Bayelsa Is In Safe Hands With Seriake Dickson -By Samson Lokiri

Seriake Dickson

We, members of Bayelsa Democratic Youth Vanguard, are compelled after thorough consideration to categorically condemn what seems like the continuous and desperate attempt by some persons to disparage the good works and progress that has been witnessed in Bayelsa State in the last three and half year under the leadership of our illustrious son, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, the Executive Governor of Bayelsa state.

While we sincerely appreciate the rights of citizens to freely express their opinions, it is sad to see these persons particularly the agents of yesterday governor of the state, Mr. Timipre Sylva, desperately moving to truncate the peaceful coexistence which our state has experienced in the last few years. These elements and their sponsors are not unknown to us, they have a history of claiming unexisting popularity and have often times, resorted into blackmailing unsuspecting members of the public for personal gains. Our group frowns bitterly at the turn of event and the desperate scheming that we have observed on the part of these persons who are hell bent on misrepresenting the true image of the Contriman Governor Dickson for reasons best known to them and their sponsors.

For the avoidance of doubt, GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON today is the same man who have turned around the fortune of our dear state of Bayelsa from a ‘glorified ghetto’ to a modern city that is a pride of all Nigerians. Can we remind these people of how Bayelsa has become a reference city for development even in the face of dwindling revenue?

We are at this point constrained, to list just few landmark achievements of the Governor Dickson led administration which his detractors have deliberately closed their eyes at. Given the generally acclaimed status of education in the improvement of the society, the Dickson administration gave education the attention it earns. Later, the reintegration and creation of well-furnished new blocks of classrooms, distribution of free text books, provision of well-equipped workrooms and libraries, support for teachers and students to comfort transportation problems, re-launch of uniformed voluntary administrations in the state’s public schools, implementation of Teachers’ Salary Scale (TSS) for teachers in the state public schools among others. On assumption of administration, Governor Seriake boarded on a huge infrastructure renewal of Bayelsa state. There was great reconstruction work going on at the same time almost all over Bayelsa. The result was that within the first few months of his term, Bayelsa wore a new look. Most of the main highways were transformed. New roads were opened up with flyover bridge.

The Dickson administration also made a great progress in the rural area, as several rural development projects were finished under the rural development programmes. Towards achieving security as one of the most important pre-conditions for human existence, the Seriake Dickson administration, not only turned most hide-outs and joints that previously serve as bases for impostors and armed robbers into beautiful environment. It also invested heavily and gave financial supports to the security agencies on a sustainable basis.

These are the reasons why we sincerely question why these persons will hide under the toga of opposition to discredit a man who has never been indicted nor prosecuted by anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, a man who has done a lot to improve the lots of the commoners through his leadership of our state where he is serving meritoriously. We stand bold to say that the only yardstick required by anyone who wants to come to Bayelsa to see what Seriake Dickson is doing, ‘common sense.’ While our belief in the sanctity of the electoral system remains undiluted, we are making this call in order not to allow these characters to confuse unsuspecting Bayelsans and Nigerians at large by painting a bad image of a performing leader that God has bestowed on the state.

We wish to salute other compatriots who have so far shown solidarity with this Apostle of selfless service as we want to challenge whoever has any genuine reasons why Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, should not be reelected as the Governor of Bayelsa state to bring such forward, not these manner of cheap blackmails wholly made up on assumptions and seeming ‘beer palour’ rumours which only best exists in the imagination of the Mr. Sylva and his gang of desperate power mongers.