In this interview with select journalists which include CHRIS AGBAMBU, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, speaks on the problems confronting development in his state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis and other issues.
Sir, against the background of various challenges; recession, tribunal and election, how have you been able to manage the salary issues of workers and civil servants in Bayelsa state? Did you get any Paris Club refunds? Secondly, what is the total package and your contribution to the planned provision of water to 200 communities in your state?
They have selected 200 communities in Bayelsa, specifically in two local governments for which they will provide water. The EU, UNICEF and World Bank are contributing about 700million and the state government is putting 422million. We are actually bearing about 30 to 35 per cent of the cost of the project. But the key is not just what they are providing; I am more interested in the technical expertise that they are bringing to the table. I have told them that they need to expand it because I want more communities to benefit but the problem with Bayelsa like I said when presenting the cheque is that, while you have water everywhere, you rarely have plenty of water to drink and some of the water is salt water that you need to desalinate, a number of communities really have that challenge.
My administration took some land locked communities to provide water and we have done that, but I think this effort would go a long way and that is why I would be willing to expand if they could create another counterpart fund even this year. I know states are finding it difficult to meet the contribution, but in the case of Bayelsa, we are willing because of the focus we are pursuing; we are willing to look for more money even to do another one so that a minimum of 200 or 250 communities again can benefit.
I want a situation that within the next three years, every community no matter how small will have access to safe drinking water even if it is just one tap running because sometimes the situation they manage is very bad; they drink water from stagnant pools and infected water. We have perennial cases of cholera and all those challenges coupled with pollution along the water ways. So there are a lot of things going on and that is why we are very committed to that and I appreciate the partnership.
You talked about how we have been managing recession, it has been very rough. 2015, 2016 were very trying years. You can imagine states that were receiving 16 billion, 17 billion before; there were months that we could hardly get 1.5billion. I remember specifically in January last year, what we had was one point something billion after serving the bond obligation which we are still servicing and the other facilities and so on, so we couldn’t pay salary.
For the first four years, we never owed salary for a month, but from 2015 the problem started. And when you combine recession to a highly contested election, with litigation all the way from the lowest tribunal to the highest court, then you can imagine how wonderful the period has been for me, for my government and for my state. But we thank God for the trial and the tribulation ,but most importantly for the triumph.
So now we are managing salary issues, I must commend the public servants and my appointees for their understanding, a lot of critical jobs since 2015 have to be on the standby, big ticket jobs. And of course, constructing roads down there is not like what happens in most places like some of you know, in most parts of Nigeria, you just put a grader and fell the trees and the grader goes and you have a road. Here, you have to first create the land which is sometimes 50 to 60 per cent of the cost, you have to sand fill, you bring dredgers and they create the land before you can construct. We go through a lot and a number of those big ticket projects, we have completed so much, but a number of them are also ongoing, some stalled and we hope and pray the economy picks up. It is showing some positive signs, but we are still way behind, coming from where we are coming from.
At a time, a barrel of crude was sold for $110 and we came down to as low as $38. Now gradually, we are building up about $54 per barrel and we don’t know how long that rally will last, but we just have to pray for our country. From 2015 through 2016, it has been very tough for states and for the country as a whole.
And talking about whether we received any refund; our state because of the transparency regime that we have instituted, immediately the Commissioner for Finance received it and briefed me, the following day, he addressed the press, telling the state what we had received. I think it was even from that announcement that a lot of people even in other states got to know that that kind of thing was going on because in Bayelsa, the system is such that any kobo coming to the state has to be announced, the state must know and we have kept faith with that law because the consequences are also very severe and we deliberately included consequences like that.
So we received 14.5 billion or thereabout and part of it is for the local governments. Our local government has about 1.2 or 1.3billion from that fund. So let’s say about 13.2billion. And we have used also in line with the understanding that was reached, over 50 per cent almost 60 per cent of what we received to pay salary obligations and pension liabilities and we have actually used about 7.4billion for that purpose especially because of the Christmas festivity and so on, so we decided to pay full salaries to encourage and appreciate workers and their families and also make it easy for them to manage the Christmas period.
I would like you to talk on a recent environmental challenge in one of your communities and as the man at the helm of affairs in a Niger Delta state, do you see genuine commitment from the Federal Government on answering the questions and agitations of your people? Also, you belong to the PDP and the party right now has challenges, what do you think is the way forward?
We have always been very concerned about the issues of the protection of the environment particularly the fragile eco-system of the Niger Delta. I was briefed and I asked the deputy governor to go and assess the place personally. This is the second time we are experiencing this in a couple of months and we are very concerned, we hope that the relevant agencies will work with us. But I will write a formal letter to the appropriate agency and the Minister of Environment so that appropriate studies can be carried out so that we will know exactly what is going on. The second issue you raised is about the need for peace and stability in the Niger Delta to enable oil production to be maximized to increase the capacity of government to meet their obligations which is key because if you are talking of raising several trillions of naira to fund the federal budget and the state budget are also predicated on oil revenue, then we must be concerned about what happens to the source of that money. So it is an issue that everybody must be concerned about. We in the Niger Delta, my colleagues and I, are trying our best.
As you know Bayelsa is the safest state in this country, clearly one of the most stable states in the Niger Delta. Though historically, it is the epic centre of this crisis but because of the efforts we have made and the collaborations we have forged and continue to establish and encourage, there is no doubt Bayelsa will continue to be safe. We will continue to double our efforts and invest more in security and peace building.
But you see all of these taken some level of partnership and collaboration; so while we governors try our best and leaders like Edwin Clark and others are trying their best; security agents are doing their best, community leaders are doing their best, we also expect the political leadership at the centre to also appreciate these challenges and then follow up, encourage and build understanding and promote dialogue and peace building.
Unfortunately, like Chief Edwin Clark said, not much is happening from the federal side, I am not saying that they are not concerned, they are because they also know the implications. Part of the reasons our country went into recession is because of the situation, the crisis in the Niger Delta. And so they are all concerned and I am aware that the Vice President would be visiting the region very soon and we are supporting that endeavour for people to go and see the real situation in Niger Delta.
All in all, we will like to see more commitment and more proactive engagement by the Federal Government and their agencies.
The issues in the Niger Delta revolve around security, stability, development and the need to expand economic opportunities; these are the challenges that I see. And for me, we will continue to keep Bayelsa safe and protect strategic assets to enable production take place and I know that colleagues are also doing the same. All we ask is that the federal agencies should be more sensitive, should show greater commitment and be more proactive and engage.
I cannot recount how many times President Obasanjo and his National security team led Aliyu Guso and others, how many times they will convene different conferences and meeting at different levels. You remember immediately after his election, the first place Obasanjo went to was Warri, Port Harcourt and at every major development the President would be calling the governors to direct, also the National security would be calling. Even though there were challenges, there was a consented meeting of minds by the leadership.
We will continue to do our part because as a governor that is my responsibility not just to my state but also to the country, to try to do what we are doing to stabilize. But then there has to be a corresponding partnership and support, there is but we want more of it, we want more collaboration. The important thing is confidence building, keeping hope alive and making concrete efforts, I think more of that should go on.
And the last issue you raised has to do with my party. In spite of all the challenges, we are Africa’s largest party. The other party is not a party yet, they are learning to be one. We pray for strong parties to evolve, we need a strong and cohesive party in government and we also need a cohesive party in opposition.
It is not in the interest of the party in government for the PDP to disintegrate or be in perpetual crisis, I think that realization should be there. It is in the interest of the country and it is also in the self-interest of the APC and its leadership to ensure that PDP does not die or does not implode because you hear all kinds of talk about mini party, mega party and most of the noise we know the direction it is coming from.
Just to say that we are concerned about development in the party and personally as chairman of the reconciliation committee and as someone who interacts with the whole range of the leadership of our party, from across this country, the process of interaction would go on, there are indications that very soon with the efforts of the top leaders of the party, we will soon have some way forward and these are all normal challenges, it is a process of self discovery, the PDP is going through a process of discovering itself, finding its true feet and identity because all along we have been spoon fed as the government in federal power and now suddenly we are learning to be in the cold and playing opposition. So we are gradually adjusting and all of this is a process of adjustment and self discovery.
Unfortunately more of that is even happening in the party in government; so we wish the party in government well, I personally do. A lot of the leaders in the APC are people that one has known and interacted with and one has a lot of respect for. A number of them have made sacrifices to the democratic development of this country by even working to bring up the APC in the first place.
People like us who are in opposition appreciate that it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice on their part to bating up the APC and it is a good development for our country, even though my party lost power.
Still on the Niger Delta issue, I shed more light on the implications of the federal government not toeing the path of dialogue. And do you also believe the belief in some quarters that former President Goodluck Jonathan is being persecuted by the present government?
First you need to understand that I am not the spokesman of former President Jonathan, I am governor. President Jonathan is from my state no doubt, he is an elder brother and someone who retired as a leader and former President of our country deserves to be treated with respect and to be given a fair treatment even as the private citizen that he has now become.
I don’t want to go into the several issues that are being raised because as President Jonathan himself said, we need to be careful about commenting on some of these processes because a number of them are just unfolding and a number of them has to be taken to their logical conclusion for things to be proved one way or the other. So we should be very careful about that. I just feel that, talking generally now, not just President Jonathan and his family, the perception is that some of the policies of the present government are selective or are targeted at some persons and some sections is inimical to success of a number of the reforms of the federal government and that is not helpful.
It may just be a perception and probably it is not real but you see perception is also as important as reality; that should be addressed. Let us see how things play out, there should be less sensationalism, let us see facts if there are issues.
I think this country with time will appreciate the kind of sacrifice and service of the Jonathan presidency and Jonathan as a person, he tried his best and particularly in the area of application of public authority, he never used authority to harass or intimidate any person or any particular group. And for some of us, when our memoirs comes out, then people will know the rules and some of the difficult decisions that people had to take in national interest. But I think overall, I am someone who believes that leaders should be respected generally and we can disagree and in fact we need to disagree more and agree in the common interest, in the national interest but in doing so we treat one another with respect.
Nation building is not something that comes overnight, we all need to make sacrifices, learn from our mistakes and leaders are not perfect, no leader is perfect including me. So what is important is underline ideals of respect for one another, tolerance and then if there are issues those issues need to be handled by the appropriate institutions. So let’s not pre-judge, let us wait and I don’t want to join the sensational boat. In all I say is that treat people with respect.
I don’t think we have an alternative, like I said I continue to do so much to maintain peace and stability and order in Bayelsa even though some people at the federal level continue to prefer to see me as a PDP governor. After election party platform takes a back seat, after election we should be talking about service delivery, we should be talking about the people, the country and that is right attitude.
You don’t carry partisan divide after election because after election we should be governing and we have shared responsibility for law and order, shared responsibility to work for stability of this country and Nigeria cannot be safe or stable until every states within Nigeria is safe and stable, no state can be safe and stable until every community is safe and stable. And on their part, those in charge of the federal government should know that when elections are over, party differences go out and we support development and security.
What are your greatest challenges?
The greatest challenge remains funds. I just talked about major projects being stalled and delayed and I am very sad about this. The second thing is the federal collaboration for security and development, that means that if some person behaves and is misguided and he is misguiding people to be violent, it means taking care of that according to the law, without saying this is my party man; once you do that it means the country is failing. Any country where you have to survive or people have to survive just because their party man is holding a security position, that is a failed state because what you are saying is that the other people should go and arm themselves and non state actors should now take over.
I have said it; the support I need is stability and security; don’t play politics with security, law and order at least in my state. I don’t do that, don’t also do it, I won’t allow it.
If you don’t apprehend criminals, I may get to a state where I will mobilize citizens. But I won’t tolerant any unlawful and illegal behavior, that is what is affecting the overall security and stability in Bayelsa because they know that this governor does not condole lawlessness, criminals know it.
If you want to hold a rally, I would give you the stadium to go and do that. President Buhari came to campaign as candidate, I declared security to protect him even when people were blackmailing me because some expected that I should have made the state uncomfortable got him and thrown him out as my predecessor had done to him in 2011.
That is the sort of attitude that political leaders in this country must have, that is the attitude that even the President himself must have; you don’t allow state institutions to be used to undermine opponents so that EFCC will have to be part of APC or SSS has to be an arm of APC or the military; you want to destroy the country. I am not saying that is what is happening; all I am saying is that that should not happen.
What are your achievements?
What do I think are our achievements? I rephrase it in that objective manner because I believe ultimately history and posterity will judge. But what I know is that we have made it a priority to invest in education; over 40billion has been spent on physical infrastructure and the results are there and this is part of the challenge of Nigeria; succeeding governments at the state and federal levels will abandon education, investing in human capital and we are surprised that young people are sprouting out holding AK47 rifles kidnapping people all over, what options have we given them in an increasingly competitive world where these days if they are applying for jobs, it is computer test and they don’t have those skills.
In my state for example, I met young people holding AK47 rifles and looking up to people who are local warlords as their role model. So when you talk of the crisis in the Niger Delta, these are the roots. So we had to intervene by a revolutionary programme of empowerment and education, not empowerment in the sense of giving money to somebody but empowerment with skills and knowledge. Unfortunately for a politician that is not very rewarding because the massive investments and the schools I am building, you won’t see people talk about that, no; if they want to be mischievous they will say yes, he has spent so much money but you see there is one primary school where students don’t have good seats, that is what they do.
But since I became governor we have been paying WAEC, NECO and JAMB, sew school uniforms, supply books because if you don’t build schools and supply education, you have to build prisons and maybe create cemetery because people are going to get killed, so that is what we are addressing. Bayelsa has one of the best health care facilities in this country. For those who want to go for check up just come to Bayelsa, you don’t need to go to London or America or India. So those investments are there and more are being done.
Then you talk of the physical infrastructure itself to upgrade the living conditions of the people; building roads and bridges, I built more roads and bridges than any governor before me and we are still doing that even in spite of the recession. So we have done so much not to talk of investing in peace and law and order and all of that without which we cannot do anything.
Governor Wikeonce complained that he isn’t allowed to reach the president when he has issues, do you at any point of time have that kind of challenge?
First of all I don’t like to comment on the views expressed by a colleague. We are co-equals and chief executives of a federating unit.
What I know is that more partnership and collaboration in our setting is helpful to our state and the country and my state is open for partnership. I don’t have to be in APC to partner with federal agencies and that should be the spirit, collaboration.
I might have had meetings with the President and his key officials and I hope to have more to explore and discuss common of concern and attention – security in the Niger Delta, issues of handling economy and the rest of them.
I believe essentially that difference in party should not affect governance and there should be respect for leadership and leadership begat leadership, Nigerian leaders should respect themselves, those in government and those out of government because in the end, everybody has made contribution to national development which should be acknowledged, I feel whoever is the President of this country should be respected.
Although let me add that the APC didn’t accord the former President that respect when he was in office. APC play politics when they were in opposition with anything and everything; played politics with Boko Haram, the economy, fuel subsidy and now they came and reversed fuel subsidy; so they played politics with anything and everything.
I don’t think that to be in opposition I have to be abusing the President, I have to be attacking his wife, I think that certain things should be off limits but that does not mean that we should not disagree And that is why I said we should carry on our politics in this country with respect for one another knowing that whether we agree or disagree we are Nigerians and we have our country to work for.
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