DICKS The POWER of DELIVERY is a compilation of selected extempore remarks, and the first of a trilogy, by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Nigeria. ON
In this book, the reader will encounter the robustness of Governor Dickson's DICKSON remarks delivered extempore with striking ability to inspire and engage its audience in a manner that is most compelling. Governor Dickson is an orator of a different hue. He speaks authoritatively with penetrating intellectual depth THE POWER OF typical of most great leaders in the world, both past and present. DELIVERY Restoration Leaps Forward GOVERNOR HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON A PROFILE THE POWER OF DELIVERY
Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State in Nigeria has, by his performance in office, underscored the critical role of leadership in strategic restructuring and effective governance.
He has changed the face of development, sanitized the polity, and encouraged participatory governance. The emerging economic prosperity in Bayelsa is a product of vision and courage.
Dickson, 48, is an exceptional leader whose foresight on the diversification of the state’s economy beyond oil and gas to focus more on tourism and agriculture holds great promise of economic boom.
A lawyer, former Attorney-General of Bayelsa State and member of the National Executive Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 2007 and re-elected in 2011, where he served as the Chairman, House Committee on Justice.
His star was further on the rise when he was elected governor of Bayelsa State by popular acclamation later in 2012. He has been an agent of positive change, challenged the status quo and re-invented the architecture of Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson governance in a peaceful and resourceful environment. Governor of Bayelsa State Today we have laid the foundation for the building of a new Bayelsa and I assure you that with what you have done and what you have demonstrated, today you have laid the foundation of the building of which I will with your cooperation build a new and prosperous Bayelsa for all of us.
DICKSON THE POWER OF DELIVERY
Restoration Leaps Forward
Compiled and Revised by: Daniel IworisoMarkson Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa State Governor
Edited by: Sully Abu Dr. Jeane e Gibson
ISBN: 9789789380008
© 2014 Henry Seriake Dickson
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system or transmi ed in any form or by any means without prior wri en permission from the publisher CONTENTS
PREFACE 2 PROLOGUE 13
EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GOOD EDUCATION Speech delivered during the inauguration of a task force to assess educational infrastructure 14
MEETING OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE Remarks at an interactive session with 100 graduates of the Bayelsa Merit Scholarship Award scheme 18
THE NOBILITY OF OUR TEACHERS Remarks at the 2012 World Teachers Day celebration 23
NDU MUST LIVE UP TO ITS BILLING Speech delivered during Governor Henry Seriake Dicksonʹs first formal visit to the Niger Delta University 28
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 02 ECONOMY CHARGE TO CONTRACTORS: LET US BE PARTNERS IN BAYELSAʹS PROGRESS Remarks at a meeting with SETRACO NIG LTD, MOREMONIG LTD, Julius Berger PLC, ENERCO PLC and Eagle Builders 40
BAYELSA IS RIPE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT Remarks during a courtesy call by the Polish ambassador April 13, 2012 43
OUR POWER ROAD MAP Remarks at the presentation of interim report by commi ee on power generation and distribution 48
WE MUST BRING SANITY TO THE PETROLEUM SECTOR Speech at the inauguration of the Petroleum Products Monitoring Task Force 51
LAND USE MUST BE PLANNED AND CONTROLLED Charge to the Bayelsa State Land and Allocation commi ee 53 AGRICULTURE IS A PRIORITY FOR BAYELSA Address during a courtesy visit by the Minister of State for Agriculture 58
BDIC IS TO DRIVE OUR DEVELOPMENT AGENDA Address at the inauguration of the board of the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation 61 DEVELOPMENT MUST START AT THE GRASSROOTS Remarks at the inauguration of 32 rural development centers in Yenagoa 66
ALL MUST SACRIFICE FOR BAYELSAʹS GOOD Remarks during inspection of site for second flyover bridge at TombiaTegwe junction in Yenagoa 70
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 03 WE PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT, NOT SHARE MONEY Remarks at the formal launch of a Women Empowerment Programme in Yenagoa 95
OUR INTERNAL REVENUE MUST INCREASE Remarks on signing into law of the Appropriation Bill 100
BAYELSA IS RIPE FOR INVESTMENT Address at the 20th international conference on Small and Medium Enterprises preevent luncheon with business stakeholders 103
AMAA HAS TO BE PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN Speech given during a fund raising dinner at the Civic Centre 115
LAW AND SOCIETY WE ARE MAKING BAYELSA UNSAFE FOR CRIMINALS Remarks at the signing of the bill on Kidnapping and Other Allied Offences into law 118
WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CRIME AND CRIMINALITY Remarks at the commissioning of 15 gun boats to check sea piracy 112
OUR GOAL IS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL Address at the inauguration of the Health Insurance Commi ee 126
DEALING WITH THE MENACE OF INSECURITY Remarks during the visit of the Chief of Naval staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba 131
GHOSTS MUST DISAPPEAR FROM OUR PAYROLL Remarks on the occasion of the biometric data capturing exercise 134
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 04 PRISONS SHOULD REFORM NOT CONDEMN Remarks during the visit of Minister of Interior 138
ACCOUNTABILITY IS OUR ARTICLE OF FAITH Address while inaugurating the Verification & Audit Exercise Commi ee 140
A NEW DAY FOR BAYELSA LET THIS BE A NEW BEGINNING FOR BAYELSA Remarks at Easter day church service at the ToruOrua Christian centre 147
OUR LONG WALK FOR PEACE AND STABILITY Remarks at the Restoration Grand Rally and Peace Road Walk 150
OUR GOVT IS FOR EVERY BAYELSAN Remarks during a courtesy call by the Okpoama council of chiefs 155
HELP IN TIME OF OUR NEED Remarks to the Aliko Dangoteled presidential commi ee on Flood and Rehabilitation 163
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE EU Address during a courtesy visit by the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria 167
SALUTE TO COURAGE Governor Henry Seriake Dicksonʹs tribute to late General Owoye Azazi 170
TOMORROW BELONGS TO OUR YOUTH Remarks at the inauguration of the Youth Development Commi ee 181
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 05 RUN LOCAL COUNCILS WITH A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY Remarks at the swearing in of two local government chairmen 186
POWER MUST BE ROOTED IN THE PEOPLE Remarks at flagoff of PDP local government election campaigns 189
WHY WE MUST STOP RUMOURS Remarks at the inauguration of the State Public Information Management Commi ee 192
THE PECULIAR DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF THE NIGER DELTA Remarks during a courtesy call by the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe 196
ADAKA BOROʹS WORTHY EXAMPLE Remarks at 2013 Boro Day celebration 199
THE CHALLENGE THROWN BY ADAKA BORO REMAINS Address at the Colloquium in celebration of Adaka Boro Day 202
LET ALL HANDS BE ON DECK Remarks at the inauguration of the Diaspora Mobilization & Contact Commi ee 213
WE MUST BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING Address to a meeting of Niger Delta monarchs 215 THE PEOPLEʹS RIGHT TO KNOW Address at the 16th edition of monthly transparency briefing 219
GETTING TO BRASS TACKS: OUR FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE OR MAR Remarks during a ʹThank Youʹ visit to Brass local government area 223
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 06 OUR GOVT WILL BE FAIR TO ALL Remarks at the Thank You rally at Nembe local government area 232 WE MUST SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT Remarks during a thank you tour of Ogbia local government area 257
OUR SOLIDARITY TOUR SHOWS OUR CONCERT WITH THE PEOPLE Opening remarks at the 30th executive council meeting 265
A CALL TO DUTY Remarks at the swearingin of two special advisers 269
NO DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT PEACE Speech at the conferment of the chie aincy title of Ogbogbo Olotu i of Oguan kingdom 272
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO REACH THE PROMISE LAND Remarks at the monthly transparency initiative press briefing for the month of December 2013 275
OUR CHARGE TO IJAW YOUTH Remarks at the formal introduction of the new executive of the Ijaw Youth Council 289
THE TIES THAT BIND US Remarks during visit to the Fidipote Royal House in Ijebu Ode land, Ogun state 296
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 07 PREFACE
The challenges of leadership and governance as they relate to delivery on policies and programmes form the kernel of the book, Dickson: The Power of Delivery. It is a fascinating work which a empts to lay bare the daunting task of repositioning the development track in the state as well as the triumphs, chronicling the stewardship of Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson as the Governor of Bagels State as evident in this compilation speeches delivered extempore by the man fondly referred to as the countryman governor.
From the beginning to the end, the character and vision of the governor reflects sharply on the issues of development in the various sectors of the state economy. Understandably so because of the obvious hurry to develop the state and make impact on the lives of the people and indeed as a democratic imperative. The Power of Delivery is thus arranged in sequence to explain the raison detre for the various development initiatives executed by the government and the achievements recorded.
Starting from the establishment of institutions and processes, particularly on the need for prudence and accountability, the book
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 08 logically presents the way and manner developmental projects were initiated and consummated resulting in marked transformation by the state government within a short period of time.
The declaration of emergency in education, for instance, was targeted at addressing the acute shortage in infrastructure and quality in the sector as a necessity in building relevant manpower for the development of the state. This was obviously in realisation that a proper education for the young people is arguably the most important ingredient in the development process. The proclamation of state of emergency in the educational sector was a fi ing step by the Restoration Government to address the rot in the educational sector and as we have seen in the last three years, the transformation in the sector had been phenomenal. Additional incentives to boost educational development also had solid backing in the various scholarship awards up to PhD in highly rated institutions locally and abroad. Considering the pivotal role of education in human and societal advancement and in contrast to the abysmal situation inherited by the government in this critical sector, the steps taken by Dickson administration clearly stands out as a welcome development.
We also follow through in The Power of Delivery to connect with the bright ideas behind the huge a ention devoted to infrastructure provision by the Dickson Administration. The rationale being that development would be be er and faster with infrastructure in place particularly roads and bridges connecting the three senatorial districts of the state. Accordingly, the administration carried out the construction of a total of 350km roads and critical bridges from February 14th 2012 when the administration came on board and they are contributing to the growth of the state economy through inter linkages now facilitating easy movement of goods and persons from one location to the other in Bayelsa State.
The essential value in The Power of Delivery on governmentʹs policies and programmes also received greater impetus and realism in the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 09 context of farsighted development agenda when we take a deep look at the longterm implications of the diversification of the stateʹs economy, by emphasizing the development of tourism and agriculture as the economic future of the state. The understanding being that over reliance on oil as the economic mainstay in the state was not a realistic strategy to true development particularly in the face of dwindling revenue and other vagaries in both the international market and in the local condition. Diversifying the stateʹs economy was indeed a realistic step taken by the Dicksonled Restoration government and going by the sharp fall in the price of crude in the world market, the administration must be applauded for its foresightedness. Fundamentally, therefore, diversification has led to reorientation of the people to appreciate and take up business enterprise, build businesses, create more jobs, become selfreliant, happy and prosperous. This new idea found remarkable expression in agriculture just as the dynamic strides in tourism development is achieving same effect though in relative terms. Even with the cautious view that optimal utilisation of the tourism sector manifesting much later when the ongoing infrastructure in hotels, golf courses, airport, etc are fully on stream. Bayelsa State is already being hailed as the entertainment capital in Nigeria having played host to a number of high profile entertainment events of global reckoning in recent times.
Also besides development of human capital, which the book locates in the aggressive promotion of SMEs, the establishment of the Bayelsa Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) as a powerful vehicle to facilitate funding of projects remains ingenious. Similar audacious development a empts like industrialization resulting in building petrochemical and fertiliser companies and in fact the establishment of the Agge deep seaport are such uncommon narrative of ambitious development initiatives.
This is the basis for the massive provision of public infrastructure in Bayelsa State and invariably boosting economic development, leading to socioeconomic revival and social stability. Allocation of resources
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 10 was done in an efficient manner and ensuring value for money spent while all leakages were blocked to also free resources for development and thereby enhancing optimal delivery.
But there was also an institutional foundation to the overall stability: the government established a robust security system to tackle the menace of criminality and all forms of antisocial behaviour as a deliberate action to restore law and order. Thus Operation Doo Akpor with such modern and sophisticated security system helped to ensure that peace returned to the state and this was the beginning of the new era of socioeconomic transformation.
What The Power of Delivery consciously narrates in the main is the utility of leadership and vision in public administration and in particular the intricate business of governance. It is a recurring issue in contemporary discourse on why government exists as a function of the high expectations of the people in a democracy and meeting the challenges of the day. Basically, that governments should endeavour as a ma er of necessity to deliver on the basic provision of infrastructure, public amenities, create jobs, provide functional education and boost literacy, improve on the health condition of the people, provide security of lives and property, and of course, the requisite institutions and their processes in establishing order and decency in a society. Ultimately this has the tendency to usher in a renewal of hope and enterprise as society is inspired to see an array of possibilities set in motion by the leadership. Excellence as an integral part of development came into sharper focus in the book, completing the other variables of development: vision, goals, leadership and efficient implementation.
Importantly, that such altruistic leadership and bold vision coupled with the power of delivery as the Bayelsa example demonstrates has significant utility not only in creating happiness among the people but also goes a long way in making citizens believe in the political system and leadership and by implication in democracy as the best form of government. It is also very important in analysing political leadership
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 11 visavis the values shaping vision and expectations in a polity. Since governments exist to serve the people, we begin to see how far can a government go in offering service and in the long run by which we can also measure responsibility and legitimacy.
As we have in this interesting book, such documentation of history and positive contents marks apart the Dickson Administration in delivery on policies and programmes when compared with previous administrations because of the power in the governmentʹs ability to deliver on what is termed The Restoration Agenda, being the manifesto of the PDP government in the state. But this can never be construed that previous governments didnʹt performeven in relative terms but that what we read in the Power of Delivery established in vivid dimensions the superiority and depth of achievements (and without bias) especially when the impact on the people both in the short and long run are put into proper perspectives. This is the inescapable deduction on the book as a valid test of leadership. It speaks to Governor Dicksonʹs commitment and convictions on the challenges facing the state and the route to restoration and indeed how he would want to be remembered as a leader. Arguably all the achievements in the Power of Delivery were not so easy to accomplish ...it had been a product of untold sacrifices even in the face of resistance by some institutional stakeholders. What counted strongly here was the political will to take decision in the public interest irrespective of how unpleasant such decision could be to vested interest groups especially in a political environment where sentiments and parochial inclination still interfere in the act of governance and public affairs in general. And this essentially underlines the high point in the book, establishing the fact that the gamut of chronicle in The Power of Delivery is not just about innovative leadership but revolutionary.
Daniel IworisoMarkson
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 12 PROLOGUE
The Power of Delivery basically examines the second phase of the trilogy and is a successor to the first book of the trilogy, The Art of Delivery. It therefore begins with the address Governor Dickson made at the Easter Day service when he compares the resurrection of our Lord with the new beginning for Bayelsa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 13 EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR GOOD EDUCATION
Speech delivered during the inauguration of a task force to assess educational infrastructure in Bayelsa State on July 10, 2012
have always said that the most fundamental challenge facing our people is the challenge of human capacity development. That was Iwhy this government declared a state of emergency in the educational sector. That was why we announced free and compulsory education for our people.
That is why we have taken various measures since we came on board, all with a view to strengthening the foundations upon which our education is built. We believe that once we succeed in addressing the problems associated with the education sector we would have overcome all those things that had tied us down as a people all these years.
The government had on this score set up some commi ees, which have already gone through the length and breadth of our communities. We already have preliminary reports of the state of the educational infrastructure in most of our communities.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 14 FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN ACTION A BRAINCHILD OF THE RESTORATION GOVERNMENT
But, now we are at the level that we want to take the first major step forward in terms of actually rebuilding the educational infrastructure at the most critical level, which is the primary level. We donʹt want to do that without confirming what is actually on the ground and we do not want to allow this very critical process to be le in the hands of public servants and bureaucrats.
By next week depending on the outcome of your report government will commence the process of awarding contracts for the building of new primary schools and the renovation of others, in deserving cases, all over this state.
We have adopted a standard uniform plan for all our primary schools and so gone are the days when you go into communities and you see different types of buildings. We want to maintain uniform standards, not only in the curriculum, but also in the physical infrastructure also. But we donʹt want to sit down in our offices and just award contracts because a lot of money will be involved. We have projected about N8bn to N9bn for this exercise alone.
Now we have lined up many things to do: provision of school uniforms,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 15 free books and so on. And so we want a situation where responsible opinion and political leaders like you will undertake this very critical assessment responsibly. We will go all out and visit all our communities and make on the spot assessment of all the primary schools.
From now on every primary school will have a headmasterʹs accommodation, which is a two bedroom flat. We also know that most of our primary schools do not have toilet facilities not just for the teachers, but even for the pupils and that is not good enough.
So, the new ones that you will recommend that we build or renovate as the case may be, will have all these facilities.
But, we donʹt want to give a blanket order that all primary schools be pulled down for new ones to come up; that will be a wrong approach and that is why this commi ee has been carefully selected to help us determine these ma ers.
These are critical decisions that very senior, patriotic members of our society, leaders of our people need to help this government make.
Today is Tuesday and we expect that by tomorrow you will swing into action. Funds will be made available for that purpose to enable the process commence.
I thank you so much for making your services available but donʹt forget to take video recordings and photographs so that at the end of your visitation, government would have the data. Part of the problem we have in this state is that we donʹt have data. Help us also to indicate the enrolment figures of these schools, because we are keen on promoting girl child education. So part of what government expects from you is to let us know the ratio of boys and girls in these primary schools.
The primary schools that we will build will have essential features: enough classrooms for our students and enough play grounds.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 16 If an existing playground is not large or good enough, then it is your duty to recommend relocation, and then we will put the necessary machinery in motion.
We want computer rooms, because we want to promote computer education at the primary school level. It should have provision for a library, because every primary school must have a library and we are going to supply all the books.
I want to thank you for joining us to restore the educational sector, which is the greatest legacy we can leave behind.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 17 MEETING OUR GREATEST CHALLENGE
Remarks at an interactive session with 100 graduates of the Bayelsa Merit Scholarship Award scheme on August 21, 2012 at which President Goodluck Jonathan, himself a former governor of Bayelsa state, was present.
r. President, I welcome you to this occasion and to your dear State. And on behalf of your people and of your Mgrateful State, I would like to thank you for finding time to be part of this ceremony.
I also want to use this occasion to thank you most sincerely for showing us the way forward in education as you did when you served briefly as Governor of this great State.
And, let me in the same vein, acknowledge and appreciate what the GovernorGeneral also did while he served as Governor. He awarded scholarships to many of our people and once in a while, I come across them. Some of them are doctors serving in various capacities.
Mr. President, as we all know, you had an eventful 18month stint as governor here. In addition to several achievements, you showed us the way: you said it was not enough to be giving scholarships at the post graduate and undergraduate levels alone and that to be able to lay a
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 18 PRESIDENT GOODLUCK AND GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON POSE WITH A CROSS SECTION OF GRADUATES OF THE BAYELSA MERIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARD SCHEME
solid foundation, you need to also award scholarships at the secondary school level. You were right then and you are right even now.
What we have done, in actual fact, is a continuation of your laudable programme. Today, we are assembled here to formally receive the 100 students from poor and humble backgrounds like all of us.
We took them through a competitive process of selection and got placements for them in Nigeriaʹs leading private schools, which only the rich can afford. And, today, seated here before you, Mr. President, are the fruits of that vision and hard work. The mustard seed you sowed several years back has sprouted. Before us are the future of your State and country.
So, I want to thank you all, because in vain do we build the roads and bridges, if we donʹt build the human mind.
And, that was why Mr. President, upon assumption of office we declared a state of emergency in education and we have come up with various programmes aimed at training and retraining and increasing
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 19 our human capacity base. This is because the most important resource this nation, State and the Ijaw Nation have is the human resource available.
If we play with the education of our children, if we toy with their education, empowerment and training, we toy with our future. I have to give welldeserved credit to my cabinet colleague at the time, Mr. Tobias James, who is seated here in the audience. Thank you very much for pioneering this great programme.
Mr. President, let me inform you that although we have suffered some setbacks in this scheme which is highly regre able this government has revived and reinvigorated it. And as long as we are here, we intend to send a minimum of 200 students every year on this programme.
As we speak, the process of selecting the next batch of 200 beneficiaries in a competitive and fair process has already commenced. It was our desire to have you interact with all of them, but logistics and time have not permi ed us.
So, we will still come and plead with you that, in your usual way, you graciously make out time to interact with the next batch. We know that even though you are unable to do so before we send them to the various schools, you would make out time to meet with them in the course of their education.
I want to thank you, Mr. President, and all our leaders for coming to join me in inspiring them, because that is what we are here to do. Our heritage is slipping away; our society sits on a tinderbox; our society sits on a time bomb waiting to explode because of the lack of appropriate and adequate investment in education and human capacity building.
We have identified human capacity building as the single most important challenge of our time in this State and have intensified efforts in that direction. Because of lack of investment in that critical sector, for
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 20 some time now, our upcoming leaders have few role models to look up to.
In vain do we build the roads and bridges, if we donʹt build the human mind.
By your presence here, you have underscored the significance and necessity of what we are doing, and have thus provided some inspiration to these young ones. I most sincerely thank you all for coming to share this moment with us.
The role models they have now are people wielding AK47 in their homes; thugs and others who make it by unscrupulous means. Here, our young people are having a rare opportunity to interact with the man who initiated this programme, just as the rest of us are doing with him, the President of our great country, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
We have identified human capacity building as the single most important challenge of our time in this State and have intensified efforts in that direction.
You are here to interact with all your leaders and by so doing, let me as your governor, throw the challenge to you. The challenge of this State to you all is to try and be the best you can be and the quintessential Ijaw men and citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to fly our flag high with honour and pride and with dignity.
And in doing so, you know that this State will stand shoulder to shoulder with you. You have just concluded a critical segment of your education and your life is now entering a very different phase.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 21 You are our future and so all of us, including Mr. President, are caretakers of your future. What we are doing and will continue to do in government is to serve you, to see that we equip you with the right skills and right backgrounds and above all the right values, which will enable you to compete in an increasingly globalized and competitive economy.
A number of you have admission to various institutions of higher learning in Nigeria and abroad and I have directed the Commissioner for Education to work out modalities by which we will give you all the assistance to finish your university training.
As we strive to work hard to secure your future and equip you for the challenges ahead, please do not let your State down and do not let your families down and do not let God down, who in His infinite wisdom created these opportunities and many more still coming your way.
Play by the rules, hold yourselves to be the best you can be, that is what it means to be a Bayelsan; that is what it means to be an Ijaw man; that is what it means to be a Nigerian. As long as you do so you can be sure of our support any day. May God bless you all, may God grant you support and journey mercies on your way up.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 22 THE NOBILITY OF OUR TEACHERS
Remarks at the 2012 World Teachers Day celebration on October 5, 2012
reat teachers of Bayelsa state, I greet you all. I am delighted to be here, to be part of your teachersʹ day celebration. Let me Galso add that for me and for our government every day is a celebration of teachers in Bayelsa state.
If there is one area where, we want to leave a lasting mark, it is in the area of education.
The Commissioner of Education has just informed me that, the provision of school uniforms would have been done today, but that programme will now take place next week.
You know for the past couple of days and weeks, we have been ba ling with the flood disaster. Today, I actually wanted to go to Sagbama to declare open the Teachers Training Institute, which is your institute, but I have just been told that even that place has been taken over by flood.
So, we will look for a way to start that programme next week. I am told
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 23 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON AND A CROSS SECTION OF HIS EXCO MEMBERS DURING THE 2012 WORLD TEACHERS DAY CELEBRATIONS IN YENAGOA that, we have well over 150,000 school uniforms ready for distribution to our children and that will be done next week.
Today, we are here to celebrate you all and as I have said, you are the most important members of our work force.
Our commitment to you is clear. Whether we are talking about se ing up the Teachers Training Institute, which is your institute or the renovation and building new schools, residential accommodation for you, or providing your teaching aids.
We are commi ed to training and retraining you both in this country and possibly outside. The lucky ones amongst you will go to Canada very soon. We are finalizing that arrangement with the Canadian government and the Canadian high commission working with us on this.
Let me congratulate you on the successful completion of your retraining exercise. I am delighted to announce to you that all the teachers passed the examination.
You know when I announced that programme, some people thought I wanted to sack them, but I told you this is a teacherfriendly
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 24 government.
You may not realize it but you are all part of a chain and the strength of that chain depends on each of you. We wanted that exam to be conducted so that where there is weakness, we can address it.
But the results are wonderful, so, clap for yourselves. So what that tells us is that we have very qualified, highly motivated dedicated and selfless teachers in Bayelsa State and our government will continue to support and back you. Very soon more of those, who really need to be in the institute for some time to enhance their skills, will be notified. It is not as if they failed, because teachers donʹt fail exams, but it is just that we intend to begin our training with them.
It is the flood that is creating some bo lenecks for us, because the institute is also flooded at the moment. But we will start that programme very soon.
I want to use this opportunity to on behalf of your government thank you all for the services you are giving to our people. I said the other day, when I declared the programme open that, we are all what we are because of teachers. So, that is why teachers are very important to us.
If we want our society to be be er, then, we have to pay a ention to the teachers, their welfare, their training and their values because these are the things that we use in shaping the tomorrow of our dreams.
I am also a teacher at heart. If there ever is one thing I will like to do, a er I complete my years of political service is go back to teaching, because there is no greater pleasure than the pleasure of imparting knowledge and molding society, in a way that only teaching enables you to do.
I have been told that in all we are trying to do, there are some areas you want things done be er. Well sometimes in these situations people are Oliver Twists, but I know and with the interaction I have had with my colleagues, I know that the teachers in Bayelsa are be er remunerated than your colleagues in most other states that is the truth.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 25 RESTORATION FREE SCHOOL BUS
Should we aspire to be er remuneration? Why no ? So while asking for more like Oliver Twist, which you have a right to do, remember that government is teacherfriendly, and I acknowledge the fact that you are be er remunerated than most of your colleagues in other states.
If we want our society to be be er, then, we have to pay a ention to the teachers, their welfare, their training and their values because these are the things that we use in shaping the tomorrow of our dreams.
Let me say that no teacher in this state should demand or receive payment from any pupil or student for any reason whatsoever. I have instructed the Commissioner of Education to monitor any complaints.
I have received text messages that some headmasters and some principals are making one illegal demand or the other. We are working hard to provide everything that teachers and principals need in this state, so you donʹt need to ask any student or pupil to pay money for anything.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 26 We have paid for lesson exercise books, chalks, and laboratory apparatus; we have paid for both WAEC and NECO examination fees, so you donʹt have any reason to ask any student to pay for anything. If there is anything you need in your school, please let the ministry know. The only thing the ministry needs to do is to write a memo to me and that need would be met.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 27 NDU MUST LIVE UP TO ITS BILLING
Speech delivered during his first formal visit to the Niger Delta university, Amassoma, Wilberforce Island, on March 14 2014
irst of all, I would like to appreciate the Acting Vice Chancellor and members of the management team and indeed all the Fstudents and members of the university community for the warm reception and hospitality accorded my delegation and me on our visit.
I would also like to thank Professor Humphrey Ogoni and members of his team who painstakingly conducted us round various projects and facilities across the length and breadth of this University.
Quite frankly, this exercise has been worth it because it has opened my eyes to the challenges and prospects of this University. This is my first visit to NDU (Niger Delta University). I have not come today in my ceremonial capacity as Visitor.
I am here on a factfinding tour because very o en I have charged my officials and I have interacted with several people within this University as well as within and outside this country on the challenges, possibilities and future of this great institution.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 28 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (2NDRIGHT) ACCOMPANIED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, RT. HON. KONBOWEI BENSON (RIGHT) IST CIVILIAN GOVERNOR OF THE STATE, CHIEF DIEPREYE ALAMIEYESEIGHA (CENTRE) STATE CHAIRMAN OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (PDP) COL. SAM INOKOBA RTD, (LEFT) COMMISSIONER OF WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, MR. LAWRENCE EWHRUJAKPO (2NDLEFT) AND A CROSS SECTION OF THE GOVERNORʹS ENTOURAGE DURING AN INSPECTION VISIT TO OGOBIRI / TORUEBENI BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN SOUTHERN IJAW LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF THE STATE.
Since I came on board as Governor of the State, I have made education a topmost priority. Being members of the university community you would understand why this is so.
I appreciate the kind words you said about the TombiaAmassoma Road, which is a wonderful piece of architecture and engineering. You also mentioned the electrification project connecting the community to the national grid and a lot more things that are coming your way.
But for all of these, if people commend me for the roads we are doing and bridges sprouting up everywhere in this State, the most significant investment we can make is to this institution.
Aside from investing in knowledge, every other form of investment is only in terms of brick and mortar; it comes and goes according to the season but the most enduring investment is the one made in human resource.
We have a clear understanding of the challenge facing our people and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 29 you can link insufficient investment in human capacity development to all our problems, be they social, erosion of cultural values and ethos, security, or economic strangulation of our people. And the lack of effective participation and engagement in our economy emanates from underutilisation of human resource and its potential.
And so I want to charge you all to brace up because what you are involved in is the most important enterprise that any meaningful society can get engaged in. When we declared a state of emergency in education and pronounced free education, we meant what we said.
You have just been told about the schools we are building, and in the last two years, within this short period, we have built very many primary schools all across our state. We have even gone into building teachersʹ quarters.
We are building secondary schools; we are going back to boarding education in this state because we have discovered that the incubation period is insufficient to mould the minds of our young ones.
All of us are essentially products of what our teachers made us to be. So there is a massive revolution going on in the state, particularly in the educational system. If there is one legacy we would like to leave behind, it is a legacy of education, of education and of more education.
I have said time and time again investment in human capacity development is the most challenging and compelling need of our time. We are doing it in a revolutionary manner. We are also building a Teachers Training Institute and creating school a er school School of Tourism, School of Agriculture. In all of these, you are at the apex; you are the symbol of the future of our state because the economy of the future is the knowledgedriven one.
If we do not prepare the young people to participate in that economy, then we will just be building, what I like to call, ʹa combustible society;ʹ a
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 30 society that can go up in flames at any time.
All I have said is to underscore the importance of what you are doing because I am one person who came in with a clear understanding and an agenda for the needs of my society and a clear road map as to how we can make our modest contribution.
Governance is a relay race. Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former Governor of this state, did his bit and he handed over the baton and today it is my turn. Working with you all, I intend to move it to the next level.
I have said time and time again investment in human capacity development is the most challenging and compelling need of our time.
The story of NDU is not a very pleasant one. It is also a story about a lot of things that have gone wrong in our state and with us as a people. Today, when I was shown buildings that were started 10 years ago and now abandoned, I saw the wasted dreams and aspirations.
That was why in an emergency State Executive Council meeting summoned for this purpose, we took critical decisions on education. We are reviewing the policy on secondary education to suit our purpose and to promote efficiency, service delivery and discipline.
In the meeting, we also awarded contracts worth N6.1 billion for capacity building and infrastructural investment in this great institution. I have been told and I have discovered that it is true that this amount is the single biggest investment that this state will be making in this university in so many years. And that is very unfortunate.
As your Governor and Visitor, I have been confronted with cases of withdrawal of accreditation and situations where our faculties do not
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 31 operate optimally. Today my eyes have been opened to the reality. I have now seen why things happened the way they did.
Now, my charge to you is that we must all confront these challenges together. You can see that our state is on a new trajectory of development, growth, prosperity, peace and stability.
With this visit, NDU must also be part of that development.
So NDU, members of the Governing Council, staff and students, you have got to brace up because we are now ready for NDU. In the next one or two months, the contractors will be here and they will begin work on a befi ing dual carriageway from the main gate as well as the two access roads that will link up the entire university (the new and old campus).
A short while ago, I also directed that those residential quarters that have been abandoned, be completed and put to use this year.
So, many projects have been awarded to the tune of N6.1 billion, but for me while that is good and excites the university community, the most important bit is the one we are doing silently. That bit is in the area of building linkages outside the country.
Your state has the highest number of scholars outside Nigeria in Masters and PhD programmes in all parts of the world. I have directed the Bayelsa State Scholarship Board that, henceforth, a percentage of that scholarship particularly for PhD, a greater percentage, will be reserved for scholars of NDU.
So when I say, ʹget readyʹ, I mean what I am saying and I hope you mean it too because you will see me moving very fast and you will have to be very fast to be able to catch up with our pace. By September this year, the first set of PhD scholars selected from the academic community will proceed to study various courses.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 32 I have told the Vice Chancellor and some of the officials to begin that process. They should get the admissions and we will support you. Then you can go and come back to man this foremost knowledge industry.
I have made a statement urging the Amassoma community, and the university leadership to ensure that we put an end to the encroachment on university land.
I will direct the Commissioner for Lands and Survey and his officials to work with your university authorities to ensure that all buildings that have encroached on university property are demolished.
We are a government for the people. As for those buildings that have been completed the team should work with them so that they can get appropriate compensation. Equity aids the vigilant, not the indolent; I am not quite sure that the university has been vigilant.
Again, from next week or so my team will arrive and begin the assessment. I want to call on those who are affected to understand that in leadership, certain decisions must be taken and that comes with the job and that is in the best interest of the University and our people.
I have also studied data emanating from this University and some of it is, quite frankly, worrisome. The University is the only stateowned university that has a recurrent expenditure that is higher than any other university in this country.
Available statistics indicate that government spends close to N500 million every month on payment of salaries and sundry entitlements. I have told your acting Vice Chancellor in Council that that is not sustainable for the longterm prospects and future of this University.
I am aware, from your presentation, that you have a staff strength of 773 academic staff and we are not talking about nonacademic staff yet. And what is the student population by the way for which government is spending N6 billion every year that is outside capital investments?
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 33 Your Vice Chancellor has told me that your student population is about 12,000. We will get a team that will look at what obtains in other universities like the NDU, check their student population, wage bill and other issues such as sources of funding that the University needs to draw upon.
Now, you have got to get this straight! You have me and I am not a regular politician. Regular politicians manipulate opinions, cover up facts, maintain the status quo and take advantage of it. I am a change agent. I am aware that the responsibility entrusted to me to bring about your restoration means that we must take decisions that are right and fair even if they are sometimes unpleasant.
So I would like to appeal to your sense of commitment and patriotism on this journey. I have authorized a reduction in recurrent expenditures beginning with me and my office because that is the only way your state can have something for all these developments that you are experiencing. In the end, there isnʹt enough money for everybody to misappropriate as business as usual.
I want to thank you most sincerely for the support that you and your colleagues in the public sector have showed to the Restoration Government. When I raised the issue that in this state our workers and every person should pay his or her own fair contribution to our development by way of the Pay As You Earn Tax (PAYE), I knew that did not go down well.
I know that every issue of taxation particularly in an environment where people are not used to it, is bound to be misunderstood. People will even misunderstand what I am telling you. There are those whose stock in trade is to misrepresent others and to incite younger minds particularly in a community like this.
All of us are in leadership. Any of you here can be a leader tomorrow. I did not know I was going to be governor one day, but the duty we owe
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 34 our people, God and our conscience is to do at all times, what is right and fair even when sometimes, in the immediate, people may not understand.
The present system where we spend half a billion naira monthly on recurrent expenses is no longer sustainable. I can clearly see what that has caused. Government sits down; the university authority employs; they send the bill to the treasury; government pays salaries and then we say bye bye to NDU.
Half a billion is a lot of money. But then, we are seeing the results which are loss of accreditation, etc. NDU has become stagnated. Now what can we do differently?
I am charging your university authorities working with our team to re order their priorities so that we can have some funds for capital development.
We want this University to be one of the best universities in Nigeria and in the world. So we are going to be partners on this.
Do not listen to idle talk because there are people who do not like change. They do not have the courage and they may not even have the vision but it is very easy to criticize. What I am telling you, in the light of dwindling earnings and revenues of states, is that we have to do a few things differently.
I have told the university leadership that working with my team, the changes will not be done arbitrarily, and we will sit down and then re order your priorities. This university has to lead the way as to how universities operate in Nigeria and you can. I want this university to have a robust consultancy department that can provide consultancy services.
Government is building roads and undertaking other projects everywhere.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 35 The number one consultancy priority that I will direct all my departments of government to give is to the university. That way the university earns revenue.
Secondly, this is the citadel of learning. Let me tell you that a er my service in government, I may come and join you as a lecturer because what I want to actually do, is to become a lecturer all my life. Once I am through with this sabbatical thing that I am doing, I will dust my books and go to teach because I would like to be a Professor of Law.
So if we do not change the system, by that time I too will be very angry with myself because now I have the opportunity working with you to make a difference. You have a Department of Environmental Sciences. We are the people who are grappling with environmental issues like soil erosion and you have a partner in me.
You just have to get your act together and learn to operate outside the box. This is what you do as part of academics; explore the unknown and challenge yourselves more. I would like the Department of Agriculture to have the biggest farms in this country and run them as commercial and viable enterprises.
If you have no company, go and incorporate an Agricultural Development Company; I will guarantee a commercial loan for you for agricultural purposes, which you will use to engage yourselves; give your students and lecturers more exposure. That was why I went to look at your farms, which are in the image and likeness of a farm.
Get your act together and in the next three months we will get cracking. This state has enormous goodwill and respect. I will make the necessary contacts to enable you have a loan facility that will enable you to make money in the long run.
If you get home, think. What happens if this crude oil that we are talking about dries up as happened to us at Oloibiri or if the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 36 international price goes haywire, which we have no control over? Look over the current imbroglio at Abuja concerning the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) and Federal Ministry of Finance and states that do not even pay salaries? Think!
That is why I say that a sustainable Bayelsa and a sustainable NDU have to be run in a businesslike manner and the NDU should help lead the way. I am aware that efforts are being made to get back accreditation that your faculties lost last year.
With the investments that we are making, in no distant time I am sure that we will get those faculties reaccredited and get more faculties accredited.
For the students, when I was coming in, they welcomed me enthusiastically but as I was about stepping into this auditorium, they were also chanting another song, ʹpay our bursaryʹ. Let me tell you that your bursary allowances will be paid.
When I was a student, bursary was very important to me. I feel what you feel. You will give me up until June this year when your bursary payment will begin I am your talk na do Governor talking.
There are many challenges that we are facing, such as payment of bonds and loans, retiree benefits of over N6 billion; it is a lot of mess that we are mopping up, but that is my problem and not yours.
I want to make a plea in two areas concerning the security reports about the activities that are going on in this university. They are not so much on the red side but then the students can do be er. I want to use this opportunity to advise the students to refrain from the activities that are not helpful to them because your future means so much to us. You are the future of this state and country.
In your time, some of you will be Visitors to this University, standing here as I am doing; so it is important that you are encouraged to have
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 37 the right education, and not just education, because for you to pass through this University, you must be found worthy in learning and in character.
An educated crook is more inimical to society than the average human being. So while we want people to excel, your values and ethics that you graduate with are also very important. It is my duty to join the university leadership to urge you to refrain from cultism and other activities that do not add value to you.
I was not a member of any cult and I did not need to be and we are where we are and still moving ahead. We have a president of this country from this State and we never knew him to be associated with such things, and see how he is growing.
Believe in yourself, work hard, be fair and pray hard, too, but also find time to play hard and God will handle the rest. We will talk more on this issue because I would like to interact more with the students.
This year is an election year not my election, thankfully but this is a political year and I thought I should advise the young people and the University to brace up and not allow students to be used as political thugs. What I have discovered particularly in our clime is that a number of our elites take advantage of the people and manipulate their conditions.
They do not believe in this openness that we have introduced and working for the people. A number of them do not even bother to build houses in our State; they just stay as big men in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and even if they have big offices, you do not see them. When it is election time they bring out their stolen money; meanwhile, their own sons and daughters are in London, America, studying.
They use the children of poor women that are roasting plantain to send their sons to school; those are the boys they send to go and organize.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 38 GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON POSE WITH THE NEWLY INAUGURATED MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL OF NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY
Now that has to stop. You are all witnesses to the fact that none of them has fought more political ba les than me.
We took out a si ing system and we did not recruit anybody as a thug. There is nobody here that we bought a rifle and a bullet for. I do not have boys. All of you who mean well are my own younger ones and children. So I would like you all to maintain the peace that exists in this university and the State in general.
I want to thank the acting Vice Chancellor and all members of your team I appreciate the wonderful job you are doing in very difficult circumstances. Today, being my very first formal interaction, I have taken time out to explain my vision for this University and I need your partnership and understanding.
Once you convince me on something we can do be er, I will always bow to superior reason. If we are working for the good of the people, we should not have fixed positions. So I await the outcome of the team that will sit on how you will reorder your priorities. But right now, my team and I will concentrate on building capacity for you.
Thank you very much and God bless you all.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 39 ECONOMY CHARGE TO CONTRACTORS: LET US BE PARTNERS IN BAYELSAʹS PROGRESS
Remarks at a meeting with SETRACO NIG LTD, MOREMO NIG LTD, Julius Berger PLC, ENERCO PLC and Eagle Builders in Government House on April 13, 2012
will like to thank you all for the interest you have shown in Bayelsa over the years. For some of you, you have been our partners in Idevelopment and in service delivery. You know we have been here for about two months now and the new Bayelsa is about to unfold. This government is about to start off the major infrastructural works that we promised our people, development that they rightly deserve, development that we are poised to deliver.
We will not be able to do that alone without partners like you. For us, when you come here to do a job, you are not just a contractor; you ought in addition, be a development partner, fulfilling at all times your own corporate social responsibilities. So, you are actually corporate citizens of Bayelsa State and that is the mindset people like you ought to have dealing with us, going forward.
For us, it is a paradigm shi . We are going to talk about prudence, and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 40 AERIAL VIEW OF THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED OLD AZIKORONTA ROAD
cost effectiveness, we are going to talk about time lines and adherence to contractual obligations and we will also demand that jobs be executed and finished as and when due, as and when stipulated by the contract. When you do that, this government under me in this dispensation will never fail in our obligation.
Unfortunately the record has not been that rosy, for several reasons but this meeting is not to pass blames. We are here because we are interested in moving forward. My interest in the past, is only necessary for my information and guidance going forward.
We have so much work to do for those who are sincerely interested in executing contracts. Very soon the whole of Bayelsa will be a massive construction yard. That is our determination, and as you would have known, we are busy pu ing our house in order, in terms of the preparedness and the capacity of our government to fulfill its contractual obligations.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 41 For us, it is a paradigm shi . We are going to talk about prudence, and cost effectiveness, we are going to talk about time lines and adherence to contractual obligations and we will also demand that jobs be executed and finished as and when due, as and when stipulated by the contract. When you do that, this government under me in this dispensation will never fail in our obligation.
I will insist on value for money. I am going to also insist on timelines, insist on high standards. Once, as they say in law, you come to equity with clean hands, you donʹt have anything to fear dealing with me or this government under me, because I will take our obligations very seriously going forward.
Most of you are handling one project or the other, and I think that is where we ought to start from and for those that are deserving, for those that are interested, for those that satisfy new demands, new parameters of prudence, cost effectiveness and of timely performance, we have a lot to talk about going forward.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 42 BAYELSA IS RIPE FOR FOREIGN INVESTMENT
Remarks during a courtesy call by the Polish ambassador April 13, 2012
et me on behalf of the government and the good of Bayelsa Lstate thank you immensely for finding time to visit us today. As you know, Bayelsa is a virgin investment territory that is open for collaboration open for constructive and robust partnership such as you have come to offer. You have talked about partnership in the development of our enormous maritime resources. As you must have known already, Bayelsa is almost entirely a maritime state and actually, more deltaic than Delta state and far more riverine than Rivers State. This is the heart of the Niger Delta.
And what we have tried to do since coming on board has been to work hard in collaboration with the citizenry, in collaboration with the security agencies to make sure that we have a normal situation in terms of security.
I am happy to announce that Bayelsa, just less than two months in the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 43 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (R) PRESENTING A SOUVENIR TO THE POLISH AMB. TO NIGERIA, PRZMYSLAVE NIESIOLOVSKA DURING A VISIT IN YENAGOA
life of this administrations now enjoys stability and peace. And, we have only just started.
We intend to make Bayelsa the safest state in Nigeria. We intend to make Yenagoa the safest state capital in Nigeria. And, even in that area we are open to partnership and collaboration. But while working on the citizenry, while building local consensus, we are also looking for people that will join hands with us to deploy technology where necessary to ensure that a safe investment climate is provided.
You talked about collaborating with us in developing the maritime academy. Yes, government of Bayelsa State and NIMASA are in the process of se ing up a technical commi ee to work out the details.
We are interested in sending our teeming young people to develop skills and pursue careers in seamanship. Just like Poland is a sea faring nation, as you can see we are also a maritime people and we can do very well just like Poland has done very well in the area of supplying man power in that industry.
But beyond sending people out for training, we intend to have an
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 44 institution here in Bayelsa where we are going to train them and we need to collaborate with institutions such as the one you talked about in Poland.
And, let me again at this point, thank you for your very generous offer of an invitation to Poland for me and members of my team. We hope to liaise with you to get a team to visit the maritime training institution and probably build linkages with them so that they can supply the technical skills and manpower that are needed to set up a world class maritime training institution in Bayelsa State.
You were right Ambassador, when you talked about our interest in developing a deep sea port in Bayelsa State. And Poland being a maritime nation has a lot also to offer in that area.
We want a deepsea port that is second to none in Nigeria. And, we will build the critical infrastructure, which is needed to service that port and its environs.
We are already in touch with various investors and other stakeholders who had shown interest.
As we speak, surveyors from the Nigerian Army in furtherance of the partnership and collaboration that the state government had developed with them, are being deployed to the designated site to commence the initial surveys.
We will very soon appoint technical partners to carry out other studies, but in that context we are very open to any investment because all the critical infrastructure we are talking about have to be private sector driven. Ours is a government that is serious about allowing the private sector to drive the development in most of these areas.
Our duty as a government is to make sure that we create the enabling environment, to build the necessary linkages between the business community in this country and outside such as Poland so that they can
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 45 come, look at the opportunities, be assured of their investment as we make the necessary guarantee to ensure that those investments are safe.
Again, the development of the sea port is one area that we will open to a robust partnership and collaboration with the business community in Poland. And, being a maritime state, we have enormous potentials in the area of fishery. We are looking for people that will come and partner with the state government.
As a ma er of fact, this state has companies that are into the business of fishery. We have trawlers and that area is clearly one area that businessmen and investors from Europe, Poland particularly, should have interest in.
We already have few people doing big time fishing within the shores of Bayelsa and we will be open to collaboration also in that area. We are also looking for people that will partner with us to develop our agricultural potentials. As you can see, we can do a lot in aquaculture. We hope to also develop rice farming, to produce food for consumption and export, and as a veritable instrument for job creation, wealth generation and development of skills.
I know that Poland, like most European economies, has a developed mortgage industry. We also want to embark on a lot of construction of houses, low income and even lowdensity houses. And, we also want to develop a strong mortgage foundation here in Bayelsa to be able to build the houses and have a way by which people can afford to pay and stay.
When you go back help to tell the Bayelsa story of change. Help to tell the Bayelsa story of a new dawn, of a readiness of a people to partner with the outside world for development and for mutual benefit.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 46 You already know that we have vast resources in oil and gas. This is actually the base of oil and gas production, both now and in the future.
And so all these are areas we would like you to assist in terms of facilitating business contacts between credible Polish companies and stakeholders in Bayelsa.
When you go back help to tell the Bayelsa story of change. Help to tell the Bayelsa story of a new dawn, of a readiness of a people to partner with the outside world for development and for mutual benefit.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 47 OUR POWER ROAD MAP
Remarks at the presentation of interim report by commi ee on power generation and distribution on April 16 2012
t is clear that unless we get the issue of power right, we cannot seriously be talking about industrialization, job creation and most Iof the things we set out to accomplish in the Restoration Agenda. This is why we as a government decided not just to see the problems but find solutions as well. We do not want to rush into the problem of power, which is rather complicated; we decided to set up a commi ee of experts to diagnose the problem correctly and advise on a systematic approach to it.
We have sufficient political will and a clear idea of where we want the State to be and the areas to invest in, so we can rejuvenate our economy. And that is when we can talk about job creation as well as working towards making this State a manufacturing hub in the country.
I would like to thank you all immensely for this brilliant job and the brilliant way it was presented.
I can say that I have received my first main comprehensive lecture on
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 48 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON DISPLAYING THE REPORT PRESENTED TO HIM BY COMMITTEE ON POWER GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION.
power. It is clear your job has just started and we will all not rest until we deliver on power. You covered all aspects that the executive needs to have in order to make an informed decision.
My job here is not to wade through complicated issues: you have made it easy for me to make a decision; you have presented and analyzed the problems; you have made recommendations and highlighted practical options, and I know you all will relate with us both formally and informally on the best approach for the implementation of your report. Even though it is tagged an interim report, it still amounts to something substantive.
Arising from this, I think I should need some implementation advice. From next week, we should have sworn in commissioners and consultations will be made with ministries that have a connection with this, such as the Ministry of Energy, towards implementation of this interim report. We now have a basis for making preliminary estimates in the appropriation bill that we are ge ing ready to send to the House of Assembly.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 49 Power is one thing we have to get right and not to do haphazardly. That was the case before as your work has clearly shown, particularly with respect to the pitiable manner a critical state asset was mismanaged. That is criminal neglect which has cost us a colossal sum of money that the State really needs for other things.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 50 WE MUST BRING SANITY TO THE PETROLEUM SECTOR
Speech at the inauguration of the Petroleum Products Monitoring Task Force on June 22, 2012
et me first of all, on behalf of the government and the good people of Bayelsa State, congratulate you all, the chairman and Lmembers on your very welldeserved appointments. As you all know, you were all carefully selected because in this state, we are aware that petroleum marketers are involved in unscrupulous behaviour and activities ranging from product adulteration and diversion of products to selling products far and above the prescribed or regulated prices and several other activities which are detrimental to the people of this state.
I have personally received lots of complaints from the citizens of Bayelsa. It became obvious that I needed a crack team that will address this problem and monitor petroleum marketers and ensure products are available and that we also have the right quantity as allocated to the state.
We must also ensure that those who have licenses to trade do so in strict compliance with rules and regulations and guidelines based on these
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 51 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (2ND LEFT) SPEAKING DURING THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2ND PRACTICAL NIGERIAN CONTENT CONFERENCE IN YENAGOA, WHILE THE STATE DEPUTY GOVERNOR, REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONH RTD, THE PERMANENT SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM RESOURCES, AMB. ABDULKADIR MUSA (2NDRIGHT) AND THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY NIGERIAN CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING BOARD, ENGR. ERNEST NWAPA (RIGHT) LOOK ON. licenses.
Let me therefore use this opportunity and this occasion of your inauguration to issue a stern warning to petroleum marketers that we are not going to allow them to continue to exploit the people of Bayelsa State through unscrupulous increases in the prices of various petroleum products.
We expect you therefore having been so carefully selected for this assignment to apply yourself fully and ensure that you do not compromise the interest of the people of this state.
From now on, Bayelsans will judge you all and if the situation remains the same, then it will be a vote of no confidence in you all.
We expect that prices will return to normal. We expect that we will have value for money. We expect that going forward you will stop diversion of petroleum products from Bayelsa to neighbouring states.
I will communicate an instruction to the appropriate authorities to ensure that you have a full complement of enforcement officers with you, so that you can enforce compliance.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 52 LAND USE MUST BE PLANNED AND CONTROLLED
Charge to the Bayelsa State Land and Allocation commi ee at its inauguration in Yenagoa on November 26, 2012
ince we are a government that wants to turn Yenagoa around to be a beautiful and befi ing state capital, the capital of Ijaw Snation, we thought that we needed to put together a body of professional men and women that will be given the responsibility to properly identify our land resources and to advise on their appropriate use.
This is a commi ee of people who have been in government circles and are aware of the rather unfortunate trend of events as they affect land, especially within Yenagoa and its environs.
If you read the Land Use Act, the various land use laws of this country, you will see that this is a very important commi ee. I donʹt think it is proper as government or any other person for that ma er to allocate land indiscriminately, anywhere in this state, not to talk of our own state capital.
If you drive along Oxbow lake, which is a place we have set aside for
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 53 ONE OF THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BRIDGES ON THE ETEGWE/TOMBIA/AMASSOMA ROAD AN INITIATIVE OF THE RESTORATION ADMINISTRATION
the development of our tourism infrastructure, you will see the abuse of land allocation, a situation where people have indiscriminately allocated lands to themselves and their cronies and people are developing structures anyhow without control, without regard to aesthetics, without regards above all to the master plan of our state capital.
We want a situation where all the land in the state will be properly planned according to the master plan. If we are going to review and revive the master plan, which we must do, this is the commi ee that will work and advise the government to do so. If we are going to allocate lands, plots, which we must do in earnest, this is the Commi ee that will advise the government how to do so.
That is why we have representation from all Local Government Areas, and that is why, this body is chaired by the executive secretary of the CCDA and the vice chairman is the surveyorgeneral of the state who is the custodian of the lands of this state, Mr Ebisintei Awudu.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 54 This is a very important commi ee because your government has a very ambitious agenda of massive housing development, massive infrastructural turn around.
As you know because of the floods and the rains, we have been slowed down, but now we are in a hurry even more than before to move fast.
So you have our charge, mandate and our support to quickly swing into action, advise on the areas we can acquire for GRA developments, that we are going to plan, advise as to where we will acquire for mass housing developments and where we can acquire for future developments.
We cannot build a state that is not planned. A number of people donʹt know that unless we plan Yenagoa, unless we invest in planning and we follow our master plan any investment you make in housing will end up looking like a slum dwelling.
Most of the houses we build that are ordinarily wellappointed when you look at them in the environment in which they are situated look like part of a slum. Somebody will build a fine structure and get to his house with a monkeybridge! They have houses that cannot be traded with titles.
As part of my declaration speech I spoke of the importance of land titles, because that is a way by which we can expand the base of our economy.
If you have no evidence of any title and yet you have the land, you canʹt trade with it; banks canʹt trade with you. They canʹt accept it as collateral, because you donʹt have any evidence of ownership. All that has to change now.
I want this commi ee to get ready and work with sister agencies, ministries and departments so as to be able to advise me to sign as many certificates of occupancy as soon as possible.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 55 As for those areas that are not good enough for our capital city, the CCDA has a mandate to act and you will have my support to bring those places and developments down. ʹWe cannot make omele e without breaking eggsʹ and all of us in this state must be prepared to make the necessary sacrifice, while we open up new areas as well as the existing areas that we can save and modify. And, no land allocation by my government will be made without a certificate of occupancy backing it up; we are already working on a systematic and scientific way of a esting to titles, of storing titles and other land information in this state.
Let me also use this opportunity to announce that our new policy on land acquisition is that the government of Bayelsa state will not pay anything more than N750, 000 per hectare for any state government acquisition. It could be less, but it is not going to be more than N750, 000. Where there are crops, where there is improvement (human efforts), those will be valued separately and adequate compensation will be paid.
But for land we will need for our collective development no landlord or landowner will be allowed to hold our development and this state to ransom. We will also work out the cost of any development where a private building is to be taken over in the interest of the public which we have power to do under the Land Use Act. I will not hesitate to sign appropriate acquisition notices in our overriding interest because we must all make sacrifices for this state to develop.
Now, some hectares may cost more than others, depending on the way the experts assess the areas, I want it to be known that the government of this state will begin massive acquisition of areas that we intend to use now and areas that we intend to acquire and reserve for future use, so that these areas can be planned.
Let me serve notice to members of the public, who either out of
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 56 ignorance or because they felt that, government does not care or bother and have gone on to encroach on government land, that the sooner they get out of all government land they have illegally encroached upon the be er for them.
While we are talking of making new acquisitions, we are also serious about reclaiming all our land. As for landlords, persons, who have collected compensation and have still gone ahead to sell government land without governmentʹs authorization, you can be rest assured that the law will catch up with them now.
This commi ee, will in no distant time come out with an inventory of all government land, those acquired properly, those partly acquired, those acquired that have no encumbrance, those we have acquired that people have already gone back to buy and sell. We need to take all of these back.
Members of the public should bear with us; in this our restoration government, we need to do what is right and proper. While we are prepared to pay compensation, I want to also sound a note of caution and also plead with land owning families and communities, that when we serve notice of our intention to use a particular place, they should please, donʹt sell the place again, donʹt also use the place again.
My officials will be in touch with you from the Ministry of Land and Survey, from the CCDA, from the Surveyor – Generalʹs office and we will try to pay as much as government resources allow. We all must make sacrifices for our development.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 57 AGRICULTURE IS A PRIORITY FOR BAYELSA
Address during a courtesy visit by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr. Bukar Tijani on November 27, 2012
ere we are very serious about developing agriculture because it is one way we can enlarge the base of our Heconomy. As well as food security, we want to use agriculture as a way of engaging people and therefore creating wealth and developing skills.
Some of you will see massive farms of different kinds.
We are in the process of developing very big fish farms, and that is why, I was particularly interested when you talked about the aquaculture potentials of this state. If there is one area we can do well it should be aquaculture. We also have potentials for swamp rice production.
Mr. President has already told you about our interest in plantain and banana and we are building big farms in that respect. In fact, for cassava we have already signed an MOU with some technical partners to develop what may turn out to be the biggest cassava plantation here in Bayelsa. This is why, I must thank you again for your partnership in providing high yield crops and seedlings. I look forward to a very close
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 58 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON POSE WITH MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY INAUGURATED 12 MEMBER BOARD OF THE STATE AGRICULTURAL DEV. COMPANY LTD. collaboration between the ministry of agriculture here and your ministry
We have set up the Bayelsa State Agriculture Development Company Limited to work with the ministry.
The ministry formulates the policies for them and the private sector will now lead the development of our farms.
We already have some funds and we will be ready to work with you and any other development partners to see how we can even access more funds, because agriculture really for us is one key area that we need to go into in a big way.
As you know before even the discovery of crude oil, this area was called Oil Rivers Protectorate and so can do very well in palm plantation and palm business. We already have a palm plantation that as far as I am concerned is wasting away. There are many things to be done in agriculture and we actually want to be a foremost state in terms of developing agricultural potentials. We donʹt want to be known only for oil and gas.
We want to explore our agricultural potentials to the fullest and that is
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 59 DIVERSIFYING THE ECONOMY THROUGH AGRICULTURE. THE SWAMPY FARMLAND ALLOWS FOR THREE HARVESTING SEASONS IN A YEAR. ONE OF THE PILOT FARMS BEING HARVESTED AT OTUASEGA
why I was so excited that you were able to find time with your team to visit us. I believe that my Hon. Commissioner and his officials have benefited from the interactions your visit has made possible. I will like to urge you and your team to be open to us and I donʹt mind even sending the Hon. Commissioner and other officials to interact with you and other officials in Abuja because we need all the knowledge, collaboration and skill that can be transferred to us.
If there is any area, apart from education in which I will like to see a big difference, that area is agriculture and I donʹt see why we shouldnʹt be biggest in aquaculture in the country, both for local consumption and for export.
There are some countries that donʹt have the potentials that we have and they survive on agriculture. So we are very serious in that area.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 60 BDIC IS TO DRIVE OUR DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Address at the inauguration of the board of the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation, (BDIC) in Yenagoa on February 14, 2013.
hile I was campaigning, it became clear to me that the economy was going to be a major issue for the success of Wour government and for the progress, development, prosperity and even security of our state and people. But you see, I have never been a businessman and I have never done a contract in my life. However we know how to call for help when that becomes necessary and why not, when we are blessed with this array of personalities.
As your governor, I do not need to know everything and any successful leadership does not need to know everything. What is necessary is the humility to know your limitations and then be encouraged to call for help. So this a ernoon, that is what we are going to do. I have decided to call for help by calling out our best hands, all of them carefully selected.
And like all other appointments that I make, beginning with the nomination of my Deputy Governor and you can see how efficient and stable he is, you do not lobby; when I see a good hand I go pursuing that good hand wherever you are, so that this state can benefit from your knowledge and experience. We have wonderful people who have seen
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 61 New construction equipment acquired by the state government.
it all in their spheres of endeavor in this state and country and who can hold their own anywhere in this world.
So what we have done simply is to call for help and harness these abundant human resources in our state. Let me first of all on behalf of your people congratulate you all on this very serious assignment that you have agreed to shoulder on behalf of our people. Let me thank you also, on behalf of our grateful state, for all the services you have individually and collectively rendered.
You have taught us over the years that in vain we build the city if we do not first build the human mind. A er we have invested in security and education to strengthen and build our economy, we must consciously expand our economy beyond oil and gas.
Yes, we are number one in oil and gas; yes our place was the area where oil was first struck in commercial quantity at Oloibiri in 1956. Oloibiri is now a metaphor for neglect. It is a reminder that oil may be with us today but will be no more tomorrow.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 62 Now we have got to lay the foundation for a new economy a er oil. We need to invest in agriculture, manufacturing and tourism. There is no place on earth that is as beautiful as Bayelsa State. We have the longest coastline in this country, but we have to consciously create a platform for a racting the right expertise and capital from local and foreign investors.
That is why when I gave my inaugural speech, I promised you that because of the passion we have to make a difference and take Bayelsa to the next level, that I am not going to play politics with decisions that impact on our wellbeing and prosperity.
You have all been carefully selected because of your rich background and the competences that we know you have to come and midwife this process. Amongst you is the nationʹs number one personality in oil and gas and that is King Edmund Daukoru.
We have our own Chairman of the advisory council, Ambassador Lawrence Ekpebu. He and former governor of old Rivers State, King Alfred Diete Spiff built Rivers State. You have Professor Turner Isoun and in the younger generation, you have Chief Timi Alaibe and others.
So what we have done is to bring all of you together to lay the foundation for a new economy of our people where you will also set up the process for managing this development. In line with the law, I will be the chairman of the Advisory Board.
You will handle the real business of the BDIC. That is why we have selected one of our best Harvard PhD graduates, Ambassador Lawrence Ekpebu, so that you can do for our young state, what you all did in the old Rivers State.
Let us now come back home and build Bayelsa, the glory of all lands and build a befi ing state for our Ijaw people.
I am not an expert to decide on that. All the assets owned by the state will be at the disposal of the BDIC to advise and manage and in so
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 63 doing, develop local entrepreneurs. Let us teach ourselves to do business so that we can be partakers of our economy now and in the future.
We have major challenges in human resource development and I am happy that Professor Turner Isoun, ProChancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Niger Delta University is also on the board. So the BDIC should also formulate longterm human capital development programmes.
In the first one year, we awarded 137 PhD scholarships. We are doing this because we know there is a gap that we must fill but it will be for the BDIC to develop and lay out the short and longterm manpower development needs of our state. Most of you are where you are because of the education and exposure that you received. Now using the BDIC we have to see how succeeding generations will also be part of that heritage. The future belongs to knowledge; we are producing people that will emerge into a globally competitive environment.
Your duties are numerous. In order to create institutions that I talked about, I have sent bills to the state assembly. There is as we speak, the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation Law, which I have signed and I enjoin you all to look at it and know the full range of the assignment that you are now saddled with.
We have made some appointments as part of this inauguration; we will announce the Deputy Managing Director of the BDIC. The young man clearly has the right background, education and experience. He worked with top investment banks outside this country and he has been for the past one year, my Chief Economic Adviser, Mr. Tam Alazigha is going to serve as the Deputy Managing Director.
Our sister, who for quite sometime has been in the United Kingdom, she is half British and a Bayelsan. She is a lawyer and has been part of so many worthy development endeavors. She is going to serve as the Corporationʹs General Counsel and Secretary: Mrs. Koroye Funkazi
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 64 Crooks.
To enable you kick off properly, we have hired two offices for the BDIC. The international headquarters of the BDIC is going to be in London and an office has already been procured and once it is set, most of us will be in London to launch it and make contacts with relevant stakeholders in that economy.
The other office will be the African regional headquarters in Johannesburg in South Africa where we have opened an office. Our thinking is simple. We need to place the economy of Bayelsa on the world map; the world needs to know about us and what is possible in Bayelsa State. Now you have a government that understands the role of the private sector in any economy.
Our charge, my leaders, is to turn our dear state into the fastest growing economy in Nigeria, Africa and the third world. Our charge is to turn this place to be the new Dubai of Africa because those who built Dubai, Singapore and South Africa are not be er than you.
Our charge, my leaders is to turn our dear state into the fastest growing economy in Nigeria, Africa and the third world. Our charge is to turn this place to be the new Dubai of Africa because those who built Dubai, Singapore and South Africa are not be er than you.
The stakes are so high and we have got to immediately swing into action to a ract businesses and industries to Bayelsa State. Let us quickly turn this place around. God has given us the natural and human resources to turn this place into the new Dubai, an investment and tourism haven everybody can look up to.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 65 DEVELOPMENT MUST START AT THE GRASSROOTS
Remarks at the inauguration of 32 rural development centers in Yenagoa on February 15 2013
e are assembled here for a very brief ceremony, but it is a ceremony that will go a long way in repositioning us for Weffective service delivery particularly at the grass root level.
As chairmen of the various development centers, I expect you all to work harmoniously with your team. We have not read out the full composition of your commi ees; the commi ees that will work with you will be announced in no distant time and then some officers will join you; leaders of our party will also join you to enable you inaugurate them yourselves. We will join you to do the inaugurations.
Two important tasks I want to charge you with. I expect you all to reside in your development centers, and work there unless there is a compelling reason why you have to be here or anywhere else. You are not to be absentee chairmen of transition commi ees operating only from Yenagoa and visiting your bases only on pay day. That trend has to
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 66 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON AND HIS DEP. REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH POSE WITH OPKOAMA COUNCIL OF CHIEFS DURING A MEETING
stop in this state.
Those centers have to be what they were designed to be: development centers. We will have to work together to streamline the payroll system to reduce waste, to prevent corruption and ensure effective service delivery.
Many projects are currently going on in the state in all constituencies and therefore in all your development centers. We expect you to be involved in the monitoring to let us have real reports about what is going on in the communities under your charge; we expect you to also work closely with the security agencies, where your development centers are because you are officers of the law now. You must work with all other constituted authorities be it traditional council, be it chairmen of CDCʹs and the traditional rulers of the various communities. Work closely with them so that you build a synergy to support our policy of zero tolerance for criminality and violence.
Most of you are aware that in some of your areas, we have a high incidence of kidnapping, sea piracy or sea robbery and then related acts
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 67 of vandalism. Being the people who are closest to the grassroots we expect you as you se le down, to network and ensure that you let us know, let the security agencies know the bad eggs in our communities who are perpetuating all this, whether it is illegal oil the or the so called illegal refineries that are destroying our environment. We expect you all as officers of the government to ensure, that you keep tabs on these activities and those behind them so that you can work with the security system to ensure that those things are contained.
You have come at a time that our government is taking serious steps about cu ing the cost of government. This is no time to be flamboyant, to live very flamboyant lives. Every li le fund that comes to you, apart from your legitimate entitlements, which will be clearly spelt out, the Deputy Governor will oversee, working through the Ministry of local government. You will be told what entitlements you have and what entitlements your members will have. Any other thing coming to your development centers is not your pocket money; that is the problem we already have with some rascals, who do not know that this state has moved beyond them. No chairman of a local government area will be allowed to treat council funds as their own pocket money again in this state; any fund coming in must be used for development. You are chairmen of development centers and we want to see development, real development.
Even if you have finished meeting your normal expenditure and you are le with five hundred thousand or one million naira or whatever, we want to see what you are going to do with it. The Ministry of Local Government ably supervised by the Deputy Governor will draw up appropriate guidelines for monitoring and implementation of all this.
We expect that you people will also be agents of mobilization of our people at the grassroots level.
Now, the system we are going to put in place, which you will not know is such that we are going to get reports about all your activities and we
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 68 will have a period within which you will serve.
Once we discover that your activities are not in conformity with the principles of the restoration agenda. I will waste no time in removing you and replacing you because as you know, there are several others who are waiting for this opportunity. You have to work very hard with the constituted authority, with your leaders; support the restoration government, do what is right and play by the rules. If you do so, we assure you of our support.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 69 ALL MUST SACRIFICE FOR BAYELSAʹS GOOD
Remarks during inspection of site for second flyover bridge at Tombia Tegwe junction in Yenagoa on November 17 2013
am here to undertake a personal assessment of the work that has Ito be done in connection with the second flyover bridge. This facility will even be more extensive than the one coming up at the NNPC mega filling station area. This is very important, because this junction is very strategic. We want to decongest Yenagoa, we want to beautify our state capital and make it a place that people will love to visit, stay and do business.
I have seen that the contractors are set, the Ministry is set, all the agencies and departments of Government are also set. I have come to see the extent of demolition of existing structures, that has to take place before the commencement of work.
I want to use this opportunity to call on all Bayelsans who have properties that will be affected by the ongoing renewal programme of our state capital to take it in good faith and be prepared to pay the price
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 70 RESTORATION FLYOVER BRIDGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
for the new Bayelsa.
As you all know a couple of days back, I set the example by bringing down my own personal structure which was not built in violation of building rules but had to give way because we are expanding the roads there. I want to call for the same level of sacrifice by all those who will be affected by the massive infrastructure that will commence in no distant time.
I have asked the agencies of Government to begin disbursement of N500m for the compensation that will be paid and I want to urge all those who are affected to cooperate with the agencies that will handle that process from next week so that the contractors can move in to begin the demolition and start preparations for this very important work.
Once again, I call for understanding. We all want a beautiful, developed state capital, but there is a price and I call for understanding, support and for those whose properties, like mine will be affected, I call for understanding and cooperation.
The team that will begin the payment of compensation will get cracking and even if what you think you are paid is not up to what you expect,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 71 accept it in good faith because we do not have an obligation to pay the market value; what we have an obligation to do is to pay a fair, adequate and prompt compensation, which we are prepared to do.
We are all partakers of this restoration project and I call for understanding. We have to start the development of our state capital.
You are all aware of what is going on in the State; a lot of you are all happy and I want to thank you for the support and solidarity.
We want to duplicate the type of work going on in the NNPC filling station area here, but this one will be more massive and useful to our people and I have seen that a lot of buildings will be affected.
I share in your pain, but it is for the overall good of our state and our collective interest that we must redesign, we must upgrade infrastructure of our state.
The same goes for all those who will be affected by the proposed expansion of internal roads that will also commence very soon.
I want to call for understanding and do not politicise what we are doing. As I have reminded you over and over, we are not prepared to play politics with our development.
There is no political connotation whatsoever; that is why we started with my own house.
I have seen the extent of demolition that will be carried out and the same goes for all of you who want internal roads to be expanded.
For us to do that, the houses that are nearby must give way and this is a time for sacrifice and understanding; that is why I have personally come, leading all critical officials in the infrastructural sector of our government to undertake this personal tour.
This job will be handled by Julius Berger. We have paid them and they
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 72 were waiting to do the demolitions before commencing work and because of the number of buildings I came to see things first hand.
Having done this, I want to call on you all to bear with us and understand where we are going for at the end of the day, we will all be happier for it.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 73 President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Seriake Dickson during a visit at the Governors Office in Yenagoa
Governor Seriake Dickson leading the congregation with his tambourine during the 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Day celebration
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 74 Governor Seriake Dickson presenting 2015 budget speech at the State House of Assembly
Governor making speech at Transparency briefing
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 75 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and his wife, Rachael
Bayelsa State Gov. Hon. Seriake Dickson & The South African President, Jacob Zuma during a visit
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 76 Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndle ) cu ing the tape to commission construction equipment acquired by the State Government in Yenagoa, while the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kombowei Benson (le ) the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gbiribiogha John Jonah rtd, (3rdright) Secretary to the State Government, Pprof. Edmund AllisonOguru (2ndright) and the Commissioner of Works, Engr. Erudjakpo Lawrence (right) look on.
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and former Prime Minister of UK during his visit to UK
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 77 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) supported by the President of Nigeria Polo Federation, Mr. Francis Boro performing the ground breaking ceremony of Yenagoa Polo Club in Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 78 SouthSouth Monarch
Rle : Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, UN UnderSecretaryGeneral, Baroness Valerie Amos, and the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Prof. Edmund Allison Oguru during a visit at Government House in Yenagoa
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 79 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (le ) presenting a souvenir to the Political Councillor, British High Commission Abuja, Mr. Hooman Nouruzi (right) during a courtesy call at Government House in Yenagoa.
From Le : The Chief Judge if Bayelsa State, Hon. Kate Abiri, Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson and the visiting Dutch Ambassador to Nigeria, Bert Ronhaar, shortly a er a courtesy call at Government House in Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 80 Bayelsa State diagnostics centre
Bayelsa State Diagnostics Center
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 81 Bayelsa State diagnostics center
Road Safety Road
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 82 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndright) his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd, (2ndle ) Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kombowe Benson(le ) and the Finance Commissioner, Mr. Duate Iyabi during the press briefing
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 83 Gov. of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dockson & Rev. Jesse Jackson during a visit
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 84 REMODELLED AND REBRANDED GABRIEL OKARA CULTURAL CENTRE
GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON OF BAYELSA STATE (LEFT), DISCUSSING WITH THE UNITED STATE CONSULAR GENERAL, JEFFERY HAWKINS (MIDDLE), AND A MEMBER OF HIS ENTOURAGE, MORGAN G. KEAY, DURING A COURTESY CALL, AT GOVERNMENT HOUSE, YENAGOA.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 85 Gov. of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (l) and IG. Mohammed Abubakar (r) during a visit in Yenagoa
RLe : Wife of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mrs. Rachael Dickson, her husband, Hon. Seriake Dickson, 1st Lady of South Africa, Her Excellency Mrs. Nompumlelo NtuliZuma, Deputy Governor of the State, Rtd. Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah and his wife, Seleipre during a Command Performance organized in honour of the South Africa 1st Lady on her visit to the State in Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 86 Nembe National Grammar School
Nembe National Grammar School .
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 87 Presentation of School. Uniforms etc
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 88 TWO NEWLY CONSTRUCTED ROADS, OLD AZIKORONTA ROAD (L) AND ISAAC BORO EXPRESS WAY
REPRESENTATIVES OF OKOROMA TEREKE RDA RECEIVING FIFTEEN MILLION NAIRA SOFT LOANS FOR WOMEN COOPERATIVE GROUP DURING THE GOVS, THANK YOU TO NEGA
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 89 INT. CAGO AIRPORT AMASSOMA UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Coordinator, Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah (right) assisted by Ijaw Women Leadership Forum South West, Chief (Mrs) Pat Ngene (le ) on behalf Ijaw women in the South West, receiving thirty million naira (N30ml) so loan for small and medium scale business from the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (centre) during his visit to Bayelsans at Ajenkule Apapa in Lagos. Photo by Lucky Francis
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 90 FAST GROWING YENAGOA CITY SHOWING THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED RESTORATION FLYOVER BRIDGE
Director General, Bayelsa State Tourism Board, Ms. Ebizi Brown (centre) assisted by Popular music artist, Timaya (le ) Timi Dakolo (2ndle ) and the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Pageant, Miss Anna Barnner (2ndright) receiving financial instrument of the sum of two hundred million naira (N200,000,000.00) for the development of music talent from the State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) during the Bayelsa State International Jazz Festival in Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 91 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) exchanging pleasantries with the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu Mnguni (2ndle ) during the Bayelsa State Internatioal Jazz Festival in Yenagoa, while the Minister of Culture, High Chief Edem Duke (2ndright) and the Rwandan High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Joseph Habineza (le ) look on.
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (le )presenting an honuary citizenship certificate to Mr. Hugh Masekela (right) during the Bayelsa State International Jazz Festival in Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 92 BAYELSA JAZZ FESTIVAL
African Fashion Reception
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 93 African Fashion Reception
African Fashion Reception
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 94 WE PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT, NOT SHARE MONEY
Remarks at the formal launch of a Women Empowerment Programme in Yenagoa November 22 2013
lot has been said about the purpose of this empowerment programme. Let me remind you all that because of the Apriority your government has placed on empowerment of women, as a key to empowerment and upli ment and fighting of poverty in our society, we have made available One billion naira for women empowerment this year alone.
For the women, I want to call on you to take full advantage of this programme. You have been told how the money will be disbursed, and of the support that will come by way of training and preparing you to be able to manage successful businesses.
Let me add that this money is not for you to use to buy wrapper and do ʹʹshineshineʹʹ in your families and communities. I am saying so, because this is Christmas period.
We expect that you will use this money to do something that will create wealth and keep yourselves busy doing something because we want
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 95 COORDINATOR, IJAW MONITORING GROUP, COMRADE JOSEPH EVAH (RIGHT) ASSISTED BY IJAW WOMEN LEADERSHIP FORUM SOUTH WEST, CHIEF (MRS) PAT NGENE (LEFT) ON BEHALF OF IJAW WOMEN IN THE SOUTH WEST, RECEIVING THIRTY MILLION NAIRA (N 30M) SOFT LOAN FOR THE SMALL AND MEDIUM SCALE BUSINESS FROM THE GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, HON.SERIAKE DICKSON (CENTER) DURING HIS VISIT TO BAYELSANS AT AJEKUNLE APAPA IN LAGOS.
you all to be usefully and meaningfully engaged and to add value to your lives.
When you work hard that way, you allow this money to be an instrument of wealth creation in your hands, your families will not be the same again, your lives will not be the same again, our communities and state will not be the same again.
I have heard it said that we do not share money. We make no apologies for that; we are not going to share money for people to ʹʹeatʹʹ.
The funds that come into this state will be used to work for our state as you are seeing; funding security, education of our children, building world class infrastructure, building houses as we are doing, investing in hospitals for you all, introducing the first successful medical insurance programme that will take care of your health and the health of your families.
Those are the things I will use your monies to do, which is what I am doing.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 96 The policy of our government, which we all know, and which is why we have gathered all of you today, is to free you from being slaves to anybody. We want you to take control and be masters of your lives and destiny.
It doesnʹt ma er how much you get; once you have something doing and you are contented doing it, you can take care of yourselves and your families, then you are truly free.
To our people, particularly young people, I have said this over and over again, and I know they are listening and they are changing, but they need to change more and faster.
We do not want to breed young children, who will be slaves for if we do not change it our tomorrow will be in danger.
In addition to the N500m, I am presenting to the women, we are also going to release another N100m to faithbased organisations in this state.
I want the church leaders to also partner with all the organs of government, the pastors, the heads, because we believe the churches know their people and their needs. There are women that if you give them N100, 000 or N200, 000, it will change their lives for good. We know that and that is why we are starting this way.
There are other programmes, that we have which, we will unfold; the one for entrepreneurs using my Senior Special Assistant on Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
We will also select youths who have great ideas for creating wealth and assisting and empowering them.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 97 I have heard it said that we do not share money. We make no apologies for that; we are not going to share money for people to ʹʹeatʹʹ.
The funds that come into this state will be used to work for our state as you are seeing; funding security, education of our children, building world class infrastructure, building houses as we are doing, investing in hospitals for you all, introducing the first successful medical insurance programme that will take care of your health and the health of your families.
Real empowerment is not when somebody shares money to you; that makes you a slave. Real empowerment is when we teach you how to fish and give you the instrument with which you can fish to survive and sustain your life and that is what we are doing.
We will not stop until the average woman is empowered and made free. But, get this straight; you do not have to think of being a millionaire overnight; we want you to do something that will sustain your life and that of your families.
We do not want you to be at the mercy of anybody, not even your government.
I thank you all and at this point, I want to call my dear wife, who has always been pushing for this. Let me also invite my dependable ally and partner in this government, the Deputy Governor and it is my privilege to also invite the Right Honorable Speaker, assisted by his dear wife to also join us.
I like to invite the Commissioner for Women Affairs and let Ifiemi Ikpaikpai, the microfinance man join us, the PDP Women leader, my
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 98 hard working Senior Special Assistants on Women Development to come and support the recipients of this instrument.
On behalf of your Restoration Government and the good people of this state, it is my singular honor and privilege to demonstrate our commitment to the empowerment of and support for women in this state. It is my honor to present this instrument that evidences the transfer of the sum of Five hundred million naira to be used for empowerment of the women of this great state, through the various cooperatives set up by themselves for themselves.
It is my hope and expectation and prayer that this money will be judiciously utilized and it will be the beginning of a floodgate of empowerment in Jesus name.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 99 OUR INTERNAL REVENUE MUST INCREASE
Remarks on signing into law of the Appropriation Bill on March 6, 2014
irstly, I would like to appreciate the Speaker, members and officers on the budget estimates that were sent to them; their Fhard work, dedication and selfless service to our people that brought about the presentation of this bill that has been signed into law to guide expenditures of the government for 2014.
You have kindly passed a total budget estimate of N332 billion and in accordance with our template; you have made an appropriation of N153 billion for capital investments to further consolidate on the revolution that is going on in the infrastructural area.
You have also set aside N178 billion from this bill for the recurrent services and by this, we mean investments in human capacity development and training; under the new accounting rules this is classified as recurrent expenditure.
We all are aware of the downturn in our economy and the earnings of all states have dropped significantly.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 100 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (L) SIGNING THE 2014 APPROPRIATION BILL INTO LAW, WHILE THE SPEAKER, BSHA, RT. HON. KONBOWEI BENSON© AND THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE, MR. AARON TIMIYE (R) LOOK ON.
The point I am trying to make is that this state just like other states is experiencing a terrible decline in our inflows, which is why we have always exercised maximum prudence in approvals, particularly approvals that are related to recurrent expenditures and here and now I am directing the finance team that includes the Commissioner of finance and others to implement an appropriate reduction of all recurrent approvals beginning with government house expenditures.
We had reduced it significantly, but in the light of new realities, we need to review most of our expenditures and reduce them such as things that have to do with travels and allowances etc.
The finance team should also look at remunerations that we have approved for members of the parastatals and this should be done in way that will enable us cope with the stress caused by the reductions of our inflows.
I would like to use this opportunity to remind all the people of this state of our civic obligation, that we all should work together to create alternative streams to expand the income base of the government, because it could get worse.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 101 There was a time the stateʹs internal revenue could not pay salaries. When the price of crude oil in the international markets comes down there will be crises in all states and Bayelsa will be the hardest hit, because of our weak alternative income base.
I thank the people of this state for their understanding, because the transition could be difficult, painful and misunderstood, but as the leader of this government I will be failing in my duty, if I donʹt point out the dangers. If we do not build up alternative income base it will come to a point where the federal revenue will not be enough for us to meet our minimum obligation especially with our very high wage bill.
This is a dangerous time for our nation and states in regards to the economy and various states have started creating alternative sources of income. This led to the thorough selection of people in the economic team and we are talking about creating industrial parks and expanding the base of the economy. But people of the state also need to live up to their obligations, because government cannot always be the only source of income for everybody; we are talking to banks, so those who have title deeds for their land can apply for loans to enable them support their businesses.
I urge you all to support our efforts to ensure we block the small loopholes in our payroll system especially in our local governments and SUBEB.
May, God guide us all as we work together to create alternative sources of income towards the improvement of our internal revenue.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 102 BAYELSA IS RIPE FOR INVESTMENT
Address at the 20th international conference on Small and Medium Enterprises preevent luncheon with business stakeholders at Radisson Blu hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, on March 9, 2014
oday, we are here to promote Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) development, and there are two main Treasons as you have already been told as to why we invited you to this interactive session.
This is just the first in a series of interactions that we shall have going forward because in this country we have a serious problem of creating jobs; making our young people employable and capable in their own right and working to employ themselves and perhaps employ others.
SMEs are the real engine of any economy. This is one area we need to do more about in this country. There is some talk about Bayelsa having the potential of being the new Dubai.
Back home, we always say we have already started on that journey of becoming the new Dubai. I am sure any time you find to be in Bayelsa, you will know that we are not there yet, but then we are taking the necessary steps towards ge ing there.
Even when we are going about building roads, bridges, creating peace,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 103 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (LEFT) EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES WITH THE PRESIDENT , ACADEMY FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL STUDIES, DR. AUSBEK AJAGU (CENTRE) DURING THE 20TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES PRE EVENT LUNCHEON WITH BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS AT VICTORIA ISLAND, LAGOS, WHILE SENATOR BARIGHA AMANGE (RIGHT) LOOKS ON.
investing in education and generally creating a congenial environment, if we do not follow it by placing emphasis and promoting SMEs development, all those infrastructures at the end of the day, would not guarantee a sustainable and robust economy in the future.
We are doing much in education, constructing roads, ensuring peace and security. Within the two years that we have been on the saddle, by the grace of God and by the cooperation of the citizenry and as a result of the partnership that we have had with the security agencies, Bayelsa is very safe and secure to live and invest in.
If you are in Yenagoa and if there is any need for you to call for help, which I believe may not be o en, it takes the security squad less than three minutes to get to wherever you are. And that is a very conscious step that we took.
When I took over, we inherited a complete mess in a whole lot of areas and there was need for us to improve on the security situation. Without security we would not have been able to do anything reasonable and be taken seriously as a government.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 104 We have been able to achieve peace and that is why you see many international events holding in Bayelsa. An example is the SMEs International Conference that the organizers on their own, without the state government bidding for it, decided to take to Bayelsa.
We are very happy to work with all of you, our friends, partners and wellwishers of Bayelsa and our dear country, to host that event. This event is one that we will not only be hosting on behalf of Nigeria, but also for Africa.
We are aware of the role SMEs should play and that is the reason why we have invited you all so that we will be able to send that powerful message across.
Let me intimate you further on the vast resources Bayelsa State is known for. In the past two years, Bayelsa has become the events, entertainment and hospitality capital of our continent and we have just started.
Any major event to be taken seriously from this year up to next year going forward will have to be hosted in Bayelsa State, because we already have become known as events headquarters. And that is even when we do not have for now, an airport.
We have started the construction of an airport. Already the sand filling of the area has started. You know in our terrain, God loves us so much that for you to put up any building you have to dig eight feet under the soil, and that comes with a lot of challenges and costs.
That is the most critical aspect of it and we hope that in the next two years, we should be able to deliver on it since the area has been acquired and cleared, and preliminary engineering work has been concluded. From next week massive stock piling of sand will commence.
I am very confident that in the next two years, most of you who have private jets and a lot more people who will acquire private jets will be able to land in Bayelsa State, do business, live there and then also jet out at will.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 105 Tourism clearly is one area that we have shown Bayelsa as having a comparative advantage. We are making strategic investments in tourism; building of the School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, which is probably one of its kind in this country, for training practitioners in the sector that would service that robust economy that we know is already at hand.
So, if you are interested in the tourism sub sector, Bayelsa is the place to be. In a week or two, I hope to come to Lagos again to host a fund raising ceremony for the African Movie Academy Awards, AMAA.
You know AMAA started in Bayelsa and that event will be coming up in April. Our policy going forward is to engage the private sector. This is because, we are aware of the importance of working with the private sector.
Government is not good at managing businesses. So, let me use this opportunity to remind you that we will be calling on all of you to support the hosting of the 10th edition of AMAA. The point I would like to make is this: if you, your friends or clients are interested in investing in tourism, come to Bayelsa because every month, we are going to be having major international events.
Last year at the International Jazz Festival, guess who came Hugh Masekela. The Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant was held in Bayelsa, so this is one opening that is there for business people to take advantage of. Also, once you get any piece of land that you intend to use for tourismrelated investment, government will provide you with a Certificate of Occupancy within 60 days.
The reason is that we do not have enough hotels in Bayelsa so we want people to come and take advantage of the secure, congenial and serene environment of the state. About a month ago, I launched the automated title certification system, which we call, the Bayelsa Information Geographical System, BGIS.
This is not just for people who may be interested in the hospitality
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 106 industry; it is also for any other kind of investment that you can think of. Once you come in as an investor, you do not have any restrictions as to who will own land and so on. We have established the BGIS as a one stop shop for all land title ma ers.
We are also working on se ing up an industrial park in close proximity to the airport, which is under construction.
All of these tie into the massive investment we are making in infrastructural development.
Before I assumed office, it was taking us one hour from Yenagoa to Amassoma, the community where the stateowned Niger Delta University is located. That is near where the airport project is sited. With that beautiful road done, it now takes about 20 minutes.
So, when we talk of a congenial and ripe investment climate, we are not just talking of security, we are also talking of supporting infrastructure and that is an on going process. Yenagoa is being turned around and that is why I said we are already on our way to being the new Dubai.
The industrial park is there and we are already working with some partners to develop a blueprint of what the park should be. In a short time from now, we should be able to engage in terms of whom and who should have places there and for what.
There are two main plans based upon which we are working hard to diversify the base of our economy beyond oil and gas. The first is tourism, which is why month a er month, we are sponsoring major events in collaboration with the private sector.
The second is agriculture and here again we have a comparative advantage. Long before the discovery of oil, the whole of our territory and particularly the area now referred to as Bayelsa was known as the Oil Rivers Protectorate.
The oil they meant was not crude oil, but palm oil and we still have abundant potential in palm oil production and several derivatives
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 107 along the entire value chain. This is because we should not just be focusing on producing the primary products, which presents several other opportunities to the private sector.
In agriculture, the areas that we have identified are palm oil production, and swampy areas for investors to engage in big time rice cultivation. The land is still there but abandoned since independence as a result of the unfortunate reliance on crude oil and cheap petro dollars, which you all know is the bane of our economic and social life.
So if you have clients or friends who are interested in big time rice farming, Bayelsa is the place to be. We have no business importing rice in this country, when you have a place like Bayelsa. In countries like Taiwan and Vietnam, they do not have half the land that we have.
The other area by virtue of our li oral environment is aqua culture. As we speak, I have awarded, I think, the single biggest most ambitious aqua culture project any government has gone into.
We engaged some Israelis to do big time aqua culture. We have a clear idea of where we are taking the state to. We want to make it easy for most of these agricultural products to be evacuated.
Already, we have a wonderful partnership with European business people. These people see the opportunities that we do not see.
With all the negative stories and deliberate demarketing of our country that is going on outside, they still come to invest. As we speak, there is a wonderful collaboration in the biggest cassava production and processing plant, which is taking place in Bayelsa. The Danish group is on ground working. So, within the shortest possible time, we are going to begin exporting these products and that is why we are very particular about the airport.
There are also lots of opportunities in the area of housing. I had talked about liberalizing land title and certification process. I noted that that was a major issue in addressing poverty of our people.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 108 We have a lot of people who are actually rich in terms of the assets they have but who cannot trade with them. I refer to that as the classification of wealth. By that, I mean you are wealthy but your wealth has caked and therefore, it is not so for you to apply.
So, we created a legal framework and brought the same people who did the BGIS in Abuja. At the press of a bu on you can access and have real time inspection of any parcel of land in Bayelsa.
Now, tying it up to all of these and to housing is that, if we have people who are interested in building mass housing, the titles will be given. Whatever you give will be collateralized and secured. Bayelsa is a civil service state and this again is why we are aggressive in this drive for SMEs development. The entire economy is civil service driven.
If that is the case and you have a government that understands the inter relationships, all we need is willing private sector investors, who for instance will request land to build 1000 low cost houses and as the request is made, I will direct that the land be made available and a C of O issued.
We will create the appropriate framework and even before you start, we can do the allocation to the beneficiaries and create a fund by which their monthly contributions can be made pending the completion. So, all these are options. We have an ambitious plan for a deepsea port at Agge, Ekeremor local government area of the state, which is natureʹs best seaport in this country. The ports we have in Nigeria are grossly inadequate to service our economy.
And, when I talk to people and most people when they are looking at our economy from outside, they think it is an economy of 170 million people. It is much more than that. The Nigerian market is actually synonymous with the West African market. And it is even beyond that now.
With the strategic developments around us in the Gulf of Guinea, he who controls Nigeria actually controls the Gulf of Guinea and that is
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 109 why Bayelsa is key, because Bayelsa is at the tip of the Gulf of Guinea
The airport we are talking about is going to be a busy hub in no distant time. From Bayelsa you can fly to Lagos and Equatorial Guinea and beyond. Besides, the deepsea port will facilitate shipment of heavy industrial equipment and other goods and also aid decongestion of the few existing ports.
Nigeria is inadvertently making its neighbouring countries to be full of economic activities and losing revenue to them. We are going to organize a special road show on the proposed deepsea project within and outside this country.
There are two items that I am going to discuss in greater detail with seriousminded business people because they are capitalintensive. I invite those of you who have relevant contacts to be on board. The second item is the new Yenagoa City project.
We are building the new Dubai and that is why we are doing a lot of urban regeneration. We have a huge beautiful environment; pristine land to explore.
We have done survey work covering an area of almost 20,000 hectares. Facilities are being put in place. I have not been to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, but a number of people come to look at the things we are doing and they commend us for our farsightedness and resourcefulness. It is a onestop leisure, entertainment, hospitality and residential area.
As we speak there is a 5star hotel and in the next two months, the only Castle Hotel in this country will start off from Bayelsa State. Within the area, we are creating several residential plots in the Golf Estate, and seriously speaking, there is none like it in this country. That is one project with Chief Ndutimi Alaibe on the driving seat talking to potential investors.
We are working seriously on the Golf Course and in the next one or two months we will tee off.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 110 Another issue I would like to talk about is waste management. What we also do not get right in this country is how to manage the human and industrial waste that we generate.
As part of my reforms, I have decided that government should not handle such things and whatever has a commercial dimension should best be le for the private sector. At best we should provide regulation. I have decided that every household in Yenagoa will very soon think of how to pay for the cost of evacuating and managing the waste that they generate.
We are working on a centralized method of collection. The issue of treatment of the waste would be handled centrally, but then there is huge opportunity for people who want to be involved in that sector.
When I was campaigning, I knew that the stateʹs economy was going to be a serious issue for me to address. This was why we set up the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation, BDIC.
Governance is not just about building physical infrastructure. The most critical thing is for us to join hands to address the economy. Unless we get people to acquire the right skills to enable them survive in an increasingly globalized economy, our societies are not safe.
As a ma er of fact, pu ing it bluntly, most of our societies are living on a time bomb. There is no state in this country that I know of, in all modesty, that has made the type of investment in manpower development within the past 2year period as we have.
A hundred and fi y PhD scholars outside this country in various universities; about 400 Masters degree scholars and, just within the last two weeks, we sent out 25 to Lincoln University with their fees taken care of. From primary school level, we selected 350 pupils who are sca ered across the best secondary schools in the country such as Vivian Fowler, Nigerian Turkish, etc. And these are indigent children.
We are making this type of revolutionary investment in education because unless you have an educated population and workforce, your
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 111 society and economy have no capacity to grow. You are actually going to have a combustible society, which can implode at any time. We as a government realized that early and we have built 25 model boarding secondary schools. We are not incubating these young minds enough before they are unleashed on the society. So, when we do all of these what happens to the economy? This is where the private sector comes in. We thought that we should again lead the way in SMEs promotion.
This is why we have appointed a desk officer, who has the support of other members of our team and is doing a great job. But, tonight, I would like to enjoin you all to support the establishment of the N10 billion SMEs Development Trust Fund.
This Fund is not to be managed by government. I am aware that a number of investors now have confidence in our systems and procedures and in the general image of our government and I am gratified by that and I thank you all.
You know about our transparency posture and the institutions that we are pu ing in place. The composition of those who will manage it will be 60% representation of the organized private sector and 40% government.
This Fund is not free money for beneficiaries. I am already waging that ethical war back home trying to make a mental paradigm shi , because it is no longer business as usual as there is not enough money for anybody to steal.
With the structures we have established, even if you wanted to steal, it would simply not be possible and I am tightening it even more.
I can see clearly why things were not put on ground, because recurrent approvals will take everything even before the next allocation from the Federation Account comes. That is a ba le I am facing. I know that Bayelsans are giving me their support, but it is not easy. We are actually moving against the tide. Leadership is not about taking the easy way out; leadership is about taking decisions that are right and fair for your
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 112 people.
In the process we may be misunderstood but the judgment that I crave is that of posterity, not the fleeting commendation and reproach of the present. So, that is the problem we have.
I have been telling my people that unless we move away from dependence on revenues that come from oil, you never can tell what will happen to our society. Greece may just be a childʹs play. There are states now that cannot pay salaries. In my own state, revenue has dropped by over four to five billion naira and yet people do not see the imperative for preparing our economy beyond oil.
In case you are in doubt, go to Oloibiri, the first oil well in Nigeria located in Bayelsa and see what happens to an oil well. So, I need your support. This function was not put together to elicit free donations. It was put together to enable me to talk to particular players in the financial industry.
I am going to get our tested hands to work with you to see how you can raise N10 billionbond and I will talk to my people at the next business forum. So, come and process your C of Os, because I have made it easy for you to process them.
Once you have it, it would enable you to access the funds. It is money that will be in your system. You will be involved in the management of that fund and it will be fully collateralized and secured.
We are actually moving against the tide. Leadership is not about taking the easy way out; leadership is about taking decisions that are right and fair for your people. In the process we may be misunderstood but the judgment that I crave is that of posterity, not the fleeting commendation and reproach of the present. So, that is the problem we have.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 113 I am aware of the reality that my people do not know how to do business yet. I am excited that a number of them are now doing great, but I am not satisfied with their level of participation even in our local economy. During the flood in 2012, when the EastWest Road was truncated and rendered impassable, I had to contend not just with rescuing people who were stranded, I had to think of where the next loaf of bread, pure water, would come from.
That is not the type of economy that I want to leave behind for my people. So, join me in the days and months ahead as we work together to create a fund and develop a framework by which it can be accessed. I have set up the Entrepreneurial Development School as part of the Niger Delta University.
We will send the beneficiaries to the Entrepreneurial School and the curriculum would be developed by the experts and that is where people like Mr. Peter Bankole come in. Once the beneficiaries are certified, we will introduce them into the business world. That is the only way we can work with you people to solve this problem.
On the issue of the forthcoming international conference, I join my team to invite you all to experience Bayelsa, but even before then I am sure the next event, which is the AMAA, is capable of giving you the Bayelsa experience before the SMEs Conference.
I want to thank you all for your interest in Bayelsa, and this evening, I pronounce you all Bayelsans as we earnestly look forward to working with you to serve our people and humanity be er.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 114 AMAA HAS TO BE PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVEN
Speech given during a fund raising dinner at the Civic Centre in Lagos on March 22, 2014
e have been working and collaborating with AMAA for the past 10 years and this is the 10th edition. So I will like to Wbriefly commend the Chief Executive Officer of AMAA, Ms. Peace Anyiam Osigwe, board of directors, the management and all those who in one way or the other contributed to the success of AMAA.
So far so good. We still have a lot to do going forward. Tonight, I like to urge you all, particularly corporate Nigeria to own this process; to own this brand. Last year, my government hosted AMAA for the first time in accordance with the reforms of the governmental process; I made it clear that government is not going to fund AMAA.
Last year, we realized about N500 million or there about. This year, we hope to do be er than that because we are in Lagos, which is the Centre of Excellence; the commercial and economic nerve center of our great country. I am looking at this crowd and I am not disappointed at all and I hope and pray that here we are going to do more than what we all did last year in Abuja.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 115 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (L) PRESENTING SILVERBIRD UNIQUE PERSONALITY AWARDS TO MRS. OMOTOLA JALADE EKEINDE(C) DURING AMAA, WHILE THE CHAIRMAN SILVERBIRD GROUP, MR BEN MURRAYBRUCE (R) LOOKS ON
So tonight I will like to ask you all to donate generously to this cause. There are a number of initiatives on going in the great state of Bayelsa that is fast becoming the entertainment and leisure capital of our country. We hope to build a film city. The preliminary estimate as to cost that was submi ed to me on that project is about 15 to 20 billion naira but that is a story for another day.
Working with the private sector we hope to realize that and create a suitable environment for actors and actresses from all over the world to assemble in the great state of Bayelsa to act their films. Secondly, we are building a music school and in the next couple of months it will be finished.
I want to thank all of you who in one way or the other supported young and up coming artistes not just from Bayelsa. But I am more excited when I see the artistes from Bayelsa. We must formulate the right policies and seek the right partnerships to make AMAA sustainable.
AMAA is going to be sustainable if the private sector buys into it, drives the process and guarantees its continuity. My government will not be in the business directly taking responsibility of hosting AMAA which is not sustainable particularly given the times that we now live in.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 116 I have in accordance with the transparency regime that I have introduced in my state, directed that an account be opened for this purpose. The CEO of AMAA, the Accountant General of my state and the Director General of the Tourism Bureau are the signatories to this account.
Whatever goes into that account will be in safe hands. I assure you that whatever you donate will be judiciously utilized. I want to thank you all for your kind a ention and I urge you all to reach deep into your pockets and donate generously. Let us support AMAA; let us support a worthy cause.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 117 LAW AND SOCIETY WE ARE MAKING BAYELSA UNSAFE FOR CRIMINALS
Remarks at the signing of the bill on Kidnapping and Other Allied Offences into law on February 13, 2013
have a short while ago signed into law the kidnapping and allied offences bill into law; and in that bill we have prescribed by law, Ipunishment for kidnapping which is death. I announced a couple of weeks back that our government was going to send a strong message of condemnation, a message that will clearly show that Bayelsa is no place at all for kidnapping to take place, a message of zero tolerance for kidnapping and allied offences.
Today, I want to, as usual, pay tribute to our House of Assembly for the timely passage of this very important legislation. I want to also thank and commend once again, our service commanders, wonderful officers and men of all the services, for their abiding dedication and selfless service to our people and our country. It is as a result of their selfless service and dedication to duty and the wonderful cooperation of the good people of this state that our state within a short period has transited from being a violenceprone area to a state that is clearly one of the safest in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 118 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (L) SIGNING THE BILL ON KIDNAPING AND OTHER ALLIED OFFENCES INTO LAW, WHILE THE SPEAKER BSHA, RT. HON. KONBOWEI BENSON (R) LOOKS ON.
I like to say this: if you are into kidnapping, if you are involved in any act of kidnapping, let me warn you today donʹt come close to Bayelsa. Bayelsa is no place for that type of activity. I have a short while ago commissioned for use 15 fast moving patrol boats for the use of our security forces to ensure maritime security and safety. If you try anything, whether it is sea piracy or kidnapping; we will get you. They will make it difficult for you to succeed and whoever you are and wherever you are operating from we will be going a er you to get you.
Let me thank the Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security and the naval component for rising to the challenge posed by the recent resurgence of kidnapping. This state in terms of statistics has fewer cases of kidnapping than most of the neighboring states. That again, is a credit to the commitment of our officers and men, but even one case of kidnapping in Bayelsa is bad enough and that we will not tolerate.
I am aware that the security forces have made several arrests and most of the young men and women who were involved in the recent kidnapping that took place are presently under custody. I am also aware that our security forces which are very proactive have not
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 119 stopped promising that people involved in criminal and other violent activities will be brought to book.
Today, with this bill signed into law, we have entered a new phase in terms of provision of the legal component that will support our fight against criminality and particularly against kidnapping and other related offences.
It is morally indefensible for young people to go under the cover of darkness, armed with illegal weapons, to terrorize villagers and old people in their homes, and by force of arms, abduct and rough handle them, men as well as old women and take them as articles of trade.
That is morally indefensible; it cannot be justified under any circumstance at all, and as a government, we have by signing this bill into law, sent out a strong message of condemnation and also a strong message that we are prepared and determined as a government working with our ever able security forces, to flush out all criminals within Bayelsa or wherever they are operating from.
It is morally indefensible for young people to go under the cover of darkness, armed with illegal weapons, to terrorize villagers and old people in their homes, and by force of arms, abduct and rough handle old people, men as well as old women and take them as articles of trade.
And, to the law abiding and peaceful people of Bayelsa state, living in Bayelsa and doing business in Bayelsa, those intending to come and do business in Bayelsa; let me assure you again that working with this team of security officers, with the cooperation of the good people of Bayelsa state, Bayelsa will be made safe to ensure our development and our prosperity.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 120 I want to thank the House of Assembly for this venture and we look forward to the speedy implementation of this law. I hope that anybody who was thinking about kidnapping will stop because anybody found wanting will be tried under this law.
I will not hesitate to sign the warrant of execution of anybody who doesnʹt listen. Anybody who does any of the activities prohibited by this law will be tried and convicted.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 121 WE HAVE ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CRIME AND CRIMINALITY
Remarks at the commissioning of 15 gun boats to check sea piracy at the Ministry of Transport je y, Marine Base, Yenagoa on February 13 2013
will humbly request that the Service Commanders step forward, because these things are actually for your use. I am delighted to be Ihere today in fulfillment of a very cardinal promise we made to the people of this state, to the people of this country.
You are aware of the high priority this government has placed and will continue to place on security and maintenance of law and order within the territory known as Bayelsa state. That is the first duty of every government and we take that duty very seriously.
As you all know, the success of any security enterprise depends to a large extent on the level of cooperation that the citizens are prepared to give. So, I want to use this opportunity once again, while thanking the good people of Bayelsa state to request that they continue to work with the security agencies, giving timely information and you can be sure that our government and the security agencies of this state will act on it and will value your information.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 122 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON CUTTING THE TAPE TO COMMISSION 15 GUN BOATS TO CHECK SEA PIRACY.
Today, we are here to formally commission and put to use 15 patrol boats fully equipped with all modern gadgets that will enable our officers and men to perform their primary responsibility of protecting the integrity of our country and ensuring law and order in Bayelsa state. This is only phase one. This phase will see us launch these 15 fast moving, fully equipped patrol boats.
We are going to flood our waterways with fast moving patrol boats like this. And be sure that very soon, with what I know our security agencies are capable of doing and with the cooperation of the people of our state, which we have all seen and which we do not take for granted, the incidence of piracy on the waterways, the incidence of violent and criminal conduct and brigandage in this state will come to the end.
We want our people to feel free to carry out their daytoday activities; fishing, farming and swimming. We want those who travel along the waterways to be free. We are a maritime people and we go to the market with our canoes and boats, some even go to school and do all kinds of activities along the waterways and if the water ways are not safe, then
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 123 we have got a major problem and that is what we are trying to address working with our security forces.
I want to commend the efforts of Epenal, an indigenous boat building company; I want to thank them for what they have been able to do. I want to use this occasion to tell other indigenous businesses that Bayelsa is open for business and businessmen in this state must invest in areas that are open for partnership. I commend Epenal and I look forward to a more robust relationship with you. And, as I said very soon phase two of this project will start.
For those criminals on the waterways, I want to tell you that it is not too late for you to repent; it is not too late for those of you who are in possession of illegal weapons to turn in your weapons. Let me assure you of the determination of our government to support the security forces to ensure that those who are caught on the wrong side of the law are brought to book. As a government we have unfolded several programmes that you the young people of this state can take advantage of.
I assure you that, if some of us from very humble backgrounds can make it to this level, even you can make it. You donʹt need to be in bunkering to make it; you donʹt need to be in piracy to make it; you donʹt need to be a crude oil thief to make it; you donʹt need to be involved in the so called refining of crude, destroying our environment, your own environment to make it. All these are socalled activities or businesses are not for our people. In this state, we are going to stamp all of these out. You have time to repent and take advantage of the various productive ventures that our government has opened up for you and other young people in this state.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 124 Patrol Boat
I assure you that, if some of us from very humble backgrounds can make it to this level, even you can make it. You donʹt need to be in bunkering to make it; you donʹt need to be in piracy to make it; you donʹt need to be crude oil thief to make it, you donʹt need to be involved in the so called refining of crude, destroying our environment, your own environment to make it.
It is on this note, I have the honor and pleasure today to commission the first phase of our patrol boats that will be managed by our officers and men of the Nigerian military and law enforcement community to protect the waterways of Bayelsa state and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to maintain peace, tranquility and stability in the waterways. I do so to the glory of God almighty, the giver of all life and to the benefit of the people of Bayelsa state and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 125 OUR GOAL IS HEALTH CARE FOR ALL
Address at the inauguration of the Health Insurance Commi ee on March 11 2013
have just signed into law the Bayelsa State Health Services Scheme bill 2013. So right now we have a legal basis for assisting and Isupporting our people in terms of promotion and provision of health care services. As we say ʹhealth is wealthʹ; our government believes that it is the responsibility and duty of government to support our citizens in this area.
I am privileged to know the health challenges most of our people are confronted with from time to time; and you can see the massive investment going on in all sectors including the health sector. As we speak, we are building countless number of health centers across the length and breadth of Bayelsa State; we are building at least one General Hospital in each local government area.
As you know, we have invested heavily also in making sure that our training institutions are up and doing. I am pleased to announce that, within the short span of this government, we have seen two sets of graduates emerge from our medical school.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 126 BK 2 NO. 23; GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (M), POSES WITH MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY INAUGURATED HEALTH INSURANCE COMMITTEE @ THE GOVT. HOUSE, YENAGOA.
We are upgrading the facilities in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. We are also building a worldclass diagnostic center and a er this event, I will take my friend the Hon. Minister Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu round for him to see what we are doing in terms of upgrading the health facilities in this state.
But today, by signing this bill into law, we are establishing a legal foundation for supporting our people, particularly those who are down the ladder. Health care delivery is too expensive and too important for any government to leave for private citizens alone, because ill health can come knocking usually without notice and most especially, at times that you are least prepared.
And so with this bill, with the inauguration of this board of experts who have been carefully chosen, we are going to have a functional health insurance, health welfare scheme in this state and I believe for the first time in this country by any state.
I am gratified by the presence of my good friend and partner, the Honorable Minister of Health, who also shares in our enthusiasm to
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 127 promote health insurance. In many other societies, governments come up with different programmes to support people who are in need of health care and we cannot be an exception. That is the message from the new Bayelsa.
We are upgrading our health facilities. With the inauguration of this board I am going to make an initial donation of five hundred million naira for the take off of this programme in the state. This board with the very highly experienced people in it will work out the modalities in terms of how much people will pay to subscribe to this programme.
By the provisions of this law all the public sector workers are automatically covered by this health insurance scheme.
To sustain the scheme, the state will also make a monthly payment to the fund of between fi y to hundred million naira.
The whole idea is that, whatever they get from subscriptions from the public sector, whatever that amount is, the government will also augment and add about fi y to hundred million naira, so that those who need medical a ention will always have enough funds to pay for their treatment.
When our facilities are completed and I hope in the next 3 4 months, the diagnostic center will be completed, it will be our policy, and it will be the duty of this board to implement same that every public sector worker, every tax paying citizen or resident of our great state, will be entitled to at least free medical diagnostic services once every year and that will be paid for by this fund.
When you subscribe to this programme, you will get identity cards. With that registration, if you are ill or if you are in need of medical a ention, you donʹt need to go and buy any drug anywhere; you donʹt need to pay for medical a ention in any clinic or hospital anywhere. You just need that card as evidence that you are up to date in your subscription.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 128 Once that card is ascertained, they will arrange for you to see doctors, they will arrange for you to see consultants and experts and where necessary, in deserving cases and people have the expertise to determine that, if they donʹt have the facilities to take care of your treatment, the fund will pay for your treatment in any part of this country or any part of the world.
So, it is important my dear citizens of this great state, that you take advantage of this opportunity that your government has provided.
This government will stop at nothing to give you the full benefits of your citizenship. We are in power only because of you, and to serve you. That is the reason some of us are in public service and we will stop at nothing until we have made you to have the full benefits of our restoration government. This is a great programme and I have the confidence that with the caliber of experience that the members of this board have and are bringing to this board, I have no doubt that, you are going to have a credible, functional and sustainable health insurance and welfare scheme in this state.
I have given a directive to the Head of Service, working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health to work out a programme of immediate recruitment and employment of all needed medical staff in this state.
We donʹt want to see unemployed doctors and pharmacists and health administrators in this state. The two sets of people that I need most in this state for the effective discharge of the mandate of restoration, are teachers and medical doctors.
I am told that we have only five pharmacists in this state and that is very sad. We have embarked on many ambitious health related projects. One of it has to do with wiping out the scourge of fake drugs. I am pleased that we are collaborating with the Dora Akunyuli Foundation to build the first ever pharmaceutical storage facility in this country, here in Bayelsa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 129 This government will stop at nothing to give you the full benefits of your citizenship. We are in power only because of you, and to serve you.
The idea is that all the sectors in the health delivery system should be in place, so that only real, effective drugs will come to Bayelsa. Once that project is completed, the pharmaceutical stores, the drug manufacturing companies, will have stores allocated to them with an inbuilt laboratory where we can do periodic analysis and over time, all drugs in our system, public as well as private, will be drugs that can be certified to have emanated from there.
And in a short while, when that project is completed, the problem of fake drugs will have been taken care of.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 130 DEALING WITH THE MENACE OF INSECURITY
Remarks during the visit of the Chief of Naval staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Yenagoa on March 26 2013
would like to commend the contributions and the dedicated selfless services that the men and officers of the military have been Ioffering the nation. This state is navyfriendly: not only have we had the honor and privilege of producing two Chiefs of Naval Staff, I have the pleasure of having one of your finest products as my Deputy.
We are all very happy and proud that our military has become very professional and respected within and outside this country. I want to thank you and your colleagues for keeping the military within the confines of its duties and for investing in professionalism and training that you are currently doing.
We are very pleased that you have increased your asset base within this area. You talked about the deployment of more assets to Brass and I would like to thank you as well as the Federal Government for the support they are giving to you.
We are very delighted at the establishment of the Central Naval
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 131 Command which has made it possible for the Navy to play its expected role even in terms of collaborating on issues of internal security and maintenance of law and order.
And we have a wonderful gentleman leading the Central Naval Command, who sits here as a member of the Security Council of this State, to collaborate, support and assist me in issues of maintaining law and order.
I know a lot of things come with the establishment of a Naval Command, so we are eagerly looking forward to all the facilities that come with it, such as the naval hospitals, naval schools, naval barracks, and naval quarters and so on. In that respect, I would like to express our readiness as a State to continue to partner with you to ensure that these facilities come to being in Bayelsa as it is in other places.
You talked about the menace of pipeline vandalism, crude oil the and illegal oil bunkering activities. It is sad that Bayelsa has become a flashpoint in this respect, even in our security architecture. The vulnerability that we have identified clearly comes from the creeks and waterways.
In the last one year, the measures we have taken are such that criminals find the uplands and State capital too hot for their comfort. The trend now is that the criminals take refuge in the creeks when the cities are too hot for them, stay there and engage in illegal activities and then raise money to buy arms to disturb our peace.
This has been the recurrent decimal in all our Security Council deliberations so we are delighted that the military has come up with renewed vigor, rising to the charge that has been given by the President and Commander In Chief to flush out all these criminal elements.
And I want to assure you sir, that the Government of Bayelsa is a willing partner in this endeavor because all the cases of insecurity, violence,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 132 criminality and brigandage have their root in bunkering and other related criminal activities that take place in our waterways. That is how they get access to easy funds and arms used to terrorize our waterways.
You talked about the investments we are making and fastmoving patrol boats we have procured and I want to assure you that, with the work my Deputy and security team are doing, the 15 patrol boats that we handed over to the security forces will be put to use in no distant time.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 133 GHOSTS MUST DISAPPEAR FROM OUR PAYROLL
Remarks on the occasion of the biometric data capturing exercise at Yenagoa on November 4, 2013
s you are aware, this state is on a new course. This state is on a course of doing things properly. This state has turned round Athe corner for good and I want to first of all, commend you all for the dedication and selflessness that I have seen on display here by all of you who are On this important assignment.
Let me call on the public service of this state to cooperate with this exercise. This exercise means so much to us because we want for once and all to put an end to the syndrome of ghost workers on our payroll. We want to be able to identify who our workers are and who to plan and cater for. I am happy that the measures that we have put in place since coming on board have yielded some dividends.
This exercise appears to be the most scientific way of determining who should be on our payroll and I want to commend you all. I have heard that you have already verified a few ministries, departments and agencies but you still have a long way to go. So I want to call for
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 134 GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (RIGHT) DOING HIS FINGER PRINT SHORTLY AFTER BEING VERIFIED BY MRS. CHINWE UZAKA (LEFT) AT THE ONGOING VERIFICATION EXERCISE OF CIVIL SERVANTS AND ALL POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS AT THE EGOVERNANCE AND DUE PROCESS OFFICE IN YENAGOA, WHILE HIS DEPUTY, REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH RTD, (2NDRIGHT) LOOKS ON.
cooperation on the part of the public servants that would be verified.
No one will be le out; no one should be le out. Everything that has to be done in the verification process must be done. That is the message my deputy and I are here to send and we have been issued certificates; nobody is above verification. No connection will stop you from being verified; no level of seniority will stop you from escaping verification. And verification officers have my mandate to do everything properly and thoroughly.
As long as you do what is right, I assure you that my government will work with the outcome of what you are doing. From the briefings I have received, I have seen that the verification exercise has yielded a lot of benefits to the state. I know that because of your diligence, quite some money is now saved in the unpaid salaries account.
The monies saved would have been paid to some people who do not deserve to be paid so I want to appreciate the verification team because
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 135 what you are doing is to lay the foundation to enable us perform be er. If we are able to stop the wrong people from collecting salaries and allowances that they do not deserve, then what you are doing is to give us more ammunition with which to fire the Restoration Train.
Let me once again appeal to all public officers to avail themselves of this exercise. We will not only stop at this scientific verification; we will also continue in the manual mechanisms to ensure that people on our payroll do actually turn up for work. This verification will not end here; we still have teams going round ministries, every morning and a ernoon before close of work.
We want to clean up our payroll so that it can aid us in planning and save all the money that has been going the wrong way by way of salaries and allowances paid to people who do not exist or people who exist but do not come to work.
I have also discussed as to how we can extend this not only to the governmentʹs ministries, departments and agencies and the mainstream of the public service, but those who claim they are going to work in the hinterland; the teachers, health workers and so on. They constitute the bulk of the rot in this system.
So I assure you that as time goes on we are going to get to the root of this ma er. We are not going to end this exercise in a ma er of days and weeks; we will extend it and give everybody the opportunity to be verified. Between now and the end of this year, is time for verification. Our expectation is that from the first of January, next year, God willing, we should be able to complete it so that we can have a clean payroll to work with going forward.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 136 The message is that no Bayelsa worker in the public service from January will receive salary and allowances without passing through the verification process. I have been issued a certificate as well as the verification card, which contains my biometric and other details. Every worker in the public service will be issued that upon completion of the verification.
This is important because we want to clean up our payroll so that it can aid us in planning and save all the money that has been going the wrong way by way of salaries and allowances paid to people who do not exist or people who exist but do not come to work.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 137 PRISONS SHOULD REFORM NOT CONDEMN
Remarks during the visit of Minister of Interior, on April 29, 2014
onorable Minster, on behalf of the Government and people of Bayelsa State, I would like to thank you immensely for the Hhonor of this visit and also welcome you all to ʹThe Glory of All Lands.” I would also like to thank you for what the Ministry of Interior has been doing under your leadership.
You have initiated several reforms in the various agencies that are under your ministry and we are happy with what you are doing. I would also like to thank you for your officers and men that have formed a critical support for the security architecture of this State. They are part of my security council and they guide, counsel, advise and support and also call their men out on various assignments from time to time.
They are very dedicated to the service of this state and to this country. I also want to thank you for the support you have given to the President, in whose cabinet you serve. I want to thank you and the Federal Government for the decision to set up a prison service in Bayelsa State.
It is true that the absence of Federal Prisons in Bayelsa was a major
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 138 problem in the administration of the criminal justice system. Before now people that were detained were taken to other places of detention outside Bayelsa State and that meant a lot of inconvenience and cost, and created a lot of problems for their legal representatives.
Since means of transportation was not available all the time, it caused delays, which is why when this Government came on board we wasted no time in collaborating with your Ministry to ensure that we had a safe and secure place in this state.
The business of security concerns everybody and we shouldnʹt maintain any hard and fast lines of demarcation as to what is federal or state responsibility in this area. We have made some investments to ensure that the lives of inmates and citizens of the State are comfortable, while they remain suspects, standing trial, and when they are sentenced, and that they live in decent and humane environments.
The prisons should be a place of reformation so they can come back to face society. We have made these investments believing that your Ministry and the prisons department will put them to good use. We have taken note of the additional requests you have placed before us and the A orneyGeneral will take note of issues such as the encroachment on the prisonsʹ land.
I know you are in charge of a lot of agencies that have the capacity to create jobs and employ young people. I thank you for all you have done in that area, but I would like to remind you about the problem we have and that is to build up our young people. It is in this regard that I would like to urge you not to forget this state. I count on your support to help our young people get enlisted into the various agencies under you, because you have more agencies under you than any other minister in the Federal cabinet.
They include the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Nigeria Prisons Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and others. So, please, remember this state as opportunities open up.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 139 ACCOUNTABILITY IS OUR ARTICLE OF FAITH
Address while inaugurating the Verification & Audit Exercise Commi ee on April 3, 2012
pon my assumption of office, I made it clear to all Bayelsans that steps would be taken to reposition our economy and Ublock all wastage and all leakages in our economy. I have received preliminary briefings from ministries, departments and agencies, and having spent over a month on this saddle. I have come to terms with the fact that we are presiding over the most bloated bureaucracy of any state in this country. And that is not acceptable.
I have made that known in all public speeches I have had to make on this issue. Last week, steps were taken to ensure that we begin the process of holding people accountable for their actions.
We have since set up a system of verifying names in the pay roll of Bayelsa State and that is an ongoing process.
Today, what we are doing is to formally inaugurate a commi ee that will undertake the collation of data that will emanate from all ministries, departments and agencies.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 140 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON POSE WITH MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY INAUGURATED VERIFICATION AND AUDIT EXERCISE COMMITTEE.
Last week, I directed all ministries, departments and agencies to take strict responsibility for the preparation of payment vouchers.
For long we have had a situation where heads of departments and even permanent secretaries in the public service of this state had no control over staff and subordinates under their authority, and no control over ma ers of discipline, had no control and even knowledge about who were on their payrolls and on what grades.
There was a system of payment of salaries that gave all responsibilities to a distant treasury department that no one could hold accountable. We have moved away by this directive from that practice.
This commi ee has much data to base their final recommendations on. This commi ee will receive and collate and process nominal rolls submi ed to the heads of chief accounting officers of all ministries, departments and agencies and who will be held personally and collectively liable.
Upon receipts of those entries from the M.Ds, this commi ee will
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 141 compare them with the existing payrolls.
This commi ee will also use the biometric data already in possession of government. This is a very serious commi ee and that is why it has been very carefully selected. I am aware that there are some complaints of delay of payment of salaries for the last two months, with specific reference to primary schools and junior secondary schools.
Let me say that last month government released the amount that was presented to us as being sufficient for the se lement of salaries of all teachers but I was told a er every other civil servant had been paid, that almost hundred million naira in addition was needed.
That claim has to be verified. This month we have also released salaries for payment of civil servants. Government has already taken steps to see that salaries are paid since last week.
Now concerning SUPEB, and the salaries of teachers, let me say this clearly: it is very clear that that department and other departments like the local government service and the sanitation authority and some categories of health workers are heavily implicated in this issue of bloated wage bill, in this issue of ghost workers, in this issue that has to do with outright criminality and fraud.
Government has accordingly set up this verification panel with a mandate to verify the claims from these departments before payments are made this month to the principals and head teachers.
I have been briefed that the process of verifying the claims, the process of identifying and paying genuine workers, teachers through their headmasters and principals has already begun and is going on successfully. Let me make it clear that the funds meant for payment of salaries of teachers has been made available for se lements of those claims.
But those claims because of their very nature, because they were paying
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 142 people not through bank accounts but through cash payments running into close to a billion naira. The whole process and procedure was opened up to fraudulent manipulations.
This government has a duty to verify those claims, and where necessary free the resources that has been for so long mindlessly and fraudulently diverted.
Let me use this opportunity however to commend and appreciate the patience and understanding of honest lawabiding workers in the public service. As you know this government is out to serve you, to restore lost value, including the value of accountability. And once we clear this mess, I assure you that Bayelsa workers will probably be the first to be paid in the Federation of Nigeria.
But I have as governor a duty to ensure that the right things are done and that the right decisions are taken. I can in that process only appeal for your understanding, support and prayer especially as what I am doing is the right thing. So for those honest workers who have suffered some delay in receiving their emoluments I want to use this occasion to solicit their understanding and I assure you that steps have been taken and funds released since last week.
In the case of teachers funds have been released for the payment of your salaries including the one that had been withheld so that once you are verified and your claims are authenticated, my instructions to the commi ee are to process and make payments through your heads of departments.
Let me warn those unscrupulous people who have put underage persons on the payroll of the public service, and those whose names appear as workers in more than one MDA, including those who are perpetually absent who claim and collect salaries in the days of payments, and those who turn up only on verification days that those days of anything goes in the public service are gone.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 143 Going forward, the honest workers in Bayelsa state public service will now have their reputation and integrity solid, not have their salaries delayed or be put through any inconvenience in the verification exercise merely because of the acts and the greed and the criminal practice of a few unscrupulous people who from time to time cast doubt on the integrity of our payrolls.
I want to say that for the honest workers the sky is your limit. This government will build a strong and viable public service.
This state needs an efficient public service not a fraudulent public service, and so this team has been set up with representation from NLC, the Trade Union Congress, ASUU, the Nigerian Police, a representative from the head of service, a representative from the ministry of justice, with the senior special assistant, treasury and accounts who is a distinguished audit account person, to serve as member, secretary and head of administration.
Let me warn those unscrupulous people who have put underage persons on the payroll of the public service, and those whose names appear as workers in more than one MDA, including those who are perpetually absent who claim and collect salaries in the days of payments, and those who turn up only on verification days that those days of anything goes in the public service are gone.
Chief Blessing Pigason Izaga, special adviser to the government on ICT and data, will chair this commi ee. He is a very well known ICT and computer expert and a commi ed Bayelsan patriot with several years of experience in these related ma ers.
The state biometric team will provide technical support for the work of this commi ee. My advice to any person who has any claim of
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 144 exclusion from the payroll is simply to approach your ministry or department or agency, where you claim to be working or to approach the headmaster or principal or any other head of the department of the public service where you claim to be working in order to prove yourself and show how you came into the public service and how you have earned the grades and promotions and other details they may want to know.
Once you satisfy all this, and are certified by your ministry or department and by the commi ee, forms will be available to take care of those contingent liabilities.
It is on this note therefore, I like to use this opportunity to formally inaugurate this commi ee and I want to solicit support for this commi ee from all the staff of the public service of Bayelsa State.
The terms of reference of this commi ee are as follows:
(a) To identify ministries whose salary payments are to be supervised by the commi ee.
(b) To identify ministries whose salaries should be harmonized.
(c) To review the payment vouchers for the last three months.
(d) To reconcile and update the staff data in the state using the biometric exercise carried out and the current nominal rolls to be provided by the M.Ds.
(e) To regularize salary grades of employees in the public service of Bayelsa State.
(f) To carry out all necessary procedures deemed necessary by the commi ee.
(g) To identify ghost workers, irregular and forged employment le ers, duplicate and multiple employments in the public service.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 145 (h) To verify the payment of salary appears on a quarterly basis, to ensure that these payments are valid and are separate from the monthly salaries.
(i) To review and verify claims related to pensions and gratuity, which by the way is another problematic area.
(j) To review the employment processes of all parastatals and determine whether employment of people in these parastatals complies with existing rules and to take any other step that you in your wisdom may consider necessary for the due and effective discharge of your mandate.
I also reserve the right to assign additional duties and responsibilities and functions to you as I may deem appropriate.
Let me at the end of this verification exercise be able to say that we have dealt with this once and for all. I am determined not to postpone this to any other administration; I am determined not to postpone this to any other time.
We must get it right this time and cleanse the public service of all irregularly employed people, of all pretenders in the payroll, all criminal and fraudulent manipulations that have bloated our payroll over the years in order to ensure that we have a clean civil service, that is deserving of respect and supported for optimal service delivery.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 146 A NEW DAY FOR BAYELSA LET THIS BE A NEW BEGINNING FOR BAYELSA
Remarks at Easter day church service at the ToruOrua Christian centre, ToruOrua, on April 8th, 2012
would like to welcome you all to the ToruOrua Christian Centre, Iwhich I like to call “our Ark of Mercy and Refuge.” For most of you who are here for the first time, you are in my ancestral home. This place is my shrine, where I run to for mercy and refuge and is one of the reasons why I was able to survive all the turbulence.
I urge us all in Bayelsa and Nigeria at large to use this opportunity of the resurrection of our Lord, this season of forgiveness and reconciliation to be reconciled with one another in order to build a peaceful and prosperous state and country.
I would also like to use this opportunity to condemn the terrible act of violence that took place in a part of this country even on this holy day. I enjoin you all to pray for the souls of the departed and wish the injured a speedy recovery.
This, clearly, is one thing we must move away from in this season of peace and reconciliation.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 147 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON(C) HIS WIFE, RACHAEL AND HIS SSA ON ADMINISTRATION, HON. VICTOR OKUBONANABO ON ARRIVAL TO ATTEND THE 2012 EASTER DAY AT TORUORUA
Let me remind you all that we as Christians have a duty to forgive those who trespass against us, but not to waver in our belief and in our faith.
Our Lord died on Good Friday, which is good for humanity because without that crucifixion there will be no divine forgiveness of sins and therefore no reconciliation.
I would like to say on this resurrection Sunday, let us all pray that a new Bayelsa resurrects today; let us pray that as Christ was crucified on Friday, all the wrong things that have gone on such as violence, criminality and corruption belong to the past and this resurrection day ushers in a new beginning in Bayelsa State.
Service is not for leaders alone; I would like the citizens to be law abiding, be supportive of the Government and to be hardworking because the new Bayelsa will not make much progress without your involvement and participation.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 148 RL; GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON, HIS WIFE, RACHAEL AND HIS MOTHER, MADAM GOLDCOAST DICKSON DURING THE 2012 EASTER DAY SERVICE AT TORU ORUA CHRISTIAN CENTRE
I would like to thank you all again for finding time to be here and to thank all Bayelsans who are in their various churches praying for the survival, progress and prosperity of the state.
I would also like to enjoin all to join me to build a more prosperous and stable Bayelsa, to pilot and manage the Restoration Agenda in the State.
I would like to use this opportunity to remind you all that the government is all about service just as our lord sacrificed Himself for the sake of humanity and to change the direction and destiny of humanity.
Service is not for leaders alone; I would also like the citizens to be law abiding, be supportive of the Government and hardworking because the new Bayelsa will not make much progress without your involvement and participation.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 149 OUR LONG WALK FOR PEACE AND STABILITY
Remarks at the Restoration Grand Rally and Peace Road Walk at the Gloryland Cultural Centre on April 17, 2012
am delighted to be part of this grand rally and peace walk. I would like to congratulate you all on the success of the exercise. I also Iwant to thank the organizers, Hon. Timi Kaiser Ogoriba and members of his team, who worked very hard within a short time and even though, I requested that they make it a low profile event, he managed to get this massive turnout.
I also want to thank the youth of Bayelsa for once again demonstrating your commitment to the peace of your state. At this point, I would also like to thank the security agencies working in this state and country in the service of our great nation and in protection of our values and civil liberties.
This is the first official interaction I am having with the youth of Bayelsa State a er my election. This occasion presents me with the opportunity to thank you all for the massive support and turnout and for your continued faith in our ability to restore our dear land.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 150 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON AND A CROSS SECTION OF PARTICIPANTS DURING THE GRAND RALLY AND PEACE ROAD WALK IN YENAGOA.
Today I have joined you in a short walk, but I would like to tell you that, we are together in the long walk for peace and stability in our State. I also have an opportunity to see most of you, my friends that I have not seen in a long time, especially youth leaders that were actively involved before, during and a er the elections.
I am here today, to join you on a symbolic march, a march of restoration of peace, which is the number one item on the Restoration Agenda of our state, because without peace, there will be no meaningful development. Today I have a mandate to share our vision of a greater, and more stable and prosperous Bayelsa.
This entails the building of roads and bridges all across the length and breadth of this state, rebuilding the educational infrastructure as promised.
I have stated and will continue to say it throughout my stay in office, that the most important challenge facing our generation and state is human capacity development.
And that was why in my inaugural address I declared a state of emergency in the educational sector as well as free and compulsory
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 151 education. That is the most lasting legacy we can leave for the next generation as it is also the most important empowerment. We will not be able to deliver on these, if we do not work together to deliver on peace and stability in our state.
This state is no ordinary state; it is the Ijaw nation and therefore, if this state fails, the Ijaw Nation and Niger Delta will fail with tremendous consequences for the Nigerian nation and so we cannot afford to fail.
Since I was elected and took the oath of office, I have drawn a line between politics and service. Political calculations and shenanigans ended for me a er the elections because the job I have to do is to render service to you and bring about development as well as deliver on the Restoration Agenda.
Today we have embarked on this symbolic march to show to the world, Nigerians and the enemies of Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation that, contrary to their postulations and calculations, this State is united for peace and development.
I am here today, to join you on a symbolic march, a march of restoration of peace, which is the number one item on the Restoration Agenda of our state, because without peace, there will be no meaningful development.
By what we have done today, we have sent a message to the world that now is the time for development. This is not the time for Bayelsa youths to be misinformed, involved in cultism, violence and brigandage; it is not the time for militancy.
The time for politics is over and when we get to the time of elections you will assess us. Now is the time for work. Do not be carried away by
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 152 misinformation and propaganda; remain focused, because your government is focused.
We cannot deliver on development without people and stability.
We have an opportunity to move this State to the next level and this is the first time we are having the government declaring free and compulsory education. To show you how serious we are on this, we have several people appointed to man each aspect of education; from girl child education to primary and secondary school education, to the inspectorate and policy areas.
For the first time, we are ge ing data on the state of schools of all communities to assess if they are good enough. From next week when the House of Assembly passes the budget and with the commissioners coming on board from tomorrow, you will see nonstop action.
For those of you in tertiary institutions, we know the importance of bursary and scholarships because we want to train the next professionals in all fields that will take over when the present generation is gone and I need you all to work with me to execute this.
We cannot deliver on development without people and stability.
I have said I will take difficult decisions that are for the benefit of this state. I will not play politics with the development of the Ijaw nation and I will not play politics with the peace and stability of this state.
Those who encourage the youth to be violent are not your friends and are not the friends of Bayelsa State and the Ijaw nation.
Work hard and believe in yourself; you do not need another person to
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 153 validate your personality and refrain from doing illegal and criminal acts, as a great future awaits you.
My dear compatriots, this is not a day for lengthy speeches, but I want to assure you all that your future is secure and it is in safe hands. If you all work with us as a team to bring about peace, law and order, we can all jointly restore Bayelsa.
I will announce my youth appointments by next week, and the youth team will be formally set up to inform and guide youths properly as well as to inform us about any issues affecting them.
I want to assure you that the issue about the secretariat the IYC (Ijaw Youth Council) Secretary mentioned is done already, because I am a product of the Ijaw struggles. We are creating a Ministry of Culture and Ijaw National Affairs. This Ministry will liaise with INC (Ijaw National Council) and IYC and work with all strata of authority in the Ijaw nation in order to take our state and nation to the next level.
We are working every day to bring in investors to do business with us and that is why peace is number one in the Restoration Agenda.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 154 OUR GOVT IS FOR EVERY BAYELSAN
Remarks during a courtesy call by the Okpoama council of chiefs, Brass local government area at Government House, Yenagoa on June 22, 2012
am delighted to receive this delegation led by no other person than the Chairman of the Okpoama council of chiefs and members of Ihis council today. Let me use this opportunity, since this is the first time I am interacting with you a er the general election to thank you most sincerely for the massive support that you and your people gave to the PDP.
Let me also thank you for the warm reception that was accorded our campaign team, when I arrived in the course of the gubernatorial campaigns. Let me urge you all to extend my warm greetings, warm felicitations and regards to His Majesty the King and all your subjects for their support during the elections and even now.
Let me thank you for finding time to come. Let me thank your representative, who is representing you very well for facilitating this interaction. It was only yesterday I got to know your desire to have this meeting with me so I want to thank Hon. Amalanyo Yousuo for
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 155 facilitating this interaction.
And, also for being a very effective representative. As a parliamentarian let me also thank you, because you have done what most people donʹt do in Bayelsa. You have returned him for the third time.
We who are parliamentarians always like to see more people in parliament return because the more experienced they are, the more effective they become.
You know I am an Okpoama man myself. I am an adopted Okpoama man. This walking stick that I carry is the symbol of Okpoama, the Agbalakoko, which was presented to me by you in the course of my campaign. The only difference is that whereas my good friend and brother, Hon. Amalanyo Yousuo is representing a constituency, for me a er the general election the whole state is my constituency.
My oath is to take decisions that will be in the best interest of the generality of the people of Bayelsa State, generality of the people of the great Ijaw nation, because all of us are Ijaw people.
Now, you are aware that there was a government pronouncement made some years back about the establishment of a college of education to be located in Okpoama. As chiefs and indigenes of Okpoama you are in a be er position to determine whether there is actually a college of education operating there.
As this government has placed high premium on education, we want to begin to train our teachers. It is not enough to build schools as we intend to do, as we have started doing. We must train and retrain teachers; we must bring more people to be interested in teaching. And train them to be effective teachers, because the teacher is the most critical element in the educational system. It is the teacher who facilitates knowledge and that is why for us having declared a state of emergency in the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 156 educational sector, having declared free and compulsory education, we have to take the decisions, however painful they may be, which are necessary to reposition the educational system.
There is no greater good you can do than educating the human mind. Education will have no future unless we get the college of education right.
By September the teachers retraining programme will start in earnest and then other programmes will continue.
Going forward our policy is that in Bayelsa to be employed in a primary school every teacher must have gone through the teachers retraining program. We want to test the teachers to know whether they themselves, are equipped to teach and we want to continue to equip them with the knowledge that they can impart.
I like to use this opportunity to assure you all, the great people of Okpoama kingdom of which I am an adopted member, that this government is a government for everyone in Bayelsa, this government is a government for the entire Ijaw nation and we have the duty to take decisions without fear or favour, without malice or ill will to anyone.
Our duty is to take decisions to reposition this state. Our greatest challenge is education and that one cannot be postponed.
In this case we need a place where we can begin to train people, to get new teachers into the system; you need NCE at least to be a teacher in the primary school and this program must be running.
All these years, we have not had a functional college of education and these were years of retrogression in our educational system. These are the considerations that informed our decision to relocate the college of education to a place, anywhere, that people can drive to that also has some space, that has basic facilities to enable it take off immediately.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 157 We looked around and government now felt that the best place to site this school is Sagbama. It could have been elsewhere which I do not want to name but it would have meant displacing an existing secondary school.
So we sent a bill to the House of Assembly to firstly rename it in honour of one of our greatest heroes, the Late Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro and then to also move it.
We were actually looking for places where it can take off from September, so that they can begin to run their system. As you all know, the executive bill is for the school to take off and to be relocated to Sagbama town which is not even my community. My community is Toru Orua. The college of education is not going to my community but is going to a local government where there are some facilities for it to take off from.
This is a school, not just for all our children, it is a school that is open to all people, all Nigerians. And, there are more schools coming.
We are also proposing another very important institute which is going to be one of the best of its kind. Very soon His Excellency the Deputy Governor will lead a team to Poland to understudy the maritime academy there.
It is our desire to begin the construction of the maritime academy because we are a maritime people. And the reason for the maritime academy is because we want to have access to the sea; those students who are there need access to the sea for training. We want an institute that would be training seafarers. In the economy of the Philippines, seafaring is the highest source of foreign exchange.
And we are a maritime people. The navy is already there, NLNG is coming. Many maritime institutions and other businesses are coming and we thought that our maritime academy which will be one of the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 158 best, which again is not only for people from Okpoama but is an institution that is for all Bayelsa and for all people of the Ijaw nation to go there and receive training for four years.
It will be a big academy with the vessels there for them to train. So, that was how we looked at it, using the mandate you have given to us which like I said is a mandate for the whole state. It is not for just one constituency or one community.
My leaders, these are the reasons that informed the decision that we took. I will like to use this opportunity to plead with you to have a re think on some of the statements or declarations you made about the maritime academy.
In the next five or, ten years people looking at what we are doing will see that it pays to have that maritime academy, because by that time they would have seen the benefit of having that institution and they would have known the contribution that academy will be making to our people.
But you are entitled to work on the basis of what we know today for that again is something I will really plead with the chairman of council and His Majesty the King and the good and wonderful people of Okpoama to have a rethink about.
This is your government, make no mistake about that. This government will be for you, as we shall be and as we are for every Bayelsan. This government with your mandate has the duty to make decisions that are fair, decisions that are right and decisions that are in the best interest of everybody. Our decisions most importantly are in the best interest of our future, not just today, but our future.
You made mention of the Nembe/Brass road. By the way any infrastructure in this state is infrastructure for everybody in this state. It is not people in one area that would use a particular road, it is not
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 159 people in one area that would work in NLNG, and this infrastructure is for everybody and for all humanity.
In our commitment to upgrading the infrastructure of the state, we saw that one of the most important roads in this state was given to somebody who handled the job unsatisfactorily. So we had to take a decision in the interest of the people.
But that project, is not abandoned. We have actually invited Julius Berger as we speak and they are working on the bill of quantities. Any critical infrastructure in this state, for as long as I am seated here as your Governor by your grace and by the permission of God, will be given to a competent contractor.
No consideration, no politics. I have said repeatedly that I was not going to play politics with the development of this state, whether it is development in terms of infrastructure or it is development in education.
Julius Berger is doing the costing. Very soon we shall award that job to a competent contractor who will be mobilized to site. And, it is our hope, it is our prayer, that whether it is Agge road or the central senatorial road it be completed within the life of this administration.
From Nembe all the way across the ocean to Brass is not a small job and we want it to be given to the best hands; so that nobody looking at the transaction tomorrow will say we played politics instead of doing development.
You will be carried along and very soon you will see what we shall do on that road and on other roads. So, Mr. Chairman of the Okpoama council of chiefs, I am one of you, know that I have you at heart, as I have the entire state at heart. And, even though you didnʹt mention it, you know that this government is already Okpoama friendly. The man who keeps the treasury of this state is your son, Hon. Duate Iyabe. So,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 160 this is an Okpoama government.
This is your government, make no mistake about that. This government will be for you, as we shall be and as we are for every Bayelsan. This government with your mandate has the duty to make decisions that are fair, decisions that are right and decisions that are in the best interest of everybody. Our decisions most importantly are in the best interest of our future, not just today, but our future.
The man who is the deputy state chairman of the PDP, who is my boss in the party Chief Nyanayo Tubor, is not only my inlaw, he is my deputy state chairman and therefore my boss.
So, this is Okpoama government. And, we also have Hon. Amalanyo Yousuo and many others. I donʹt want to mention my Deputy Governor, who I know has a root in Okpoama, even though you didnʹt say it.
So, I want to assure you that your interests are protected within the general context of what is right, that is best for our people. The decision was not meant to slight Okpoama, was not meant to undermine you in anyway. We cannot delay the training of our education operators until the road is completed.
Maybe, when we complete everything, maybe what you will even have will be a bigger thing than a college of education, but now we want to start the process of training our teachers and prepare the future of our children.
I want to thank you for coming and this again shows how mature, how
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 161 enlightened your great community is.
I believe that I have your cooperation and assure your representative also who is a great representative and a good friend of the government. Let your people know that we mean them no harm. I look forward to more interaction as we move forward to develop our people.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 162 HELP IN TIME OF OUR NEED
Remarks to the Aliko Dangoteled presidential commi ee on Flood and Rehabilitation at Yenagoa on November 23, 2012
As you all know, Bayelsa is the real delta of the Niger; this is about the lowest point in this country. The whole of Bayelsa is below sea level, and all major rivers and tributaries go through this small territory to the Atlantic. You can therefore imagine the impact this flood disaster has had on the people.
Whereas, in some states, you will be talking in terms of the local governments that were affected, here in Bayelsa the entire state became a massive refugee center.
All our communities were submerged without exception and all our people became refugees overnight; that was the tragedy that confronted us.
We want to thank you and also the Federal Government for se ing up this commi ee because as you will expect in a crisis of this nature, there is no state government that can mobilize the resources to be able to cope. So we need all the assistance we can get and that is why we are so
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 163 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (3RD LEFT) POSE WITH ALIKO DANGOTE (C) AND HIS LED PRESIDENTIAL COMMITTEE ON FLOOD AND REHABILITATION happy that the President did the right thing by ge ing people like you to serve on this board and you are doing so well.
I want to use this opportunity to also call on all wellmeaning, public spirited individuals and corporate bodies to contribute to this flood rehabilitation effort, not only just in this state, but across the length and breadth of the country.
We have a lot of challenges here; we had to deal with evacuation of our people in all our communities in addition to the officially designated refugee camps.
In addition to the official camps that we established, we had to set up camps in all the communities.
Last week, we had to close down all the schools and even as we speak, all public schools remain closed in this state, because of the widespread nature and extent of the devastation and the danger posed to vulnerable members of the society.
But, now that the flood has started receding, we thought we needed about two weeks to begin to get the public infrastructure functioning, particularly the schools and the health centers and rehabilitate them.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 164 From next week schools can re–open and so we have to send all the displaced persons back to their communities.
We are aware of the challenges that will be with us for some time, but the reality is that we need to also free up these very important public institutions and get them ready to do their work. So as we speak we donʹt have internally displaced persons staying in officially designated camps anymore, particularly in the state capital.
But we have displaced persons who are managing to put their lives together in their various communities. Instead of pu ing these hundreds of thousands of people in Yenagoa with the a endant security and other problems we had to grapple with within that period, we thought it was be er to get them back to their localities and then look for a way of supporting them on a regular basis and assist their eventual reintegration.
Now, as you will expect with this type of tragedy, all our public infrastructure is gone; the state has the least number of federal roads, that is less than 200km and much of it went with the flood. Even state roads gave way to the flood.
Right now, we canʹt get to Amassoma the university town; 2 or 3 bridges, including the one leading to the Presidentʹs community gave way.
Farm lands were all lost because as I earlier mentioned the state is below sea level, which made us very vulnerable. Also the cost of construction which has been prohibitive all along will with the experience of this flood be higher. If we were budgeting with 4 feet, we will now cost with 6 or 7 feet high for our buildings. If our roads were 3 feet high, it has to be 7 or 8 feet high now, and when you multiply that, then you know the cost of construction.
So, we have major challenges which in some respects are peculiar to this
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 165 state. I am not saying others were not affected and we sympathize with our fellow Nigerians, who were affected. But then, we will like members of your commi ee to bear in mind, the peculiar nature of our terrain, which is the lowest point in the country and also that all the major rivers, tributaries and creeks which empty water from the hinterland to the Atlantic ocean pass through this small territory.
That is the nature of the challenge.
Now, going forward, we have a problem of assisting our people back to their communities to se le in terms of their businesses; we have the immediate problem now of supporting them to construct or reconstruct their houses that have been destroyed by the flood. Even in my own small community, you have less than ten houses standing and that is the story all over in the state. We also have the challenge of ge ing our people back to their businesses that have all been destroyed. Everywhere became a massive river and all our fishermen have lost their farms and their livelihood.
As I have said earlier, you can consider every Bayelsan citizen a victim of the flood disaster. We are all affected; even the President is not le out. If you had time we would have gone to his country home and you would have seen that the flood in his own si ing room could take the full length of a human being standing.
So, I want to thank you on a personal note, express my gratitude to you for finding time in spite of your very tight schedule not only to coordinate work at the national level that you are doing, but to find time to visit Bayelsa, which we call the Glory of all Lands.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 166 BK 2 (NO. 14), GOV. DICKSON & EU AMB. DAVID MACRAE, DURING A COURTESY CALL AT GOVT, HOUSE, YENAGOA. consecutively.
We have also started a very big project to turn around the infrastructure of this state. You talked about the flood which was really a tragedy but most people donʹt know how badly this state was affected.
I have just set up a commi ee to undertake a thorough assessment of all affected communities to be able to advise government on the structure of our construction projects, going forward. This state as you know, is the real Delta of the Niger, because this is where the River Niger actually flows into, and all major rivers in this country run through here to get to the Atlantic.
Over 90% of this state was submerged; all of us were affected including the President and me.
We felt the effects of the flood more than other places; all the local government areas were submerged.
Let me use this opportunity to request the support and the partnership of the European Union and the development partners in assisting us to rebuild our infrastructure, to assist the victims of the flood to put their lives and livelihood back together again.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 168 You talked about global warming, that is associated in some way with the oil exploration activities that go on here. As you know this was where oil activities started.
Just five minutes from here, you will get to the first oil well, where the Shell Petroleum Development Company at that time, extracted oil in commercial quantity and where ever since, gas is flared.
We also have serious challenges to the environment, that are directly related to spillage of crude oil in its raw form, and activities of oil bunkerers; those who carry out illegal refining. The intimidating effect of all of this, is to put our environment in grave danger.
For some of us who are passionate about issues of the environment, this also presents an opportunity for us to discuss and see what assistance and collaboration we can have.
We cannot continue to treat our environment with disdain.
I have always said that we in this part of the world treat our environment with disdain; we donʹt treat the environment with the respect that it deserves and probably the flood we just experienced is part of the effect, and which could be worse next time.
I want to thank you for finding time to visit and for the development activities you are carrying out in over 80 communities in Bayelsa.
I will like to follow up on what is exactly going on in those communities and maybe look for a way by which we can ask for your support in expanding the programme even beyond the ones you are currently working on.
We cannot continue to treat our environment with disdain.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 169 SALUTE TO COURAGE
Governor Henry Seriake Dicksonʹs tribute to late General Owoye Azazi in Yenagoa on December 29, 2012
Before I begin my speech, I will like to say a couple of things in response to my Lord Bishopʹs gracious exhortation when he exercised apostolic liberty to give his views about some issues of great concern to all of us.
As my Lord Bishop knows clearly, we are very grateful to the clergy in this state for all the support and prayers and solidarity that this government has enjoyed in the last 9 months.
I want to thank the church particularly, for working with us to turn around our dear state from a haven of cultism and violence and criminality to a situation where our dear state is clearly one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria.
Let me also commend the Bishop for his very frank exhortation for those of us in government, who have sworn to serve the people and by so doing serving our God. How I wish the church, particularly in this state was doing so over the course of the past 6 years, when development in this state stood still.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 170 BK 2, NO 16; LR; PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN, HIS WIFE, DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN, GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON, & HIS WIFE, RACHAEL DICKSON @ LATE GEN. AZAZIʹS BURIAL IN YENAGOA.
But as you know, my Lord Bishop, you and I have talked about these things a couple of times. Our government is commi ed to infrastructural turn around of our dear state.
And I have just seen a partner in you and if there is anything we are known for in this state, it is that we are dreaming big dreams far beyond our immediate resources, such that some critics have accused us of taking on too much.
We are in the process of clearing the road from Yenagoa to Oporoma that was abandoned several years ago and as we speak the work is going on.
The contract for that construction has been awarded to a Chinese firm, CCEC and I will present the cheques next week to them. The contract has also been awarded for the construction of SagbamaEkeremor road and clearing of that road is in progress as we speak.
So my Lord Bishop, we are not just saying the right words, we are also trying our best to do the right things. My Lord Bishop, you talked about the road to PeretoruGbene, the late General Azaziʹs hometown. We are working on that road. We have concluded the designs of the Ekeremor Agge road and the preliminary designs and the cost is about N120 billion.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 171 We have also reviewed the road from NembeBrass. As a result of the flood disaster our government has decided, on the advice of the technical team, to raise the height of our roads to 7 metres. Given the difficult terrain such as ours the cost of construction here is about four times what you will ordinarily have and yet we are commi ed.
So my Lord Bishop, we need the prayers of the church, we need you to continue to work with government to maintain peace so that the on going construction of roads will proceed without hindrance. We need you also to continue to pray and partner with us to ensure that people pay their taxes as and at when due.
We need you to continue to pray and give support to us as we work hard to reduce the recurrent cost of governance that has tied our development down. You will recall that the budget estimates that I presented a few days ago, was for a total sum of N280 billion, out of which, we allocated over N152 billion to infrastructure alone in this state.
We promised this state roads and roads and roads as well as schools and that is what you are ge ing. You are all aware of the massive construction within Yenagoa alone and I hear that our people are complaining that there are too many roads going on in Yenagoa.
We are also partnering and working with the Federal Government to construct an airport in this state. Clearing of the site is going on as we speak. And if there is any one thing, my dear people of Bayelsa State, that you should know me for, it is that I will not deceive you.
When we say something, we mean it and when I promise something I deliver on it. You all know that this is not politics.
Let me rest my case here because we are here to honour and bury our departed brother. The time for stocktaking will come very soon and I promise you, you will hear from us.
Let me on this note, firstly, welcome you all, on behalf of the government
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 172 and good people of Bayelsa to this blessed glorious state, the Glory of all Lands. In this state and in the new Bayelsa, we have a saying that all good human beings are Bayelsans. We say so not only because we are a warm, good and peaceloving people but because we truly welcome all good people and, you are all truly good people.
From the government, I will like to thank you all for the enormous outpouring of support, sympathy and concern since December 15 which, shall remain dark in our minds forever.
I was in Lagos during the service of songs and I saw first hand the enormous support given to the family by all persons of goodwill both great and small. I also listened to the passionate tribute paid by very eminent Nigerians from all walks of life. As I stated in Lagos, while we thank you for the outpouring of love and support and solidarity, I urge you all to stand by the family, not just now but at all times. Mrs. Azazi and the children have been thrust into unchartered territory where they will continually need our support and encouragement. For us in Bayelsa State, the government will be with them now and at all times.
General Azazi in life truly meant a lot to us all and his death has affected us differently. While the family has lost a husband, father and grandfather, his community has lost a worthy son. Bayelsa State has lost one of our best and worthy ambassadors. Nigeria has lost a patriotic and dedicated servant. The Nigerian military has lost one of its finest officers and commanders. And I have personally lost a leader and elder brother, confidant and major pillar of my government. He was always there for me as he was there for our dear state and nation.
I recall with pride the period General Azazi appeared before my commi ees in the over four yearstint that I had in the National Assembly before coming here as governor. Apart from being Chairman of the House Commi ee on Justice, a post I held for four years, I also served in strategic commi ees in the House, which included the Commi ee on Defence as well as the Commi ee on National Security
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 173 and Intelligence. I recall his appearances and performance as Chief of Army Staff and later as Chief of Defence Staff in his several interactions with the Commi ee on Defence.
I also recall with pride the interactions and briefings he availed the commi ee on national security and intelligence while he was NSA. In all these, I was filled with pride seeing a Bayelsan, an Ijaw man from Peretorugbene and my constituent at the time, rising through dint of hard work, to the top of his profession and holding his own so admirably as General Azazi did.
When I became Governor later, General Azazi was kind to put at my disposal his services and experience and told me to feel free to assign him to any responsibilities that I wished even if it meant, in his words, “to clean Government House in Yenagoa for you”. A er he le office as NSA and following the establishment of the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC) by law, it was to General Azaziʹs direction that I looked to Chair this eminent board that would help turn around the economy of our state and Ijaw Nation and place it on the world map. BDIC has since opened its international office in London and its Regional Headquarters in South Africa. I was just waiting for a convenient date to formally inaugurate the board before the flood came and now, his untimely demise.
When the unprecedented flood disaster occurred in our state and virtually all our communities were submerged with many displaced from their homes and livelihood, General Azazi agreed to serve as Chairman of the state postflood management commi ee to mobilize resources in aid of affected victims and communities. He insisted on making personal sacrifices and using his own resources to run the affairs of the commi ee, thereby leaving donations to go to the affected victims. His last discussion with me at Okoroba on that fateful day was a promise to visit me on Thursday to intimate me with details of his plan to go round the flood ravaged communities to assess what needed to be done.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 174 General Azazi was very passionate about all aspects of our development in the state and kept talking about his pet project, the Yenagoa City Centre development, into which he had clearly commi ed significant personal resources, time and energy. Though the commencement of this project was delayed as a result of his national assignment as NSA, he remained resolute in his commitment to commence work. As a ma er of fact, few days before his death, he came with experts from within and outside the country to brief me on the progress he had made so far.
To underscore his commitment and passion for our development, General Azazi never failed to discuss Bayelsa and my dreams for the development of this state with anyone both within and outside Nigeria who he thought had ideas that could help me. He got me talking with former Governor Donald Duke and several others to share ideas with. Some other time he came with a professor of petroleum engineering from the United States at his own personal cost to develop my idea of starting modular refineries and also to commission a power masterplan for the state. I can go on and on.
General Azazi in life truly meant a lot to us all and his death has affected us differently. While the family has lost a husband, father and grandfather, his community has lost a worthy son. Bayelsa State has lost one of our best and worthy ambassadors. Nigeria has lost a patriotic and dedicated servant. The Nigerian military has lost one of its finest officers and commanders. And I have personally lost a leader and elder brother, confidant and major pillar of my government. He was always there for me as he was there for our dear state and nation.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 175 In all, a er his distinguished record of service to our nation, General Azazi made it clear that it was time to serve his state and community back home. It was time, according to him, to pay back. This was why he quickly completed his house in Yenagoa and I promised him a be er residential allocation in the exclusive residential area my government is developing now.
I found in him therefore a reliable confidant, passionate believer and supporter of my government and the development of our people. It is clear that his untimely departure has le a major vacuum in the life of our state, nation and my personal life too.
General Azaziʹs sterling record of service and achievements in our nationʹs military is very well documented and rightly celebrated. Amongst other assignments, he was Directing Staff and Principal Officer in our nationʹs highest military training institutions at different times, Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence and Director of Military Intelligence (DMI).
He was also General Officer Commanding 1st Division of the Nigerian Army and was given the rare honour of leading his own service as Chief of Army Staff and eventually, the entire Armed Forces of our nation as Chief of the Defence Staff. By that, he became our nationʹs No. 1 professional soldier as well as the operational and policy head of our military. From the serenity of retirement, he was appointed the National Security Adviser where he labored to lay the foundation for combating a hitherto unknown threat in our nation: the threat of terrorism.
Having talked about his outstanding achievements in public life, I will like to pay tribute to those who silently supported and made this sterling record of public service possible. I like to pay tribute to his wife, Mrs. Alero Azazi and the children for their unflinching support, sacrifice, loyalty and prayers.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 176 I like to also at this occasion, thank and commend the Nigerian military as an institution for turning a young man from Peretorugbene in Bayelsa State, who had only raw potentials and dreams into the outstanding officer, gentleman and great military leader that General Azazi later became.
Our state remains grateful to the Armed Forces of Nigeria and their leaders past and present, for General Azazi was the third indigene of this state who had the privilege to lead an arm of our nationʹs military. The first was Admiral Nelson Soror, who led the Nigerian Navy in its formative years. The second was Vice Admiral Victor Ombu who also led the Nigerian Navy as its Chief. The third was General Azazi in whose honour we are gathered here today.
I want to thank other colleagues and friends who supported him to make these achievements possible. I want to thank in particular a great Nigerian leader, General Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria, without whose courageous leadership as Commanderin Chief of the Armed Forces, some of these sterling achievements by General Azazi may not have been possible. It was under him that General Azazi was appointed GOC 1 division, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff. We are grateful. Our state and the Ijaw nation remain grateful to leaders like him.
In the new Bayelsa State, we donʹt forget our friends; we stand by them and support them. I also want to commend our own leader, my elder brother and dear President Goodluck Jonathan GCFR, for rising above blackmail and pe y propaganda in appointing a thoroughbred professional to position of National Security Adviser at one of the most trying periods in our nationʹs history.
General Azazi in his lifetime was an outstanding nationalist, a detribalized Nigerian and consummate bridge builder, who throughout his distinguished public service career and beyond, had
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 177 people of other ethnic groups working with him as his closest allies and aides; whose lives he impacted positively in many ways.
I call on every leader in this country to emulate General Azazi and not utilize the high offices that they occupy to further ethnic or religious agenda and thereby polarize our good people in this country. That is the way to build the New Nigeria of our dreams.
General Azazi was not only a patriotic Nigerian and accomplished military leader; for us in Bayelsa and the Ijaw Nation, he was a worthy ambassador, a quintessential Ijaw man – accommodating, hardworking, humble, serving God, his society and humanity with uncommon courage and honour. These are essential Ijaw values, which I commend to all our people, particularly our youths.
If General Azazi could overcome the seeming disadvantages of our environment to a ain the height that he did in his lifetime, our youths should and can aspire to do even be er.
To underscore our appreciation of the life of service to our nation and our people, and the pride that he brought to our state, the government of Bayelsa State decided to give him a state burial to which you are all witnesses and I thank you for coming. But this is not all.
The government of Bayelsa State will liaise with the leadership of our nationʹs military where General Azazi served and once led, to work out modalities for the endowment of an award, chair or prize, dedicated to excellence in his honour and sponsored by the Bayelsa State Government in a select triservice institution. I have directed my Deputy Governor who himself is a fine product of our nationʹs military to make the necessary contacts in this regard.
The government of Bayelsa State is also prepared to work with the family and friends to support a General Azazi Memorial Lecture to be held periodically here in Yenagoa, to focus on national security and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 178 other burning contemporary issues facing our nation and the world.
I call on every leader in this country to emulate General Azazi and not utilize the high offices that they occupy to further ethnic or religious agenda and polarize our good people in this country. That is the way to build the New Nigeria of our dreams.
Finally, at the last anniversary of our stateʹs creation, I announced the establishment of the Ijaw National Heroes Memorial Park, which is a place dedicated to preserving the memory, service and contributions of our illustrious best.
General Azazi clearly qualifies and government has therefore decided that his remains be laid to rest there. The Ijaw Heroes Memorial Park will also be the final resting place of all our great leaders past such as Late Major Jasper Adaka Boro, Ernest Ikoli, Harold DappaBiriye, Chief Melford Okilo and others.
I have set up a commi ee to liaise with their respective families and also work on a list of others who are deserving of this honour.
I have equally directed the Coordinator of the Ijaw History Project to begin work on a book to document the life and times of General Azazi. I have already directed such research on Adaka Boro, DappaBiriye, Chief Okilo, Zuofa and other deserving leaders and work has reached advanced stage.
This will enrich our understanding of their contributions and more importantly, our appreciation of the Ijaw worldview.
I call on the family, friends and the military to support this endeavor and cooperate with the team. Again, I want to thank Nigerians from all
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 179 walks of life for their support and solidarity in this moment of our collective grief. I urge you all to continue to support the family he le behind and to uphold the memories and values that General Azazi stood for.
For the immediate family, Mrs. Azazi, the children and the Peretorugbene community, we all share in your grief and loss. We do pray that God will grant us all the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
As our dear brother, friend and compatriot gallantly takes his final salute, may Almighty God grant his soul eternal repose. Amen.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 180 TOMORROW BELONGS TO OUR YOUTH
Remarks at the inauguration of the Youth Development Commi ee on February 1, 2013
recall when I indicated my interest for the governorship that even those of you who had not met me before believed in me. Some of Iyou had heard of me or seen me on television serving you at the National Assembly and here in this state when I was A orney General. You believed in me and took the risk.
Now, when I said I was going to declare, you people said go ahead and run: ʹwe will support youʹ; and we came here to make our formal declaration. The Deputy Governor today, was chairman of the important commi ee on security at that time, at a time that every day in this state, three or four human beings were being gunned down in the streets of Yenagoa.
The night preceding our declaration, you will recall that, five young men were gunned down in a bar just to send a message of intimidation and fear to us, but because of you people and your support and because of what God made possible, my declaration went ahead and you were all there and even a er that day, you never abandoned me. From
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 181 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (CENTRE) HIS DEPUTY, REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH RTD, (LEFT) AND THE STATE FINANCE COMMISSIONER, MR. DUATE IYABI (RIGHT) DURING THE PRESS BRIEFING
students to various youth organizations, at your own risk, you stood by me.
When we went on tour of local government areas at your own risk, you were everywhere, so let me assure you today that this man does not forget friends.
We are toiling day and night and making sacrifices for your future, for your tomorrow. We may say today is ours, but the truth is that we are custodians of your tomorrow. Everything we are doing is to make sure that a er our tenure, you young people can have a be er and more prosperous, safer and respected Bayelsa state. That is what we are doing. So when the enemies of progress of this state devise various means, because they are jealous of the development that has come to this state. Just ignore them.
Initially they thought this government could not do anything, but with the way we are going, they will all be put to shame permanently. We know that they are losing sleep and they want to plan one blackmail or
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 182 the other, plan propaganda, misinform our people, incite the people and even incite criminal violence in our land.
Let me clearly warn that anybody in this state who plays politics with our law and order and with our security, the laws of this state and of this country will catch up with them, whoever they are and wherever they are.
So, on this day, on this inauguration, I want to thank you for your support and loyalty. This is my own li le way of saying thank you to you people for what you did. But hear this too: this is just the beginning of the restoration programme for the youths of Bayelsa state. I will very soon meet with you people, local government by local government.
I have appointed a number of you as Senior Special Assistants on Youths. Each of you will be with them in your various Local Governments Areas and I donʹt want to preempt the announcement I intend to make later, because as you people know, when I say something, I do it.
We are toiling day and night and making sacrifices for your future, for your tomorrow. We may say today is ours, but the truth is that we are custodians of your tomorrow. Everything we are doing is to make sure that a er our tenure, you young people can have a be er and more prosperous, safer and respected Bayelsa state.
I want to finetune our policy, our policy on youth engagement will be second to none in this state. Tell all the youths, tell your friends and colleagues, we canʹt engage everybody; it is not possible. I canʹt give appointments to everybody who voted. It is also not possible to give appointments to every supporter. It is some people at a time, and then
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 183 later, you take other people.
So, those who are not involved should be patient, they should support you people to support government and to move the State forward. So many openings will come just as yours have come today. And, because we donʹt forget people, who supported us, we will surely remember them.
Your duty is to sensitize our youths; tell them their hour of restoration has come, tell them Bayelsa is changing and Bayelsa will never be the same again, . Also, tell them that nobody will be allowed to play politics with our security and our development and when they come by any information, anything that will be of interest to our security, the security forces are all there waiting to work with you.
I will tell the news of this to all our security forces and tell them you have our support. So, go on to your communities and local government areas and ensure that there is law and order. And also work with the security agencies; let them know whatever they need to know. Work with us, because I will soon appoint somebody that you will be reporting to.
I want to thank you all for your support and that as you go on, you should know that you are the true harbingers of the new Bayelsa state.
Work to protect our construction people, our contractors who are working in every community. In all the construction activities going on in this state, the contractors have always reported to me and clearly the youths have changed, they do not molest contractors anymore. Rather they are finding ways to be of assistance, to see whether there is anything they can do to add to the development of this state and I want to thank you and urge you all to continue in that way.
With what we are doing, nightlife has returned to Yenagoa; people stay and dance and drink and enjoy themselves in Yenagoa now, because of you people.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 184 So I urge you all to go back to your local government areas and support the peace that is going on in Yenagoa. For those of you who are in Yenagoa, we donʹt want to hear about any crime in Yenagoa. If anyone does anything wrong and you know or suspect, call the security people. I am not going to ask you people to do anything that is criminal. Even when we were fighting people in government, we didnʹt do anything criminal. But as we will not do that, we will not also allow our youths to be used by criminals and politicians, who have no idea of development and service.
Those politicians whose stock in trade is violence, this state has gone beyond them and it will never come back to the way it was again.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 185 RUN LOCAL COUNCILS WITH A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY
Remarks at the swearing in of two local government chairmen at Yenagoa on February 15 2013Henry Seriake Dickson, to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa State on January 1, 2013.
You are all aware of the circumstances that have led to your emergence as chairmen of your local governments.
This was not what we anticipated in this state. We are working very hard to preserve and protect the democratic system in the third tier of government. This is one state where in spite of the circumstance that preceded our ascension to power, we have preserved the integrity of the local government system by not dissolving councils like a lot of people would have wanted us to do. But we kept the heat on the inherited local government administrators, and their full complement of councillors, chairmen and vice chairmen, because that is the right thing to do. They are elected people and they have a tenure prescribed by law. We didnʹt want politics at the state level to affect the tenure of people freely elected in the various local government areas.
Apart from that, in this state we are working hard also to entrench the culture of continuity at the third tier. We want to prove a point that in
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 186 this state and perhaps for the first time, democratically elected leaders at the local government level will end their tenure and hand over to another democratically elected set.
There are several states in this country that have not held local government elections for several years, but Bayelsa is different. There are many states including this state before we came in, where the normal thing was to dissolve all councils and appoint caretaker commi ees. The appointment of caretaker commi ees for constitutionally recognized local government areas is unconstitutional and my government will not be part of that unconstitutionality.
Let people be allowed to serve out their tenure for another set of democratically elected people to take over. That is the only way we can build capacity; that is the only way we can give confidence to those, who administer that level of our government.
Since we came on board we have never interfered with the administration of local governments in this state. We have never authorized any deductions apart from the statutory deduction that normally will go for teachers, equity contribution as well as servicing heath workers. Our own criteria, which we have given to all chairmen and which I will give you today is to use the resources to serve the people of your local government area.
I want to remind you that you are not to operate as sole administrators like your predecessors tried to do and I want to thank the councillors who resisted the antics of your predecessors, who wanted to convert themselves to sole administrators. The constitution provided for a democraticallyelected system of governance by which budget must be passed by the councillors to retain and exercise their right to oversee the activities of the executive council members at the local government level; that, they should stand up and exercise their share of legislative duties; that is the only way our democracy can grow.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 187 The appointment of caretaker commi ees for constitutionally recognized local government areas is unconstitutional and my government will not be part of that unconstitutionality.
I want to urge all chairmen in this sate to work harmoniously with their legislative arms and I do know in this state, that we have a law, the Bayelsa transparency law which obliges me and including all chairmen of councils to render monthly accounts, as to your income and expenditure to the people of your local government area. You are not to account to us; you are to account to the people, because all of us are servants of the people. We are not bigger than the people we serve and we must respect them; we must submit ourselves regularly and by virtue of that law, we must tell them what we do with their finances.
I want to express my displeasure personally at the conduct of your predecessors who I am told, converted their offices for activities other than what they were sworn in to do. We are looking at that and I think they will hear from the system very soon.
You are not to account to us; you are to account to the people, because all of us who are servants of the people. We are not bigger than the people we serve and we must respect them; we must submit ourselves regularly and by virtue of that law, we must tell them what we do with their finances.
Council chairmen should not behave in a way and in a manner that will constitute a threat to the peace and security of their local government areas and to this state. In any council where that happens and with our zero tolerance policy on criminality and violence, the laws of this state will take their course.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 188 POWER MUST BE ROOTED IN THE PEOPLE
Remarks at flagoff of PDP local government election campaigns at the Peace Park, Yenagoa, on March 15 2013
bring you, first of all, greetings from your leader, your President and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck IEbele Jonathan. Let me deliver his message of appreciation to you all and to the good people of this State for your continuous support and solidarity and prayers for him and for me. Let me also thank you, because you have supported our cause of restoration; the cause that is clearly bringing about change in all aspects of our lives in this State and you have been with us for more than one year and still going forward.
Today, I pay tribute to the leaders of our party and the leaders of our State for all the support, prayers and encouragement that I and your government have received from them and will continue to receive going forward.
I particularly thank the members of our National Assembly, not only for their solidarity and support, which is demonstrated here, but I want to
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 189 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON SPEAKING DURING THE FLAGOFF OF PDP LOCAL GOVT. ELECTION CAMPAIGNS
thank them for representing us very well in Abuja. I was there before, and I know the ba le they are facing in the Senate and in the House and I have privately thanked them for the wonderful job they are doing.
Today, we are here to present flags to our worthy candidates.
Gone are those days where we see chairmen and their deputies working within a divided council. We donʹt want to see or hear about such things in our local governments, and that is why by the time we call on you all, I will also specially call the other stakeholders and leaders of your respective local government areas and I will hand you all over to them. This is because collectively, they have a stake in our party and the affairs of the local government that you will superintend over.
As you have all seen, this is a PDP State but we are still going to campaign. I enjoin you all to go on an issuesbased campaign.
The leaders of our party and your local government at all levels will join hands with you in the elections and a er the elections we will be
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 190 interested in the unit by unit result and the ward by ward result as well because this election is an opportunity to test those who are with us in our party. So it is operation deliver your unit and ward.
We are going to check that and use that as a basis for analyzing the commitment of stakeholders and all our members. You have seen how we tried our best to work with all stakeholders. The old era of the politics of division, the politics of acrimony, which usually begins from the local government areas, has to stop.
Also, the era of disrespect for your stakeholders and your leaders back home just because you are a chairman and you think you have access to government has to stop.
Your government will be directed by the stakeholders of our party at every level. I want to urge the stakeholders and various caucus chairmen to as soon as possible, convene caucus meetings and take charge not only of the campaigns, but also be in a position to guide and direct the chairmen of the various local governments because we donʹt want to see chairmen that are disconnected from the base of their leaders.
I want to thank you all and urge you all to embark on very peaceful campaigns; and we want peaceful elections. As you can see in the new Bayelsa, during elections we can have conflicts of ambition, but that is just politics. But once elections are over and a government is in place or candidates have emerged you have to rally behind the party and behind the state.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 191 WHY WE MUST STOP RUMOURS
Remarks at the inauguration of the State Public Information Management Commi ee, Yenagoa on March 20 2013
e are here to inaugurate a commi ee that will play a very critical role in working with government to educate the Wpeople of this state. You are all aware that as a result of the underdevelopment of our people, the inadequate investments in education and the decline in public values and ethics in our country, you have a situation in our state where our people are very susceptible to propaganda and misleading information about their government and also about private individuals.
You are aware of the prevalence of rumor mongering in this state and how people from outside this state, sometimes just send false information to one or two people and within three days the story spreads like wildfire, information that our people need to be educated to confirm and most o en reject where it is not true.
We thought of this commi ee as being necessary because over the years and in every government, rumor mongering, blackmail and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 192 propaganda have played a role in distancing the citizens from their own government and it is not just the government that is affected by this.
People talk carelessly; we talk about ourselves carelessly in this state. You a ribute anything to anybody, to your neighbors, your relations. Just about anything is peddled about peopleʹs character and we donʹt care what those statements cause; what injuries or harm they cause to even the reputation of private individuals, not to talk of government officials at all levels. This cannot be allowed to continue.
We even have a situation whereby people will sit down and say that somebody who is hale and hearty, just died and everybody will believe, even when the person is addressing them on a live television programme. They will say that the programme was an old one!
It is that bad, and so we have to do something about it. As a result of collapsed educational infrastructure over the years we have developed a lot of people who donʹt read, they donʹt develop their critical faculties to be able to know something that is true and what is simply not believable.
This commi ee is going to work directly with the relevant agencies of government to ensure that we educate our people and develop in them a mindset that is conducive to peace, to stability; a mindset that is positive, because there is too much negativity.
That is why at the very onset I appointed a Special Adviser on Ethics and Values and so she is going to serve as vice chairman. The commi ee is not just to inform correctly on things that are going on in government, but the commi ee should serve as a clearing house, when members of the public have one inquiry or the other to make.
The people need to be brought to be on the same page and be made aware of the radical changes, not just in terms of projects that you are
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 193 going to see, but the change that we have been talking about, the a itude, the governance culture, the culture of service and therefore, the necessary reorientation of our values and a itude towards government and towards one another. So, this commi ee has a very serious responsibility.
I therefore, expect you to embark on farreaching public enlightenment programmes and not just about government activities, but also about the development of positive and right values and a itude.
My dear brothers and sisters, you have a very daunting task and that is why you have been carefully selected.
You all represent very important constituencies that are very relevant to what I may call the ethical revolution that you are going to pioneer in this state. I expect you working together, to be at the vanguard for the change of a itude of people to work, change of a itude to a culture of diligent service, change of a itude of our youths in ma ers of peace and stability of our state, change of a itude in terms of encouraging people to work and earn a responsible livelihood; a change of a itude in their relationship among themselves and you know where differences exist as they are in every society, people need to be enlightened for them to be able to identify the existing channels for the ventilation of grievances.
You have got a very daunting responsibility and I thought that officials of government alone shouldnʹt do this.
I thought those of you from very important constituencies that are outside of the core government and public service, should also be brought in so that you can all partner together and see how you can disseminate the right information and by so doing educate our people and prepare them to be part of the very positive developments that are taking place in this state. Like I said, itʹs not just about rumors; no that is just a bit of it; youʹve got to talk to our youths on the virtues of hard work, to our people, civil servants on why they need to be at their duty
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 194 posts and how they need to work and earn their salaries and promotions and so on.
Youʹve got a whole range of ma ers relating to the social revolution that we have embarked upon to implement; you are the people that will be at the forefront.
We must put an end to them say them say.
Now, going forward, we hope to sponsor legislation that will clearly provide for offences of false dissemination and propagation of information and propaganda, whether it relates to the reputation and character of individuals or about government and government officials. Of course, you are all aware that the existing laws provide offenses such as criminal defamation of character and so on.
But we are going to work to come up with legislation and where necessary, create offenses that will punish ʹʹthemsaythemsay peopleʹʹ; there is too much of ʹthemsaythemsayʹ in this state.
We must put an end to them say them say.
We want people to work hard to enlighten themselves, read the newspapers, talk to the people with the right information and resist the temptation to be an innocent instrument carrying propaganda for and blackmail about yourselves, about your government and government officials.
Now, we will make it punishable, because we are giving you a platform to get the right information. We have created hotlines, which will be publicized effectively.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 195 THE PECULIAR DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES OF THE NIGER DELTA
Remarks during a courtesy call by the minister for Niger Delta affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, at Yenagoa on March 26 2013
would like to appreciate the good work you and your Ministry are doing at the federal level, and, on a personal note, thank you for Ibeing a bulwark of support for your boss, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I know that your ministry in recent times has come under a lot of criticisms and that is partly as a result of the overpoliticization of things in our country where some persons politicize anything and everything because of their ambitions. We are all aware of the very daunting challenges in terms of the developmental needs of the Niger Delta region.
This is a region that has been much underdeveloped and it did not start now but we are very happy that the Federal Government in addition to establishing the NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) saw the need to elevate issues of the Niger Delta and its development to the level of having a cabinet representation by creating the Ministry of the Niger Delta.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 196 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (L) PRESENT SOUVENIR TO MINISTER OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS, ELDER GODʹS DAY ORUBEBE DURING COURTESY CALL.
We should not think that we are going to see development in the Niger Delta overnight and that the establishment of the Niger Delta ministry w i l l w i p e a wa y d e c a d e s o f a c c u m u l a t e d n e g l e c t a n d underdevelopment. We have a very peculiar terrain and environment that is constantly assailed; we have very peculiar developmental issues and challenges.
So I think the real opinion of most well meaning people in the region is that we need to seek concerted efforts and focus. But the expected development and redress of these problems will not come overnight.
Our sincere opinion in Bayelsa is that the Federal Government under the leadership of the President, with you and what you are doing in your Ministry, are on track to lay a solid foundation for the expected development of the Niger Delta.
I want to commend the efforts your ministry and the Federal Government have been making in this regard in very difficult circumstances. I have been here and for the past one year grappling with issues of development in Bayelsa State. This is where you see the issues of the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta in their starkest
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 197 reality. Building a road here costs so much in terms of the sheer volume of work and technical details that go into it as well as the cost. And when it is replicated across the length and breadth of Bayelsa, you realize that we need to be patient, hopeful and, above everything else, supportive in order to encourage the ministry and the Federal Government.
The Niger Delta has a very difficult terrain and an environment that is constantly assailed by the forces of nature and man. We therefore have very peculiar developmental challenges.
Some issues have been raised about the EastWest Road and I am very gratified at the illuminating statistics you have reeled out to us this a ernoon. I am very encouraged and we all are impressed with the steps you have taken in very difficult circumstances to ensure that this very critical piece of infrastructure is delivered not just to the people of Niger Delta but also to Nigeria.
I would like to thank you and urge you not to lose focus. I think you are on track with what you have said and the successes that have been recorded in terms of that road and, most importantly, your emphasis on bringing all stakeholders on board. This is a critical thing you are pioneering because at the end of the day the development of this region is the collective dream and duty of us all.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 198 ADAKA BOROʹS WORTHY EXAMPLE
An address by His Excellency, the Hon. Remarks at 2013 Boro day celebration in Kaiama, Kolokuma/Opokuma local government area of Bayelsa state on May 16, 2013
oday, we are here once again to celebrate the timeless legacies of our departed hero, brother and leader and for us even Tthough it has been 45/46 years since his untimely and tragic departure, his memories, his legacies are very much with us and will continue to be.
Today, we assemble here again in solidarity to remind ourselves about his legacies; he taught us sacrifice, he taught us what it means to be an Ijaw man or Ijaw woman; he taught us courage, he taught us to believe in ourselves.
We promised you last year that you will have a road, we will defeat the socalled difficult terrain; you will have a road to the Boro town that has been laying waste all these years and you now have that road. I told you that the ground on which we celebrated this event last year will be turned around and work is going on. I told you about what we are going to do with the NYSC orientation camp and several other things,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 199 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON (2NDLEFT) INSPECT GUARD OF HONOUR MOUNTED BY LEGIONIARS DURING 2013 BORO DAY CELEBRATIONS IN KAIAMA
the hospital project. Let me thank the community and its leaders for all the support that I know you are giving to all our contractors and my officials.
What you are seeing here is what is going on in all our communities, local government headquarters all across this state. It is work, work, work and I want to thank you all my good and wonderful people of KOLGA for maintaining peace; for listening to our call for peace and order, because without that, there is very li le we will be able to do for you.
You have done yours by voting for us and as I told you, the ball is now in our court and you will continue to see the dividends of democracy, you will continue to see us work for you, you will continue to see us stand up for you.
We have just started so today, let me thank you all for joining us here to keep his memory and legacy alive. I have just laid the foundation stone of the Isaac Boro Institute and that institute will have many facilities. The mausoleum is only one of them and hopefully with the pace at which we are going, with that road that is 90 percent completed as you have all seen, I expect that in the next couple of weeks, you will all join
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 200 us again as I will lead the team to formally commission that road.
I want the last asphalting done, the beautification and everything befi ing of our hero done and completed so that we can commission that road.
Now, Boro town is a very symbolic project for us and particularly this government. Boro Town will be expanded. By next week, our officials from the Ministry of Lands will move in and I expect that the community as usual will cooperate; we want Boro Town to be a thriving new city in Bayelsa state. People will come and lay out the plan of that city. We are bringing housing estates, we are bringing schools to that place and we also hope that residential and other plots will be made available and allo ed to deserving people and that city will stand to his eternal honour and every year hopefully, with the facility completed, we will gather there to celebrate our hero and by so doing, remind ourselves that we are called to a life of service and dedication to the Ijaw nation and to the be erment of its people.
I want to thank you all and may God continue to bless the Ijaw nation. Let me thank the family for being part of it and the children. We will continue to work and support you all. Ado, Ado, haa! Izon!
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 201 THE CHALLENGE THROWN BY ADAKA BORO REMAINS
Address at the Colloquium in celebration of Adaka Boro day on May 17 2013
welcome you all to this occasion and to Bayelsa state, the Glory of All Lands. I know that a number of you have been here for some Idays now. I welcome you to Bayelsa, which is the Jerusalem of the Ijaw people. I want to thank you particularly for your presence here and throughout the activities of this yearʹs celebration.
Yesterday a number of you were with us when we went to Kaiama, in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government area of Bayelsa State, where I had the honour and privilege of laying the foundation stone of the building of the Isaac Boro Institute, which will contain a lot of facilities including, the mausoleum where his remains will at a later date, when the weather permits, be brought to.
Yesterday also at Kaiama, joined by several others, I laid a wreath at the cenotaph of Boro as we do every year. And today, we are all here to be part of this great occasion.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 202 GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON SPEAKING DURING THE 2012 IJAW DAY CELEBRATION.
Let me thank our guest lecturer for his very refreshing and I dare say, inspiring lecture and for finding time to be with us all the way from the United States.
And you have seen what the new Bayelsa entails above all odds; you have come to show that Bayelsa is safe, Bayelsa is ready for investment; Bayelsans and the Ijaw people are friendly and hospitable people and this shows that our state is safe, it shows that our region and our country are safe for visitors like you.
Let me also thank Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, who has told us a great deal about the elements of the very historic collaboration and alliance that have existed between our people and our brothers in the northern region of this country.
I like to thank our brother, a worthy Niger Deltan Professor G.G Darah and Dr. Emeka Enejere, Boroʹs friend and schoolmate for telling us a great deal that quite frankly before today, we did not know.
Thank you very much for enriching our knowledge and that was why as part of the history project, the Ijaw History Project, started by our government, we have directed that a group of researchers be put together so that the complete life and times and activities of Isaac Boro
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 203 and other leaders, including Chief Dappa Biriye that Alhaji Tanko Yakasai talked about, be recorded so that posterity can benefit from their experiences.
And I am sure that the Chief Historian and Archivist of the state will waste no time in interacting with the guest speakers who will bring their personal accounts to bear in that great work.
I want to thank our indefatigable, untiring Chairman of the INC Board of Trustees, our leader in whom we are well pleased, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark for living up to the true traditions of leadership in our Ijaw Nation.
Chief Clark even at his age is doing all he can to offer purposeful and meaningful direction to the struggles and efforts of our people. I thank you, our dear leader for everything you personify.
But most importantly sir, I want to thank you on behalf of our people for flying our flag high in the best traditions that our leaders before you did.
Particularly people like Chief Harold Dappa Biriye. I personally have the honor of learning the ropes of politics under masters like the Late Harold Dappa Biriye of blessed memory, who by the way we also celebrate in this state every year.
And I am sure that those who are organizing that event will also get in touch with people like our visiting leaders like Alhaji Yakasai who is here.
As a government, part of what we do is to collect and put on record activities of our leaders and project them so that generations and younger people can have role models to look up to.
The situation we have now is such that the role models that young people have are probably people holding Ak47 rifles or people who
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 204 have made money through dubious means.
I want to also thank the Ijaw National Congress (INC), the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), and all the former presidents of all the Ijaw organizations and bodies and all our leaders who are here as well as Your Royal Majesties, for giving traditional leadership to our people in the best traditions of Ijaw people.
I want to thank our Ijaw brothers and sisters from the diaspora. Thank you for keeping our Ijaw national flag high in all the places that you reside.
I remember when this government came into existence I said that our government would not be celebrating Boro Day outside the shores of Bayelsa State and Kaiama.
And I am very happy that in pursuance of that policy, all our brothers and sisters and friends have come all the way from far and near to be here to be part of this celebration.
Thank you on behalf of your people for keeping that flag flying high, for celebrating the Boro Memorial Day in all the nations and countries that you reside.
So please as you get back, extend our appreciation to our brothers and sisters there and then let them also know that, going forward, they should make it a point of duty not only to visit home and be part of what we are doing but also join in this annual celebration.
A lot has been said about what our late hero and leader lived, believed and died for. I know that much of what he lived and died for is still with us.
Our country still has some contradictions in the sense that, just as Professor Darah mentioned, we still have a situation whereby, those who own land do not own anything beneath or above it. You have a
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 205 contradiction of a situation where land, which is one of the factors of production and, probably some say the most important is the only factor of production that is communalized by the state, while all other factors of production remain in private hands.
The message from our people to all the capitals is that what you call an oil bloc in Abuja, in Washington, in London is in fact the ancestral property of the people of the Niger Delta.
And so in a country where we have a constitution that is meant to protect our people like all other Nigerians, we still have contradictions within that constitutional framework and which are also expressed in several other legislations that are strictly speaking, expropriating the resources of our people.
But do not get me wrong. Our nation is not a nation of contradictions alone. We are also a nation of endless potentials and possibilities.
And today, I stand on behalf of our grateful state to thank all Nigerians for investing their confidence and for supporting the leadership our brother and leader, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
And I therefore agree completely with our leader, Chairman of the INC Board of Trustees, when he said that the Ijaw Nation has moved several miles away from the days of old in the political sense, in terms of integration and accommodation politically at the national level.
That is correct and for that, we truly say thank you to all Nigerians. I like to thank my party, Africaʹs biggest party, the Peopleʹs Democratic Party of Nigeria, which first gave presidential nomination to our brother, Dr. Jonathan.
And you know, this is important because from my li le knowledge and perhaps maybe by the time I interact more and benefit from the experiences and knowledge of people like Alhaji Yakasai and our INC
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 206 Chairman Board of Trustees, we will know whether before PDP, and whether any national political party before Dr. Jonathanʹs nomination, has ever thought it proper or fit to make a socalled minority politician a presidential flag bearer.
To the best of my li le knowledge, only the Peoples Democratic Party did that. So we must express our gratitude to the PDP.
Now we hear there are formations coming up, alliances and coalitions coming up, and they go by several names. We wish them the best.
But really, there is a challenge that you must meet. The PDP has already led the way and Nigerians and all lovers of Nigeria are waiting to see whether other political formations that truly aspire to national power; that truly believe in the genuine integration and unity of our country will have the capacity to match the example of the Peoples Democratic Party by giving their presidential tickets, even though not of the ruling party, to somebody who is outside the bloc.
I agree completely that our nation has moved quite far in the political sense. But we have a challenge also of forging the various national, ethnic and tribal entities and collapsing all of these into one coherent, simple national identity.
That challenge still remains. And so my message today to the Ijaw Nation, to all of us in this country; friends of this country is to see how we can work hard and build bridges of understanding and solidarity so that we can, in the words of our National Anthem say that though tribes and tongues may differ on one brotherhood we will stand.
The challenge concerns peace, shared values and prosperity, of a united vision of a prosperous democratic and egalitarian Nigeria, a Nigeria that is free from terrorism, a Nigeria that is not torn to pieces by ethnicity and religious bigotry. This is the challenge we still have. And so today, I want to thank us all for being part of this event. I believe that
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 207 having listened to our eminent and erudite guest lecturers, we have learnt the appropriate lessons from the life of our hero.
We have learnt clearly about the life of service, sacrifice and selflessness. We have also learnt what it means to be a quintessential Ijaw man. We have learnt from Boroʹs life that as Ijaw people, we should cultivate the capacity to say no, when no is the right answer.
And the challenge in contemporary Nigeria is for us to build bridges of understanding, bridges of unity, bridges of solidarity and not to cut down and destroy the bridges.
These bridges are what will actually lead our country to the promise land of peace, harmony and prosperity. I know that another challenge that Boro also dealt with has to do with the issue of environmental damage.
In this state we all know that the story of Nigeria and oil and gas started here, five minutes from here in a community called Oloibiri and today, Oloibiri is a metaphor of neglect and ruination.
And today, we have tried to expand the frontiers of our economy knowing that reality. We are expanding the base of our economy, trying to a ract investors.
We are also trying to diversify so that we will not be like the first oil well in Oloibiri. And happily, in spite of all these challenges, in spite of all the tribulations, a new Nigeria is gradually emerging; a new Nigeria under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan is gradually emerging. That new Nigeria can only lead us to the promise land of peace, stability and prosperity if we all build bridges of understanding and not destroy those bridges.
Today, I want to thank our leader, Alhaji Yakasai who is here. I want to send a message of appreciation for the support and solidarity that our people have enjoyed from our brothers and allies in the north.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 208 I want to thank you for all your support and I will like to on behalf of our people, urge the leadership of the North to remember the historic alliances between them and the people of the Niger Delta. And it is that alliance that made a lot of positive development possible. For example, the creation of Rivers State that Alhaji Yakasai talked about and because of my closeness to the late Harold Dappa Biriye, I knew all of this. But thank you for also reminding us.
Let me say that even over the creation of this state, Bayelsa, as Professor Darah said, Nigeria hesitated. Nigeria actually forgot to give the Ijaw people, the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria, an ethnic group that is over ten million people a homogenous state such that our people are balkanized from Akwa Ibom down to Arugbo in Ondo State, into tiny local governments and wards.
Now all of these are the contradictions that we must deal with moving forward. I want to thank you because a northerner, General Sani Abacha that we all assembled here to honour a short while ago, created this state.
And the challenge in contemporary Nigeria is for us to build bridges of understanding, bridges of unity, bridges of solidarity and not to cut down and destroy the bridges.
Today again, I want to restate our appreciation and our commitment for what General Abacha did in spite of what people may say. For without Abacha, and what he did, there would not have been Bayelsa and all the developments that we now see would not have been possible.
And clearly like Dr. Darah said, there would not have been President Jonathan. So that is my way of also reminding our allies that we in this state, we in Ijaw Nation we do not forget our friends, we do not forget our allies, particularly when you have a situation where people who
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 209 had some connection with their history are in power. We do not forget our friends and allies. I want to thank all our neighbours in the Niger Delta region for our people have no extra territorial ambitions.
We are also trying to diversify so that we will not be like the first oil well in Oloibiri. And happily, in spite of all these challenges, in spite of all the tribulations, a new Nigeria is gradually emerging; a new Nigeria under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan is gradually emerging. That new Nigeria can only lead us to the promised land of peace, stability and prosperity if we all build bridges of understanding and not destroy those bridges.
We are satisfied with the land and the waters that God gave us in abundance with all their fullness. We are satisfied with that, we appreciate their good neighbourliness, we appreciate the brotherly support of our friends and brothers in the Southeast who have continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.
We appreciate the support of our allies from the North who have a historic alliance that predates Nigerian independence. But that alliance should be reworked, that alliance should be revisited in such a way that will serve the contemporary imperatives of our country and the challenges of nation building.
I like to also appreciate our relationship with the SouthWest with whom we share a mutually beneficial strategic partnership for a restructured and truly federal and democratic Nigeria.
Our people value all of these and we are grateful for all the support and the partnership. To our friends, people who do business here in the Niger Delta and in Bayelsa, you can see that a new Bayelsa has arrived. Our state is safe for investment. You are welcome to do business, but
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 210 please do well to also fulfill your own bit of corporate social responsibility.
On this note, ladies and gentlemen, I like to end my remarks by thanking you all and inviting you to move together as a body to the possibilities of a new Nigeria under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 211 LET ALL HANDS BE ON DECK
Remarks at the inauguration of the Diaspora Mobilization & Contact Commi ee on May 20 2013
am glad to receive you all in Government House, particularly our brothers and sisters who came from outside our shores, not as Icaptives by the way, but as our ambassadors. Let me use this opportunity to thank you for all you have been doing flying the flag of the Ijaw nation high wherever you find yourselves.
Let me also thank you for keeping the ideals of our late hero, Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro.
Now we have come to the stage in our development that we want to mobilize all our resources, the resources of our people. This is so because, in the end, our human resources will be the most important resources at our disposal.
That is why I appointed your chairman, Preye Zuofa as Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Mobilization, but I knew that just appointing one person will not get the job done, because of the magnitude and importance of the assignment.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 212 So, today we are assembled here for the inauguration of the Diaspora Mobilization and Contact Commi ee.
This is a commi ee that will go a long way not only to raise awareness about the condition and aspirations of our people but a commi ee that would also partner with the government of this state to realize the objectives of our restoration government.
This is a commi ee that will work to support government by promoting investment, to ensure that our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora contribute effectively to the development of our state.
The commi ee would have the responsibility of performing the following functions:
To get donor agencies to partner government in the provision of services in all facets
To secure relief and other support for the benefit of our people in case of emergency just like the flood disaster that we had last year.
To a ract Diaspora professionals to come back home, encourage them not only to invest and take advantage of the opportunities at home, but also to make their talent available from time to time.
To be good ambassadors, not only of Bayelsa state, but of the entire Ijaw nation
To build capacity, support us to build capacity back home by facilitating transfer of technology.
And, finally, this commi ee will support our effort in the teaching of Ijaw language and culture, so that our children would have the advantage of a robust knowledge of their environment, history and culture.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 213 WE MUST BUILD BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING
Address to a meeting of Niger Delta monarchs in Yenagoa on May 21 2013
et me first of all express my personal gratitude at the opportunity to interact with my leaders. I think this is the very Lfirst time I am having this opportunity to relate with Royal Fathers and leaders of our zone in this number.
And, let me also use this opportunity to convey the gratitude of my government and also thank you for finding time to visit us and for deciding to continue your parley in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, which we refer to as the Jerusalem of the Ijaw Nation. I welcome you to Bayelsa.
My leaders, you have raised a lot of issues which I am sure you are all very familiar with. Just listening to the introduction that was made is enough to humble me. Most of you are people I have heard about or heard of, or read about, or some I even studied in those days, when we use to memorize names of commissioners and military administrators and deputy governors, and royal majesties and various chairmen or
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 214 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON POSE WITH SOUTHSOUTH MONARCHS DURING A MEETING IN YENAGOA traditional rulers council of your various states.
My leaders you raised the issue of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, as what you intend to talk about and that is very important to our people.
The PIB is probably one legislation that has the capacity to affect our fortunes, going forward than most other legislations. I am very happy that at this meeting you are going to brain storm on that. I will also report that to my colleagues at the SouthSouth governorsʹ meetings.
We are going to need your input, for example on the issue of how to manage the allocation meant for communities. We have to discuss and agree on a workable modality that will be agreeable to all stakeholders.
You also raised the issue of security, which again is another shared responsibility between those of us in the modern government. I say modern government, because you all also run government of your own, which are no less that any other.
And, these are very challenging times, for our country, challenging times in our zones. Having you people meet to brainstorm on security developments and the appropriate response from all stakeholders will go a long way to support the peace that we all need, the peace that we
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 215 rightly deserve for development.
You also raised the issue of using this forum to build consensus and promote be er understanding in our country.
In my remarks a few days back, during the Isaac Boro Memorial Lecture, I made it clear that these times call for fence mending, for bridge building, for bridges which appear to have broken down; those are the challenges of nation building that we all face as leaders of this country.
And let me clearly use this opportunity to sound a note of caution to some of our brothers and even some leaders who appear to be using the language of war instead of the language of politics and persuasion.
The language of war is violence and threat, the language of politics and politicians is persuasion and consensus building and engagement so I will like to enjoin all of us leaders of this country, particularly leaders of our zones to be more interested using all the platform and contacts that we have to build bridges that would promote harmonious coexistence.
As they say, to whom much is given, much is expected, so we have a responsibility in this zone to do more than others.
You made it very clear where our leaders, our monarchs stand in terms of mobilizing support for our President and I have said it time and time again that, if our zone has any political imperative now it is the challenge of mobilizing support for the President.
That is number one responsibility all of us individually and collectively have.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 217 Let me sound a note of caution to some of our brothers and even some leaders who appear to be using the language of war instead of the language of politics and persuasion.
The language of war is violence and threat, the language of politics and politicians is persuasion and consensus building and engagement so I will like to enjoin all of us leaders of this country, particularly leaders of our zones to be more interested using all the platform and contacts that we have to build bridges that would promote harmonious coexistence.
In this state, we have placed a lot of emphasis on respect for our traditional rulers and respect for the traditional institution. Our government has also placed a lot of premium on the project of Ijaw culture, our language and our history.
These are the things that make us unique and who we are.
And, in the southsouth you are right, Sir when you said, our culture, even our languages are endangered and you traditional fathers are in a position with our support to project our culture.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 217 THE PEOPLEʹS RIGHT TO KNOW
Address at the 16th edition of monthly transparency briefing at Yenagoa on, October 1, 2013
oday is the 17th anniversary of our dear state and which also coincides with the anniversary of the independence of this Tgreat country. I will like to use this opportunity once again to say congratulations to all of us.
Today we assemble here for a monthly ritual. We have promised you transparency; we promised you the observance of the right to know, which is the most fundamental human right in a democracy. We believe that power belongs to you and we are only custodians of public authority and resources. So, we must be open to scrutiny, we must let the people know what is happening by rendering account and this is one thing that Bayelsa has come to be known for and that is one thing we should hold fast to, moving forward.
I want to welcome you all to this 16th edition. Today, I will make brief general remarks. Part of the reform of the system of governance that we introduced to you is that key functionaries of our government should
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 218 RLEFT: GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON , HIS DEPUTY, REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH RTD, AND THE SPEAKER OF THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, RT. HON.KOMBOWE BENSON DURING THE MONTHLY INITIATIVE TRANSPARENCY PRESS BRIEFING FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH AND FEBRUARY 2013 IN YENAGOA
know what is going on. The management of the finances shouldnʹt be the exclusive preserve of a governor and his accountant general. That is what obtains in some other places.
Sometimes even the commissioner of finance does not know what is going on but that is wrong.
In our system, we participate, discuss robustly, agree and disagree; decisions are taken even though, I take final responsibility for the decisions, because that is what comes with the mandate.
Today again, I will call on my dependable ally a Rear Admiral who is helping me to steer the ship of this great state. He will address you, and give you the state of the finances as at the month of September of last month because; we are yet to receive our remi ances for the month of October.
And if there are questions, as there should be, the honorable commissioner of finance is standing by, and I will also come back to answer questions of a general policy nature.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 219 So, I want to thank you all for coming, but because we are all gathered here today, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all, our leaders, for standing by your government. You have always supported everything we have done and every time I have had reason to call on you for counsel, for advice and even for involvement in one thing or the other.
I want to also thank everybody, appointees of the government and also the generality of the people of this great state and working together as we have done, pushing the agenda that we have come up with in every sector; it is becoming clear that our state is coming back on track and we can proudly say that Bayelsa has risen again.
You are aware of all that is going on in the state, and I can only tell you that this is just the beginning; the best is yet to come. We will continue to need and appreciate the support and solidarity you have always given. Continue to pray for us; continue to give us your support, because when there were complaints that things were not going right, all of us were concerned, all of us prayed, and you now have a change and the feedback is right that things are changing for the be er.
So, I am urging you all to continue to support, guide, counsel, assist and even pray for us.
This is an ongoing process of giving account of our stewardship to you.
I just want to thank you again for your support and solidarity and prayers and also urge us to be watchful, particularly in the light of developments particularly at the center. Also find time to pray for our brother and leader, the President. On your behalf, we are trying our best to mobilize support for him, because that is the right thing to do.
I want to alert you because you also know that just as we are doing our best, to give stability to the center in various ways, there are also concerted efforts people are making to see that they shake the home
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 220 base in various ways. But I know that the majority of the leadership, the well meaning people of this state, know what we are doing and they are also giving support to the President and this administration, particularly when some of these characters are very well known to us here.
For me, I have said this is not the time for politics; we want to concentrate on governance, but when the time for politiking comes, we know ourselves in this state. I just want to urge us all to be watchful because those who did all those terrible things are still going around writing terrible things that have no basis; but I just thought the youths of this state should be told not to be instruments of anything that is unwholesome. We have a system in place for supporting them, assisting them; we also have a system to ensure that when things go wrong, the law is appropriately enforced.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 221 GETTING TO BRASS TACKS: OUR FUTURE IS OURS TO MAKE OR MAR
Remarks during a ʹThank Youʹ visit to Brass local government area on November 25, 2013
oday is a day of saying Anua! Onua! We are not here on a campaign tour, but we recall that on this hallowed ground we Tcame some months back to preach the gospel of restoration and you all turned out en mass.
His Majesty, the Amayanabo of Twon/Brass and his Council of Chiefs received us warmly and all party stalwarts also turned out en mass and received us and showed us solidarity and support on that occasion.
Therea er, we went into the election and you all turned out and voted massively and decisively for the only party of the Ijaw people, the Peoplesʹ Democratic Party and so we started the restoration government and what has happened between that time and now is very well known to you.
We are not here to tell you what and what we have done, but I will be more interested to hear things we ought to do that we have not done because what we have done is very well known to you since you live
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 222 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (RIGHT) EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES WITH THE AMAYANABO OF TWON BRASS, HIS MAJESTY, KING ALFRED DIETE SPIFF SHORTLY ON HIS ARRIVAL TO PAY A COURTESY CALL ON THE KING DURING A THANK YOU TOUR TO BRASS LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AT TWON BRASS IN BAYELSA STATE.
with it and see it.
I want to thank His Majestic the Amayanabo of Twon/Brass (King Alfred DieteSpiff) and his Council of Chiefs and elders, who a short while ago conferred on me the coveted title of someone who restores the glory of Twon Brass and I want to say to His Majesty and members of his council: thank you very much and we so appreciate and we feel challenged by this additional honor. It is actually a call to duty and I want to dedicate this chie aincy title to all of you, all believers, all workers in the vine yard of restoration, restoring not just the glory of our people, but restoring the glory of Bayelsa as a whole.
Now, we have come and we have seen, but as I said a short while ago, we are here to thank you all for all the support that you gave, not just to me, but to our councillors in the last elections. There is one more councillorship seat and the Peoplesʹ Democratic Party is ge ing ready to capture that one too, and the Honorable Member of the House, Amalanyo Yousuo has assured me that will be done.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 223 I want to also thank you for the support you gave to all the Chairmen that were elected and here in Brass, I want to thank you for the support you gave to your Chairman who is a learned friend of mine and whom from all reports at my disposal, is working very well to serve you. I want to assure you that as long as he does what is right, as long as he walks in the ways of our restoration government, he will continue to have our support.
I thank you for the support you gave to the members of the House of Assembly because there is no person elected here that you have not supported, beginning with the Deputy Speaker, the Honourable Chief Victor Sam Ateki, who is one of you here. Not only is he a member of the House of Assembly, not only is he in the leadership of the House and therefore, part of the leadership of the state, he has the additional honor of being Deputy Speaker.
I want to thank you for all the support that you have continued to give to him and I want to urge you to continue to support him and stand by him. I thank you for the support that you all gave to Honorable Yousuo Amalanyo, who was in the same party with me in the 80s, and today he is also a member of the Peoplesʹ Democratic Party as I am and I want to thank you for the support you have continued to give to him and other members, including Honorable Ingobere Abraham, who is also doing a great job.
I must commend you for all the support that you gave to the members of the National Assembly from here; you voted PDP en masse in the House of Representatives and even in the Senate, but the most important one is the support you have continued to give to our leader and our President (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan). So this is the PDP thank you tour because our restoration government is about doing things well and we thought that a er all the elections and a er enjoying your support all these years, we thought we should embark on a thank you tour to see how you are doing, to thank you for the support so far, and also to hear your views on how your government is faring.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 224 This a ernoon in the course of my installation ceremony as the new Chief, I have come to know about a few more things that deserve our a ention, not just in Twon/Brass, but also in the entire Brass Local Government Area.
I will continue to interact and listen to all your complaints through your elected representatives and through those who serve in my cabinet. I have held discussions with members of my cabinet, even as we were here in this hall, and I want to urge all communities that have one issue or the other to feel free and approach us.
Let us know the things that we are doing that are not quite right, although a lot of you say we are doing well and we are grateful, but we want to do be er, so draw our a ention to the areas that need a ention. You can do so through your elected members of the House of Assembly particularly now and that is why we are embarking on this tour, before we even deliberate on the budget for next year. So, if there are areas we can capture, we will. All you need to do is to channel those issues and concerns through the commissioners and other appointees you can access.
Since, we are here in Twon/Brass, I must say one or two things about Twon/Brass. That does not mean that, there are no other concerns in other communities, even in the Brass Local Government Area. We recall that last time we came to campaign, this was where we all assembled and we are here again, so I have discussed with your representatives and it is my pleasure to announce that your government will fulfill your need to have befi ing stadium here. You need a befi ing place where you will continue to gather; where even you can host various events.
In the next two weeks, feasibility studies on that ma er should have been completed, so that we can start working on it.
We have started the contract for the reticulation of water in Twon and in no distant time, you will see the contractor so please cooperate with the
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 225 contractor. We want to get water running in Twon Brass. Your representatives have told me that you have problems of epileptic power supply in Twon/Brass. I am aware that you enjoy some corporate support which is very good, but your government will send a team, so that we can find out what we need to do be er; if the problem is transformers, we will get them. Whatever it is, we can do so that you can enjoy more light we will do. But, let me also assure you that a very ambitious programme is going on quietly; you know this revolution going on in Bayelsa, we donʹt want to talk much about it, until it hits you, just like the roads are hi ing people now in Yenagoa or the schools and the hospitals are hi ing you.
Very soon there will be light in many of your communities and we are also working to connect most of our people, including you people here to the national grid.
On the je y, the council has done some work I understand; I thank you for that, but we have awarded a contract to remodel and make the je y serve you be er.
A short while ago, some cheques were given to some womenʹs bodies. So, to the women, let me assure you that, we have just started and donʹt play with this empowerment thing, because we want to do more for you people. We want to train you and give you facilities; if you are not in a cooperative, form yourselves into cooperatives, because we have set aside money to support you, to train you, so that you can do small businesses and live on your own.
We want to see every woman live an independent life; not independent in the sense that you would not want support from your husbands, but in addition to what you get from the men, we want you to be able to do something else that can add to the quality of life you have and that of your family because women are the key to fighting poverty. More beneficiaries will be selected so donʹt worry if you are not part of the cooperatives already selected. They will continue to select and we will
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 226 train and empower you until you are all free.
I also want to challenge the youths of Brass; you are not le out, you are not forgo en. Early next year God willing, your own empowerment package will start. We have only started with the women; we donʹt want to see young men who will become tools for violence in the hands of people who do not mean well for our state.
We want you all to become champions in various areas and believe you me, if some of us started the way we started as Police constables and worked our way up in life, you people can also do it. So donʹt underestimate yourselves and make yourselves somebodyʹs thug; thatʹs not the way to do it. They will use you and dump you, they will use you to fight unnecessary political ba les and therea er dump you.
You know what they have always done? Instead of giving you a livelihood, they will give you guns, instead of giving you a trade, they will give you cocaine, they will give you AK 47, they will set you up against your friends and brothers, they will put blood on your hands and that is what the government of restoration has come to eradicate.
Keep away from violence, work with constituted authorities, work hard and play hard and also pray hard so you can even be bigger, you can be more successful than us because the future belongs to you. We have set up various mechanisms of engaging you; if your problem is that, you donʹt have 5 credits, go to BYCAS, because we have re established BYCAS for you to be trained. We are also selecting people to go on scholarship. If you do well, you will be part of it.
In one year, we have over 140 PhD scholars outside this country studying, over 300 masters degree students are studying outside this country. Even for postprimary schools, we have selected 300 students, who are in the best secondary schools in this country as government scholars. We are doing so much. We have just sent a number of youths to learn agricultural trades in Benin Republic; about 150 are going again
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 227 to learn handcra s of various kinds. If all of this is not what you want and you want to set up a small business with five hundred thousand, with one million naira, you want to set up a small poultry, a small fish farm, you want to do small business, small buying and selling, you will be supported.
If you donʹt like this and you think that you want to be somebodyʹs political thug, so that when they give you small money, they give you guns and then give you cocaine and say go and shoot, while their own children are in London and you are in the bush shooting, I insist that is not the life we want for you. Some of them that you think are your leaders donʹt mean well for our people; they want to come and pack the money, keep the money, build mansions everywhere, including outside the country and use it to oppress you and during the election they will call you ʹʹmy boyʹʹ. They want you to forever remain a boy. That has to stop and I want you to be masters of your own destiny, but I cannot do it alone. I want your cooperation in all of this from now going forward.
In every local government headquarters, we are building up to 25, 30 schools, we are building hospitals, there are housing projects coming up. We are building 400 to 500 schools and teachersʹ quarters. But if you go to the major building sites, you will see that there are very few Bayelsa boys working. So all the money we are spending on our economy are going into pockets of other people because our young people are staying away.
They are out there doing “big man”, they are doing Iʹm “loyal sir” and then doing “gbeke” business. Now as you “gbeke” and you “gbeke”, you will be growing older and older and I am sure you donʹt want your children to “gbeke” and your grand children also to do same. So, we have to stop it at a point and that is what this government is about to do.
Another thing that is going on now, that the Deputy Speaker talked about is the security of our waterways. There are some areas in this Local Government like Akassa, Sangana to be precise and other areas,
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 228 where bunkering has been thriving. And, I hope the leaders and chiefs of these areas are here with us. It is sad that, before your very eyes, the environment is being destroyed forever.
Our own people are doing something they call a business, which is a crime and also killing them and their people slowly. The small fish and crayfish that our people used to catch are no longer there because the entire environment has been abused and destroyed.
Very sadly, what Shell (SPDC) and Agip (NAOC) and other multi national companies did not destroy, we want to destroy with our own hands. I want to use this opportunity therefore to urge the chiefs, the leaders and the young people to desist from this destructive act. You have alternative ways by which you can live your lives, so I urge you to do that. It is slow; it is not something that can make you a millionaire overnight, but you will have independence, you will be able to live on your own.
I want to charge the chiefs, all the elders and the youths, to please keep the peace.
Brass has been a relatively peaceful place in spite of the piracy that goes on in this area and you can make it be er because very soon you are going to be the hub of the economy of our country. We are working hard and praying hard so that the LNG will start. We are also working hard and praying hard so that the Brass fertilizer project will start and several other things. We have just brought the Maritime Academy and the government and our partners will be here in the next one or two weeks.
Our partners from Poland are coming this weekend, so it is a big place that will turn out to be a university. We will continue to do our best to ensure that every area is evenly developed and I want to thank you for the support.
There is an issue that I want to talk about, which is about Beletiama and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 229 Liama communities. You can disagree and still remain friends. Gone are those days where people will disagree and then you drive people away from their homes into exile; anyone who tries that will be in trouble with us, because as I promised, we wonʹt play politics with security and anybody who does that, to infringe on security, we will use the law to get that person dealt with.
When people tried to play politics with security in time past, you saw the consequences so I want you to live in peace and Beletiama and Liama deserve our support in this regard. I want to thank the leaders of Twon for the support that they gave to Beletiama, because the king informed me and your representatives have confirmed that you have been hosting a lot of refugees. I want to thank you because that is the real Bayelsa spirit that you are showing. Your government will begin the process of constructing a secondary school in Beletiama, so that Beletiama can go back and the students will have a befi ing place for learning in their community.
We have already started in Liama to support them so I thank the communities for their support in that direction. You know that many of your sons are serving in very sensitive capacities in our government. I am personally grateful to all of them and to you all because if you people didnʹt support them, they will not be around to support me. They are holding very critical offices: some commissioners, some in the Assembly, working to make a difference; Special Advisers, some in boards and commissions, your chairman and councillors and all other appointees; some in the party working to support us to make the restoration dream come true. Today you have shown that I am one of you by admi ing me to the revered chie aincy council of Twon/Brass and I assure you that I will continue to work with you all to restore the glory of Twon Brass and the lost glory of Bayelsa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 230 OUR GOVT WILL BE FAIR TO ALL
Remarks at the Thank You rally at Nembe local government area on November 26 2013
r. Chairman Hon. Eminah Benneth I am here primarily on a thank you tour, to thank you all, your Chiefs, Your MHighnesses, Your Majesties, and all our leaders, brothers and sisters and all our people for the wonderful support that was given to me, then as a candidate and now.
I also want to thank you for the support you gave to our leader and our brother, the President of the Federal Republic (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan) during the presidential election. So, Mr. chairman this is a full basket of thanks and appreciation and I am leading a full PDP team. The state chairman of our party is also here, other officials are here as well; we are changing quite a number of things in our state, including the way we do politics.
When we came here, you and your chiefs received us warmly and we addressed a mammoth crowd and all our leaders went to work and all our people turned out on election day and voted en mass for us.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 231 THE AMAYANABO OF NEMBE, HIS ROYAL MAJESTY, KING EDMUND DAUKORU (RIGHT) CROWNING THE GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (LEFT) AS A MEMBER OF THE NEMBE SEKIAPU CLUB DURING HIS THANK YOU TOUR TO NEMBE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA.
Going forward, we want to see a situation, where a er the elections, we come out and thank the people and not to go back to them only when it is time for another election. We would have been here earlier, but you know the challenges of stabilizing our state and the efforts we have been pu ing to make a difference.
I want to also thank you, not just for what you did, all the efforts all of you without any exception put in, because we had a very peaceful election, an election that disappointed a lot of our detractors. Your community leaders, political and opinion leaders are the people who made it possible, so that is why we are beginning this visit by thanking you first.
We will also go out to thank the others, but I want to also thank you for the support and the encouragement and solidarity that our government has received from you and your worthy sons and daughters, since we took over the reins of office.
You are aware that a number of your sons and daughters are playing
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 232 one role or the other and I want to thank you for encouraging them, for allowing them to continue to support and advise us; all your elders, who are always at our beck and call for the interest of our people, I want to also urge you to continue to support and encourage them.
Now, you have raised a number of issues I can only assure you that our government will look at issues dispassionately and fairly and work with all stakeholders concerned to ensure that we promote the cause of harmony and peaceful coexistence.
But, let me begin with the issue of security; yes, I agree with you and I share your concern as a government that prides itself as being pro active on security, as a government that is doing so much in that sector. I share in your concerns because our people are paying a very heavy price and it is sad. Poor market women find it difficult to go about their normal lives, because of the actions of criminals on the waterways. We are stepping up our investments, we are stepping up our strategy in that area and I assure you that our security agencies and all of us will continue to work to make life more meaningful and safer for our people.
I believe that when we have that road from Ogbia to Nembe completed in time, then these cases of piracy on our waterways at least between Yenagoa and Nembe would have been taken care of, so that we can now concentrate on the bigger road going to Brass.
That is the same strategy we are adopting for the western end. We want to get to Agge but it is very far, costly and we donʹt have the money. So we are concentrating on the road first to Ekeremor; the same way, government will in the next one or two weeks take a major decision so that by the end of next year or so, we should be able to drive to Nembe. That will reduce the cases of piracy and so on because a lot of our people will be moving by road.
I am also aware of a number of other issues that you have raised and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 233 before I got up, my Secretary to Government (Professor Edmond AllisonOguru), as proactive as always, had informed me of actions that had already been taken on a number of them. So I report to you that actions are already going on, concerning a number of these issues.
I am happy that we have come and also seen this wonderful, colourful, complete team and do extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Amayanabo (King Edmund Daukoru) himself and tell all those who are not here, how highly we appreciate your support, advice and solidarity.
I believe that when we have that road from Ogbia to Nembe completed in time, then these cases of piracy on our waterways at least between Yenagoa and Nembe would have been taken care of, so that we can now concentrate on the bigger road going to Brass.
I want to commend you on the hard work you have continued to do in terms of maintenance of law and order in the Oluasiri axis. I know that unlike some of our brothers on the other side, we have been talking peace, your council has been very supportive, the Highnesses and the elders of those areas have been very supportive, very law abiding and this gladdens my heart.
I came to say thank you for all the support during the elections; I came to say “ONUAH” for all the advice and solidarity, for the support of your government and I came also to solicit your continued support going forward.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 234 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) exchanging pleasantries with the Amayanabo of Twon Brass, His Majesty, King Alfred Diete Spiff shortly on his arrival to pay a courtesy call on the king during a thank you tour to Brass Local Government Area at Twon Brass in Bayelsa State.
The Amayanabo of Twon Brass, His Majesty, King Alfred Diete Spiff (right) conferring a chie aincy title; TwonIbe Tolomobor; on the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) during a courtesy call at the kingʹs palace on his thank you tour to Brass Local Government Area in Bayelsa State.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 235 Chairman of Brass Local Government Area, Barr. Andi Obed (right) explaining a point to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (centre) during the Governorʹs thank you tour to the area in Twon Brass, while the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd, (le ) looks on.
Cross section of guests during Gov. Seriake Dickson thank you tour to Brass LGA.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 236 Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd, (2ndright) Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson (right) Amayanabo of Twon Brass, His Majesty, King Alfred Diete Spiff (2ndle ) Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Victor Sam Ateki (le ) pose with the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (centre) shortly a er the Governor was conferred with a chie aincy ti le ;Twon Ibe Tolomobor; during a his thank you tour to Brass Local Government Area in the state.
Cross section of guests during Gov. Seriake Dickson thank you tour to Brass LGA.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 237 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (M), accompanied by his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd) (R), Works Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo (L), Chairman, Yenagoa LGA, Mr. Chubby Ben Walson (2nd Le ), and the SA to the Governor on Investment, Mr. Cyril Akika, ( Behind), inspecting ongoing projects at the new look St. Judes Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Yenagoa.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (3rd R), pointing to a thing of interest, during the inspection of work at the new Fly Over bridge under construction at Azikoro, Yenagoa, while his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) (3rd L), Chairman, PDP, Bayelsa State, Col. Sam Inokoba (Rtd) (R), Commissioner for Works, Mr. Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo (2nd R), and the Chairman, Yenagoa LGA, Hon. Chubby BenWalson (L), watches with delight.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 238 A section of the mamoth crowd @ Gov. Dicksonʹs THANK YOU Tour to Yenagoa.
Gov. Dickson acknowledging cheers from the mammoth crowd @ his THANK YOU TOUR to Yenagoa.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 239 Yelga Thank You Tour
Yelga Thank You Tour
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 240 Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (L), being conferred with a Chie aincy title of ʹEdi 1ʹ ( Pillar of support), of Ogbia Kingdom, by the Acting Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, HRM King George Lawson, during the Governorʹs Thank –You tour to Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, at Ogbia town.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State ( standing), addressing the Chiefs and Elders of Ogbia Kingdom in appreciation for conferring on him the Chie aincy title of Edi 1 of Ogbia Kingdom, during his Thank You Tour to Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. With the Governor are ;(From Le ), the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd), the Chairman, Ogbia LGA, Mr. Enai Abah, and the Acting Obanobhan of Ogbia Kingdom, HRM, King George Lawson.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 241 Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (R), speaking at a civic reception organised for him by the Ogbia Local Government Area, during his ThankYou Tour to the Local Government Area in Ogbia town. With the Governor are; the SSG, Bayelsa State, Prof. Allison Oguru (L), HRH, King AJ Turner of Opume Community (2nd L), and the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) (2nd R).
A cross section of the crowd @ Gov. Dicksonʹs Thank You tour to Ogbia LGA
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 242 Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (M), flanked by his amiable wife, Dr (Mrs) Rachel Dickson (L), and the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd), commissioning the new Ekeremor Chapel, during his Thank You Tour to Ekeremor LGA, at Ekeremor Town, Bayelsa State.
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson singing a song of worship, shortly a er commissioning the new Ekeremor Chapel building, while his amiable wife, Dr(Mrs) Rachel Dickson (L), Chairman, Ekeremor LGA, Hon. Billy Tobiyei (2nd R), and a former member of the NASS from Ekeremor, Mr. Christopher Enai, looks on in admiration, during the Governorʹs Thank You Tour to Ekeremor LGA, at Ekeremor town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 243 Governor SeriakeDickson of Bayelsa State (2nd R), ably assisted by his amiable wife, Dr (Mrs) Rachel Dickson (2nd L), the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) (R), and the Chairman, Ekeremor LGA, Hon. Billy Tobiyei (L), Commissioning the new Internet Centre at Ekeremor town, during the Governorʹs Thank You Tour to Ekeremor LGA.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (R) being conferred with the Prestigious Chie aincy title of Ebikonbowei 1 of Ekeremor Kingdom by the Pere of Oporomor Kingdom, HRM, Pere Augustine Ebikeme, during the Governorʹs Thank You Tour to Ekeremor LGA, at Ekeremor town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 244 Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (2nd L), speaking, at the grand reception for him, during his Thank You Tour to Ekeremor LGA, while his amiable wife, Dr (Mrs) Rachel Dickson (L), the Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Heineken Lokpobiri (3rd R), Deputy Governor, Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd) (2nd R), and the State Chairman, PDP, Col. Sam Inokoba (Rtd) (R), watches with delight, at Ekeremor town.
Bayelsa state Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (M), speaking, during his visit to the Alei of Aleibiri, HRH,King Simon Ebebi (L), as part of his Thank Tour to Ekeremor LGA, while his wife, Dr (Mrs) Rachel Dickson (R), looks on with delight, at the Palace of the Alei, in Aleibiri.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 245 A cross section of dignitaries @ Gov. Dicksonʹs Thank You tour to Ekeremor
Pere of Kunbowei Kingdom, HRM.Sufadoh Jones Akadah (le ) crowning the Governor of Bayelsa State with a chie aincy title ; IbeTolomowei of Kumbowei Kingdom; during his thank you tour of Sagbama Local Government Area at the kingʹs palace in Sagbama Town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 246 Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndle ) speaking at the Sagbama Local Government Area play ground at Sagbama Town during his thank you tour to the area, while his wife, Rachael (le ) Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Konbowei Benson (right) and Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (2ndright) look on.
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (L), being conferred with a Chie aincy title of Ebe Agurai (Star of the nation), by the Pere of Tarakiri Kingdom, HRM, King Richardford Koroye (R), during the Governorʹs Thank You Tour to Sagbama LGA, at Toru Orua town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 247 Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (L), paying homage to the Pere of Tarakiri Kingdom, HRM, King Richardford Koroye, during his visit to the Palace of the Pere, as part of his Thank You Tour to Sagbama LGA, at Toru Orua town.
From L – R: Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, his amiable wife, Dr (Mrs) Rachael Dickson, and the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (Rtd), at a civic reception in honour of the Governor and his entourage, during his Thank You Tour to Sagbama LGA, at Sagbama town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 248 Cross section of the mammoth crowd during Gov. Seriake Dickson Thank you tour to Sagbama LGA
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State (L), being conferred with a Chie aincy title of Ebe Agurai (Star of the nation), by the Pere of Tarakiri Kingdom, HRM, King Richardford Koroye (R), during the Governorʹs Thank You Tour to Sagbama LGA, at Toru Orua town.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 249 The Ibedaowei of Kolokuma and Chairman, Kolokuma / Opokuma Council of Chiefs, HRM King. Mozi Agara (le ) crowning the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (right) with a Chie aincy title ;Lion the 2nd of Kolokuma / Opokuma; during the Governorʹs thank you tour to Kolokuma / Opokuma Local Government Area at Kaiama.
Hon. Tonye Isenah (le ) on behalf of the Ibedaowei of Kolokuma and Chairman, Kolokuma / Opokuma Council of Chiefs, HRM. King Mozi Agara (standing up le ) presenting a souvenir to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (2ndright) during his thank you tour to Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA at Kaiama,while while his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (right) looks on.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 250 The Amayanabo of Nembe, His Royal Majesty, King Edmund Daukoru (right) crowning the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (le ) as a member of the Nembe Sekiapu Club during his thank you tour to Nembe Local Government Area.
Amayanabo of Nembe, HRM, King Edmund Daukoru (centre) pose with the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (le ) and his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd, (right) shortly a er their inauguration as members of the Nembe Sekiapu Club during the Governorʹs thank you tour to Nembe LGA at OgbolomabiriNembe.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 251 thank you tour to Nelga
Gov. Seriake Dickson (r) exchanging pleasantries with a cross section of traditional rulers during His thank you Tour to Yelga at Igbogene
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 252 Cross Section of Guests During Gov. Seriake Dickson thank you Tour to Nembe LGA
Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson (le ) exchanging pleasantries with the Chairman of NembeBassambiri Council of Chiefʹs, Chief Ikaonaworio Igoma (right) shortly on his arrival at the community during his thank you tour to Nembe Local Government Area at NembeBassambiri, while the Executive Secretary, Border Communities Development Agency (The Presidency) Engr. Numoipre Wills (centre) looks on
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 253 Ibenanaowei of Bomo Clan, HRM, King Joshua Igbugburu (right) crowning the Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon, Seriake Dickson with a chie aincy title; Ibefinwei of Southern Ijaw; during his thank you tour to Southern Ijaw LGA of the State at Oporoma.
Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson (centre) speaking during his thank you tour to Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the State at Oporoma, while his Deputy, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah rtd, (2ndright) Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kombowei Benson (right) Chairman of the State PDP, Col. Sam Inokoba rtd, (le ) and Hon. Henry Ofongo of the House of Representative (2ndle ) look on.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 254 Cross section of people of KolokumaOpokuma Dung Gov. Seriake Dickson thank you Tour to the Area.
Gov. Seriake Dickson On Arrival at Oporoma during His thank you Tour to Southen Ijaw Local Government Area
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 255 WE MUST SUPPORT THE PRESIDENT
Remarks during a thank you tour of Ogbia local government area on November 27 2013
irst of all I will like to convey our heartfelt appreciation to you all and all the good and wonderful people of Ogbia kingdom for Fturning out en mass and for giving us this very rousing reception. Looking at your reaction, looking at the faces, looking at the happiness of our people, we know that you have all done this out of genuine love and solidarity.
Secondly, I will like to thank you for the honor you have done myself and my Deputy, of bestowing on me, a very coveted title that has a lot of significance from what you have said, by your benevolence and as a show of solidarity and love.
You have made me not just an Ogbia man that I have always been, but crowned me with the chie aincy title, “Edi of Ogbia”.
You will recall that some months past, we assembled in this very hall and at that occasion, I came and your leaders, my allies and friends and supporters and those who genuinely believed in rescuing Bayelsa came
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 256 GOVERNOR OF BAYELSA STATE, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (RIGHT) SPEAKING DURING HIS THANK YOU TOUR TO OGBIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA AT OGBIA TOWN, WHILE HIS DEPUTY, REAR ADMIRAL GBORIBIOGHA JOHN JONAH RTD (2NDRIGHT) THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, PROF. EDMUND ALLISON OGURU (LEFT) AND THE PARAMOUNT RULER OF OPUME KINGDOM, HRM. KING AMALATE TURNER (2NDLEFT) LOOK ON.
and presented me to you and you and your people assembled in this same hall and you prayed for us, you blessed us and therea er we went round your different kingdoms.
You will also recall, Sir, that in spite of the doomsday prediction, as a result of the efficacy of your prayers and because of the solid support that you and your subjects and all of you gave, the elections in Ogbia Local Government and generally in Bayelsa, were adjudged to be very peaceful.
Today, we are here even without knowing that you are going to do all of this, we thought that you have done something so wonderful that we should come and thank you, but we have come here and even before we open our mouth to thank you, you have even done more, so we are ever more grateful.
I want to thank you for your genuine show of love and support and solidarity to one you consider as your own. I want to thank you on behalf of the PDP. We are in your kingdom today; we are in Ogbia to
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 257 thank you all, not just for the election that produced me as Governor. We are here going around all the Local Governments to thank and appreciate our people for the election, for the support that was given to our candidates in all the elections.
Some months back, we held local government elections and some people said, there will be bloodshed in Bayelsa; in Ogbia, there will be this and that, but because of the new found peace that has enveloped Bayelsa, which we thank God and all of you for, the elections were very peaceful.
We are here as a full ʹPDP Thank Youʹ team to thank you for the support to our Assembly members and many of them, who are all here; we are here to thank you for the support you gave to our members of the National Assembly; a member of the House of representatives and the Senator representing you. We want to also thank you for the support you gave to our leader and your son; for me personally an elder brother, but for us all, our leader and President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
I want to thank you all for the support that the Ogbia people have continued to give to our President. I have been your Governor for sometime so I know that the Ogbia people have not had any cause to distract the President, while he is focusing on the very serious assignment in Abuja.
I thank you because if Ogbia was boiling he will be thinking of what is going on back home every time, but he has never bothered himself to ask if there is any crisis in Ogbia or ask me what we are going to do about it, but rather you people are at peace and are even joining forces with all of us to continue to see how we can give support to him. So I want to personally thank you for not distracting me or the President. We have found you all to be true pillars of solidarity and support and you should please keep it going that way.
Most of you all know, that the account of my political sojourn cannot be complete without the mention of Ogbia, almost in every chapter.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 258 First, as the A orneyGeneral of this state serving under Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Later, as a member of the Federal House of Representatives and some of my colleagues are here and you know what we did in the House and therea er, working with the whole leaders that you and God gave to me as my elder brothers, we embarked on a race to restore Bayelsa, to change Bayelsa.
Today again, let me publicly acknowledge my elder brother from another mother, the “Obigbo mikimiki” (King A. J. Turner), who has continued to be, not just an elder brother, not just a friend, not just an ally; he is more than all of that. He is indeed the pillar of support and I want to thank you the Ogbia people for giving him to me. I thank you for giving me another older brother, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who has at every turn played a significant role in what has turned out to be an exciting political journey.
The man who is representing us at Abuja should not be distracted by stories that are now coming from Ogbia about kidnapping and Your Majesty King George Lawson. I appreciate your kind words and encouragement on what we are doing on security, but let me also thank you and your kings and all Your Highnesses and all who exercise authority for working with us in government and the security agencies to achieve, what has become a state of remarkable stability.
But, there are some young men and women, probably in our midst, who are determined to rubbish all of you. In less than two weeks apart, we have had reports of kidnapping; first was the kidnap of my friendʹs sister, the sister of Oronto Douglas. A couple of days ago, they came again in the same vicinity and assaulted our common conscience by kidnapping the wife and the daughter of one of us.
I therefore join you all in condemning this act of criminality and I will like to sound a note of warning to all those people, who are involved to desist forthwith. For those, who are still in custody of our beloved wife and daughter, we are calling on you to retrace your steps and do what is
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 259 right, do what is right and do it fast.
I want to assure you, Your Majesties and Highnesses and it is important that I make this point here in Ogbia, that just as we are concentrating on turning our fortunes around; just as the President is concentrating on transforming our country, in very difficult circumstances and achieving far more than any before him has ever achieved, just as he is doing that, there are a few people, who are also working very hard, not only to truncate whatever he does but also to destabilize anything, discredit anything that is associated with him.
There are people some from afar, some near, some from within, who are collaborating with others to destabilize this place as part of presidential politicking and I want to urge you, sir, the few that you know, the few that you all know in Ogbia, please call them to order. We are not against people playing politics, as they may be swayed by their convictions but let no one toy with our collective security.
I have said over and over again that I will not play politics with law and order, just as I will not play politics with your development and I thought, I should make this point in Ogbia. I also have access to some information about some of the people who collaborate with our neighbors, not too far away to give our state a bad name because they think that, any negative thing coming from Bayelsa is a minus to the President and they donʹt care about the feelings of other people, they donʹt care about the image of our state. But I want to assure you, the Ogbia people, that not only am I with you and with the President all the way through, I assure you that the entire Bayelsa state is with you and with the President.
I also assure you, that the entire Ijaw nation is with you and with our President. I assure you also that we have a lot of support and goodwill within our zone; donʹt mind the rantings of a few that you may hear, we have a lot of goodwill within our zone and within the whole country and beyond. This goodwill coupled with our determination that our
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 260 people are known for and with the blessings of God that have always favored us will ensure we succeed together.
We should not be intimidated or swayed. You have said a few things about bridges and I want to thank you for bringing that to our a ention again. Those are very reasonable requests and you will see that action will be taken about those things very soon. In the politics of Bayelsa, apart from those who are directly by blood from Ogbia, I donʹt think there is anyone, who has a greater affinity with Ogbia than myself, at least not in this generation of politicians.
I want to thank you for the support that you are also giving to the people working with me; the Secretary to Government, Professor Edmond AlisonOguru, the Commissioners and you have four of them. I call one of them Atisio, Chief Akese is there, the commissioner for Women Affairs, my own sister, Sarafina Otazi there. The Commissioner for health. His colleagues call him “Top up”, but later when the chiefs would have le us, they can explain to others what topping up means.
There are people some from afar, some near, some from within, who are collaborating with others to destabilize this place as part of presidential politicking and I want to urge you, sir, the few that you know, the few that you all know in Ogbia, please call them to order. We are not against people playing politics, as they may be swayed by their convictions but let no one toy with our collective security.
There is another one that is doing a great job, Fred Obua and several others. You have the man fighting HIV/AIDS and that is why the HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is very low. We have His Highness Iboro Ige Idaba. They call him ʹʹDigitalʹʹ, but what I know is that a he is also my
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 261 own Highness because as a Tarakiri man, I have a link with the community and several others. The assemblymen, by supporting them, you are also supporting me, because they are working with us, with several others, including Special Advisers, SSAs and other board members and appointees.
Let me report to you, Sir, that I have also found them to be pillars of support to me. The Secretary to Government, Professor AllisonOguru is somebody that listens quietly to whatever we tell him and he is very charitable, honest, dedicated and same goes for all the other appointees, so I want to thank you for giving all of them to me.
Apart from my two elder brothers, I also have in the National Assembly, Hon. Nadu Karibo. I recalled how when we started this movement, when the President was a Deputy Governor, how he and Chief Mitema Obordor, who was then the Chairman of the council (Ogbia LGA) operated with us. I want to thank you all for your support for your sons and daughters, who have supported and aided me in achieving the things, some of which you have thanked us for.
Ogbia Alua o! Ogbia Alua o! If you allow me, because of the several ways you people have impacted on us, I will thank you over and over, but let me also thank you for the support that our own wife, who has now become our Madam, the Presidentʹs wife has also given to all of us.
I think it is also proper for me to thank you, so that at the appropriate time, you can also convey that appreciation.
I am aware that His Highness, the paramount ruler of Otueke (HRH Lord Ogiasa) conferred a title (The Odamiba) on her, but let me say that, we are also looking for an appropriate moment to say thank you to her in a big way. I want to say that because it is important for us to underscore the commonality of interest, that the new restoration government in Bayelsa promotes; no one is le out, everyone is welcome on board. Even those who for some reasons are doing one
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 262 thing or the other, our umbrella is big and for us, who have the presidency, we welcome everybody and that is part of the game, we are playing. My duty is to mop up the home base for the big man, so he can face his job there with our support.
You people have a history of producing great leaders. You have shown a lot of direction in the Ijaw nation; your place is assured in the history of political leadership, not only in this state, but in the Ijaw nation and in Nigeria. To whom much is given, much is also expected. I will like to remind us all that by the virtue of all of these, we and you in Ogbia kingdom, more than at any other time this is when you should be a pillar of stability, without rancor, both within this state and at the national level.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 263 OUR SOLIDARITY TOUR SHOWS OUR CONCERT WITH THE PEOPLE
Opening remarks at the 30th executive council meeting held in Yenagoa on November 28, 2013
et me use this opportunity to first of all, appreciate a very warm reception that was given to me and my entourage in the three Llocal government areas we have visited so far. What we saw was a phenomenal show of love and solidarity for our restoration government and quite frankly, I found it very refreshing and very encouraging that even at the grass root level our leaders and our people from all strata of the society turned out en mass in the various local government areas to appreciate our modest efforts at improving their lot; our collective lot.
I want to appreciate particularly, the kings; royal majesties and Highnesses for the honour done me as a person. I was supposed to be in Aleibiri earlier, but even though, I didnʹt make it; even before we started the tour the Alei in Council conferred on me the title of “Tarikekere owei” of Aleibiri and a member of the Alei in Council. I want to sincerely express my appreciation for that.
And, when we started our tour, his Royal Majesty (King Alfred Diete
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 264 DEP. SPEAKER OF BAYELSA STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, HON. SAM VICTOR ATEKE (3RD RIGHT) PRESENTING A GIANT FISH TO THE GOVERNOR, SERIAKE DICKSON DURING THE THANK YOU TOUR.
Spiff), the Amayanabo of Twon/Brass and one of our leading statesmen graciously conferred on me in agreement with his Council of Chiefs, the coveted title of “Twon Ibe Tolombo 1” of Twon/Brass and the leaders and all our people turned out en mass. A very colorful and memorable civic reception was held and they kept us entertained throughout and created a very hospitable environment for me and my entourage to pass the night in Twon/Brass.
I want to also appreciate his Royal Majesty King Edmund Dakoru, the Mingi and members of his Council of Chiefs for the very warm and colourful reception, which for a long time will remain stuck in our memories and for the beautiful boat rega a. The Deputy Governor was one of those, who was actively in command. The boat that, I joined was actually commanded by His Excellency, Chief Walter Feghabor Amain and I want to use this opportunity to especially appreciate His Majesty, the Mingi and all the Chiefs and leaders and all the people: men, women, youths, the aged for our very warm reception.
I also want to similarly appreciate the Chairman of the Nembe/Basambiri Council of Chiefs and all the highly respected chiefs
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 265 and members, who similarly turned out en mass to give us a very resounding and warm reception. I want to thank the Chiefs for inducting me into the coveted “Sekiapu” society and they did that twice and I am now a member of the “Opuekine Sekiapu” of Nembe. I want to use this opportunity to remind them that I am awaiting their invitation to all their “sekiapu” functions in Nembe. I want to really appreciate what they did.
I want to also use this opportunity to appreciate the Acting Obanema of Ogbia Kingdom (King George Lawson) and his brother Majesties and all the good people of Ogbia Local government area for turning out en mass, when we visited them and they made our stay very memorable. We equally appreciate them for the kind heart with which, they conferred on me the title of “Edi 1” of Ogbia Kingdom.
I sincerely appreciate it and I reminded them of my longstanding ties and relationship with them and said, if I were in the position to confer title, I would have given them “Edi”. I appreciate their support for me and assure them that we will continue to work together. I want to appreciate everybody, who was involved. Those members of our government, members of this council, who spent sleepless nights, working with your brothers, friends and patriots back in your constituencies.
I want to appreciate the members of our House of Assembly; I want to appreciate members of the National Assembly, who were able to find time to be with us, particularly two of them who turned up at the Ogbia rally, Hon. Nadu Karibo, member representing Ogbia Federal Constituency, my excolleague, Chairman of the House of Representatives caucus, the Hon. Warman Ogoriba, member representing Kolokuma/Opokuma/Yenagoa Federal constituency, was also there. I appreciate the roles played by our Chairmen, Chairmen of our councils, their Vice Chairmen, my Special Representatives, the party Chairmen; I appreciate the roles played by members of our party
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 266 at all levels.
I have directed that le ers be wri en to our Kings and Highnesses to appreciate the generosity that they showed to us and I will sign those le ers and hope the le ers meet them in good stead and health.
The business of restoration is on course and it is refreshing, that our people appreciate the modest efforts that we have been making.
Today, there are a few ma ers arising from the promises of our visits that we made, which we will actualize and some other issues about the budget that we will finalize to consolidate the restoration agenda.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 267 A CALL TO DUTY
Remarks at the swearingin of two special advisers (Solomon Apreala economic adviser and Cyril Akikainvestment) and the inauguration of special representatives for Yenagoa and Kolokuma/Opokuma LGAs in Yenagoa on November 29 2013
his state is now on a forward, upward trajectory and that is when you are coming to join us with these very critical Tresponsibilities on your shoulders. I donʹt know of any other responsibility that any person will have in government that will be more challenging than the responsibilities that you are now taking on.
We have carefully made these appointments because of your track record of performance and your very sterling dedication to the course of our people and because of your very rich experience and background. I also want to remind you that, to whom much is given, much is also expected.
We expect that you have come to finetune all our economic policies, policies on investment promotion I had looked around for very capable hands to do this; quite frankly, it was quite nerve cracking and I found out that there were no other hands be er suited for this very challenging responsibility than yourselves.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 268 Next year, we hope to open up Bayelsa to the rest of the world formally. We will be hosting the world; we will be hosting all businessmen and investors in the proposed Bayelsa Economic Forum.
At this time, most of the initiatives of our government would have crystallized for people to see. You are aware that we are starting work on the airport, we are starting and upgrading our infrastructure, we are investing in education, investing in health care delivery, investing in agriculture, investing in tourism. In all of this, we want the investments to translate into economic prosperity.
We want this place to be known as a viable economic and investment destination. So, I like to welcome you all to your government, your restoration government and remind you that you are coming in at a time that our government and your people expect our initiatives in these areas to bear fruit. You are coming to join us at a very critical moment in the life of our restoration government, but knowing you all, with the way we know you individually, we have no doubt that, you are fully equipped.
You all have rich backgrounds and with your dedication and zeal for the development and upli ment of our state that we know of you will support us to make a difference.
Today, I will also formally inaugurate two Special Representatives.
I inaugurate Wariowei Ebiwari as my Special Representative in Yenagoa Local Government Area. I also hereby inaugurate Mr. Odiowei Kofi as my Special Representative in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. These positions became vacant as a result of the upward movement of your predecessors and I want to congratulate you, because most of the stakeholders from your own local government areas were unanimous that you were the person that could be my ambassadors on the ground. Let me also remind you all that, you are joining us at a time that we are ready to showcase the benefits of our
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 269 restoration government.
In the next few months, we will be two years in government and that comes with a lot of responsibility. We have no doubt that the foundations that we have laid are there for everyone to see but it will be your responsibility in your local government areas to explain to the people the policies and programmes of government, the activities of your government. It is also your responsibility to collate feedback and other necessary information from the grassroots and communicate honestly to the appropriate quarters, with the council chairmen of local government areas.
It will also be your responsibility to have an eye on the political side. I expect you to live in your various local government areas. I donʹt expect you to live in Yenagoa and I have been informed by your stakeholders and leaders that you have all the qualities with which to discharge this very serious responsibility.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 270 NO DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT PEACE
Speech at the conferment of the chie aincy title of Ogbogbo Olotu i of Oguan kingdom on him by the Chiefs and people of Atissa and Epie clans under the aegis of Oguan kingdom on February 13 2014
irstly, I would like to express my gratitude and that of the government and the good people of Bayelsa state to these two Fgreat kings who also incidentally are the hosts of our state capital. I also commend the support of their council of chiefs and I appreciate the honor the Oguan people have given me today.
I would like to clarify that both councils offered to confer this title on me before I started this tour. My point is that the Oguan people are not doing this today because everyone else is doing it. I was told this is the first time ever that both kingdoms have come together to confer a chie aincy title on anybody living or dead, despite having so many illustrious men and women who have served them and this state over the years.
I am truly humbled that I was found worthy to begin this tradition and I thank them honestly from the bo om of my heart and assure them of my continued brotherhood and support.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 271 I have some good partners, associates and colleagues from years back amongst you and I have a long history of interaction with your people. When I was in a private chamber I had the honor of representing almost all the communities in one ma er or another.
I thank you all for turning up to grace this occasion and I also appreciate the women for coming out to show their support which they always do whenever you call on them.
I hereby direct the Commissioner for Women Development to submit a proposal for a special women empowerment scheme for the Oguan women.
We are also a ending to the issue of building markets raised by the kings and we will get in touch with you through your various groups as soon as they are ready.
The sum of N20 million will be made available for the women empowerment scheme; N10 million will go to the Epie women and the remaining N10 million will be for A issa women. We are doing this because when you have something to do, you have a successful home and this money is meant to support your businesses.
Your Majesties, I share in your joy concerning the transformation that has taken over our state and I share with you in the appreciation of the peace and stability in this state; during the course of our campaigns these were what I promised.
You made a profound statement, saying we are doing all we are doing because we came prepared and that is not far from the truth, because we have all shared in the pains of underdevelopment and insecurity.
In as much as we have a lot of projects going on, I would like to tell you all that the best is yet to come and we urge you to continue to support us, work harder and pray for us like you have always done.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 272 I would like to thank the people of Oguan for being peaceful and law abiding. You have never been a source of distraction for the government. I urge you all to continue keeping the peace, order and stability of the capital, because without these there will be no development.
We all should be security conscious because of the times we live in; and the strategic position Bayelsa occupies has made us a target for our enemies.
I urge you all to cooperate with all law enforcement agencies; do not hesitate to report suspicious persons or activities as this is also in your own interest.
I also want to thank the landowners for the support given to our development agencies, both state and federal. This government has a policy of prompt payment of compensation and I will like to use this opportunity to admonish people whose land has been acquired before and compensation paid that the government will not tolerate any encroachment and reselling of government lands.
When compensation is paid, the land remains government land and if there is any other need intended please approach the government and we are open to dialogue.
I thank you all for the support given to all construction companies and for the peace in this state.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 273 WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO REACH THE PROMISE LAND
Remarks at the monthly transparency initiative press briefing for the month of December 2013 in Yenagoa on February 14, 2014
like to begin by congratulating you all; congratulating our dear State for what we have been able to achieve; the peace, tranquility Iand order that have become part of us; the rapid development and the increased confidence on the part of the citizens, which have made some of these achievements possible. As for me, I am humbled at their abiding support and solidarity.
Today is 2 years since the Restoration Government came into existence. If you read my inaugural address, you would see that we set out a clear road map for the transformation and indeed the restoration of our land, which at that time had a lot of challenges.
But you will agree with me also, that just two years down the line, while the challenges are still there; for challenges will always be there, what has also become apparent in these two years is a clear and distinct paradigm shi in all sectors and for this, I like to give you credit and congratulate you all and above all else, thank God from whom all
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 274 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON SPEAKING DURING THE PRESS BRIEFING
blessings, enablement, ideas and even authority over one another flow.
I enjoin you all to continue to remember us in your prayers and remember to pray for your State and our dear country and remember to pray for our leader, who is steering the ship of affairs of our country at this very critical moment.
Now, as you are aware, every month since we came in, we have found time in pursuant to the law that we proposed to the House of Assembly, which is the Transparency Law that obliges us at the pains of penalty and sanction, to disclose the earnings and the financial state of our dear State and we have faithfully kept to the spirit and the le ers of that law.
And today, it is my singular honor and privilege also to take you through our financial situation and this has been very helpful to our government in terms of building confidence on the part of the citizens.
At the end of the day, we are only servants of the people and true sovereignty resides in you, the people.
The transparency element is a critical cornerstone of our governmentʹs agenda because citizens understand now how their affairs are managed.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 275 They no longer wait for one newspaper scoop that will say this amount of money came into the State last month.
We tell them and we also tell them what we do with it; we explain to them the difficulties especially the situation we all inherited which you all know.
But government is a continuum and we must all forge ahead.
That is why we are not in the blame game; we are in the game of making a difference.
So, today we are going to present our financial situation as at the month of December.
My Commissioner of Finance is still stuck in Abuja, unfortunately there are a few developments which are not peculiar to us; it is a general trend in terms of the national economy vis a vis what States get and how much. They are sorting that out and I thought we were going to brief you for December and January, but we will do that from next month for the month of January.
What we have put in place is such that every month, the Finance Commi ee chaired by the Commissioner for Finance sits, the Accountant General and then all the Finance appointees and they give a clear picture of the situation: this is what we have; these are the obligations and this is what we have le and then we all sit down invite commissioners and other expenditure officers and then allocate funds.
Such that, everybody knows in this government how monies go to what sector and what is le . So, any of us can actually stand up at any time and give an account. That is the way it should be.
The running of affairs of a State should not be a closely guarded secret between a governor and an accountant general. Sometimes even
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 276 Commissioners of Finance do not know what the financial state is.
We have liberalized and standardized the process. These are some of the things that we do that from outside you will not know, but it has a very profound effect on the quality, decisions and running of government and then they all translate to what you see; how projects are done and completed and so on.
I am going to call on my Deputy when I finish speaking to come and take us through the statement of affairs as far as our finances are concerned for the month of December last year.
Now, I will like to make some general remarks. First, I will like to use this opportunity to express my profound appreciation to all particularly to the chiefs and elders and the good people of Epie and Atissa Kingdoms.
These are the people who are host to the State capital and yesterday they conferred on me a chie aincy title in appreciation according to them, of the monumental developments that their kingdoms are witnessing and the peace that now reigns in Yenagoa, the state capital.
So, I am now Ogbogbo Olotu I of Oguan Kingdom and I want to thank them for the kind words of encouragement and their prayers. Yesterday, on your behalf, I also thanked them for being very good hosts of the state capital.
They have never been a source of distraction; they always worked hard to maintain peace, shown understanding when we take their land for development purposes.
They have also been very supportive in everything we do.
Let me talk briefly on the bills that we have signed.
I just signed the Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Agency Law, which we think is critical to addressing the problems of our economy. I
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 277 also just signed the Bayelsa State Bureau for Cooperative Development Law.
All these are laws geared towards creating a framework for turning around our local economy.
I signed also the Bayelsa AntiCorruption Amendment Law which I inherited from my predecessor, which I thought was the right step, but the law needed some amendment.
The composition of the agency was not done before I took over.
Now that I have signed the amendment, I am going to proceed to send to the Assembly, nominations of very eminent people of integrity that will help monitor our activities.
Our belief is that corruption is a crime like any other and it is an infraction against the laws of the State. We shall collaborate with other agencies in the fight to control corrupt activities.
I also signed in your presence, certificates of occupancy, C of O, pursuant to the law that we proposed to the Assembly, which is the Bayelsa State Geographic Information System, BGIS law.
You will recall that when I declared my intention to run as governor of the state, part of the problems we identified at that time, is what I call, “the classification of wealth.”
You have wealth not just in this state or country but also in a lot of developing economies that is just le there and abandoned and not productively used. And among the factors of production, you will find that land is probably the foundation of all development.
Now if we free up most of the titles we have and give verifiable and reliable certification of those titles, that by itself is empowerment because we would have opened the gate to empowerment; we would have made it possible for persons to trade with their titles.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 278 That is one of the reasons we are not involved in our local economy. That is why we cannot have businessmen or small and medium scale entrepreneurs because you cannot transact business with your titles.
Meanwhile if you go to your communities, even in Yenagoa that has been a state capital all these years, almost everybody in this hall from Yenagoa, has land but you cannot trade with it because there is no proof of ownership.
And so at all times, our people complain of exclusion; we are not involved in our own economy and we complain of hunger and unemployment. So we have taken a major step to create wealth and jumpstart our local economy and empower our people in a sustainable way.
I am happy that on this second year anniversary we have put in place a reliable mechanism for the identification of land titles, making it easy for disputes to be resolved as to ownership of titles.
And most importantly, we are making those titles marketable; they are now bankable. And if you walk to a bank and give them your C of O, they will know that you are not as poor as you think you are.
You may not have cash but you are wealthy. So by this policy, we have created wealth for all our people and I want to use this opportunity to enjoin all our people to key into this; this is your own lasting sustainable empowerment.
I am very happy that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his team have launched the Federal Mortgage Finance Initiative. That is an initiative that is also geared towards empowerment of our people, making it easy for people to own their own houses, making it easy for people to participate in critical areas of our economy.
I want to enjoin those who are running this programme here to key into the federal programme. I want to charge you all to go beyond this and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 279 think of even seeing how we can have a mortgage institution.
I am charging the experts in my team to contact their counterparts at the federal level and see how we can make it easier to key into the federal programme; get collaboration from our partners here (the banks) and also see how they can move this forward.
Now this certification programme comes with a capacity on the part of the state to beef up our internally generated revenue. It is an area where I have o en been misunderstood because tax is not something people would readily accept even in advanced economies.
We took a decision some months back that Bayelsa cannot be a state where people do not pay tax, where everything is free and taken for granted, where people do not pay electricity bills because government has to pay such bills for you. There is a Federal law called Personal Income Tax Act and by which all workers in every state pay tax according to that law.
I want to thank you all particularly the civil servants because these days the easiest things to say is that this government is taxing civil servants too much. But also remember to tell them for those who are saying so, that we were the only state that was not paying tax and we cannot run this state like that because we will run it aground.
When I made the budget presentation to the Assembly last December, I granted a rebate of 5 per cent. That may not be as much as some out there would want but please take that in good faith. How else can we fund activities of government particularly a government that is people oriented?
Let me tell you what we are doing. We run a welfare system in this state, which we introduced. And by that welfare system, every aged person gets N5,000 monthly allowance. That is a lot of money every month.
And most of them, even when they have prominent children, they are
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 280 not with them so I discovered that N5,000 which may not be much means so much to them.
Now we have introduced a health insurance scheme. Yesterday, I interacted with a team of medical experts from United States and the United Kingdom who came to look at some of our facilities, which are going to be commissioned very soon.
Now with all that in place, we do not want our citizens to be flying to India, Germany, America and London to seek medical a ention. We want people to subscribe to this health insurance. Every month we pay between N50 to N100 million to subsidize the programme. So we are running a people basedgovernment where those who have need contribute and then we can all take care of those who are most vulnerable.
Last December, we gave welfare to the women cooperatives, which is a continuing programme. This year we will do so for the youths. So we need to fund the running of government.
When the secondary schools we are building are completed, education from senior secondary SS 1 to SS 3 is going to be boarding all over the state and it is compulsory. Government is going to feed those children free of charge.
Once we get that right, we will stop them from becoming militant leaders, cultists and so on. So I want to enjoin all of you to understand why these policies are necessary. There is no society that does not pay tax. With this BGIS, every year, if you own any plot of land in Yenagoa, you have to be prepared to pay property tax.
You cannot have mansions, big properties here without paying any form of tax to the state. This is wrong. You cannot do that in the US or UK or any organized society. You cannot do that in Lagos. Rivers State has also started. That is the direction modern economies are going and
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 281 Bayelsa State cannot be an exception.
BGIS is a onestop shop for all title ma ers. And I have directed them to ensure that every land transaction must be consummated in a C of O within 60 days in this state.
I want to call on the investing public in Nigeria and outside the country that here you have a government and people who are ready for development.
We have addressed issues of security for Bayelsa to become one of the secured environments to invest in and you have a friendly regulatory framework as you all can see.
From investments in title and other forms of investments, I assure you that your investments are safe, protected and guaranteed.
The hoteliers are doing big businesses in this town, all hotels are full to capacity every time and that is good. Because of security people have confidence coming in. But now I have directed the Tourism Development Board once the bill is passed into law, that everybody who comes to sleep in a hotel, everything you consume in a hotel in Yenagoa, you will have to pay tax on it.
And now do not misunderstand this. This is the norm everywhere in the world. If you check into any hotel in Abuja, you will discover that hospitality levy is added to it. We are doing all these because we are building an economy that can survive beyond oil and gas.
You just need to drive to Oloibiri and see what has become of that place, and then you will know that indeed you are not wealthy. What you have by way of oil and gas wealth is not sustainable because it is a depleting asset.
And in any case the variables are beyond our control. If tomorrow they do not buy our crude oil, we will not be able to pay salaries. We want
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 282 Bayelsa to join the few states like Lagos State that can sustain themselves without relying on Federal allocations.
I want to call on the investing public in Nigeria and outside the country that here you have a government and people who are ready for development.
The oil resources are here but by the laws of this country, they belong to the Federal Government. If anything happens, we will be in trouble, so we have a duty to lay the foundation. It is a painful decision to take but with the buying in of all stakeholders, our citizens will understand; they will see the benefits in due course.
I have set up a team that will go to every house, to number every building in Yenagoa. When we do that, we will know who owns what. The tax authorities have your records, the environmental sanitation also has them and the Treasury which will control all of these has your records and it will start with my own.
This year we will have to tackle the issue of refuse management in this state. And let me tell you, no government can address it if we do not do it this way because our people have a habit where they dump refuse on every road.
This year, once the process is completed, we will prescribe a li le fee to be paid by every house owner and outsource it to contractors so that we will be able to run an efficient sanitation system and in the process create wealth and improve the sanitation and health of our people.
Today, I will also commission some vehicles that will supply water to our people free of charge. It is your right to have potable water.
Governments have come and gone without solving the problem of
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 283 water. Now we want to address it. In the interim, we will start by giving free water. We have got a lot of tankers that will come. We appreciate our brothers who are water vendors. Very soon they will be out of business and look for other things to do.
Tanks are to be constructed at strategic areas and the tankers will supply water every time. That is a stopgap measure. When the road constructions are through, we will now create a final and sustainable solution to the water problem. The point I am making is that the challenges are numerous but I thank you all for the support, encouragement and prayers for this administration to succeed.
Are the problems gone in two years? Clearly no. I will be the first to answer that the problems are still there. Have we started to confront them in all their facets?
My answer as you all know is yes but whether we will be able to get to the promise land or not depends on the level of cooperation and support that you give to me and members of my team.
I want to thank you for all the support and understanding and enjoin you all to keep faith for the future of our state is bright and with all of us working together, Bayelsa State will be a be er place in no distant time. God bless us all.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 284 OUR CHARGE TO IJAW YOUTH
Remarks at the formal introduction of the new executive of the Ijaw Youth Council, in Yenagoa on March 5 2014
irst of all, I want to welcome you all home. As we always say; Bayelsa is the Jerusalem of all Ijaw people and every Ijaw man Fhas an equal stake in the blessed Jerusalem of our people. I would like to on this auspicious occasion, first of all to congratulate our new President of the IYC, Comrade, President Udengs Eradiri and members of his executive on their emergence as our new leaders of IYC. On this day, I would like to dedicate what has happened to all the youths of the Ijaw nation. I want to also congratulate all the youth leaders who played various roles in this reconciliation process.
I know that this has come about as a result of the work of our leaders; some of them are leaders of the IYC, and some others are people like our brother Kingsley Kuku, who in spite of his very busy assignment at the national level, spent efforts and resources and time to be able to make this dream come true.
I like to also congratulate all of you, who were part of that reconciliation effort; T.K Ogoriba, Jon Jon and several others, whose names we will
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 285 GOV. SERIAKE DICKSON POSED WITH MEMBERS OF THE NEWLY INAUGURATED EMPOWERMENT AND EXPENDITURE FOR RESULT PROJECT. not mention, but will always treasure their contributions and efforts and remember them.
I like to also congratulate our leaders, particularly the chairman of the INC board of trustees, our father, elder statesman and leader, Chief (Dr) Senator E.K Clark and members of the elders team and all of them, who in spite of their various schedules, answered very odd summons and calls at different times to be able to put their heads together, to support the reconciliation that has yielded fruit for us today. I like to above all congratulate the Ijaw nation.
In this process, there are clearly no losers; all of us are winners.
I like to congratulate all former Presidents of the IYC, leaders of the IYC, leaders of INC at all levels, who showed concern and above all, who sacrificed their time and resources to be part of this.
Now, no one of you needs to be reminded, that we are living in very troubled times. These are very auspicious times for our people, because for the first time in the history of our nation, one of us has a foremost national responsibility and you are all aware of the contemporary challenges. Ijaw nation, by divine providence has been entrusted with
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 286 the responsibility of leading our nation and you know that, there are a lot of other developments that have arisen as a result of that.
Our duty is to promote understanding and that is why when these things started happening and we thought that things were not going right, your Government wasted no time in expressing a desire for peace, for an amicable, peaceful and equitable reconciliation process. As, I pointed out in my inaugural address, the government of this state under me is an INC government because most of us who are in this government are products of the Ijaw movement and you cannot have it be er than you have it now.
This government under me will spare no effort and waste no time and will spare no resources in terms of support for the authentic organs of the Ijaw nation. That informed the establishment, for the first time, of the Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs and Culture and you have all seen and you are all witnesses to the barrage of criticisms; some of them hostile.
If you look above me, you will see the crest and look by the sides, you will see also the sacred colors and symbols of our people.
So, this Government is for the Ijaw People. If this Government does not support the realization of Ijaw dreams, Ijaw ideals and Ijaw aspirations, then, I wonder, which government will ever in this state, do that.
And, so we continue to use opportunities like this to call on our people to rise to their responsibilities of building cohesion and unity and harmony, because if people say we are a small group and we are insignificant and yet one of you has the foremost national position, then common sense should tell you that that is the time to unite. That is why on behalf of a great state, a great Ijaw nation, I want to again thank you all and specially commend the understanding and cooperation shown by the contestants for the various offices.
In the course of this ma er I had reason to relate with most of you
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 287 individually and some of you collectively and let me tell you, quite frankly, I am very pleased and very proud of the quality of most of our youth, particularly those of you who are in our struggle. So the future of our struggle is assured.
Today you have all agreed to make sacrifices, some of you stepped down, some of you came to agree to the compromise broken by your leaders. It does not mean that anybody is more qualified than the other. What it means is that you have presented yourselves and the Ijaw nation has recognized you. We have all collectively by what you have done noted you for recognition tomorrow.
I have said it over and over again that as Governor I have no special interest about who leads the INC and IYC because as a product of our movement, these are bodies that are sacred; so important to our people, that we will not allow the politicization of these organs for any reason.
But now there is a political imperative and the Ijaw nation will always mobilize all our resources to protect the foremost political interest of the Ijaw nation, which for now remains the protection of the Presidency; mobilization of our people to protect our political vested interest.
I have said, that in Bayelsa, the INC and IYC will not be allowed to play any partisan political role because Bayelsa is the home of the Ijaw nation. Political contest in Bayelsa will be resolved through other means than a resort to these our revered organs because we do not want to destroy them.
We saw a li le bit of it in the recent past and we do not want to repeat that particularly me, being a product of the struggle; I want to keep them apolitical here in Bayelsa, but we will mobilize them to realize other higher political objectives.
Now, there are challenges facing our people and the President, I know that you have shown an inclination to work to conquer these ills that are
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 288 manifesting among our people. You just talked about some of them.
You talked about piracy and let me remind all the youths of our state and all the youths of the Ijaw nation to desist from those kind of activities, whether piracy, kidnapping or oil bunkering that is now destroying our already fragile and compromised environment and ecosystem.
I have a major challenge in that sector: political thuggery and a misapplication of the youthful energies of our people. I became Governor here without buying a single bullet. I did not have to set up any killer squad; I did not need to set up any group of cultists to pursue anybody and that is the system we are propagating. I like to solicit your cooperation, so that our youths will not, from time to time, be used for political purposes and be dumped a er elections are over.
I have said, that in Bayelsa, the INC and IYC will not be allowed to play any partisan political role because Bayelsa is the home of the Ijaw nation. Political contest in Bayelsa will be resolved through other means than a resort to these our revered organs, because we do not want to destroy them.
You are aware that we have a major challenge of cultism in this state and in our land associated closely with the activities of oil bunkering tycoons and others. We must join hands to confront all these ills in this state.
Why you are seeing this relative peace is because of the tough stand that our government has taken and the investments that we have also made in the area of securing lives and properties.
This is one area we would expect the President of the IYC to continue to work closely with government and other security agencies. The youths
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 289 of our state must know that cultism does not pay. They must know that piracy and ge ing involved in kidnapping and other negative activities do not pay.
They must know that we all have a collective duty to safeguard and protect our already fragile and compromised environment.
We also have a challenge of youth development and engagement and in this connection, I like to commend the efforts of the Federal Government and particularly using our brother, the Special Adviser on Niger Delta, Honourable Kingsley Kuku for what he is doing in the amnesty office. And, I solicit your cooperation with him.
If anybody has any issues, we should quietly raise them and I would like to solicit the cooperation of all of you for the President and the members of the IYC Executive, that you yourselves have selected, because when you make a king, you have to support the king to be a king. This is a very serious responsibility that all of you have put on the shoulders of Hon. Eradiri and while I thank you for the honour and confidence that you have reposed in him, while I am also myself very confident that he is not going to dissappoint you and all of us in the Ijaw nation, I like to also remind you all of your obligation to continue to support him, to advise and direct him. When things go on that you think should be done differently do not declare war.
While I thank you all for showing solidarity, I want to enjoin you that this solidarity that you are showing today should last; it should not evaporate a er today. He has a very sensitive assignment and if you check the history of all the tenures in IYC, it always ends with crisis.
I want to announce our support for this Executive and for all organs of the Ijaw nation. Your government will stand by you as long as you do not deviate from what is in the Ijaw national interest.
Mr. President, that is a major charge from me, your Governor to you.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 290 Consult your leader; that is important going forward.
Learn to consult, do not approach things with a fixed mindset.
Be open to suggestions. It should not be heard about us, that this Jerusalem of our people is in turmoil as a result of our own actions and inactions, and let it not be heard that the foremost organ of our struggle, the IYC, is not in a position where we can get maximum results because of the inability to accommodate and consult.
You talked about rent; but under my administration, I think you deserve more than rent. I am going to build a secretariat for the IYC. You will consult the Commissioner for Works and Special Projects and design a befi ing secretariat for IYC and that secretariat will be built in no other place than Boro town, where I am developing.
I will involve you in efforts of law and order; I will involve you in our efforts to clean up and protect our environment and heritage.
If there are issues, I need to know about, know that we are open.
The positions that we have taken, the actions we have taken or proposed, will always and continue to be in the best interest of our people. I want to thank you all for all the support that you gave to the team for bringing about this resolution.
Thank you very much and look forward to a close partnership with you and urge you to work with all our leaders and everybody, who has a role to play in moving our youths forward.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 291 THE TIES THAT BIND US
Remarks during visit to the Fidipote Royal House in Ijebu Ode land, Ogun state on March 22 2014
our Royal Majesty, today I have the privilege and honor to be in your presence in this ancient land and in this respected Ypalace. I thank you for the very warm reception accorded members of my delegation and I since our arrival here in Ijebu Ode.
I want to thank you most sincerely for the fact that you allowed us to be in your royal presence within the short period we notified you of our intention to visit. I also want to use this opportunity to congratulate you on your 80th birthday and several decades of meritorious and selfless service to humanity and to Ijebu land since you ascended this ancient and revered stool of our illustrious forefathers.
I want to also thank you for your meritorious service to Nigeria because everybody in this country and even beyond is aware of what you have been doing to serve this country, to protect her integrity and see how we can build on the unity and progress of our country.
On a personal note, I like to convey my appreciation for the way you have held yourself high; the way and manner you have conducted
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 292 BAYELSA STATE GOVERNOR, HON. SERIAKE DICKSON (LEFT) EXCHANGING PLEASANTRIES WITH THE AWUJALE OF IJEBU LAND AND CHAIRMAN, OGUN STATE COUNCIL OF OBAS, OBA (DR) SIKIRU KAYODE ADETONA (RIGHT) DURING THE GOVERNORS REUNION VISIT TO HIS MATERNAL KITS AND KIN IN FIDIPOTE RULING HOUSE IN IJEBU ODE, OGUN STATE.
yourself as a respected traditional ruler in such a way that everybody knows that you are a man of honor, dignity and that you have projected the customs and the traditions of our people in an uncommon manner.
I want to thank you for the integrity and dignity that you have brought to bear in the discharge of your traditional duties and other responsibilities.
I like to use this opportunity to thank you for the warm friendship; the fraternal support and encouragement that I have continued to receive from my brothers and sisters from this area who interact with me from time to time on a whole number of issues.
As your Majesty knows, several years ago, a daughter and princess of this great land was married off to my community, Toru Orua, several miles from here. Some members of my delegation who stood up with me are the descendants of that princess and we have been longing to properly connect with her kith and kin and who would not want to be identified as a descendant of such an illustrious family and great land such as Ijebu land?
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 293 When I was growing up, my father took time to explain our links but unfortunately he passed away two years ago to join his ancestors and he is not able to see what I am doing today. I know that wherever he is, he would be very fulfilled.
I also know that your daughter, my grandmother, will be very fulfilled and happy wherever she is. Your Majesty, today your children have retraced their lineage and returned home. A er your royal reception and blessings, I intend to lead my delegation to the Fidipote Ruling House where she grew up for us to get properly reconnected.
Your Majesty, here are your children who were raised far off from your land but nevertheless, who have been connected to you in spirit. For some time now, I had started making efforts to connect to people who could link me up properly. Today I am happy I have been able to achieve that and His Majesty has made this possible.
Let me also use this opportunity to apologize for my inability to a end the last Ojude Oba Festival as a result of pressing engagements outside the country. I know that at the time, Your Majesty, I sent a highpowered delegation to represent me but that was not enough.
However, I did that because I was held up in state functions outside this country and I thank you for the kind and warm reception accorded my delegation. Today, Your Majesty, your children are here and I want to thank you once again for the gracious manner you have received us.
I want to assure you that it is our intention and desire to continue to associate with you and this land. It is our desire to connect properly with our kith and kin here in Ijebu and contribute our bit to the development of this great and blessed land.
And it is also our wish to work with all of you to promote, extend and deepen the bonds of fraternity in this country and build upon the unity of our people as my case and several other cases clearly illustrate. We are indeed one people; united by history and culture and even by blood
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 294 as my case clearly demonstrates.
So all the way from the creeks of the Niger Delta to the heartland of Yoruba nation in Ijebu land, we are indeed one people. It our intention to continue to work and partner with you and others to see how we can work to make not only Ijebu land and the Niger Delta but also Nigeria as a whole, to be one place where people live in unity, peace, stability and harmony.
THE POWER OF DELIVERY BY HENRY SERIAKE DICKSON 295