Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in an interview with select journalists in Lagos, talks about the achievements of Seriake Dickson’s administration, the preparations towards its 6th anniversary in office, ongoing reforms in the state civil service and the salary challenges in the state’s local councils. Excerpts:
BAYELSA State government will be marking its 6th year in office. What do you consider to be the significance of the anniversary?
I think the basic significance would be a candid stock-taking and informing the people what their government had done to improve their lives and hope for a better tomorrow. To that extent, we can confidently say that the Restoration Administration has, in the last six years, changed our narrative as we used to know it fundamentally. I think this is significant. That, I think, is the issue; the important thing we should talk about. It is now incontrovertible because the achievements of this government ably led by the contriman governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, are now everywhere and good enough, the people can relate to them in the various sectors.
Education, for instance, has received an unusual attention that posterity will definitely remember Governor Dickson for. Now, we have the best secondary schools in the whole country. Even in a recession, the government started a revolutionary education programme that you cannot find in any other state. A programme where the government is selecting boys and girls from their families and putting them through a competitive examination process in all local governments, putting them in model secondary schools built by the government; feeding them, clothing them, providing books and computers for them. This is remarkable and as the governor has rightly noted, this is the foundation of the new Bayelsa. So much has really happened to education and it is creating a great hope for outstanding future development for the state. In a recession, the government is also building tertiary schools; the University of Africa, the College of Health Technology in Otuogodi and making resources available for all their facilities and getting accreditation of all their courses. The same thing applies to the college of education; it will be a degree awarding college affiliated to the Niger Delta University so that they can mentor it. That will increase their capacity to generate money. The administration is also supporting the Niger Delta University, supporting the take-off of the Polytechnic, building science and technical colleges throughout our state this year. If you go to the Ijaw National Academy, you will understand the point I am making here. That is the foundation Governor Dickson is inspiring, making us believe in ourselves and establish a homegrown development initiative which is already attracting interest from far and wide.
I think the establishment of the education development trust fund is also a thing we should comment regarding training and educate between 5,000 and to 15,000 young people at every given time. This has implication for rapid development because such huge investments in education as we are doing in Bayelsa will come with so many benefits in the future.
In the area of healthcare, I think the situation is getting better and better, looking at solid investments now in the critical sector compared to the past. Before now, we could not in serious reckoning claim to have modern hospitals in the state, but all that has now changed. In Brass, we have a modern one there. We have completed the one for Ekeremor, ready for furnishing and take off; we have completed the one for Sagbama, ready for furnishing and take off. Same for Kolokuma/Opokuma, Oporoma and now completing the one for Ogbia in spite of some initial delays. Governor Dickson has also directed that another one is built in Nembe, making it two for use there. Then we have the Bayelsa Diagnostic Centre in Yenagoa, a major facility of world-class standard. People are beginning to use it, saving lives, hundreds and thousands of lives, with early diagnosis. That is a modern diagnostic centre, one of the best in the country. People now come from Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and many other states to Bayelsa for diagnosis. It was built, equipped and handed over to American specialists to run it for efficiency. It is the same thing government did to the Specialist Hospital at the Government House. It used to be Government House clinic, but Governor Dickson felt what is good for the governor, deputy governor, and their families must be good enough for all Bayelsans. That was how it was expanded and built a public wing, fully equipped. You cannot find the equipment they have there, with the personnel anywhere else. They have installed telemedicine facilities, which means you can communicate with doctors from abroad right there, they can even direct an operation from where they are in America or London. That is the investment the Restoration Government has made in Bayelsa State.
Yet, I think the infrastructural development like construction of road and bridges is one key area we cannot but praise the current administration in Bayelsa State. Ditto rural electrification. It’s been revealing, having to open up the state through roads in all the senatorial districts. I hope you all took notice that Governor Dickson, last Christmas, actually drove to Aleibiri and by December this year he will be driving straight to Ekeremor. For all those who are familiar with the stories behind such historic efforts, we should commend the contriman governor. What people thought were impossible are now possible and that speaks to leadership and vision.
There is the observation that the government has not given due attention to housing in its development initiatives. Why is it so?
That may be true but the good news is that the state is about to witness major mass housing projects. The estates are about springing up in this state. The point to make is that Governor Dickson came into office with a plan. Although he cannot solve all the problems, certainly we have seen a burning desire to work and to solve problems. Things are moving on according to plan and prioritisation of the huge task he’s been shouldering to fix the state, especially those foundation issues he has painstakingly addressed so far. So this year, you are going to see major investments in public housing and a lot of empowerment drive. Women and youths being put together, trained, in cooperatives and other ways and given money; bank loans, to start up. The government has set aside N1billion naira for women and N1billion naira for youths. The operational modality will follow a structure in the state-owned Izon-Ibe Micro Finance Bank, which has branches in all our local government areas. The whole money will be given to the Izon-Ibe Micro-Finance bank to disburse. Governor Dickson believes in private enterprise and has consistently supported such moves that can unleash the creativity of young Bayelsans and government is also building shops to support them in that area.
I think I should also brief you more on the housing deficit my friend raised earlier. I can confirm here that the housing programme for the elite has already started and in the next few weeks, allocation letters of about seven hundred to eight hundred plots in the GRA will be ready. This is the New Yenagoa Governor Dickson has been talking about; it’s now established and ready. A lot of infrastructures is now being put in place to make the place exceptionally modern and beautiful.
My question is on the payment of salary. There’s this back and forth argument on this between the state government and labour. What’s the true position of things?
I think it is all about misinformation or deliberate misinformation perpetrated by the politicians who tried to mislead the media in their reportage. If you follow me, I released a statement on the true position recently. The point is that the local governments have had some problems paying their workers’ salary. It is not the state that does not pay salary; it’s the local councils due to obvious challenges in recent times. The state government only owe three months backlog, carried over when allocation went down so bad. But the good news is that the issue of any council owing salary will soon be over. As I talk with you here, Governor Dickson has given the councils marching order to find a way around the issue by paying their workers regularly. On the part of the state government, it cleared one and a half month just two weeks ago and soon the remaining part of the three months backlog will also be cleared. Please tell the public that Bayelsa State does not owe workers, contrary to such misinformation. I think the people can tell you confidently that the contriman governor is a responsible leader, who, interestingly, came into office to serve the poor and vulnerable in the state. Importantly, the government is looking into the challenge of regularly paying teachers’ salaries at the local level even though it is the responsibility of the councils. The kind of enormous investment the state has made into education in the state has necessitated this latest development
Can you address the issue of the impending reform in the public service? What should the workers expect? You know it is believed that reforms usually come with job losses or what’s your take on this?
The reform is actually ongoing basically to reposition the state civil service for greater efficiency by restoring those basic values in the bureaucracy. You see, this has become imperative in this state because the government believes people have lost the core values of the civil service. But let me quickly disabuse your minds and those of others over the second part of your question on whether the exercise will lead to job losses. I want to say categorically that no job will be lost except those who have something to hide. Hardworking civil servants have nothing to fear and nothing to lose, but those who are lazy and are disloyal in the area of not performing their jobs and duties but only collecting salaries, those who do not go to work and falsify their records, those who indulge in any of these things will have question to answer. But trust Governor Dickson, everything will be done according to rules and regulations. Several committees have been set up in this regard. There won’t be any form of victimisation, everyone affected will be given the opportunity to prove his or her case beyond doubt. That’s that. The civil service is an essential arm of government; if it collapses then we are in trouble. So, the government is concerned and really keen to leave behind a more professional civil service. You must behave like a professional civil servant, go to work and do what is expected of you. And in this regard, on behalf of the government, I crave your indulgence for support.
Let me also say here that the reform will also help in upgrading the mentality and performance of the teachers. In the enlightened appreciation of the issues by the government, most of these teachers do not have what it takes to teach our children anymore. This is well-informed, by the way.
Seeking to solve the problem and in consonance with the huge investment of government in the critical sector, the government sent a bill to the assembly to improve the standard of teaching throughout the state. So please tell our people that government is not sacking any teacher in Bayelsa. No teacher should be afraid of the loss of a job. The only thing government is asking for is that teachers must demonstrate that they have the skills to impart the knowledge and we will help them.
With the 6th anniversary, Governor Dickson obviously is in the last lap of his leadership of the state. How do you think posterity will remember him?
Well, I will be frank with you. The question is not fair to me being an official of the government headed by Governor Seriake Dickson. I think the people who feel his leadership every day are supposed to provide the answer. But since you’re putting me on the spot, my answer is simply that his place in the anal of Bayelsa State’s history is assured in a glowing epitaph as a visionary who came and conquered. He’s just terrific looking at it all together. He definitely has made a huge difference and his stewardship remains indelible.
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