By GbaramatuVoice Editorial Board
As trained security personnel, His Excellency, Henry Seriake Dickson, the Executive Governor of Bayelsa state, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria must have learned that development cannot thrive in the absence of peace and security.
The above fact may have informed the dexterity and energy he dissipated towards ensuring that peace and security remain the cardinal focus of his administration.
The professional security expertise so far demonstrated backed with his singleness of purpose has succeeded in turning the story of a state that acted a onetime den of different cult groups and criminals, to an abode of peace.
Sworn in as the Executive Governor of the state on the 14th of February, 2012, a period when Bayelsa as a state was nearly overrun by different cult groups and other criminal elements.
His primary objective was to modernize the state via infrastructural development but opined that such can only thrive in a state devoid of criminality and rancor.
Today, in the state, peace, security and massive infrastructural development has been achieved by his vision driven administration.
GbaramatuVoice as a media group that commend when they can and condemn when they should, after an objectified visit and monitoring of the governor’s development strides filed this editorial commentary to among other reasons encourage the governor to do more as well as present the state governor as a role model for others to emulate and replicate his actions in their states.
Specifically, in his security effort, the governor has remarked at different occasion that peace has no price and hence will not play casino with the lives and properties of Bayelsians.
The above decision, GbaramatuVoice gathered propelled him in 2012 to develop a state-wide security communication network that linked all the communities to a central control point thereby making it possible for him and other security commanders to constantly be in touch with all the communities in the state.
This security arrangement provided the hoodlums a no hiding place and in turn, made the state too hot for them to dwell in.
The governor did not stop at this point as he went ahead to establish a special security unit, which he tagged ‘Operation Doo Akpo’. This provision of purposeful leadership has made it possible for the people in the state to sleep with their two eyes closed.
Still on his effort to establish peace not just in the state but among the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta region, the governor unlike his counterparts in other states is at peace with the traditional rulers in the state and beyond as partners in the development of the state and region.
Again, His Excellency, Henry Seriake Dickson, Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, is among the very few governors that have allowed the opposition parties to flourish in the state while welcoming constructive criticisms from them with an open heart.
One outstanding strategy that is assisting the Bayelsa State Governor to carry out a seamless execution of projects in the state is his well-mapped out development dashboard which he christened; legacy project – education, health, road construction, hospitality development, and industrialization.
On education, governor Dickson has since assumption of office democratized the educational system in the state making education free and compulsory for both primary and secondary students; a feat that is alien to Bayelsians.
Still, on education, the governor has within the space of assuming office, provided training and retraining of teachers in the state while providing a good learning environment for both the teachers and the students.
A peep into the Dickson’s road projects will reveal that the governor, against the tradition, completed the various abandoned road projects by his predecessor. He has since moved ahead to flag-off new projects of which he has completed many.
Part of the completed road projects include but not limited to; the fly-over in Yenogoa; the dualization of Isaac Adaka Boro expressway; construction of the Toru-Ebeni bridge, a bridge that links Sagbema with the Southern Ijaw Local Council and the construction of Ogbia/Nembe road among others.
To us at GbaramatuVoice, the opening of the state via good road network is a feat that is commendable as we are well aware of the ripple effects it will have on tourism and investment.
On the payment of workers’ salaries, the state government has been able to keep its head above the water despite the recession that befell the nation’s economy. The state has been able to deploy their creative resourcefulness and ingenuity to keep the people happy.
While we commend His Excellency for these achievements, it is also our view that he listens to the little pockets of complaints on the streets; ascertain what the challenges are in order to find lasting solutions to them.
It is also our opinion that the governor should take development to the rural communities most especially the people in the riverine areas of the state.
Finally, the governor should continue to improve the security of the state as the criminals are always ahead of the operator.
Support Quality Journalism in the Niger Delta Region
Join us in our mission to bring development journalism, cultural preservation, and environmental awareness to the forefront. Your contribution makes a difference in the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. Donate today and be a part of the change!
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.