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  • Implement your party’s restructuring report before 2019 elections, Dickson tells Buhari

    Implement your party’s restructuring report before 2019 elections, Dickson tells Buhari

    Governor Sariake Dickson of Bayelsa, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to constitute a multiparty committee to consider the All Progressives Congress (APC) Restructuring Committee’s report .

    Dickson made the call on Friday in Abuja, while addressing newsmen on the recommendations of the APC’s Committee report on Restructuring led by Gov. Nasir El Rufai òf Kaduna State.

    He called on the president to use his office to ensure that the recommendations were treated as a matter of urgent national importance.

    Dickson said that implementation of the recommendations would resolve various agitations and strengthen the nation’s unity.

    He called on the leadership of the APC to ensure implementation of recommendations of the report before the 2019 General elections, saying it was possible if the party had the will.

    “If we are sincere about the injustices, and inequities, then I call for a multiparty committee to deal with the final details on the issues of state police, the judiciary and the control of land.

    “We need a multi party committee to discuss and agree and work on draft legislation bills that will be jointly sponsored at the National Assembly.

    “We should not take the report as final product in itself, but we should not also throw it away.

    “All of us need to mobilise national consensus to engage the National Assembly, so that we can drive all these issues before the next election. That is the test of sincerity’’.

    Dickson promised that he would intensify consultations across party lines to work toward the actualisation of the desired implementation of the report.

    He added that he was ready to partner with other leaders on the critical issue of restructuring which could only become a reality when the National Assembly had passed it into the law.

    He commended the APC for coming up with the recommendations, which he said were fundamental to all approaches to the burning issue of restructuring in the best interest of the country.

    “The recommendations of the committee make a lot of sense. I support them and we are ready to partner with them.

    “While it is true that we are dealing with a proposal, this is coming from an unexpected quarters.

    “In the light of the opposition to structuring from some leaders, I thought what the APC did was unexpected.

    “Let me start by commending the committee and the leadership of that party for making what I will call the most fundamental proposal of dealing with the issue of restructuring.

    “When I see what is right, I commend it; when I see what is in the best interest of our country, I commend it because I am a politician driven by conviction, not convenience.

    “With the kind of proposals that they have done, I thought I should appreciate their patriotism and commitment to building an equitable and prosperous Nigeria.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that El Rufai-led Committee had on Thursday in Abuja submitted its report to the leadership of the APC.

    NAN also reports that the committee among others recommended state ownership of onshore mineral resources including oil, as well as state control of police and prisons.

    Dickson, who is also the Chairman, PDP Reconciliation Committee, said the committee’s reconciliation efforts with aggrieved members were yielding positive results.

    He said that the committee would continue to discuss with party members, saying people were key in the existence of any political parties.

    NAN

     

  • We won’t sack you, Dickson assures Bayelsa teachers

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Thursday assured teachers on its payroll that the state government wouldn’t sack them.

    Instead, Dickson said the government would train and retrain the teachers for greater productivity.

    A statement signed by Dickson’s Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, said the governor gave the assurance when he inaugurated the Governing Councils of Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education, Sagbama, and the Bayelsa State College of Health Technology, Otuogidi, at the Government House in Yenagoa.

    But the governor said only teachers with fake certificates or persons, who refused to be at their duty posts to work had reasons to be afraid of sacking.

    He enjoined the chairmen and members of the new governing boards to engage only people who should be in the institutions.

    Dickson stressed that his administration would not tolerate the previous practice in the state where unborn children, octogenarians and retirees were dubiously included in the payrolls.

    He said the government would provide grants to all state-owned tertiary institutions with effect from this month to beef up their infrastructures and enhance their revenue generating capacity.

    He said: “You are self-accounting and self-governing but we will give you grant as you have proposed. We expect you to sit down with your management and get only those staff that you need to run effective courses and programmes. Indeed, the only constant factor is the academic factor because they are academic institutions. You need more academic staff.

    “The former ways of opening gates of employment to everybody, including unborn children, people who stay away in Lagos and are collecting money, people who are as old as 80 years or more, who should have retired has to stop. You have to save that money for your institution.

    “You must take firm decisions as a council. This year will witness a lot of training by all cadres of public servants, especially teachers. Our policy is not to sack any teacher unless they don’t go to work, unless they have fake certificates, or they have committed any other acts of misconduct.

    “Our policy from this year is to ensure that teachers go through the period of training and retraining. There is already a bill before the House of Assembly that would mandate certification for all teachers in all schools in this state.”

    The governor also mandated the newly inaugurated boards to strengthen the capacity of the two institutions.

  • Paris Club Refund: Dickson releases N5.6bn to clear workers’ salaries

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Friday ordered the release of N5.6billion out of N14.8billion Paris Club Refund he received in December last year for the payment of one- and- half month salary arrears owed workers during the economic recession of 2016.

    It was gathered that the governor called a meeting of top government officials, labour leaders and their representatives in Yenagoa where a decision was taken to pay one- and -half month workers’ salaries.

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

    The breakdown showed the state received N13.5billion while the local government councils received N1.37billion

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

    The governor thanked the workers for displaying understanding during the period of the recession.

    He lamented that while most of the older states in the country had lower wage bills, Bayelsa wage bill was over N6billion because of the “criminal activities of some fraudulent characters.”

  • Rivers, Benue massacre: Buhari not handling national security as expected – Dickson

    Rivers, Benue massacre: Buhari not handling national security as expected – Dickson

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Wednesday accused the President Muhammadu led Federal Government of not handling national security issues as expected.

    The governor explained that the inability of President Muhamnadu Buhari to personally take charge of the nation’s security and engage “stakeholders” on national security has made some APC leaders to politicise security.

    The governor in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Agbo, on Wednesday, accused some APC chieftains of taking advantage of the dysfunctional federal structure to hijack the security architecture to torment innocent citizens for their selfish ends.

    The governor said the wind of insecurity blowing across the nation, and particularly the upsurge in herdsmen/farmers are not unconnected to the politicisation of security by the federal government.

    The governor warned that the country ceases to have a future if the federal government fails to urgently unite the people of Nigeria to avert the nationwide senseless killings, stressing that the country is more than ever before too divided and unstable under the APC- led federal government!

    He called on President Buhari to personally handle security matters as well as engage with state governors to know the specific challenges in the various states.

    Governor Dickson also called on the president to call his party leaders especially, those in Bayelsa State to order, saying they should desist from sponsoring insecurity in the sate.

    He said some APC leaders in the state were using the name of the president to compromise security by intimidating security agencies, stockpiling arms and ammunition, killing and ransacking communities at will.

    Dickson said he had formally reported the matter to the president and relevant authorities but said instead of bringing the perpetrators to book, the federal government not only shielded the criminals from prosecution but provided them with security.

    The Governor said: “These APC leaders exploit the fact that Mr President is not personally involved in the handling of national security to breach national peace and security. They know that he is not in charge of the critical issues of national security because he is not personally handling them the way he should.

    “So they take advantage of the President’s attitude and the dysfunctional Nigeria state to intimidate and blackmail security agencies for their selfish interest and in the process, endanger the safety of lives and property of Nigerians. These APC leaders use the name of the President to sponsor criminals to unleash savage violence on innocent citizens.

    “Their aim is to cause panic and force them to align with them. A case in point is in Bayelsa State where some APC leaders hide under the protection of the Federal Government to stockpile arms and ammunition to maim and kill innocent citizens just to instill fear in them.

    “I have personally reported this to Mr. President and to the best of my knowledge, there has not been any decisive action from him or the Federal Government. Instead of prosecuting these criminals, the Federal Government has beefed up security around them. The politicisation of national security must stop for there can be no country without security!”

  • Ex aide to Gov Dickson dies in Patience Jonathan’s hotel

    The Police in Bayelsa on Saturday confirmed the death of a former aide to Gov Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa Mr Nasko Egei at Aridolf Resort Wellness and Spa, a hotel operated by former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the deceased had checked into the hotel with a female companion believed to be his lover.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident, saying that investigation into the incident, which occured on Friday, was underway.

    Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, however, said it had not been established what led to the death of the deceased.

    He said that efforts were being made to trace the female friend who was with the deceased to help the police unravel the cause of death adding that it was too early to speculate.

    “It has not been established whether he was poisoned or not. At this point, we won’t be able to establish whether he was poisoned and who poisoned him.

    “But we will look at the people he was with the previous night before the incident. By the time we carry out a post-mortem investigation, that will determine what substance actually led to his death. The investigation is ongoing.” Butswat said.

    Egei was a former Senior Special Assistant to Gov Dickson on Youth Development before he pit his political tent with the APC

    The father of two was in his late 30s before his demise.

  • Exclude 13 per cent derivation fund from $1b ECA deduction, Dickson tells Buhari

    Exclude 13 per cent derivation fund from $1b ECA deduction, Dickson tells Buhari

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has requested the Federal Government to exclude the 13 percent derivation funds accruable to oil producing states from the one billion Dollars to be deducted from the Excess Crude Account for national security.

    The governor demanded that the 13 percent Derivation component of the one billion Dollars be deducted and sent to the various oil-producing states to prevent subjecting them from making double contributions to the security funds.

    In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, on Wednesday, Governor Dickson posited that the implication of the withdrawal inclusive of the 13 percent, was that the oil-producing states would be making double contributions to the security funds.

    He stressed that the oil-producing states would be contributing not only their statutory allocations like other states, but also their 13 percent derivation fund constitutionally designed to address special circumstances including security, occasioned by the hazards of oil production.

    The Governor stated further that he had discussed the issue with both the Vice President who is Chairman of the National Economic Council and the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum.

    Dickson noted that while Bayelsa was not against the withdrawal of the funds to enhance national security, the utilization of the funds should benefit the entire security agency and service and cover every part of the country.

    The Governor said, “Our position generally has been that leaders should collaborate on issues of national security and the economy. On these matters, there should be no partisanship or showmanship because these issues touch on the core of our nation and the individual well-being of everybody.

    “Secondly, as it has been done before, Bayelsa has no opposition to the withdrawal of money for national security expenditure targeted at improving the capacity of our military and security agencies to protect the territorial integrity of the country and all Nigerians.

    “Our position is that the 13 percent derivation element be deducted and sent to the states. Not doing so means that the oil-producing states would be contributing from both ends: we will be contributing our statutory allocations like every other state, and then the 13 percent derivation which is meant to address special circumstances as oil-producing states, including security challenges.

    The Bayelsa Governor further demanded that a committee of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum be set up to interface with the Chairman of the National Economic Council and leadership of the national security agencies to receive briefings on the details of items to be procured.

    According to him, it is necessary for the committee to be briefed on the modalities of procurement to allay concerns already expressed by a cross-segment of the populace.

    Dickson said that Bayelsa like other states would be interested in knowing what component of these security procurements would directly benefit the security architecture in Bayelsa.

    “That a committee of the Governors’ Forum be set up forthwith to liaise with the Vice President as Chairman of the National Economic Council, and heads of the national security agencies to receive briefings on details of the proposed procurements in order to allay the concerns being expressed segments of our population. We would like to know specifically what aspects of these investments are coming to Bayelsa,’’ he added

  • PDP Convention: Dickson reaches out to Adeniran, Gana, Mantu, others

    The National Reconciliation Committee of the People’s Democratic Party led by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Tuesday visited some aggrieved members as part of efforts to forge a post-convention reconciliation within the party.

    Among the party members visited by the Dickson team was former National Chairmanship aspirant, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Special Adviser Media Relations to Governor Dickson, Mr Fidelis Soriwei, revealed in a statement in Abuja.

    Also visited by Dickson were former Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ibrahim Mantu, a former Minister of Information and Orientation, Prof Jerry Gana, and former Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Ina Ciroma, who contested for the position of Deputy National Chairman, North.

    According to Dickson, all his hosts were positive on the need to have a united and strong party.

    Adeniran told Dickson to reach out to all candidates and as many members of the party in the bid to reconcile.

    Adeniran said that it was important to also reach out to as many members of the PDP who did not contest for any position but fought gallantly to ensure the preservation of the party.

    “We should try to interact with various players; I will suggest that we should not leave any stone unturned to reach out as much as possible.

    “There are those of us who carried the flag, but there are some others who are key players in this party, who may not even contest for positions but they are no less concerned about this party.

    “When you look back, you can see some of those key members of the concerned stakeholders who fought gallantly to ensure that indeed this party survived.

    “So let the contacts, the consultations, be as all embracing as possible; it takes time, it takes energy but then what is worth doing is what is worth doing,” Adeniran said.

    Adeniran said that Dickson assumed the position of the chief conciliator of the party not just because he “is a governor but because of his commitment to the party, his integrity and sense of fairness and justice.”

    He added that no genuine member of the PDP would doubt the eligibility of Dickson for his role as the head of the party’s team on reconciliation.

    “You said something earlier on that may be, what prompted you to lead this team is because you are a governor.

    “I believe far much more than that; there are certain qualities that majority of us have come to appreciate in you ,which you should keep up.”

    Former Minister of Information and Orientation, Prof Jerry Gana, said he would never leave the PDP for whatever reason.

    Former Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ibrahim Mantu. advised the PDP to focus on the 2019 elections, and strive hard to restore the party’s lost glory.

  • Reports of ‘killer injection’ by military false, we support Operation Crocodile Smile II – Dickson

    The Bayelsa State Government on Saturday lent its support to the ongoing military training operation and its community relations component by the Nigerian Army in the Niger Delta.

    Governor Seriake Dickson urged the people of the state to discountenance the rumour that the exercise, christened ‘Operation Crocodile Smile II’, which includes free medical care, would endanger the health and safety of the people.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Francis Agbo in Yenagoa, Dickson made the call while receiving a letter of commendation from the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

    Dickson, who described the rumour as unfounded, urged Nigerians not to panic, rather cooperate with the military in discharging its medical outreach and community support initiatives.

    Reiterating his administration’s commitment toward sustaining the prevailing peace, security and stability in the state, Dickson assured the Nigerian Army and other security agencies of greater support in the discharge of their constitutional duties.

    He explained that the state government had donated a large expanse of land for the building of a barrack in Yenagoa and a Forward Operations Base at the western senatorial district to enhance security.

    “The military and other security agencies are a force for good and I want to use this opportunity to call on community leaders to continue to support the military.

    “We can’t have a Nigerian military that is coming here to inject people with poisonous substances.

    “That is not the army we have. This is our own army. These are our brothers, friends and fellow Nigerians, who mean well for all of us.’’ Dickson said.

    The CoAS, who was represented by Maj.-Gen. Rogers Nicholas, commended Dickson for the invaluable support to his administration.

    Buratai said the support included the provision of land for building a barracks, a Forward Operation Base and creating a conducive environment for the Army to tackle insecurity in the state.

    Delivering a letter of appreciation from the Nigerian Army, he lauded the people of Bayelsa for their understanding, cooperation, and pledged that the Army would redouble efforts in tackling security challenges in the country.

    The Chief of Army Staff, in the letter intimated Dickson of the Army’s intention to carry out its medical outreach programme and donation of educational materials to various communities.

     

  • Okorocha, Bello, Dickson, 7 other govs owing workers’ salaries despite FG’s release of Paris Club refund – NLC

    …says 10 defaulting governors must give account of Paris Club refund spendings

    …kicks against increase in electricity tariff

    The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, on Tuesday made good its intention to name state governors who mismanaged the first and second tranches of the Paris Club refund released to them by the Federal Government.

    The congress also warned the government against approving another increase in electricity tariff, saying it will mobilise its affiliates, social partners and other Nigerians to resist any further increase when Nigerians were yet to get a good service foe the previous increase, which has been declared illegal by the court.

    This was revealed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba.

    Wabba who spoke at the National Executive Council meeting of the Non Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) in Abuja, said six of the 10 states were in a terrible situation, pointing out that the congress had directed all states chapters whose members are owed more than three months salaries to declare an industrial action.

    In his words: “Out of the 36 states, we have 10 bad case scenario and out of this 10, we have six terrible ones. We have promised to name and shame them. Those states include Imo that has been paying workers salaries in percentage and has not declared utilisation of the bail out fund and Paris Club refund. It is part of the states that ICPC has mentioned in fund diversion.

    “They paid 40 percent pension to their pensioners without their consent and provided a form for them to sign under duress. That is not allowed in law. We have Bayelsa, which has between five to 10 months arrears. Ondo is owing between four and six, Ekiti (five to eight), Benue (five to eight) and Kogi, which is the worst case scenario.

    “We have three categories of workers in Kogi. We have 40 per cent that are being paid up to date, we have 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 16 months and another 25 per cent that has not been paid between eight and 21 months. In all, the sectors, they have categorised the workers into three categories.

    “We also have the case of Osun which is also paying in percentage, but is up to date. Ebonyi, unilaterally, without discussion with the union tried to reduce the salaries by certain percentage and have also not made available records of utilisation of the Paris Club refund.

    “We have the case of Zamfara, which is the only state that has not implemented the minimum wage and all attempt (including agreements they have signed) to get them to make available records of utilisation of those funds have failed. The last one is, Abia which has a problem with the parastatals. On the average, other states are above board.

    The NLC chief went on: “As I speak to you, both Zamfara and Benue are on strike and I am aware that Kogi has issued a notice, which is in conformity with the decision we took at our last NEC meeting that any state with liability of more than three months should start an action and we will be there to support them.”

    Speaking on the statement credited to the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Power that one of the problem in the power sector was low electricity tariff, Wabba said workers will not accept any further increase in tariff.

    He said: “A few days ago, I received a letter from the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission informing us that they want to hold town hall meetings where they want consumers and other stakeholder to contribute. What immediately came to my mind is an attempt again to increase tariff when we have not been able to get out of the one they illegally increased by 45 percent.

    “The twin issue of fuel price increase and electricity tariff has made nonsense of the minimum wage. We have not been able to justify that 45 percent increase, but now, they are coming again. Let me say emphatically that NLC as an organisation and all our affiliates will resist any attempt to increase the electricity tariff again.

    “We have gone to court to challenge their action and the court made pronouncement that the process they followed to effect the last increase was illegal and, therefore, set it aside. Here we are; even to respect that court order has become a problem. We must continue to respect the rule of law. We are still on that issue because no court of law has set aside that judgement.

    “Let us warn those people again because, for them, they must continue to feast on us. If this happens, it means more industries will close and it also means more darkness because the more they increase the tariff, the more darkness we have and more burden on the Nigerian worker. Therefore, we must situate our policies within the context of how it can improve the life of ordinary Nigerian.”

    Speaking on the economic challenge facing the nation, Wabba said: “There is no doubt that our country is passing through very difficult challenges and I think those challenges are to strengthen us, give us hope and make us to think more and be able to respond to issues that affect us. Economies do bubble and burst. Therefore we must not be lamenting that we are in recession or getting out of recession.

    “What matters is how do we put food on the table of the ordinary Nigerian; how do we drive our processes to ensure that industries are working? Once industries don’t work and we don’t produce, but continue to import, the situation will continue because there will always be crave for foreign exchange for us to import and because we don’t export anything, that issue will continue.

    “Our focus must be that our economic model is anchored around the people and around the issues of social justice. Once we don’t do that, then the problem will continue. That is why we have continuously engage the process, including options that are going to work.

    “For instance, the issue of taxation. It is only workers today that pay the correct tax while those that have more than enough, including those with stolen funds, don’t pay tax. Why should you continue to overburden the worker that is already paying the correct tax with more taxation?

    “If I am paying correct tax through pay as you earn, if means that I am paying correct tax and to introduce more tax means double jeopardy. If we are able to access the stamp duty alone, we will be able to generate over two trillion naira per annum. These are issues that we need to address. You cannot continue to rob the poor to make sure that the rich continue to live large.”

    Earlier in his address, NASU National President Comrade Chris Ani said the agitation for restructuring and fiscal federalism were attempts to divert attention from misgovernance and ineptitude the nation has been going through, adding that Nigerians should not be distracted by elements that have actively participated in the looting and mismanagement of our economy and can be found in the two major political parties.

    Ani said what workers needed at this point was time is not whether more power should be given to states, but to know how they have managed the power at their disposal.

    Congratulating the government and its officials for bringing the economy out of recession, Ani said the union will only join the celebration when workers’ “welfare improves; jobs are secured; salaries are paid in full as and when due; wage increase is de-frozen and other withheld benefits are paid”.

     

  • No other party will rule Bayelsa aside PDP, Dickson boasts

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa on Saturday said the People’s Democratic Party is the only party that will rule the state.

    Dickson made the statement in Yenagoa during the inauguration of a 10-member committee saddled with the responsibilities of reconciling aggrieved members of the party in the state.

    Speaking at the occasion, the governor urged the committee to ensure that all members that defected to other political parties, returned.

    “We will receive our returnees with open arms.

    “PDP is the only political party that will ever rule in this state, as far as politics is concerned,” he said.

    He said the committee should strive to bring peace and unity in the party in Bayelsa.

    Dickson lauded the State Chairman of the party, Mr Wilson Cleopas, for his role in finding a lasting solution to the challenges of the party.

    The governor urged Bayelsa people to shun acts of violence during and after elections.

    In his remarks, the chairman, Cleopas, urged the committee, headed by the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Mr Fineman Wilson, not to betray the confidence reposed in it.

     

    NAN