WHY GOVERNOR SERIAKE DICKSON IS A TRAIL-BLAZER: by: Idumange John The Restoration Administration just turned 2 years in February 2014. On assumption of office, the Restoration Administration was saddled with the following: A huge debt profile from the past administration Insecurity of lives and Property which made life miserable, and this was worsened by the activities of the killer outfit called Operation Famou Tangbei Massive Ghost Workers in the MDAs A dislocated and psychologically disoriented youth population The penetration of cultism, which became a way of life of most youths Dearth and decaying infrastructure An unedifying culture of sharing money without working Unpardonable decay in the educational System Inadequate Health care system Investment deficit and lack of industrialization Thus the Governor Dickson administration came on board and set out to work. First, Governor Dickson reengineered the security architecture of the State and established DOO AKPOR. Security was given prime attention because it is the first law of nature. Peace and security are essential pre-conditions for development and investment to thrive. Today, unlike the unedifying past, Bayelsa is the safest place in Nigeria. It is understandable why Governor Dickson has signed MoUs pertaining to investment and industrialization with foreign partners. The security architecture of the State now is second to none. This policy has regained the confidence of the people in government. DOO AKPOR, like a morality car wash that has made Bayelsans forgets about the heinous evils of the notorious Operation Famou Tangbei. Law and order has been entrenched in the system and an investment friendly- atmosphere has been created to attract local and international investors. Secondly, Governor Dickson started to tackle the huge debt profile, which appeared insurmountable. The Restoration Administration instituted a task force to do biometric capturing of civil servants at all levels of government. By this singular act, so many ghost workers were identified and weeded out thereby reducing the wage bill of the State. This exercise has continued till date. The Restoration Administration has an avowed commitment to ensure that only legitimate staff are paid salaries. The import of the exercise is that the positions occupied by the ghost workers will now be taken up by qualified Bayelsans. Thirdly, the all-inclusive nature of the Restoration Administration was demonstration when about 10,000 cultists were made to renounce cultism with a view to integrating them as indispensable members of the civil society. This was to give them a sense of belonging as members of the State. Governor Dickson through has since embarked on youth empowerment programmes. The youths Youths were sent to Songhai for training in mechanized agriculture, more than 250 youths have also been sent to King Amachere University, Republic of Benin. Only a fortnight ago, Governor Dickson established the Bayelsa Volunteers and engaged about 500 youths. The Government is just two years old but monumental strides are being taken to re-orient the youths to be involved in the development process of the State. The Ministry of Science, Technology & Manpower Development is also engaged in aggressive skills acquisition in ICT, Technical and vocational spheres. Fourthly, human capital development ranks very high on the agenda of the Restoration Government. Today, the Ministry of Education is successfully implementing the Free Education Programme. About 200 schools have been built and comprehensively renovated. The Bayelsa State Basic Education Board has also built and comprehensively renovated. Twenty Five mega Schools have achieved 95% completion rate. Work has reached an advanced stage on the Model schools in all the Senatorial districts of the State. The Bayelsa State scholarship Board is meticulously managing the State Scholarship Scheme. This is in addition to the Jasper Boro College of Education, which is turning out to be one of the best in Nigeria. The Bayelsa College of Arts & Science has come on stream. There are other institutes such as the Institute of Tourism, Catering and Hospitality Management, the proposed Sports Academy, the Teacher Training Institute among others are underway. Never in the history of Bayelsa State has development been so aggressively pursued. This is quantum leap unprecedented in the history of Bayelsa State since creation 17 years ago. STRONG POINTS OF THE RESTORATION ADMINISTRATION 1. Sustainable Peace and Security in the State by reviewing the security architecture 2. Entrenching Transparency and Accountability, prudence and value for money 3. The use of direct labour in most Special Projects to minimize cost 4. Intense Capacity building programmes through the Ministry of Science, Technology & Manpower Development, Youth Development and other Ministries 5. Getting Youths to renounce cultism and the resurrection of Youth Volunteer services 6. Massive award of scholarships at home and abroad 7. Building many institutes such as Jasper Boro College of Education, Teacher Training Institute; the proposed Sports Academy, the proposed Maritime Academy, etc 8. International Institute of Tourism, Catering and Hospitality Management 9. Aggressive development of physical infrastructure 10. Minimization of recurrent Expenditure by weeding out Ghost workers 11. Encouragement of work ethic by introducing the clocking-in system 12. Building of schools: 25 Mega Schools; Model Schools in all constituencies 13. Welfare for the elderly i.e. Above 75 years 14. Linking Communities with roads 15. Promotion of the Ijaw Identity by providing the State with a Coat of Arm and a Flag Courtesy: SSA to the Governor of Bayelsa State on Research & Social Media First Published 28/04/2014
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 21:52:58 +0000
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