissioner for Land and Survey because there is so much to discuss moving forward. The average Agge man and we the members of the Land Committee do not understand what is actually going on with the Agge Deep Seaport Project.

    “While the Agge Deep Seaport Project will surely bring about development, it will make no sense if the Agge man is under-developed because of the Deep Seaport Project. Our land is precious to us and same for our maritime endowment.  We want to be on the same page with the Governor to succeed with the Agge Deep Seaport Project by February, 2020.”

    Investigations by our reporter revealed that the protest letter might be the first of an avalanche that could soon flood the state as soon as the project begins to gain traction. There are no assurances though that the others to come, particularly those by the youth of the area, would be as peaceful as those of their leaders.

    “We are watching what our leaders are doing; we respect them and we trust in their ability to handle the issue to a logical conclusion. But there is always a limit to every man’s patience and tolerance. This is a project that will impact on our lives; we want that impact to be positive and not to impoverish us,” one of the youth leaders of the town, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told our reporter on telephone.

    Meanwhile, the government explained that the community is represented in the 14-member Project Implementation Committee for the Development of Agge Deep Seaport.  The Commissioner for Works, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the committee was the only major step so far taken by the government to begin a process of realising the project.

    “A son of Agge, Stanley Braboke, is a member of the project verification committee. How else do they want to be carried along? We are not really doing much now. We have been conducting studies. It is now that we want to start doing something.

    “There is a proposed road leading to Agge; after that there will be a stakeholders’ meeting. Experts are the ones conducting the studies. I have gone to visit them for about six times. We have not gotten to the stage where they will be involved in the day-to-day activities of the project”, he assured.

     

  • Unemployed graduates back prosecution of payroll fraudsters in Bayelsa

    Unemployed graduates back prosecution of payroll fraudsters in Bayelsa

    Thousands of unemployed graduates in Bayelsa State converged on Yenagoa, the state capital, Friday, and threw their weight behind the decision of Governor Seriake Dickson to prosecute about 6000 workers indicted for payroll fraud in the state.

    The jobless graduates, who came together under the aegis of the Bayelsa State Graduate Forum (BSGF), insisted that sanitizing the civil service system was to their advantage.

    The group led by Eddy Soko, said the efforts of the government would remove fraudsters, who had denied fresh graduates employment opportunities in the state.

    Soko said that all the jobless graduates decided to rally round the government because the state had suffered unduly from perpetrator of payroll fraud and other misdemeanor in the civil service‎.

    He said: “How can people who are working in some federal institutions receiving salaries there and also drawing salaries every month from the State Civil Service. Or how do we continue to keep quiet when people who have officially attained the retirement age but have refused to leave, rather they swear in affidavit and change their date of births.

    “This is clearly unfair to us as unemployed graduates and to the state in general .So also it has become imperative for us to lend our support to the government‎, because if the civil service is sanitized, there will be space for the teeming unemployed Bayelsa youths, particularly graduates like us to get employed.

    “We are pained that some persons are kicking against the noble move by the government especially the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE).Let us inform them that we will resist any attempt by them to shut down the state through needless protests. They should be ready to face us because we are talking about our future here.”

    The concerned undergraduates also declared that the records available to them showed that over N2billion had been saved by the government in the ongoing reforms.

    Soko said: “Therefore we are today declaring anyone or group who stands against the sincere intention of the State Government as an enemy‎ of the state and we shall treat such persons. We will name and shame them. We will go through all legitimate means to fish out those people.

    “We are saying NO to payroll fraud. NO to Ghost Workers, No to Birth Certificate Forgery. No to keeping of jobs for unborn children, concubines and certificate fraud just to remain in the civil service, thereby hindering qualified graduate in the state not to be employed”.

  • How much does Dickson owe civil servants in Bayelsa?

    There is no doubt that the Bayelsa State Government still owes civil servants. Governor  Seriake Dickson in his first term of four years, was not indebted to civil servants.

    Though the governor initiated series of reforms to make the civil service efficient, productive and to weed off ghost workers as well as other fraudulent practices in the system, he kept faith with prompt release of workers’ salaries every month.

    But things changed last year as a result of the economic downturn which resulted from fall of crude oil prices in the international market. The situation led to significant decrease in revenues accruing to the states, including Bayelsa. Everything changed. It became difficult for the government to meet up with its monthly obligations, including payments of salaries.

    Many states across the country accumulated unpaid salaries. However, Dickson engaged and negotiated with the labour unions to find a solution to the quagmire. The unions accepted a monthly half-salary offer from the government pending when the economy would bounce back.

    But this year, things started looking up. With tranches of Paris Club Refund paid to states by the Federal Government and somewhat improved monthly allocations to states, Bayelsa was able to meet up with its obligations to workers. Therefore, this year, the state government has not owed its workers.

    Investigations revealed that the government has also reduced the backlogs of last year’s backlog of salaries to four-and-half months. The state Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Bipre Ndiomu, confirmed that though the government did not owe civil servants this year, it had reduced last year’s outstanding to four-and-half-a-months.

    Ndiomu said the NLC held several meetings with Dickson who promised to clear the outstanding immediately the state received the balance of the Paris Club refund.

    He said: “The state government owes civil servants four-and-half months. We are talking with the government to clear the outstanding. We have held several meetings and we are expecting the remaining balance of the Paris Club refund. We have been meeting.

    “We are confident that if the balance is paid, the government will clear the outstanding. We have been patient because the governor actually promised that he will pay. We are sure that he will pay”.

    Subsequent to its efforts to clear the backlogs and meet up current obligations to the civil servants, the state government has constantly faulted the claims of the National President of the NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, who classified Bayelsa among the worse states that owe their workers.

    Reacting to the statement, the former Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Nathan Obuebite, recalled that the state was doing so well in terms of payment of workers’ salaries, a reason it refused to join other states to apply for salary bailouts.

    “It is worth noting that Bayelsa State did not apply for nor receive salary bailout to states. This is because when states were applying for salary bailout, Bayelsa State did not owe her workers because the governor had saved some funds for the rainy days.

    “It was the local government councils that applied for N1.2 billion for salaries of local government workers. For the records, it has been the policy of the Dickson’s administration that local government council funds should not be touched by state government and he has not derailed from it,” he said.

    Obuebite also recalled that for the first four years of Dickson’s administration between 2012 and 2015, no worker was ever owed salaries. But he said the problem began last year when the allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) started experiencing a steady decline because the main source of revenue for the state has always come from federal allocations. He, however, said the development was not peculiar to Bayelsa State alone, as most states suffered similar fate.

    He said: “For instance, the net allocation to the state in February, March, April and May last year were N2.98 billion, N2.16 billion, N2.42 billion and N3.45 billion respectively.  When compared to a monthly wage bill of over N4 billion, it became impossible for the state to meet its salary obligations.

    “We must note that these net allocations were not meant for salary payment alone but also to meet all other state obligations, including local loans servicing, running of all MDAs and government, security expenses, education, health and infrastructural development, among others.

    “Inevitably, salaries were owed to workers last year. However, throughout this year, the state has not owed workers for one month. While the state is still gradually defraying the arrears of salaries owed to workers last year, it has kept faith with all its salary obligations for this year, as workers at the state level have all been paid up to date from January to August.

    “As a responsive and responsible government, when the Paris/London Club refunds were received in December, last year and June this year, it met with the leadership of organised labour namely NLC, TUC, NUT, and others on how the funds were to be applied.

    “The government and the organised labour agreed that, for the first receipt, two months arrears be paid and for the second tranche one-and-half months’ salary arrears be also paid and this decision was implemented in December, last year and July this year respectively, leaving an outstanding balance of four-and-half months, knowing that the Paris Club refunds was not for state workers only as the whole citizens of Bayelsa need to benefit from it.

    “The Governor, who immediately directed the payment, also announced that the balance of four- and-half months’ salary arrears would be settled as soon as it receives the remaining tranches from the Federal Government.

    “For the umpteenth time, the Bayelsa State Government sympathises with the workers at the third tier of government, but sadly cannot do much, because local governments equally received their funds, which were not tampered with. Moreover, the state government has limited resources at its disposal, with enormous responsibilities to tackle.

    “It is also worthy to note that Bayelsa State has continued to report its income and expenditure on a monthly basis to its citizens, in line with the administration’s transparency laws which enable people to ask questions about how the state funds have been utilised.”

    Obuebite added that it was a pity that the NLC failed to recognise that Bayelsa was the first state to acknowledge receipt of the Paris Club refund when it received it and that information was made public.

    He said: “It is wrong for anyone to mention Bayelsa State as one of the states that owe salaries of primary school teachers, as it is constitutionally not the responsibility of the government to do so. Let it be known that the payment of salaries of primary school teachers is the responsibility of the local government councils.”

    The commissioner also pointed out that the government disagreed totally with the report by the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), that Bayelsa was one of the 13 states still owing primary and secondary school teachers’ salaries.

    He said: “The local government chairmen will testify that since the inception of Governor Dickson’s administration in 2012, the state has never under any circumstance, tampered with local government funds and will never do.

    “Statutorily, local government councils are responsible for the payment of primary school teachers, but because of the governor’s emphasis on education, Bayelsa State government paid 83 per cent of that obligation and allowed the local governments to pay only 17 per cent, but when there was a shortfall in the allocation, the state now paid 60 per cent while the councils paid 40 per cent, which is borne out of the governor’s magnanimity,”

    The Bayelsa State Government on Sunday declared that it remained one of the least indebted states on salary payment to workers.

    The government spoke following reports suggesting that Bayelsa was one of the worst states defaulting in the payment of salaries, a claim credited to the President of the Nigeria Labour Congres (NLC) Mr. Ayuba Wabba.

    Also, the incumbent Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, faulted the Labour leader’s assertion. He insisted that the report was done in bad faith because it lacked substance and failed to reflect the true position of things.

    He stated, however, that the government was most concerned and had, over time, taken payment of salaries of members of staff seriously and never owed the civil servants to date. The commissioner explained that contrary to the report, Bayelsa remained one of the least indebted states in terms of salary arrears to its workers in the country.

    He said the Dickson-led government always fulfilled its salary obligations until recently, occasioned by the free fall in the state’s monthly allocation from the Federal Government. He said government borrowed a number of times to make up for the shortfall to ensure that salaries were paid.

     

     

     

     

  • Excitement as road links Bayelsa community to civilisation

    Excitement as road links Bayelsa community to civilisation

    It is an unprecedented feat. A road to Ekeremor Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, after 40 years of waiting in traumatic vain, is worth the celebration. In fact, Governor Seriake Dickson, rode to Ekeremor on Saturday last week. He is the first person in history to have accessed the local government area by land.

    Dickson could be considered for the Guinness Book of Records. He has done what many politicians in Bayelsa, who occupied a similar position and even higher privileged state and national offices before him failed to do for the people of Bayelsa. It was a moment of inexplicable joy. People residing along the Sagbama-Ekeremor Road saw vehicles drive into their communities for the first time.

    Though the project has not been completed, bulldozing the swampy mangrove forest to create a road and sand-filling it from Toru-Orua, where the asphalt base has so far terminated, to Aleibiri in Ekeremor, gives an indication that the road which targets Ekeremor Town in the first phase, will soon be completed for the usage of all kinds of vehicles.

     

    Significance of the road

    The Sagbama-Ekeremor Road is one of the three senatorial roads in the state. It is designed to connect all the communities in the Bayelsa West Senatorial District. Other big ticket senatorial road projects in the state are Yenagoa-Oporoma-Koluama Road to link the Central Senatorial District and Ogbia-Nembe-Brass Road  for the East Senatorial District. All of them are conceived and designed to link the state capital and all communities to the sea, where the wealth of the state is believed to be domiciled.

    The main objective of the Sagbama-Ekekremor project is to hit Agge, a riverine community that lies on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean. It is in Agge that the government has proposed to establish the deep seaport project. From the inception of his administration in 2012, Dickson has continued to emphasise the importance of linking Bayelsa to the sea through three flanks, the three senatorial roads.

    In fact, the Sagbama-Ekeremor road project has been on the drawing board since 1979. Late former political leader, Chief Melford Okilo, mounted pressure on the Federal Government to construct the road. But he could not live to see any significant work done on the project.

    In 1993, the Oil Minerals Producing and Development Commission (OMPADEC), which metamorphosed into the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded the road project valued then at N888m. The commission reportedly paid 50 per cent of the money to a contractor, who fled with the money.

    The project, which was inherited by NDDC sat in limbo, remained in its abandoned state throughout the administrations of late Chief Diepreye Alamieyeiseigha, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who later relocated to the Presidency and Chief Timipre Sylva. People were miffed that former President Jonathan showed no interest in the three senatorial roads including the Sagbama-Ekeremor until he was booted out of office.

    Dickson, however, toed a different path. He remained adamant that the three senatorial roads were essential ingredients to the development of the state. Dickson was the brains behind the eventual completion of the Ogbia-Nembe Road in the eastern flank of the state.

    The Ogbia-Nembe road, a joint project of NDDC and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) was abandoned by the contractor until Dickson gave the firm N3bn cheque to return to site. He has also not abandoned the Yenagoa-Oporoma-Koluama road in the central flank. In fact, the central senatorial road has been constructed up to Igebiri and sand-filled close to Oporoma.

    But the governor has vigorously pursued the completion of the Sagbama-Ekeremor road in his Western Senatorial District. After taking over the project from NDDC, he first constructed the road to Toru-Orua, his hometown in Sagbama. All kinds of vehicles can now drive to Toru-Orua, a community that was hitherto only accessible through water.

    Sand-filling of the road, which is about 100km has been done up to Aleibiri, a community in Ekeremor. Special vehicles with capacity to maneuver sand can now be driven to Aleibiri. The governor and his entourage used such special vehicles like Hilux vans to inspect the project up to its terminal point.

    The Sagbama-Ekeremor road was awarded at the cost of N30bn to both Dantata-Sawoe and Setraco?. The terrain is the most difficult as it cuts across mangrove forest, rivers, rivulets and swamps. There are two major bridges to be constructed from Aleibiri to Ekeremor main town which is the section of the road project handled by Setraco.

    There is no gainsaying the importance of the road to the communities in Ekeremor. The local government area can only be accessed by water. To cut down on the number of hours it takes to get to Ekeremor by water transport, some persons halve the journey by road through Bomadi in Delta State and complete the rest by water. Water transport is generally replete with dangers following the activities of sea robbers, Pirates, kidnappers and other maritime criminals.

    Little wonder, the communities were thrown into jubilation when they saw the vehicles of the governor and his entourage. The people of Angalabiri, Ofoni, Ayamasa and Aleibiri trooped out en masse to give Dickson a rousing welcome.

    Excited communities linked by the Sagbama-Ekeremor road such as Angalabiri, Ofoni, Ayamasa and Aleibiri in Sagbama and Ekeremor local government areas, came out en masse to cheer the governor and his entourage. Women wore their best wrappers and blouses. They sang and danced various renditions of Ijaw songs.

    Children rushed out in their numbers to behold line of endless vehicles that came into their communities. Community leaders, elders, Chiefs and their traditional rulers floated red-carpet receptions for Dickson. At each community, residents received their governor and gave him gifts. He is their hero.

    The people of Alaebiri were particularly happy. To them, the governor had fulfilled one of the promises he made to them when he visited their community by water during the last electioneering. The governor graciously told them that next time he would come to their community, it would be by road.

    Excited Dickson addressed the communities in Ijaw dialect. He promised to fully complete the road in December 2018. He thanked the people for their reception and show of love. He said the road project was part of the fulfillment of his campaign promise in 2012.

    He said it was one of the three Senatorial road projects he promised to deliver in order to open up the state from three flanks. He assured them that ?by December all manner of vehicles would travel along the road. Dickson directed the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure to make his promise a reality saying he would be coming back during the yuletide season.

    He said the need to connect communities in the state to the capital Yenagoa necessitated the construction of the three senatorial roads. He assured them of the commitment of his government to improve on their living conditions, adding that the few communities around the area that were yet to be connected to the national grid would soon be hooked up.

    Dickson said: “This road is very beneficial not just to this local government or this senatorial district, it is very important to this state. It is important to the Ijaw nation, the Niger Delta and to Nigeria because all the communities across the other side of the River is Delta State as you all know.

    “So, this road connects so many communities and peoples cutting across the local government. It is important so, I want to get it delivered before the end of my tenure.

    Dickson was accompanied on the tour by some ?eminent personalities including the former Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Murktar Shagari, who also expressed surprise at the boldness of the governor to construct the road in a difficult terrain.

    He said even though it was obvious recession slowed ?down the work, the governor must be given kudos for continuing with it even with the persistent economic hardship in the country.

    Shagari said:  “When the people of Bayelsa have a person that is completely selfless, that believes in development and opening up the Niger Delta area to the world, they should count themselves fortunate”.

    The people believe that the road when completed would fast-track development and increase economic activities in their areas. They vowed to continue supporting Dickson and his administration for transforming and developing their areas. Most of them said they would never forget the governor.

    The Spokesman for the Aleibiri Federated Communities said since 1979 during the second republic under Chief Melford Okilo that the road was conceived, no administration was able to execute it.

    He said: “It is in this context that when in 2012 you came on board and announced the take over of the project and your desire to go all out to construct the road, not many thought that it would ever see the light of the day.

    “Today, you have shamed the doubting Thomas, the cynics, the political jabbers and all those who have over the years played politics with this critical economic road. We lack words to appreciate you for what you have done for us as a people. You have wiped away our tears, you have made us feel that we are part of this country”.

    Indeed, Dickson has given politicians in the state especially the ones from the western part of Bayelsa a run for their money. Most of them, occupied positions of authorities but added no value to the development of the state.

    The Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, is among the prominent politicians from Ekeremor. Many people believe that Lokpobiri, a former speaker and two-time senator, may lose his political relevance if he for the first time drive to his community on a road built by Dickson, his avowed political enemy. The governor is fast rising to becoming an indisputable political leader, a rallying point to the people.

    Though some persons accuse Dickson of paying much attention to his senatorial district, others reply them by citing examples of projects including road infrastructure executed by the governor in areas other than his senatorial district.

    Besides, they argued that if former President Goodluck Jonathan had used his position as a deputy governor, governor, Vice-President and President to attend to the infrastructural needs of his Eastern Senatorial District, that area would have reduced the burden of governing and developing Bayelsa.

    Dickson’s efforts have attracted the admiration and commendations from unusual quarters. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Tokpo Coronation, praised the governor saying he was doing well in the area of road construction.

    He said: “Much as we see all the faults of governor Dickson and criticise him as l also do, we should be bold and objective enough to encourage him where he is trying.

    Take it or leave it, Dickson is doing relatively well in the area of road construction, linking the communities in the Sagbama/Ekeremor axis. You may say he is doing it only for his area, yes, but if every past governor had done same, Southern Ijaw, Nembe-Brass, Ogbia and others would since have been linked by roads.

    “There is nothing that brings physical development to a place like connecting them with roads to the metropolitan centres. The next is electricity.

    “Thank you Dickson for giving hope to the communities in Sagbama and Ekeremor local government areas of driving to Yenagoa by road, thereby avoiding the scourge of sea piracy and other maritime crimes.

    “Most of those communities now being linked by road didn’t hope to see motorable roads in their communities in their life time. Some of the old men and women may have seen cars for the first time in their lives”.

  • Nigeria, Bayelsa have made progress, says Dickson

    Nigeria, Bayelsa have made progress, says Dickson

    Governor Seriake Dickson has advised the people of Bayelsa State and Nigerians in general not to despair, despite the challenges of the present times.

    The governor in a statement to mark the 57th independence anniversary of Nigeria and 21st birthday of Bayelsa, said the country and the state had made some progress despite the challenges.

    The governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo, called on Bayelsans and all Nigerians to take advantage of the celebration to reflect on “where we were, where we are now, and where we ought to be as a nation.”

    He said:  “I therefore, urge all Bayelsans and indeed Nigerians to rekindle hope in the state and in our country. We might not have attained the height we expect, but it is also true that, we are not where we were.

    “Progress and development is block upon block. Gradually, but steadily, we are making good progress. Our vision and commitment to a better Bayelsa and a stronger Ijaw nation remain unwavering”.

    He also urged all Bayelsans and the Ijaw nation to rekindle their hope in the greatness of the state and the country, adding that, “if Bayelsa is great, Nigeria will be great again”.

    While paying glowing tributes to the founding fathers of Bayelsa state, Dickson acknowledged their immeasurable sacrifices that resulted in Bayelsa becoming a reality.

    “But for the sacrifice, zeal, commitment and dedication of our founding fathers, Bayelsa would have remained a mere dream.

    “As I reflect on their role today, I can only, but rededicate myself and the Restoration Government I lead to the development ideals of the Bayelsa founding fathers.

    “This inspires a renewed commitment to uphold, meet and even surpass the expectations of those who laid the foundation on which we are building on. My administration will never disappoint the founding fathers and the people of the state, who gave us this mandate, which to us is sacred”, he said.

    The governor solicited the cooperation and support of all Bayelsans and the Ijaw nation irrespective of political differences, noting that, building a great state required the support of everyone.

    Dickson appreciated the goodwill of the people and promised to consolidate on the  gains of his administration in the last five years.

    He assured that, he would continue to run an all-inclusive and open government for all Bayelsans.

    He called on all Bayelsa leaders, in different capacities not to wage unnecessary battles of division, that had stopped the state from attaining its full potential, but to use their time and resources to support the development of the state for benefit of all and sundry.

    Dickson equally congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians on the country’s independence anniversary.

    While reiterating his call on Nigerians not to give up on the country, he noted that, the challenges confronting Nigeria were surmountable.