Having concluded the first leg of his community to community meet the people campaign tour, a first by any sitting governor in the history of the state in which he was accorded a warm reception by the community folks who trooped out in their thousands, Gov Seriake Dickson fielded questions from the media on the forthcoming governorship election and reeled out his achievements, which according to him, are verifiable and would speak loud for him come December 5. Excerpts:
By Samuel Oyadongha
What informed your decision to embark on a community -to- community campaign? Are you satisfied with what you have seen on ground?
Part of what I am doing and have been doing is to quietly in my own way change the way politics is played in this state. The level of maturity and tolerance I have brought to bear on the politics is such that you see the opposition campaigning against me as vigorously as I am also campaigning. That is happening for the first time.
When the APC’s Chief Timipre Sylva was governor, you saw what he did. When he was here as governor, anybody who wanted to campaign against him will be attacked. One of his supporters, Chief Rufus Abadi, knows what happened to him in his house at Otuan. But some of our people have short memories. I want to challenge my opponent Sylva to do same and sleep in the communities as I am doing, instead of bragging about federal force.
No one knows him at the federal level other than he was used to unseat his brother. Let him go to our communities and relate with them freely as I am doing.
I sat in a dining hall built by my government in Ukubie one of the investments we have made in all the communities. We are not where we want to be yet but we have made a difference and they appreciate the roads and they are all waiting to receive me. The last community on my way was Ayama and all Tarakiri communities.
They were very receptive such that for three days they did not go to the forest or farm, they waited for me for two to three days, to encourage me. I cannot thank them enough.
It is my prayer that after the election I will go back on this community tour because it has also opened my eyes more which is the central purpose of this Government: to see the people’s material conditions and how much I have tried to solve all their problems and to see what remains to be done.
These gentlemen called APC are trying to take our state nowhere. Despite the old names, their communities do not appreciate them, they have no support. I have done what no government has done before, spent two nights in Southern Ijaw, one night in Korokorosei, which is my Speaker’s community.
The entire ward waited till about 8pm when we got there. We commissioned their pavilion, a road that we did, they also have the schools and investments that are there. All we are doing is to consolidate so that by God’s grace those boarding schools will start by January and I cannot wait to see these children that I saw in all the communities wearing smart clean uniforms provided by the Restoration Government, with books supplied. Our children are bright and because of the investments we have in education they can compete with their mates elsewhere.
That is why I am not surprised that our educational rating has gone up from 28 in the national chart to fourth in WAEC results. If we achieved this within this short period then imagine what will happen when I consolidate with all these twenty five constituency schools coming on stream?
Sylva said pensioners have not been paid. I am the one who said that our allocation is unfortunately low, even offices do not have allocation, I am sorry that is the situation but I gave my word and true to type we have started paying.
When he was here he was not paying them for years, I have the records, he was owing over 6 billion naira in gratuities. Someone who could not manage N15-16 billion, can he manage N4.2 b that we are receiving now? Out of which we are still paying his debt. The bond he took runs till 2017.
Ministerial position
From the ministerial position they gave you can see how they rate Bayelsa. From a state that lost the Presidency, where our only permanent secretary has been removed, only God knows what happens next. Our highest customs officers retired. They say we got minister of State for Agriculture I say no it is assistant minister, in effect it is minister without portfolio.
The truth is that Bayelsans must wake up, the elites must learn to put the people’s collective interest ahead of their own selfish interest.
Timipre Slyva went about promising people governorship and he became the governorship candidate, he also promised everybody the position of deputy governor and he failed them.
Peace accord signed with the other parties?
I signed because that was the right thing to do. My campaign is about peace, development and prosperity. You hear me ask people to accord Sylva the respect that is due him. I am not a man of violence unlike those who are merchants of violence and cultism.
I believe that a political leader and anyone aspiring to lead people must show example and our society can only develop when you have peace. We have been able to achieve so much because of the prevailing peace and we want it to get better.
That is why our PDP campaign is not about promises of what we will do.
Source:Vanguard
