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Tag: Seriake Dickson

  • ‘We won’t surrender Bayelsa to failed politicians’

    The Bayelsa State Government on Saturday said it would not hand over the state to failed politicians angling  desperately to return to power through the backdoor  in 2019.

    The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson implored voters to reject them and permanently retire them from politics.

    Iworiso-Markson said it was highly regrettable that persons, who failed to develop the state when they had the opportunity, are trying to teach Governor Seriake Dickson meaning of governance. 

    He said such persons launched series of coordinated attacks including playing politics with security to discredit the Dickson-led administration.

    But he said the individuals, who lacked scorecard, had failed in their new devilish mission failed and had been rejected by the people of the state.

    He said the people of the state would not forget in a hurry the level of insecurity, underdevelopment and large scale human rights abuses during the last government.

    The commission further challenged them to list the projects they successfully executed during their time in government or forever remain silent. 

    He explained that if the billions they recieved in the over five years they spent in office was not frittered away, the people would have been celebrating them.

    He noted that their ugly past made them strangers and enemies of the people. 

    Iworiso-Markson added that they were daily frustrated and shamed by the way Dickson  made governance simple through prudent utilization of public funds.

    Read Also: Bayelsa solicits public support for war against cultism

    He maintained that the restoration government was not surprised about their new campaign against the world class airport built to open the state for economic prosperity.  

    He said if not for their constant amnesia, they wouldn’t have forgotten in a hurry how they spent billions of naira on survey and sand-filling work, on an airport project that till date remained the biggest scam by any government. 

    He said: “If not for the political party they belong to, they would have been cooling their heels in jail. It is saddening that some expired politicans who have fallen out of favour with Bayelsans will be questioning the economic viability of the Bayelsa International Airport. This is the same thing they did in the past about the Ogbia/Nembe road. 

    “This diaspora politicians had the opportunity of building an airport but did not and rather used the money earmarked for it to siphon billions of naira. Today, they stay wherever they are outside the state to criticize this government that has done so well.

    ” I feel pained that Bayelsans are not asking them questions. Most of them don’t even have houses here, they can’t boast of any investment but take delight to run down the government. Another election is coming and they are beating the drums of war”.

    “I appealed to youths in the state to resist the temptation of being used by the self-seeking politicans to perpetrate violence during the election, insisting that no blood must be shed on account of the ambition of any politician.  

    “The government is fully aware of their plans to recruit agents of destabilization to cause confusion in the state ahead of the election but we assure them that they will fail. We call on Bayelsans to keep rejecting them. The next year’s general elections is an opportunity to finally retire them from politics”.

  • Dickson wins award on good governance

    The Bayelsa State Government on Friday hailed Governor Seriake Dickson for bagging an award of Best Governor of the Year on Good Governance from the Daily Telegraph Publishing Company, publishers of New Telegraph Newspapers. 

    The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson in a statement said the award was most auspicious following the evaluation of the merit behind it and the implication for a better society.

    He said awards when undiluted showcased and celebrated extraordinariness in leadership and performance, reflecting the critical factor of vision and courage in leadership. 

    Iworiso-Markson stated that Dickson deserved to be recipient of such award because of the difference he brought to governance and his style of leadership that had made Bayelsa a leading state in Nigeria. 

    The Information Commissioner noted that everyone, who followed the remarkable turnaround in education, healthcare delivery, infrastructural development and empowerment in the state would agree that Dickson truly deserved to be honoured.

    He stressed that the award and many others the governor earlier received would continue to encourage Dickson to do more for Bayelsans till he completes his term in office.

    He said: “To all Bayelsans, I want to humbly felicitate with you as well as the governor and entire bureaucracy of government on this occasion of the New Telegraph award. 

    Read Also: Dickson, PDP kick as Bayelsa gets new CP

    “It is though a personal award but really embedded in the true value of democratic government, counting on the pivotal role of the people, whose cooperation and dedication ensured the success of government in the new Bayelsa State.

    “The impact of the Restoration Government is real. Without doubt, Governor Dickson has made us all proud. And we cannot but notice the way and manner through which he achieved his quiet revolution in the state. 

    “It is a lesson in effective leadership: liberal, focused, very determined and responsible. His leadership style and understanding of governance have helped in no small way to facilitate this trend of success after success and I think he deserves more accolades.

    “We have seen a common trend of innovative leadership, breaking from the past as we know it and establishing fresh template of modern ideals both in policy and programmes to integrate development in the state. We have seen a culture of civilised engagement with the people and even with opposition without recourse to brutality or abuse of office”. 

  • I won’t take sides with politicians – Bayelsa police chief

    The new Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Mukan Joe, on Tuesday said he was in Bayelsa to fight crime professionally and not to play politics.

    Joe, who spoke at the state command Yenagoa, specifically assured all stakeholders that he would not take sides with politicians in the buildup to the 2019 general elections.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) including the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, expressed reservations over the recent posting of Joe to the state.

    But the police chief, who once served in the state as a Deputy Commissioner of Police, said stakeholders had nothing to be afraid of insisting that his mission was not politically-motivated.

    Joe vowed to adhere strictly to the responsibilities of the police, which he referred to as a call to duty.

    He maintained that his leadership would only provide a level-playing field by ensuring security for politicians to play their politics.

    He said: “We always strike a balance by playing a neutral role. We won’t be distracted by people trying to address us in a borrowed rope of supporting politicians. We are not politicians. 

    “We are here to maintain law and order and provide security for those who play politics. We must ensure that there is a level-playing ground by giving them the security needed. 

    Read Also: Bayelsa schools can’t open now, says Dickson

    “We are not here to take sides with anybody. If the police is to have have a political party our own political party is the Nigerian Police Force Political party.

    He added: “We know the responsibilities of the police. The police work is just like a call to duty and you are expected to be a professional. Our basic responsibility is the protection of lives and properties. That is my main mission in Bayelsa. 

    “Bayelsa is not a new terrain to me. I know the terrain very well because l was opportune to serve here briefly. I identified the issue of cultism in Bayelsa when l reported last week”.

    Joe further said that he had already mapped out strategies to deal tight the disturbing issues of cultism in different parts of the state.

    He said part of the strategies included being proactive to prevent crimes before their occurrence adding that his approach would be guided by intelligence.

    “I have already mapped out strategies to tackle it. We are going to be proactive in our approach to fight crime in Bayelsa. We will not wait for it to happen. We will take the war to their dens. 

    “We will smoke them out because we have already mapped out how we can go about it. We don’t wait for it to happen before we take action. It will be intelligence-driven. So, when we are taking the war to them we know exactly what we are going to do. We don’t take sides with politicians”.

  • Ease of doing business ranking excites Bayelsa

    Bayelsa is the first among states in the South-South on the ease of doing business index. The state is also the second among all the states in Southern Nigeria. The ranking is recent.

    It was released by the World Banks’s 2018 Sub-National Doing Business in Nigeria report on October 21, 2018. In fact, the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, and his economic team are celebrating the recent ranking.

    Stakeholders believe that the ranking is a testament that the government has laid a solid foundation that will encourage more investors to come into the state for business.

    The Director-General of the Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Agency (BIPA), Patience Ranami-Abah described the state as the most attractive investment destination in the South-South region.

    She attributed  the ranking to the kind of leardership Governor Seriake Dickson had displayed over the last six years. She explained that the government demonstrated its commitment to providing a business friendly environment to investors, through BIPA adding that BIPA provides one-stop services to investors.

    According to her, the commitment of the government to the ease of doing business earned excellent dividends, as evidenced by recent and significant indices ranking Bayelsa very highly, not just in the South-South, but in the entire country.

    She said: “Other key indices include figures released by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) showing that there is high Investor Commitment towards projects in Bayelsa State.

    “The NIPC figures place Bayelsa State as the 2nd highest beneficiary (with 26% commitment in favour of the state) out of $45.74 bil worth of investment commitments made for 42 projects in nine states and the FCT, within the first 6 months of 2018.

    “In the same vein, Bayelsa is placed 3rd on the fiscal sustainability index ranking for Nigeria, as indicated in the BudgIT ‘State of States Report 2018’, which looked at the ability of states to meet their recurrent expenditure obligations and their ability to sustainably manage their debt profiles.

    “All of these, in addition to Bayelsa’s low crime rate, make us the most attractive investment destination in the South -South today. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics ranks Bayelsa as one of the safest states in the entire country, as it accounts for only 1.23% of total reported crime cases”.

    The DG of BIPA expressed satisfaction with the ratings. She said over the last few years under the present administration, more businesses opened up. She said the development further stimulated the local economy, created jobs and increased the revenue profile of the state.

    She pointed out that big brand like Golden Tulip now operates an international standard restaurant with local and international cuisines at the Creek Haven resort in Onopa.

    “It is exciting to know that we have two functional cinemas that provides families the opportunity to go and see movies in a relaxed environment. This was never there. More hotels, eateries have all surfaced and you can say that the good times are here.

    “The revolution we are seeing in our economic space is just a tip of the iceberg. Once our airport kicks off, you will see a new Bayelsa with its full economic potential. More businesses will come up, big ticket investments that will attract more global attention to our state.

    “We thank and commend His Excellency, for given us the opportunity to do what we are doing. For us, we are not relenting, we will continue to work hard to achieve the vision and dream of Gov. Dickson. This is our sacred commitment” she said.

     

  • Bayelsa schools can’t open now, says Dickson

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, at the weekend ruled out immediate reopening of schools, which were closed by the government following the flood disaster. 

    Dickson, who spoke in a media chat in Yenagoa, said there was a need to protect children from water borne diseases.

    But the governor assured the people of the state that the schools would not be closed for too long following the flood assessment reports by a committee led by the Commissioner for Education, Jonathan Obuebite.

    He said the Ministry of Education was working to mitigate the negative impact of the closure on the overall performance of students in the forthcoming West African Examination Council (WAEC).

    The governor noted that while the flood started to recede, government was more concerned about the health and safety of the children.

    He said that the government was taking steps to ensure proper sanitation of all the schools including the ones that were converted to camps for displaced persons before children were allowed into them.

    Read Also: Nigeria sitting on keg of gunpowder, says Dickson

    He said: “We ordered a forced closure of all schools about a month ago to ensure the safety of the children. But now that the flood is receding, we will do everything possible to make our schools habitable before announcing the resumption of schools.

    “But let me assure you that, that will not be too long from now. The State Ministry of Education is monitoring the water level and making daily reports to me. We are not in a hurry to push children who are vulnerable to harm’s way.

    “On the issue of the performance of our students in national examinations, I want to assure you that government will encourage all schools to make some adjustments to enable them to make up for lost time”.

    The governor, who commended the flood victims for their resilience said the government would do its best to ameliorate the plight of displaced persons and ensure their resettlement into their communities

    He called for collaboration in proffering long term solutions to address the flood issue through the dredging of the major rivers, tributaries, shore protection as well as construction of sea walls and shelters.

    Dickson also offered automatic employment to all indigenes of the state,mwho graduated with first class in their respective areas of studies. 

    He called on such graduates, who did not pick the employment forms for the 1000 vacancies announced earlier by the government, to approach the civil service commission for enrollment into the service.

    He explained that the automatic employment of first class graduates would be in addition to the 1000 graduates awaiting oral interview to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission.

    He explained that his desire to bequeathed a vibrant and productive civil servant inspired the decision to engage all first class graduates in the state.

  • Alaibe returns to PDP with supporters 

    A former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, on Friday returned to his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) with his supporters.

    Other APC chieftains, who defected alongside the former NDDC boss, are former Secretary to Bayelsa State Government (SSG), Gideon Ekeowei, onetime Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Chief Keme Prefa, ex-Chairman of Sagbama Local Government Council, Barnabas Edure, former Executive Secretary, SUBEB, Rhodesia Whyte and former state lawmakers including Nelson Belief.

    Read Also:Dickson is committed to Ijaw cause, says Alaibe

    Receiving Chief Alaibe in Government House Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson noted that the defection of Alaibe and his teeming followers signified the end of the APC in the state.

    He further said the defection justified his earlier claim that the APC lacked capacity to win any election in the state as its leadership brazenly demonstrated lack of interest in the welfare and development of the state.

    According to the governor, Bayelsa remains the only PDP state that has re-elected its governor defeating federal might since 2015 when it became an opposition party in the country.

    While reiterating the need for people of the state and Ijaw nation to embrace the PDP, Dickson stressed that no well-meaning and decent person would identify with the other party because of the high level of criminality and falsehood associated with it.

    He said: “The APC in Bayelsa is a party of criminals, cultists and terrorists. PDP has the majority of the good and decent patriotic people. I used to say there are few APC members in Bayelsa that are good and patriotic. Now, you can imagine the few good ones have now left. So, the APC in Bayelsa is completely a party of criminals, cultists and terrorists.

    “When we come to campaign we will wait for them to tell us the roads and bridges from Abuja that they have brought to this state, to show us the major appointments, benefits and patronage that they deceived this good and decent people to go to their dry party that doesn’t mean well for our people. The APC clearly is being folded up in Bayelsa with all of you leaving.”

    Dickson who congratulated Chief Alaibe and other defectors for their decision to dump the APC assured them of their full integration to the PDP.

    He said that a rally would soon be organized to formally receive them into the PDP.

    “We are here to formally receive and welcome you back home to your party and I have told the chairman and the political desk working with your team that we will organise a formal reception to receive you because you are a big fish. You cannot come into the PDP and people will not know you have come. So what is happening today is a prelude to your formal reception.

    “We were pained when you left at a time we needed you most but all of that is history. What is important is what is ahead of us and I want to assure you that you are all valued leaders in the party once again,” he added.

    In his remarks, Alaibe, described PDP as the party of the Ijaw people.

    Alaibe said that all the political positions he held were facilitated by the PDP which informed his decision to leave the “wilderness” to return to the PDP to support Governor Dickson in the interest of the state.

    He saluted the efforts of Dickson for his administration’s dogged commitment not only to the cause of the Ijaw nation but also to the development of the state and maintaining a disciplined PDP.

    “PDP for me as an individual is home. My political life was defined by the PDP. My political public service, work and all the political positions that I have held were facilitated by the PDP and for a lot of us here, it was the PDP. So for us, PDP is home. It is a good-come-back home.”

    “I want to thank you for some of the fantastic projects and programmes you have implemented in Bayelsa including this state of the art office for the people of Bayelsa State. I want to thank you for the continuous commitment to the Ijaw Nation. The commitment that has inspired some of us to continue to remain as a people in the space called Nigeria.

    “We want to assure you that at some point in the course of our political life, just like a child will not know the richness of his mother’s soup until he tastes his neighbour’s soup, we have gone out there and we have tasted our neighbour’s soup, and we have made comparison and our own soup, the soup you pilot is sweeter. And that’s why we are here.”

    Also speaking, Chairman of the State PDP, Mr. Moses Cleopas, described Chief Alaibe’s return as a show of patriotism and love for Bayelsa state.

    He assured Alaibe and others who defected that they would be given a sense of belonging to enable them to contribute effectively to the success of the PDP.

    “We are receiving you with our spirit, soul and body. It is our belief that you are coming to add value to this party and not with any fear that you shall by any way make the party less of what it is today.

    “You are coming into a reformed PDP where everyone is on the same side.”

  • Nigeria sitting on keg of gunpowder, says Dickson

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson has warned that the country was sitting on a keg of gunpowder, saying Nigeria was more divided at 58.

    Dickson said it was unfortunate that at 58 Nigeria was still talking about elemental issues such as unity, federal character, fairness and justice.

    Speaking in a live radio broadcast in Government House, Yenagoa, the governor blamed the country’s predicaments on leaders, who squandered opportunities to re position the country.

    Dickson said simple issues like appointments, respect for geopolitical zones, and decision-making had deeply divided the country.

    He said leadership is demonstrated by taking concrete steps and actions to engender equality, justice and creation of a sense of unity and not political slogans for selfish interest.

    He said: “At the national level, Nigeria could have done better too. Nigeria at 58, we are still talking about elementary issues like unity of our country, and the more people talk about unity, the more disunited we portray ourselves to be. These are some of the things we grapple with which are actually, elementary issues.

    Read Also: We need detribalised President, says Dickson

    “Unfortunately those at leadership levels who ought to take concrete steps are doing little or nothing about uniting the people. Unity should be shown by steps or actions a leader takes and not platitudes and political slogans people pronounce when it is convenient.

    “Leadership is measured by the decisions you take, appointments made by taking deliberate steps to treat everybody equally to create a sense of unity, equality and justice.

    “Once you do those things, you will build bridges of unity and solidarity.

    That is one area our country clearly seems to be sitting on a keg of gunpowder. The country is more divided than ever before. However, our country has also made some progress at 58.

    “Our democracy is taking roots because nation-building is not to be accomplished in four or eight years, or even in one’s lifetime but from one generation to another. We have a lot of national challenges, which all leaders should apply themselves.”

    On progress made by the state at 22,  Dickson declared he was fulfilled by the achievements of his administration in virtually all sectors of the state’s economy, particularly in critical infrastructures, education, health, security and tourism.

    For instance, the referred to the Bayelsa International Airport built by his administration as one of the best in the country explaining that the state government was putting finishing touches to the project and awaiting regulatory approvals for formal commissioning.

    Dickson also said arrangements were ongoing to ensure that the airport operates local and international flights, adding that, every facility, including the navigational facilities and the 3.5 kilometre runway had been put in place.

    The governor urged the people to use the period of the independence anniversary for sober reflection given the magnitude of devastation caused by the rising flood which had displaced thousands of people across the state.

    On the question of epileptic power supply, Dickson blamed the situation on what he described as lopsided nature of the Nigerian Federation where most critical issues promoting the development of the people are placed in the exclusive list.

    He said: “The lopsided Federation we have is the cause of the current poor power supply situation in the state. We don’t the freedom to do what we want to do because a lot of things are placed in the exclusive list. It is mainly a federal government failure and that is why we are fighting for restructuring and constitutional reforms in this country.”

    The governor listed other achievements of his administration to include the reforms in the public sector and governance culture which have brought about peace, political stability and a new dawn in Bayelsa.

    He said: “Nigeria could have done better. At 58, we are still talking about elemental issues like the unity of our country. Those who ought to take concrete steps are not doing so. We are more divided than ever before especially now. We are sitting in a keg of gunpowder”.

    Dickson said his administration had created enough political tolerance to allow opponents to operate without harassment.

    He said: “We have deployed political power positively, showing tolerance and accommodation and managing political processes. People will talk about or even rant of some of these things. We have not hounded anybody holding contrary views.

    “Leaders have a way of heating up the polity. There was a time in this state that if you disagreed you won’t come to the state again. So, we don’t victimize people. We show deliberate tolerance and capacity to accommodate to create a new Bayelsa”.

  • Bayelsa gets head of Service as three perm secs retire

    BAYELSA State Governor Seriake Dickson, at the weekend, approved the appointment of Acting Head of Service Mr. Luca Obiri.

    A statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said Obiri’s appointment followed the retirement of former Head of Service Reverend Thomas Zidafamor.

    The statement said Dickson also approved the retirements of three permanent secretaries; Dr. Promise Ekio, Prekake Gede and Dr. Debian Opukiri.

    “The new acting head of Service, who served as permanent secretary, General Services in the Office of the SSG is required to round off the reforms in the public service within the next six months.

    “The reforms without doubt has yielded tremendous results, particularly in deepening and strengthening the public service and producing a disciplined and dedicated workforce with over N500 million monthly savings recorded in wage bill”.

    Dickson thanked the head of Service for his meritorious service to the government and people and wished him well in his future endeavours.

    He also thanked the permanent secretaries and equally wished them well.

    Dickson directed Obiri and chairman of the Civil Service Commission to forward the names of eligible directors in the service for consideration, as permanent secretaries.

  • I stand by my figures on Bayelsa debts, says Lokpobiri 

    Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development Heineken Lokpobiri yesterday said he stood by his statement that Bayelsa State under Governor Seriake Dickson accumulated N800 billion in domestic debts.

    The minister, in a statement signed by his Media aide, George Oji, said he was shocked and disappointed Dickson was denying the N800 billion indebtedness.

    Dickson, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, said the minister was peddling falsehood.

    He stressed that the DMO, the authority on states and federal debt profile, put the debts of Bayelsa at N123 billion.

    Dickson said his administration repaid debts incurred by Lokpobiri’s political godfather and leader, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    He said somebody with an analytical mind would know from reports by DMO that Bayelsa’s debt as at 2007 was N27 billion, representing N1.40 per cent of all states’debts.

    Lokpobiri challenged the governor to explain how he spent the money, including $216 million external loans his administration allegedly incurred since 2012.

    He asked the governor to render an account of how he also spent over N1.2 trillion the state got from the federation account in the period.

    Lokpobiri said Dickson should explain the billions of naira allocated to councils, and internally generated revenue.

    He noted that the governor tactically maintained deliberate silence on foreign debts and other trillions the state got.

    The statement said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the minister insists that the state is indebted to the tune of N800 billion (domestic) and $216 million (external)”.

    The minister accused Dickson of borrowing N222 billion internally and $28 million externally in 2012 and threatened to publish amounts the governor borrowed every year from 2012 till date.

    He described as lies claims by the governor that the state was owing only N123 billion as domestic debts.

    “The actual loan profile of Bayelsa State can readily be gleaned from the Debt Management Office (DMO), the official Federal Government outfit, which domiciles all loans for all levels of government in the country, which is open for the public to access on the website of DMO”, the statement said.

    It added: “The minister, who questioned the impact of the huge debts and accruals on the lives and wellbeing of the people of the state, draws a nexus between massive corruption and wastes by the governor and the astronomical rise of insecurity in the state.

    “He insists as usual that the reason why Bayelsa State ranks very high as one of the most insecure states in the country is because of the pervading corruption and wastes that has become the hallmark of the Dickson administration.

    “The minister maintains that had the governor deployed the loans and other financial accruals to the state to positive, wealth-creation and developmental projects, the social problems bedevilling the state today would have been minimally addressed and insecurity would also have been nearly non-existent.

    “Once again, the minister advises the governor to settle in and face the task of providing leadership and good governance, which is the statutory obligation he owes the people of Bayelsa State”.

  • Dickson arming militants against innocent Bayelsans – Lokpobiri

    Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri has accused the state Governor, Seriake Dickson of arming a group militants who are used to unleash terror on innocent citizens of the state who are opposed to his government.

    In a statement by his Media aide, George Obi, the Minister said it was unfortunate that the Governor has not been able to live by the oath of his office to protect citizens of the state, but would turn around to blame APC leaders for the insecurity in the state.

    The Minister alleged that after receiving over N1.2 trillion from the federation account, the Governor has borrowed more than N800 billion as well as other internally generated revenue from the state under the present administration without nothing serious to show for it.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been drawn to a statement credited to the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson blaming President Muhammad Buhari for allowing the Minister and the former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva to undermine security in the state.

    “The governor also alleged that President Buhari’s silence and inaction had emboldened Sylva and Lokpobiri to continually cause insecurity and instability in Bayelsa.

    “Dickson was also quoted as expressing shock that the President has failed to take any action against the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and their cohorts who allegedly cause mayhem in the state despite making several reports and complaints to him and the security agencies.

    “It is important to remind the governor that the honorable minister expends his valuable time supporting the President to deliver on the dividends of the electoral covenants the present administration has with the Nigerian people, and therefore, does not have the luxury of time to meddle with the politics of Bayelsa State.

    Read Also: ‘Dickson after me for refusing to join PDP’

    “As a result of this, the immediate reaction of the honorable minister is as usual, to dismiss such allegations as one of those baseless and unfounded rantings by a drowning governor who has no explanations to justify his continued lack of performance in office.

    “However, because what is at stake here is the life of innocent Bayelsa citizens and in order not to allow the governor create the wrong impressions in the minds of the impoverished and suffering people of the state, the minister is compelled to dignify His Excellency with a response.

    “The minister is shocked that a governor who was elected, primarily to ensure the protection of the lives and properties of the people is not ashamed that under his very watch, and with his active connivance, political thugs and state-bred miscreants are having field days, snuffing out the lives of innocent Bayelsans while the governor is busy playing blame game and politics with such a serious and heinous acts.

    “The minister is sad that never in the history of the state has there been such a wide spread disaffection, frustration, anger and poverty among the people. In the opinion of the minister, the reason why Bayelsa State ranks very high as one of the most insecure states in the country is because of the pervading corruption and wastes that has become the hallmark of the Dickson administration.

    “This is a state, which has received over N1.2 trillion from the federation account and has borrowed more than N800 billion as well as other internally generated revenue from the state under the present administration without nothing serious to show for it.

    “Unfortunately, the governor has cashed in on this pervading poverty and frustration to recruit willing army of youths as thugs to terrorize, maim and kill members of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) who challenge his style of dysfunctional governance.

    “We are aware of the recent meeting that was held in the governor’s country home, Toru-Orua, Sagbama Local Government Area of the State, with this same group of militants who were used by him to unleash terror in the state during the December, 2015 elections.

    “Regrettably, it is this same army of killers and loyal security state operatives that the governor recently deployed in the Amassoma community of the state, to decimate the lives of eleven innocent citizens of the community whose only sin was protesting the arbitrary sack of thousands of Bayelsa State workers by Dickson without any justifiable reasons.

    “It is on record that under the watch of the governor, and indeed, under his directives and right in front of the Government House, Yenegoa, these same thugs and state sponsored security agents unleashed assault and terror on some elderly and senior citizens of the state, again, whose only sin was protesting their unpaid five months pensions. How low can a governor sink?

    “Indeed, under the administration of governor Dickson, there is an unwritten state policy to deliberately silence the opposition and those who raise their voices against the high-handed and mis-governance of the regime.

    “Pitiably, this is a governor who claims to have built a world class health facility in the state, yet, the people are daily dying from the most common forms of ailments and preventable diseases, while himself and his cronies continually wastes huge state resources jetting out abroad to seek healthcare support.

    “It is also regrettable that the governor has failed to live up to the dictates of his exalted office as father to all, but rather has, through his warped policies and deliberate actions, continued to fan the embers of disunity among the people. While unemployment pervades in the state, all that he does is to go about hunting his political opponents and sacking people from the state civil service.

    “Unfortunately, while the people of Bayelsa continue to wallow in poverty and want, the governor continues to gallivant across the federation, supposedly on a national assignment, to reconcile members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and wasting the needed and scarce resources of the state to fan his ego.

    “It is the advice of the honourable minister that instead of busying himself on irrelevant acts of shadow-chasing of perceived political opponents, the governor should put on his thinking cap and embark on laudable programmes that would help create wealth and lift the largely impoverished people of Bayelsa State from the pangs of poverty and want.

    “Whether he likes it or not, there will be no hiding place for governor Dickson to account for the multiplicity of the lives of innocent Bayelsans he has cruelly destroyed, including the huge resources of the State he has wasted without records.”