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Tag: dickson

  • Dickson embarks on annual vacation

    Dickson embarks on annual vacation

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, on Tuesday, began his annual vacation.

    A statement from his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor decided to rest after a busy schedule.

    “The governor is expected to use the period of his vacation to rest, after a busy schedule both within and outside the state, especially his role as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party Reconciliation Committee, among others”, the statement said.

    The statement quoted the governor as calling on Bayelsans to remain steadfast in their prayers and support for programmes and policies of his administration.

    He called for sustenance of the peace and stability in the state to allow various development projects progress unhindered.

    The governor stressed that the administration remains focus on its agenda to develop the state.

    But the statement was silent on resumption date of the governor and where he will be spending his vacation.

     

     

  • Soyinka, Dickson back agitators, say ‘Nigeria is negotiable’

    Soyinka, Dickson back agitators, say ‘Nigeria is negotiable’

    Sequel to comments credited to the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and some state governors that Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable, Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, on Friday insisted that the comment was ‘falsity’.

    They stated this at an event tagged, “A Day with Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and Ijaw Literary Icons.”

    The event was part of the activities marking the inauguration of the Ijaw National Academy, Kaiama.

    The Nobel laureate the assumption that Nigeria is non-negotiable was a falsity, insisting that anything, including the country’s unity, was negotiable.

    He, however, said what could not be negotiated was the right of the people to determine their future.

    Soyinka, while fielding questions from students of the academy and a renowned poet, Mr. Odia Ofiemun, on whether Nigeria should break up or not, insisted that such an argument sounded “hypocritical, dogmatic and dictatorial.”

    The Nobel laureate said, “My response is basically a plea; we must stop confusing or mixing up the argument. When people come up with the question of whether to break up or not to, it always sounds hypocritical, dogmatic and dictatorial. And for the statement that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, that, for me, is a falsity.

    “Anything is negotiable. The right of people to determine their future is what is non-negotiable. Most nations came into being through negotiations. Sometimes, when people say negotiate, what they really mean is to restructure. What the argument or question should be is: should Nigeria break up? And my answer to that is no.

    “But please, don’t tell me that Nigeria as it stands is non-negotiable. For me, this is a fallacy. The nation has got to be negotiated. Negotiation includes ensuring that there is no marginalisation. Negotiation has to do with control of resources; it has to do with restructuring the nation in a way in which its components, its constituents are not feeding a bloated centre to the detriment of their own development.

    “So, Nigeria is negotiable. So, what we should say, the language we should use is, what are you willing to sacrifice, what efforts are you willing to make to ensure that Nigeria remains intact? That is the citizen question.”

    Dickson agreed with Soyinka’s submission, saying that the country should be restructured or negotiated.

    He said, “I believe that just as Soyinka has said, if you ask the question on whether Nigeria should continue to exist as a united country, the answer you will get from the majority is yes.

    “I believe that the continued existence of our nation, as an indivisible entity, is desirable. There is a very strong case to be made for that. After all, you and I, our people, have been funding the Nigerian experiment for the last 61 years.”

  • Paris Refunds: Dickson, Wike, other PDP govs decry ‘bloated’ figures by FG

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and his counterpart in Rivers, Nyesom Wike have denied receiving the amounts published by the Federal Government as accruing to their states in the first tranche of the London/Paris loan refunds.

    Dickson said his government got only N14.5bn, contrary to the Ministry of Finance’s claim that he received N24, 895, 696, 347.55.

    The governor revealed this in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr Francis Agbo.

    The governor, therefore, called on the people of Bayelsa and the general public to ignore false publications on the state.

    Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike also denied receiving the highest allocation of N34, 925, 785, 322.06 in the Paris Refunds.

    Wike while speaking in a church service over the weekend said he (Wike) along with Akwa-Ibom and Bayelsa States were short paid in the refunds.

    He noted that those short paid in the refunds are mainly members of the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    He however challenged the Federal Government and the Minister of Finance in particular to make documentations of the refunds to states public.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance had made the N516, 384, 636, 883.81 disbursements to the 36 states and FCT from the Paris refunds public.

    The finance ministry in a statement said the funds released from the Paris refunds were strictly meant to pay salaries of workers.

    “The funds were released to state governments as part of the wider efforts to stimulate the economy and were specifically designed to support states in meeting salary and other obligations, thereby alleviating the challenges faced by workers,” a statement by the ministry said.

  • Deportation Threat: Dickson releases N250m outstanding scholarship fees to Lincoln University

    The Bayelsa Government has paid the outstanding fees of N250 million for 21 of its scholarship students at the Lincoln University in the United States of America.

    The State’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Jonathan Obuebite, disclosed this in a statement he issued on Saturday.

    The News reports that the University had threatened to deport the students over the unpaid fees.

    However, the state government officials had prevailed on the institution to allow the students to conclude their academic work.

    The commissioner said that Gov. Seriake Dickson gave the approval for the payment, which has been remitted to the Ministry of Education for onward transfer to the University.

    According to him, even though, the students have all graduated, as a responsible government that is ever alive to its responsibilities, the governor gave the approval and equally ensured its remittance to the institution.

    He explained that, the delay was as a result of the economic down turn, which had drastically affected the finances of the State Government.

    The commissioner said that Dickson expressed the gratitude of his administration to the authorities of Lincoln University for their extreme show of understanding in the whole matter.

    He recalled the educational friendly disposition of the governor as well as the excellent performance of the students, some of whom made first class.

    Obuebite said that one of the students emerged as the best overall graduating student in 2017 at the university.

    Obuebite stated that despite the general poor financial state of the country, Dickson had remained committed to the administration’s policies and programmes in the educational sector.

    The commissioner commended and congratulated the students for making the state proud by turning out some of the best results in institution.

     

     

    NAN

  • No rift between Jonathan, Dickson – Aide clarifies

    No rift between Jonathan, Dickson – Aide clarifies

    The Senior Special Assistant on Niger Delta Youth Matters to Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Mr Kenedy Tonjo-West, has denied rumours of rift between the ex-President and the governor insisting that the relationship between both men is cordial.

    Tonjo-West told newsmen in Yenagoa on Friday that Dickson’s criticism of Jonathan’s six year tenure as a waste was not true.

    He said that those behind the rumours were up to mischief to cause disaffection between the two political leaders.

    He said that Dickson expressed disappointments over the progress made by the region in the past six years by leaders of the region at various levels of leadership.

    “The governor in his speech at 2017 Isaac Boroh Day celebration, berated leaders from the region for their poor performance and lack of support to his administration and that they had wasted the past six years in bickering.

    “There was no mention of Jonathan and they have failed because the Niger Delta region is now more united and Jonathan is a leader that Dickson respects and they have wonderful relationship.

    “Dickson re-echoed the feeling of the majority of the people and the fact remains that a lot of leaders have not worked to attract development to the region and those affected are well known.

    “You know we have a proverb that an old woman is not happy whenever you talk of dry bones, and that is what we are seeing,” Tonjo-West said.

    He said that efforts at causing disaffection between Dickson and Jonathan was not in the interest of the Niger Delta region, and advised the people to close ranks and support their leaders.

     

     

     

    NAN

  • Dickson commends FG on proposed establishment of modular refineries

    Dickson commends FG on proposed establishment of modular refineries

    … says Bayelsa will lead the way to invest in refineries

    … to establish three modular refineries in each senatorial zones

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has commended the Federal Government for its decision to set up modular refineries in the Niger Delta.

    Dickson described the decision as a brilliant idea that would not only create more jobs but would also increase the economic fortunes of Nigeria.

    According to him, the refineries when fully on stream will also curb the illegal refining of petroleum products which has been on for years and reduce casualties associated with such risk.

    He said that his administration would establish three modular refineries in each of the three senatorial zones in the state. This translates to nine modular refineries to be sited in the state.

    A statement on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said governor Dickson made the commendation on sidelines of the ongoing Oil and Gas Trade Conference in Houston, Texas, United States of America.

    The governor had gone to the conference with Senator Foster Ogola, Fred Agbedi who is Chairman House Committee on Gas, Henry Ofongu, Secretary to the State Government, Serena Dokubo-Spiff, Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Commerce and Industries, Kemela Okara, Chief Economic Adviser, Duate Iyabe, Special Adviser on Investment, Cyril Akika and other top aides.

    Dickson said that because of the laudable initiative, his government had fully embraced it by setting up a company, Bayelsa Petrochemical and Refinery Company Limited, to partner with willing investors to ensure that the refineries were established and up and running.

    The governor said Bayelsa being the home of oil and gas in Nigeria, provided strategic investment opportunities as well as a conducive and secured environment to drive investment in that sector.

    He said that the participation of his state in the OTC was strategic, noting that it afforded the government the opportunity to meet and leverage with prospective investors on various opportunities provided by his government.

    Dickson who reiterated ‎that already Bayelsa State had in abundance gas feedstock to power the modular refineries said, “It is interesting to note that we already have more than enough gas in abundance to deliver the three modular refineries in each of the senatorial zones, translating to nine, so we are good to go”.

    While emphasising the issue of security, the governor assured prospective investors that all investments would be fully secure‎d and also allayed fears expressed on threats to destruction of pipelines.

    “To a large extent, as a state government given our strategic and massive investment in security ‎over the last five years, we make bold to say that our state is one of the safest in the Niger Delta and Nigeria. So would-be investors have nothing to worry about,” Dickson added.