The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mr. Seriake Dickson

  • Law school: Bayelsa graduates cry to Dickson for help

    About 28 law graduates from Bayelsa State are at the verge of missing their enrollments into the Nigerian Law School (NLS). They can’t afford the school fees.

    Having struggled and pummeled themselves through schools, their dreams of practising law are fast ebbing away. The Ijaw graduates know that without passing through the NLS for the compulsory one-year legal education, they will not be called to the bar and will be debarred from practising law.

    But where will they get the N295,000 school fees required from each graduate for enrollment into the school? They are indigent and lack the ability to cough up such amount of money before November 12, 2018 when the school is expected to resume.

    Their pathetic situations are further compounded by the flood disaster that displaced most of them. Most of them are still living in Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps. Their parents and relations are also helpless. The flood destroyed their means of livelihood.

    Following their inability to realise their school fees, the graduates are begging their state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson to come to their aid. They have confidence that Dickson will restore their dreams. Their governor is a lawyer by profession. Besides, Dickson has attached premium on education.

    In fact, their last hope is predicated on Dickson’s giant strides in the sector through capacity building and massive construction of academic infrastructures. They believe that the governor will not hear their genuine cries and ignore them.

    One of the indigent graduates, Efiri Charles Williams, graduated from the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU). He hails from Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state. He said it would take them extra five years to get fresh enrollments into the law school if they missed this opportunity.

    He said: “I and so many other law graduates have been plagued by various challenges of which the most pressing of them is the tuition fees for the Nigerian law school which cost N295, 000.

    “We all belong to the Bayelsa State Law Graduates Forum (BALAGRAF). It was established  to ameliorate our plight. We are begging our governor to come to our rescue. As it is now BALAGRAF has 67 members of which 28 of them may miss out on the programme, I inclusive, as a result of financial constraint.

    “We have written to the amiable governor and we believe that he will not abandon us in this time of our need, Inclusive as well as well-meaning Bayelsan. His government has time and again professed its love for education.

    “We want to be good ambassadors of our state. We refuse to pick up  arms and shun cultism and every other forms of social vices. We want to serve as role models for the younger ones and as well help the government build a prosperous Bayelsa.

    “We plead with our talk na do governor to extend the same hand of love and encouragement to us. We beg him to give us a sense of belonging by reassuring us that we are from a state that is responsive and sensitive to the plights of the youths”.

    Another graduate of NDU, John Chris, said only the governor would save them. He noted that Dickson is a lover of education and the youths adding that the governor would not look the other way amidst their shattering dreams.

    “We are soliciting the financial assistance of the state government. Our governor is a leader, who knows the best way to assist his people. He loves education and we know he won’t allow us miss our slot in law school. Which commences in November”,

    Also, Itoko Tonye, a graduate of the Delta State University (DELSU), said: “I am appealing to the Bayelsa State government to help us by giving us subvention because law school operates a quota system with its admission.

    “If for any reason one fails to go this year, then that person must wait for five years to go because of the quota system. This can work undue hardship on the individuals”.

    In his lamentation, Promise Wayi Friday, a graduate of the University of Benin, said he had done everything possible to realise N295,000 to no avail. He said he was only able to realise N150,000 and appealed to the government to come to its aid.

    Also, Orugbani Distinction, who hails from Zarama in Yenagoa Local Government Area  said he was sacred of missing his enrollment.

    He said: “I am appealing to the state government because I am a widower. I recently gained admission into the Nigerian law school but I’m afraid I might miss out on my admission because I do not have ¦ 295,000 to pay as tuition fee. I have lost so much due to this flood and currently residing at the IDP camp in igbogene”.

    Bayelsa State Law Graduates Forum (BSLGF), which brought the plight of the indigent students to the public domain, said only the state government would save its members.

    The President of the group, Mr. Aluzu Augustine, said they had written a letter to the State Governor, Dickson, pleading for his urgent intervention to help in offsetting the fees before the November 12, 2018 deadline.

    He said: “The Nigerian law school which will resume academic activities on 12 November, 2018 will run a compulsory one year law programme which will qualify successful students to be called into the Nigerian Bar.

    “The Bayelsa State Law Graduates Forum is calling on the state government and well-meaning individuals to come to the financial aid of 28 of its indigent members who have been shortlisted for a one year compulsory academic programme at the Nigerian Law School.

    “The Forum is home to law graduates from Bayelsa state with 67 of its members being enlisted for admission into the Nigerian Law School.

    “Some of our members risk losing out on their admission due to inability to afford the school’s tuition fee this year. The school fee is ¦ 295,000.00 per person.

    “We have already written series of letters to the state government appealing for subvention.

    “The plea is for the government of Bayelsa state to come to the financial aid of these graduates who have currently lost so much due to the ravaging flood in Bayelsa state by providing them with law school subvention.

    “The subvention will also ameliorate the financial difficulties of our parents who are mostly civil servants and pensioners in providing for us throughout our undergraduate days in the university.

    “The actual number of those affected by lack of funds was 33. However, it was Niger Delta University Alumni Association which assisted 5 of our members in completing their various tuition fee with a kind donation of ¦ 100,000.00.

    “Having raised part of the money, the rest of our members would have taken advantage of the Bayelsa state student’s loan board but to our dismay, the board is yet to be fully inaugurated by His Excellency.”

    Also speaking, the President of National Association of Bayelsa State Law Students (NABSLS), Smith Livinus-Agala, said that his group took steps to avoid the situation by writing to appropriate government quarters. He, however, said the efforts had not yielded any positive results.

    He described the situation as urgent and appealed to Dickson to show love to the students following his administration’s policies on education.

    Livinus-Agala said:  “We are earnestly pleading with the state government to provide subvention for law school students of Bayelsa state extraction.

    “According to our records, 28 law graduates may miss out on their law school admission if something urgent is not done to provide them with subvention”.

     

  • Sympathisers bring succour to Bayelsa flood victims

    There is no doubt that Bayelsa is heavily hit by flood. Many communities have been submerged. In fact, more than 70 per cent of the state is under water according to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    Thousands of residents have been displaced and most of them are living in camps erected for internally-displaced persons. Schools have been closed till further notice. The flood water destroyed farmlands, fishing ponds and markets. There is hunger and starvation in the state.

    The government has moved in to ameliorate the situation. But the flood victims are also not alone following the intervention of few spirited individuals and companies to compliment the efforts of the state government. One of the individuals and philanthropist, who had shown love to the flood victims, is Mr. Keniebi Okoko.

    Okoko recently took truckloads of relief materials to the displaced families of Obunagha and other cluster communities in Gbarain in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He donated several items worth millions of naira to the residents who lost their means of livelihood to severe floods.

    During the event on Saturday, many of the affected families lamented that their homes, farms and livestock had been taken over by the incessant floods. Okoko, who is a pastor and governorship aspirant, told the crowd of displaced persons that his gesture was not politically motivated.

    He said even before he indicated interest in politics, he had made it mandatory to attend to the needs of his people every year.

    The relief materials he gave to the affected victims were 200 bags of rice, 200 bags of noodles, mattresses, pillows, toiletries and other food items. The items were received by the leaders of the affected communities at the Obunagha community town hall.He said: “God has blessed me and there are less-privileged in our communities going through this suffering. So, it is only proper and morally right for me to do this and not about showmanship. Its impact on the lives of the people is what I am interested in.

    “It is wrong to use people’s suffering to score political points. It is wrong for people to use other people’s suffering to win votes. I understand the pains the people are going through. Their property has been destroyed and their means of livelihood affected.

    “I am not here to play politics, but to respond to the suffering of my people. God will punish me if I can help these people and I sit back and watch them lose everything. It is not a one-off thing. This will continue.”

    Speaking for the affected communities, the Paramount Ruler of Gbarain Clan, King Gabriel Akah, described the gesture as unprecedented and commended Okoko for his love for the people affected by the flood.

    “In 2012, what happened was worse than this, but we didn’t receive any help like this. Today, our son has chosen to help us. We thank him for this visionary action,” he said.

    In a similar gesture, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) led by the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Wabote, took relief materials worth millions of Naira to some of the camps in the state.

    Wabote conveyed two trucks of mattresses, food items, beddings, disinfectants and sundry items to the camps in Amasomma, Tombia and Igbogene. He appealed to oil firms to assist people displaced by flood in the Niger Delta region.

    Wabote implored oil industry operators, including oil servicing firms, contractors working in the region to come to the aide of thousands of flood victims who, were in need of food, clothing, beddings and toiletries.

    He said that NCDMB was complimenting the efforts of Bayelsa Government in providing the items to flood victims. Wabote noted that natural disasters present a challenge to the society to care for the vulnerable people describing humanitarian gestures as a universal phenomenon,

    He urged the victims to see the disaster as a phase that would pass and challenged them to be strong and optimistic to overcome their situations. Wabote, who handed the items over to leaderships of the camps urged them to ensure that the items were distributed to the victims in dire need.

    He said: “We are concerned about the impact of the ongoing flood on the people and as a socially responsible agency of government we are here to assist with these items, we appeal that the materials be distributed to the people who really need them. The number of people impacted from what we are seeing is so much and we felt the need to compliment the efforts of Bayelsa government”.

    Responding, Bayelsa Commisioner for Environment, Mr.Ebipatei Akpaingolo applauded the NCDMB for responding to the humanitarian challenges caused by the ongoing flood and urged others to emulate the board.

  • Tears as Dickson’s delegation visits mother’s ancestral home

    Residents of Angiama, the ancestral home of the late Gold Coast, the mother of Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, shed tears uncontrollably when they were formally notified of their daughter’s death.

    A delegation of leaders of the Kpadia Royal family to which the Dickson family is a part and the Toru Orua community of Sagbama Local Government Area were in Angiama with the sad message.

    The high powered delegation was led to the Angiama community of Patani Local Government Area of Delta State by the Kpadia Royal family.

    The messengers included a full community delegation from Toru- Orua and Bulou-Orua, with Chief Accra Odogu as leader.

    The delegation included the Chairman of the Kpadia family, Chief Joshua Ogoezi and Dr. Seiyefa Koroye.

    The Governor of Bayelsa State who was the first son of the late Mrs Gold Coast Dickson, his friends and associates, National and state legislators, government operatives, youth leaders also formed part of the delegation.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, stated in a statement on Wednesday that the visit was in adherence to the age long tradition of the Ijaw people to formally inform the deceased family in the event of death.

    The delegation was received by the three paramount rulers in the area, the Amananaowei òf Angiama 1, Delta State, Chief Frank Ayakoroma, the Amananaowei of Angiama 2, Chief Bruce Ogbo, and the Amananaowei of Bolou Angiama, Chief Forward Osuobeni.

    The Head of the Akpe family of the late Mrs. Dickson, Mr. Salami Akpe, a maternal uncle to Governor Dickson and his siblings, and other prominent members of the area also received the delegation.

    The late Mrs. Goldcoast Dickson died in August 18, 2018 at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, Texas where she was receiving treatment.

    Governor Dickson who returned to the country after the death of the matriarch on Monday said during a church service held in memory of his late mother that she was a mother who displayed unique qualities and virtues which shaped the lives of her children and those who came across her in her lifetime.

    “My mother has been an integral part of my journey, she was not just my mother, she was my elder sister, she was my rock, my counselor, and because of her subtle style, people might not know the level of her influence,” he said.

    Dickson said that his mother complained of some pain in the leg in January which was later discovered by medical experts at the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre to be cancer.

    He recounted the last moment he had with his late mother who passed on in his presence in the US.

    He recalled that his mother told him some people dressed in white had come to take her home before she passed unto glory.

    “One thing that happened before she passed on, is that she said that people dressed in white had come to take her home”, he said.

    He described his mother as a warm, witty and charming personality who love humanity and was loved my many including the medical experts at the Cancer Centre where she died.

    The governor urged the people to pray against untimely death especially the rampant incidence of cancer related deaths in the society.

  • Accolades for Dickson as senatorial leaders tour projects

    With eagerness, most people waited for the verdict of elder statesmen and other stakeholders in Bayelsa West Senatorial District on the performance of the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson in their area.

    The elders and leaders of the various restoration caucuses from the district embarked on a tour of projects executed by Dickson in the area. They were led by an elder statesman, Chief Thompson Okorotie who is the Caucus Chairman, Ekeremor Local Government Area. Okorotie also doubles as the Chairman, Forum of Restoration Caucus Chairmen in the state.

    Bayelsa West Senatorial District comprises two important local government areas of Sagbama and Ekeremor. Dickson hails from Toru-Orua in Sagbama. The stakeholders were in a mission to track major ongoing and completed developmental projects in their district. It was an inquisition to ascertain the level of performance of the governor.

    Other leaders from the district, who participated in the tour were the Caucus Chairman of Sagbama, Chief Francis Duokpola, commissioners in Dickson’s cabinet from the district, special advisers and other political appointees.

    Among all the projects executed in the area by Dickson, the leaders were more interested at the ongoing construction of the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road. To them, it is a signature project that has positively redefined the economic and social fortunes of the area.

    They were impressed that the governor was vigorously pursuing the completion of the road in his Western Senatorial District. The governor 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.

    Dickson took the 100km road to Aleibiri, a community in Ekeremor. People now drive their vehicles to Aleibiri. The governor vowed to link the road to Ekeremor Town in December. Therefore, the stakeholders were happy to see that the contractor was working relentlessly to realise the promise of the governor.

    Speaking at the project site, Okorotie, the tour leader, described Dickson as a monumental success in the history of Bayelsa development. He said though it was not possible to mention all the governor’s project in the district, the senatorial road was outstanding. He said the people of the district would not forget the historic construction of the road.

    He said: “This road got to Alaebiri late last year and as we can see so much work has been done on it. We have no doubt that the road will get to Ekeremor by December as promised by the state government”.

    Okorotie observed that people were already enjoying the socio-economic benefits of the road. He named some of the benefits as convenience and huge reduction of transportation cost; increase in economic and commercial activities; gradual transformation of the people’s lifestyle and promotion of unity among the communities linked by the road.

    He said: “We find in Dickson a leader of uncommon courage, who has taken the bull by the horn in several sections in the development of the state. The three senatorial roads are supposed to be Federal Government trunk A roads that have been neglected over the decades.

    “The restoration administration has taken a decision to construct these roads to access the hitherto neglected communities. With uncommon courage, he has also embarked on the airport project that is nearing completion.

    “Our governor has ably demonstrated the government’s determination to make a difference in the educational sector by establishing model secondary schools with full boarding facilities, free feeding, free uniforms and free books to the reliefs of parents of these children. When the history of the senatorial district will be written, the name Henry Seriake Dickson and restoration government will be written in gold”.

    In his remarks, Duokpola, the Caucus Chairman of Sagbama said the governor did what was hitherto thought to be impossible. He said the action of Dickson made it possible for an Ijaw man to travel to his community without the rigours of water transport.

    “Governor Dickson actually has the interest of the ijaw people at heart, because we have not seen such development, that today we can drive all the way from Yenagoa without passing through Delta State to come to Aleibiri.

    “50 years ago the Federal government proposed this road but they neglected it, now look at this impossible terrain, it takes a lot of money. Dickson has vowed that he is going to do it. He is a man of his words we know that he will do it even during this difficult time when the revenue is slim, he is still doing it. All that we can do is to cooperate with him and support him.

    “Let Nigeria know today that it is possible to develop the ijaw nation, with determination. We want greater dividends of the oil that they’re taking. I am not sure that we have enough share in the 2018 budget but if it takes all the budget in our state to be able to do roads like this to Southern-Ijaw, Brass and Ekeremor, we the ijaw people governed by an ijaw man will do it”, he said.

    Also, the Traditional Ruler of Ebedebiri and former Chairman, the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority (NDBDA), Chief Anderson Esimokumo, said he was grateful to Dickson for making it possible for people to travel to Ekeremor by land. He said it was a privilege to travel to Alaeibiri on land and asked other governors to imitate Dickson’s spirits.

    Also the Ekeremor Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tolu Amatu, described the road project as wonderful. “We think is one of the biggest projects undertaken by Dickson and as a person and a people we are grateful”, he said.

    He said the youths knew the importance of the project.

  • Dickson races to complete projects

    Bayelsa State has been celebrating key achievements of its Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson. Very Important Personalities (VIPs) and key officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been gracing occasions in the state to inaugurate and behold the strides of Dickson in education, health, agriculture and other major sectors of the economy.

    Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd) was in Bayelsa recently. The Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were also in the state. The National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, further led notable party members to inaugurate some of the projects.

    The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and hordes of Parliamentarians under the auspices of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), African Region, saw the strides. In fact, the roll call seems endless. Even the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, landed in the state.

    A world-class diagnostic centre, an ecumenical centre, a specialist hospital, a drug mart, Ox-bow Lake Pavilion, the Ijaw National Academy, other boarding schools, roads and aquaculture village were among the enduring projects the August visitors cut their tapes amidst fanfare and cascades of tributes to the governor.

    Bayelsa will soon receive the Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo for another round of project inauguration especially at the New Yenagoa City. But the celebrations and commissioning of projects is not an indication that Dickson with his Restoration Government is done with projects in the state.

    The countryman governor is not finished with his mission in Bayelsa yet. In fact, the state remains a construction site under him. The governor is pursuing with great panache the completion of other projects across the three senatorial districts.

    The Commissioner for Works, Mr. Lawrence Ewrujakpor, recently conducted the Niger Delta Report round some of the ongoing projects in the state. Ewrujakpor,  described as a round peg in a round hole has been overseeing the works ministry since the inception of Dickson’s administration. He is part of the brains behind infrastructural revolution in the state. Known for his oratorical skills, doggedness, assiduousness, native intelligence and workaholism, Ewrujakpor, though a lawyer is vast with knowledge of construction.

    Indeed, the project tours revealed ongoing massive constructions at the permanent site of the University of Africa (UOA), Toru-Orua, Sagbama. High-rise hostel blocks are fast taking shapes. Most of the well-furnished lecture halls had been completed. An oval-shaped auditorium is also close to its completion. When completed, the structures with aesthetic beauty will make UOA one of the best ivory towers in the world.

    Besides the constructions in the university, which had already started academic sessions, there is an ongoing construction of an ultra-modern market in Toru-Orua. The market when finished will serve the university community and boost commercial activities at the Western Senatorial District.

    Obviously, the governor has not given up in the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge Road. The governor last year took the construction of the road to Aleibiri in Ekeremor making it possible for the people to drive to the area for the first time. But Dickson promised to take the road to Ekeremor Town to enable the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, and and others from that area to access their communities by land

    The tour revealed that all the bridges required to realise the promise of Dickson are receiving the needed attention. Speaking at the site of one of the bridges, Ewrujakpor said he and the contractors were doing everything possible to take the road to Ekeremor Town as promised by Dickson.

    He said: “You are aware that we have a governor who is a ‘talk and do’. He promised last year that we’ll take a drive to Aleibri at Christmas and that happened. The next charge he gave to us was that we should please ensure we’re able to drive to Ekeremor in December 2018 and that is the target.

    “So, to achieve that is a task that must be done and progress is being made on all fronts. We are at the bridge point at Aleibri. It is a critical point of the job and for me, we are quite impressed with the speed of the contractor, Setraco.

    “We are very much on time and on target as far as this bridge is concerned because our target was to get this bridge completed between September and October. So, we’re making progress and you can see that the sand/cement stabilization and stone base from Aleibri to the bridge is almost completed, so that’s good progress.

    “On the other end, the other contractor, Dantata and Sawoe, is also doing a good job, building of the culverts. So, the progress is quite impressive as far as the Sagbama-Ekeremor road is concerned.

    “You have not seen the best of the governor. His best is still to be unleashed. We are on the concluding lap of the administration, two more years to go and the remaining period is for consolidation and finishing strong.

    “We’re going to finish strong so the Dicksonism that we have come to understand will continue in Bayelsa state. By December we’re sure vehicles will get to ekeremor by the progress we’re making”.

    He added: “For the first time in the history of the state, the bridge that will link Esenwa and Aleibri will be completed. These are the new grounds Dickson is breaking that people do not understand and they take it for granted.

    “This road was conceptualised 40 years ago and nobody could achieve it but Dickson has achieved it so, clearly he means well and we need to support him. I use this opportunity to call on Bayelsans to continue to give their encouragement so we can finish strong in these two more years”.

    The tour train later departed the Ekeremor road for the Imiringi Bridge in Ogbia and Old Assembly Quarters Road in Yenagoa. The works commissioner was, however, not impressed with the ongoing work at the two project sites.

    He recalled that the governor gave his ministry a marching order to compete the bridge before June this year. “The work is not too encouraging because I expected them to have moved beyond where they are now”, he said.

    He added: “I have requested for their work programme so that we mark them according to their phases and know when they’re slowing down and when they’re not. The work programme will make us direct them.

    “As for the Azikoro Old Assembly Road, I’m not also very impressed and I’ve asked my engineers to give some strike instructions. I’ll go back there in the next one week to ensure that the defects I’ve pointed out are made good and adjustments are done.

    “They’ve assured me that in the next three weeks they should be through with the road because they have substantially stone-based to formation level. We’re on course with that project but it’s the quality of work and the pace of work that I’m not really impressed with”.

    Furthermore, Ewrujakpor and his team later moved to inspect the Onopa Bridge located at the new Yenagoa City which Osibanjo is expected to inaugurate soon. While saying that progress was ongoing, he asked the contractors to do more.

    He said: “On the 3rd of April, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will be coming to launch the new Yenagoa City. We call it the New Yenagoa Biophilia City. Biophilia because we want to ensure that nature is preserved.

    “We don’t want to tamper with nature the way it is in that city and it will consist of the Golf Estate, the Riverview Estate as well as the new Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Yenagoa so that bridge needs to be crossed for people to go over there to do their development.

    “The only access to that place now is the bridge by the governor’s residence and it will be a security risk for people to be allowed to go down there through that place. We’re also trying to push to see whether we can get that bridge across by October this year”.

    Dickson, not focusing only on his Senatorial District

    Ewrujakpor also used the opportunity to dismiss the claims in some quarters that Dickson was concentrating development on his Western Senatorial District. He asked critics to always get their facts right before attacking their subjects.

    He said: “We need to get our statistics correct. Bayelsa West has the least kilometres of roads in the whole state. The kilometres of asphalt road we have in Bayelsa West as it is now is 29km. Every other senatorial zone has more than a hundred kilometres.

    “Take Bayelsa Central for example, we have all the roads going to Odi, to Opokuma, to Kaiama, to Polako, to Sampo, to Tombia, to Amasomma, to Ayamma/Edebiri, to Agbura; all the roads we have done within Yenagoa belong to Bayelsa Central. So, if you take those roads that’s over a hundred and something kilometres right there in Bayelsa Central.

    “For Bayelsa East, all the roads going to Otueke, Onuebum, Otuokpoti, Emeyal, Imiringi, Kolo, Ogbia town itself, to Nembe and then we’re also going to continue from Nembe to Brass, all those roads put together are over 200km.

    “So, it will be uncharitable and slanderous for people to say that the governor is concentrating on Bayelsa West knowing fully well that Bayelsa West is road deficient except we don’t want to be our brother’s keepers.

    “We have crossed a bridge at Ogobiri linking Bayelsa East and it is still within Bayelsa Central. We’ve also done a bridge at Ekoli that is also within Bayelsa Central so it is beneficial that those of us from Bayelsa West should also have a feel of development because roads bring you to development.

    “So, if we have only 29km of road and it is now that if we finish the Sagbama-Ekeremor road then we’ll be having a little over 40 kilometers of roads in the west. Therefore, it would be unfair for anybody to think that the governor is concentrating on Bayelsa West”.

    He added: “So, the governor should not be taken as being sectional, nepotistic or one-sided. In fact, what the governor is trying to do is to balance the equation and we need to encourage him. We are all Bayelsa. Bayelsa west is also in Bayelsa state.

    “Bayelsa west is a very big senatorial district and one of the major oil-producing districts of the state. So, I think the governor shouldn’t be accused, we should rather think of how to encourage the governor to ensure he balances the road network between the Bayelsa east, Bayelsa central and Bayelsa west”.

    The commissioner further revealed that the construction giant, Julius Berger, is back to the state to complete some of its projects like the dualisation of Isaac Boroh Expressway. He said work had started on the road again adding that the contractor started with concrete work.

    “After the concrete work, he said the asphalt phase of the construction would begin. A lot of activities are going on there now. They’re doing some sand-filling to prepare for the walkways”, he said.

     

  • Dickson inaugurates 24 new special advisers

    Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, yesterday, inaugurated 24 special advisers, including a former chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC)Nathaniel Ngo-Sylva.

    The appointment of Ngo-Sylva, who recently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was said to the fulfilment of Dickson’s promise to reintegrate defectors into his government.

    Dickson, who spoke in Government House, Yenagoa, expressed his administration’s determination to appoint more youths and women into leadership positions.

    The governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Agbo, said more than 90% of the new Special Advisers were youths, in line with his policy of building a critical mass of experienced future leaders.

    Dickson, who stressed the need for the elderly in the political class to create space for the young ones to assume leadership roles, said the recent appointments signalled the commencement of the renewal of the restoration government.

    While congratulating the appointees, he noted that the gesture was in recognition of the various supportive roles they played from the inception of his administration.

    He said: “We are preparing the ground for the emergence of a new set of leaders not just of this state, but of the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta. Leaders that will compete favourably with their peers from any part of the country and other parts of the world.

    “We have deliberately brought in young people even to the cabinet and we have also brought in over 20 women who are Special Advisers. Today, we are now expanding the process more, by identifying brilliant, capable, well-informed, dedicated, hardworking and loyal young leaders carefully selected from all the local government areas.

    “We have prepared the groundwork for you all to come in and get as close as possible to the inner recesses and get exposed to the intricacies and challenges and political service and leadership at this level.

    “What we want to leave behind and be known for, beyond all the investments we are making is solid base of human capital which is the most important ingredient any human society needs. No society can move forward unless it has a crop of well-informed, experienced set of leaders.”

    The Special Advisers are, Basil Kenbo, Salvation Ebena, Douye Koroye, Adokeme Godwin, Wisdom Fouyeri, Asu Ekiye, Alfred Kemepado and the Chairman, Ijaw Youth Council, Central Zone, Barrister Tari Porri.

    Also sworn in as Special Advisers are, Sinkumo Ekisah, Okobokakpo Ombu, Orufa Boloubo, Embeleakpor Apere, Prince Isiki, Richard Ibegu, Aboye Odibukuma, Vote Salem Avworharie, Victor Ebiyekon and Lumumba Lokiri Odudu.

    Others are, Ebikeme Okiringa, Preye Okoriye, Bomo Serace, Nathaniel Ngo-Sylva, Randy Emeli and Asanakpo Oyinkuro Lucky.

    Governor Dickson also inaugurated Jacob Kurobo as Secretary of the Bayelsa Volunteers.

  • Send your child to school or risk jail term, Bayelsa tells parents 

    Send your child to school or risk jail term, Bayelsa tells parents 

    The Bayelsa State Government, Thursday, said it would arrest and prosecute parents, who refused to send their children to school to acquire formal education.

    The order was issued following the signing into law of the Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education Bill by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson.

    Speaking after the 89th State Executive Council (SEC) meeting‎, the Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuebite, said the new law prescribed that every child of school age must be enrolled into the various model schools of the government.

    Obuebite maintained‎ that any child caught loitering or hawking on the streets during school hours would be picked up while their parents or guardians would be dealt with as provided in the new law.

    He explained that the move was to underscore the‎ importance the government attached to education, adding that it would ensure full utilisation of the huge investment made in the sector.

    He said: “We have spent over N70bn building and equipping our schools. Today we have quality infrastructure and facilities across our schools in every local government area. We feel it is important to have this law to protect that investment.

    “The law will be fully implemented. We want to thank His Excellency for his assent and members of the assembly for passing it into law. Clearly the law is to demonstrate our commitment to education in the state”.

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ebitimitula Etebu‎ said the council expressed delight with the bill establishing the School of Midwifery which was also signed ‎into law by Dickson.

    He said the law would further boost primary healthcare delivery in the state adding that the new Primary Healthcare Development Board would be given the responsibility of coordinating and managing all health facilities built in every community.

    Also speaking, the Commissioner for Tourism Development, Ebiere Irene Musa noted that with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bristow Helicopters, shuttle services for the company’s seaplane from Yenagoa to other states in the Niger Delta as well as Lagos and Abuja had commenced.

    “We have brought our tourism potentials out ‎to the world. Just after the commissioning of the magnificent Grand Pavillion and Boat Club, Oxbow lake, we have today signed an MoU with Bristow helicopter. So it is a thing of joy that from Oxbow lake you can connect Lagos, Abuja and other states in this region”.

    The Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Kuroakegha Dorgu‎, further explained that  the council resolved to acquire the land opposite the Grand Pavillion in Oxbow lake to expand the tourism site.

    He said fishing, farming, dredging and other related commercial activities had been banned to allow for smooth tourist operations in the area.

    Also, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said henceforth any community not receptive to some projects risked losing such development in their domain.

    Iworiso-Markson said the council frowned on the attitude of indigenes of some community who were always preventing the presence of meaningful development in their area because of their selfish purpose.

    Read Aslo: The Bayelsa children are coming

  • Military begins war on militants in Bayelsa community

    Tragedy has befallen the Toru-Ndoru community in Ekeremor Local Government Area, Bayelsa State. The rural community has murdered sleep since the beginning of the New Year. It has been a tale of violence for the people, who had prayed for good tidings at the break of 2018.

    What led to the bloodshed and destruction in Toru-Ndoru? It has the trappings of militancy. The crisis in the community is blamed on the nefarious activities of a militant leader identified as General Karaowei. The militant leader and his foot soldiers brought the destruction upon the community.

    Karaowei was said to be on the wanted list of security agencies in the state especially the military. Sources identified him as a notorious kidnapper and murderer and he is said to be leading a gang of militants involved in abduction, sea robbery and other criminal activities in the area.

    His gang was also linked to the kidnapping of four British missionaries and humanitarian workers last year and the killing of one of them identified as Ian Squire. The military was engaged in undercover operations to smoke out the militant leader and his gang without disturbing the peace of the community.

    But the undercover operation went awry. A senior intelligence officer was beheaded in the community by the gang. A resident of the community, Mr. Living Miting, threw more light on the circumstances that led to the beheading of the security officer.

    Miting, a former Clerk of Parliament, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, said an undercover operation, which went awry led to the decapitation of the officer, adding that Karaowei also abducted a former militant leader, who was involved in the operation.

    He said: “Karaowei was contacted by some persons in a ploy to get him. They arrive the town together with the military intelligence officer. They told him there was money stashed somewhere and they needed him to get the money so that they could split it.

    “In the middle of that discussion, Karaowei was called on phone by an unknown person who told him that the meeting was a set-up to get him killed and that every conversation was being recorded.

    “This got him angry and he took the military intelligence officer and the other person to his camp. He returned the next morning to the community with the head of the military officer”, he said.

     

    Military Operations

    Karaowei did not only decapitate the security officer, he made a ceremony out of it. Residents were stunned and scared to their bone marrows when they saw the militant leader walking majestically round the community with the head of a military officer. In a display of arrogance and impunity, the gang converted the head to a drum and later disappeared into the creeks with it. There was tension in the community and some residents fled out of panic.

    The military was provoked and troops stormed the community to neutralize the gang and arrest its members. There were outcries. The residents accused the military of razing over 50 houses while searching for the killers.

    Casualties in the operation increased. Four soldiers and unknown number of militants were killed in an offensive launched at the militant camp by troops.

    Mitting said: “In the course of trying to get Karowei, the military launched an attack at his camp. His boys were caught when they went to get food stuffs in the community market by members of the community and handed over to the military officers.

    “After being tortured, the boys confessed to be Karaowei boys and they revealed his location. So the military launched an attack in the company of those boys two days ago on Karowei’s camp. He was on the run on seeing them and there were casualties on both sides though figures unknown.

    “There are so many houses that had been razed down now. The Ijaw boys working with the military officers point at houses and the houses were burnt immediately. Over 50 houses have been burnt now. In the community were his mum hails from, about 20 houses had been razed.

    “Right now, so many persons are displaced, having nowhere to stay,money to feed and nowhere to sleep. Also, there are serious looting. Once the military leaves a point, criminals from all angles to pounce on the area and loot the area.

    “It is most times politicians who create these monsters. How does this boy get his weapons? He isn’t running short of supplies. He has sophisticated weapons. He doesn’t have what it takes to buy these guns. He shoots sporadically into the air to stop people from attacking him.

    “In the last elections, I worked for PDP while he worked for the opposition party. We hail from same community. I almost got killed by this same boy when I wanted to get materials to Ekeremor community. He is very deadly and needs to be taken seriously.

    “He should be apprehended because if he comes back to the community, the people are in trouble. He has more information than the military. He knows who revealed information about him and will go after them with force and commit more damage than the first”.

    Lamenting the situation, the Chairman of IYC, Central Zone, Mr. Tare Porri, condemned the violent attitude of some youths in communities. Porri asked the soldiers to rid the community of militants. But he appealed to the troops to conduct their operation professionally.

    He said: “The situation there at Ndoro community was orchestrated by some of our political leaders who buy these weapons and pay these young men to intimidate people during elections and after the election, they fail to retrieve these weapons from them.

    “This has brought us to where we are today. This issue is a big problem. And the annoying thing is that when reported to the security personnel, they come after your life. It is very painful. This is a self -inflicted injury.

    “Some of our political leaders celebrate these young boys more than the sane ones. As a zone and Ijaw youth council, we sympathise with those affected by the operations carried out. We condemn the act in its entirety.

    “Cutting the head of a human and celebrating with it is an abomination and we condemn it.  We call on our community’s leaders and rulers to stop celebrating criminals. I am worried that if the military doesn’t succeed in apprehending the young man, his return will be deadly.

    “We don’t want this issue to be misinterpreted. This is a clear case of political leaders encouraging criminality and sponsoring our people against our people. We appreciate all their efforts and pray that the perpetrators are brought to book.

    “We call on our political leaders, community leaders supporting criminals in our environment to stop. The Governor of Bayelsa State, who doubles as the Governor-General of the Ijaw nation has swung into action and has had several meetings with security operatives. The military, police, civil defence and Navy has mobilized into the community. What we want is peace to return to Ndoro community”.

    Also, the Governor of the state, Mr. Seriake Dickson, who has always stated his administration’s zero-tolerance to crimes, described the recent killings as barbaric, lawless and totally condemnable.

    The governor in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Dr. Boma Spero Jack, asked security agencies to also unmask politicians sponsoring the militants. He described the development as completely unacceptable and counter-productive to the security efforts of his government.

    The statement called on fleeing members of Toru Ndoro community to return and go about their normal and legitimate duties, as the government was on top of the matter. The statement also called on the military authorities to be professional in the ongoing operation and abide by the rules of engagement to avoid collateral damage.

    The statement advised the army to consider the lives of innocent and law abiding citizens, especially women and children. He also called on community leaders not to allow criminally-minded persons to gain ground in their domains, as their actions could impact negatively on them.

    The governor advised community members to continue to volunteer useful information to the government to support the efforts to flush out criminal elements in the area in consonance with its policy of zero tolerance for crime and violence. He said that the government would also support all efforts aimed at unmasking political leaders who sponsor criminal elements in the society.

     

  • Paris Club Refund: Dickson releases N5.6bn to pay salary arrears

    Paris Club Refund: Dickson releases N5.6bn to pay salary arrears

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, yesterday, ordered release of N5.6bn out of N14.8bn Paris Club Refund he received  in December for the payment of one and half months salary arrears owed workers during the economic recession in the country in 2016.

    It was gathered that the governor called a meeting of top government officials, labour leaders and their representatives in Yenagoa where a decision was taken to pay one and half month out of four and half months arrears owed workers.

    A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said that the state government received N14.8bn from the Federal Government.

    The breakdown showd the state received N13.5bn while the local government councils received N1.37bn

    Dickson explained further that the outstanding arrears were a balance of half salaries he paid for seven months during the recession in 2016.

    The governor appreciated the workforce for displaying understanding during the trying period of the recession in 2016 which adversely affected the resources of the state.

    He lamented that while most of the older states in the country had lower wage bills, Bayelsa to wage bill was over N6bn because of the criminal activities of some fraudulent characters.

    The governor lamented that the wage bill remained high in spite of its low Internally Generated Revenue base which he put at N500million per month on the average.

    He added further that the recurrent burden on the state became too high because individual Bayelsa civil servants earned almost twice the income of their counterparts in other states.

    He explained that the government was making sustained efforts to also clean up the payroll mess to reduce the abominable wage bill.

    The governor said that he had always taken the issue of payment of salaries as a priority as shown by the fact that the state under his leadership did not owe workers throughout his first tenure.

    Dickson also warned that he would not tolerate any complaint of inability of the councils to pay salaries in the councils as from January, 2018.

    He stressed that the state had not deducted any money from local government funds as they had enjoyed financial autonomy from the inception of his administration.

    Dickson who said that he would not fund the councils with monies from the state government urged the leadership of the councils to have a workforce which they have the capacity to train, manage and maintain.

    According to him, the state could only come in to aid the primary school educational system.

    He said: “This January, I will not hear that any Council Chairman is not able to pay salaries. I will not also augument your salaries with state money. You are also at liberty to fire those that are not working. You employ them, you are the ones that can fire them.

    “The blackmail of blaming the state over local government inability to pay salaries should stop.

    “The councils should live within their income. We have to be clear about these things. Councils should be encouraged to retain the staff they can comfortably train, maintain and pay.”

  • Dickson condemns plot to hold parallel PDP convention

    Dickson condemns plot to hold parallel PDP convention

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has appealed to leaders and members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to eschew rancour and divisive tendencies that could mar the December 9 national convention of the party.

    Dickson, in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, also urged members to close ranks and put aside selfish interests in the overall interest of the party and the country’s democracy.

    “The December 9 convention of our great party offers yet another opportunity for all leaders, members and contestants for various offices to close ranks, show commitment and loyalty to the PDP as well as enhance the democratic culture of tolerance and sportsmanship,” he said.

    The governor, who was a chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee, condemned the reported plot by a group within the party to hold a parallel convention.

    He noted that the PDP already had enough crises and that there is no better time to rebuild the party than now.

    He added that Nigerians were looking up to the party to provide strong leadership, especially at this critical time in the nation’s democratic experience.

    “I call on all party leaders and aspirants for various offices to prepare for the convention. Elders and leaders of the party at all levels should also support the caretaker committee to deliver a successful convention.

    “A rancour-free convention is a sine qua non to get back to power again at the centre in 2019. So members and all contestants must subsume their individual interests in the overall interest of our party and the brighter future ahead of us,” he said.