Governor Dickson Felicitates With Osinbajo @61

……..Describes him as a great stabilizer      

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson has felicitated with the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on his 61st birthday anniversary.

The Governor in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo, described Osinbajo as a great stabilizer and prayed God to grant the VP long life and good health.

While thanking Osinbajo for service to fatherland, Dickson said, clocking 61 years calls for celebration.                 

He said: "On behalf of the Government and the good people of Bayelsa State, I warmly felicitate with you on your 61st Birthday Anniversary. You are a great stabilizer in the system and I thank you for your service to fatherland. As you celebrate your new age, I join your family, friends and associates to wish you many happy returns! May God grant you many more years of good health."

Bayelsa PDP Tells The Few Remnants Of APC Members To Emulate Tebepah, Others And Return To PDP

The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa‎ State has asked those, who are still in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop wasting their time in the party, as nothing good will happen to them under the leadership of Chief Timipre Sylva.

 

The party said, Sylva like his mentor in Abuja is busy promoting nepotism by appointing only his kinsmen and close relatives while those, who sweated with him in the last elections are completely abandoned or left to settle for crumbs. 

 

‎The PDP made the declaration on Wednesday following a courtesy visit by some former members of the APC to Governor Seriake Dickson‎ at the Government House in Yenagoa.

 

Led by a former State Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Tarila Tebepah the returnee members had gone to pledge their total loyalty and commitment to the governor and the party, assuring him that, they will work to ensure its victory in the next general and governorship elections.

 

The defectors made up of heavyweights alongside over 6,000 of their supporters had on February 14 openly dumped the APC,‎ admitting that, they were deceived to join by Sylva. 

 

But, the PDP in a statement by its Chairman, Cleopas Moses called on the few remnants of the APC to leave the drowning party, describing it as a congregation of hardened criminals, unrepentant cultists and ‎promoters of oppressive tendencies. 

 

Cleopas Moses thanked Governor Dickson for creating the right environment for the defectors and assured them that, they have been fully integrated, ‎while maintaining that, its doors are still open with more opportunities than in the APC. 

 

He said‎ Sylva's penchant for using and dumping people has become legendary and challenged anyone, who has directly benefited in any form of political patronage from him in the last two years other than his relatives to publicly state so. 

 

The PDP chairman advised those still in the APC to stop falling for his sweet talks, as his trademark deceit, which has been the hallmark of him and his master, will work against them come 2019.

 

Bayelsa Government Felicitates With Dep. Gov As He Turns 64

The Bayelsa State Government has felicitated with the State Deputy Governor, retired Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah on the occasion of his 64th birthday today.

The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, in a statement described the Deputy Governor as a bridge builder, committed public servant and a dependable ‎ally.

The statement noted that, ‎the state number two man has in the last six years provided the needed support for the Governor Henry Seriake Dickson’s restoration administration which has enabled it to provide stable leadership in Bayelsa.

It noted that his contributions to the evolution of the new Bayelsa, which the present government is championing cannot be easily forgotten and thanked him for his disposition in critical issues of development and governance.

While wishing him a happy and prosperous birthday, the statement prayed God to continue to bless the Deputy Governor with long life, good health and sound mind.

Dickson: I Used Education to Tackle Militancy and Insecurity in Bayelsa State

 

…..Bayelsa Is Now Safe and Peaceful, Says COAS Buratai 

 

Bayelsa State Governor, Honourable Seriake Dickson, on Monday said, his government's heavy investments in education has helped to drastically reduce militancy and insecurity in Bayelsa State.

While stressing that, his Restoration Government has so far invested N70billion on education in the last six years, the Governor said, education will continue to assume a top priority, because, according to him, the investments have paid off, with the state becoming one of the most peaceful, as well as one of the top in education index in the country.  

He said: "...We fight insecurity in vain if we don't first educate our people, particularly our youths to be empowered enough to reason beyond their nose, to properly know and situate the evil of crime, criminality and insecurity in the society. That is why, in Bayelsa, we deliberately democratise knowledge by sponsoring many Bayelsans and Ijaws outside the state, by building world class educational infrastructure, more and more schools across the state and making education free and compulsory with boarding facilities because we know, our efforts at tackling insurgency, militancy and other security challenges in the country will not make much impact without addressing illiteracy, which we believe is their root cause."

Governor Dickson spoke during a courtesy visit by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai to Government House, Yenagoa, to kick start the ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the 16 Brigade Barracks of the Nigeria Army in Yenagoa. 

The Governor in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Ottah Agbo, also called for more collaboration between the state government and Nigeria Army on security.

He commended the Chief of Army Staff for the establishment of 16 Brigade as well as the collaborative efforts of the Nigerian Engineering Corps at the Agge Deep Sea port, which he noted, would enhance security and investments.

The Governor also noted: "I am pleased with what the Nigerian Army is doing in terms of security in the state and its development efforts at the Agge Deep sea port, which we are building to enhance our economic and tourist potentials.

"Going forward, we will like to work with the Nigerian Army to undertake in the building of low cost houses, bridges and other developmental projects"

In his remarks, Lt. Gen. Buratai commended Governor Dickson for his giant strides in the development of the state, particularly in security, education and infrastructure.

Lt. Gen. Buratai also lauded the Governor for providing the enabling environment for security agencies to operate, assuring the state government of his continued support to ensure that, Bayelsa continues to remain one of the safest states in the country.

He said: "I congratulate you on your giant strides in the development of Bayelsa. You have done a lot in the area of supporting security agencies, making Bayelsa one of the safest in the country and infrastructural development, especially your new Government House Complex, where we are having this courtesy visit."

 

Akwa Ibom Govt Intensifies Tomato Planting Efforts To Meet Domestic Demands

.......Explains State Airport Power Substation Project

The government of Akwa Ibom State has announced plans to inaugurate ten more hectares of farmland for hybrid tomatoes by May this year to meet up with at least fifty percent demand for domestic markets.
Governor Udom Emmanuel announced this over the weekend, while on inspection of the Green House Plantation on Ibom International Airport Road.
The Governor stated that although the State Government was aiming at having One hundred percent for domestic markets, there are some that are purely for exports.
The Governor who said that the State Government was running the administration based on its vision and blueprint, stressed that any Government that cannot feed its own citizens is not working, irrespective of the infrastructure it provides.
According to Governor Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom was taking a total approach towards the welfare of its people by thinking right from what the people eat, wear and to the building of individual capacity to the expected level.
At a stop-over, he made at the State Airport Power Substation Project, the Governor announced that the essence of the project was to stop the daily use of generating sets to power the airport and avoid wastage.
He said part of the over One hundred megawatts of electricity generated by the Ibom Power Plant is to be drawn to the sub-station at the airport.
Governor Emmanuel explained that the power project was to effectively boost power supply to the MRO, the terminal building, cargo operations and other airport facilities when they become fully operational.
Speaking further on the developments at the airport, the Commissioner for Housing and Special Duties, Mr Akan Okon, explained that the second runway which is 3.6km will, on completion, have the capacity to carry a 747 Cargo Aircraft.
The Commissioner stated that so far, 3.5 out of the 3.6km in the 60 metres wide runway has been completed.
The Group Managing Director of ALCON, the Contracting Company at the Airport, Engr. K. C. Akuma, explained the workings of the Power Distribution Centre in the Airport noting that the current consumption was 2 megawatts.
He said the MRO, International Terminal building phase 2 and others expected to come on stream subsequently will consume about 7.5 megawatts still leaving enough gap for whatever facility the State Government may intend to bring on board in the future.
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, Commissioners and other top government functionaries joined the Governor during the Inspection tour.

Akwa Ibom State Govt Seeks Avenues Of Cooperation With China

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has informed a delegation of Chinese investors that the State Government will explore ways of cooperation with the Chinese government in order to strengthen bilateral relations.

He stated this while playing host to the entourage led by the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian, who called on him on Friday, at the Government House, Uyo. Governor Emmanuel expressed delight to the team for visiting the state first in their tour of the country, saying that the people from the Republic of China have been good friends with Nigerians and to AkwaIbom people in particular.
“We have developed your people in terms of human capacity and showcased them to the whole world. It gladdens my heart that, if you go to anywhere in the world, if you don’t see a Chinese, it means that place is not good enough. I’m very delighted that you take interest in us.”
Gov Emmanuel further said that China is a role model country, stating, “During a comparative analysis in terms of population of Africa, Nigeria, Asia and China, there is one aspect that we didn’t copy from you. We started very well but we dropped along the line. In those days, if you want anything in Nigeria, we used to have what we called ‘Aba Made’ while the Chinese had ‘Made in Shanghai’. The Chinese continued in the domestic market but we lost out.
“Chinese economy started developing from the domestic market. They turned their population to something that propelled the economy to be the biggest in the whole world but Nigeria, at a point, dropped the appetite for western products.”
The State Governor assured the team that with the current population available in the local market, Akwa Ibom’s domestic market can improve on the economy of the Nigerian market with the population of 170 million people.
According to him, cassava consumption in China is huge. “With cassava, we can export about $2-3billion. Cassava can be planted in AkwaIbom State without fertilizer and it will yield superlatively because of the vegetation.
“Bamboo in China is a whole lot of money but in Akwa Ibom State, bamboos grow naturally. So I will like to see how we can partner so that we can turn some of these economic trees that God gave us naturally. Bamboo has over one thousand uses and China alone has put bamboo to more than 300 uses everywhere.
The location of Akwa Ibom State can serve as transhipment to the entire Gulf of Guinea. I don’t see why we cannot have a hub here where we can operate regional flights to the rest of West Africa. It is a global village.
Governor Emmanuel informed the Chinese Ambassador of the vast opportunities that exist between the two countries, saying that in AkwaIbom, Chinese holds the big constructions.
“We are developing a Deep Sea Port and we have a natural draught of 17.3m which they don’t need to do anything.
The investment they do during the port transition in Lagos, if they invest same in Akwa Ibom, they will reap five times in return. It takes three months to clear goods in Lagos. If a modern sports facility is set up here, it can take 48 hours to clear goods in Akwa Ibom State and that can justify and fast-track the growth of the economy not only in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria but the entire Gulf of Guinea. We have the longest shoreline of 129km in the whole of Nigeria, and as of today, we are the most peaceful state in the country.
The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Zhou Pingjian, in his remarks, said he was pleased at the level of hospitality, understanding and support given the Chinese community in the state, adding that he was delighted to see everyone in the state happy, which shows the level of fulfillment in the state.
He used the occasion to inform the Governor of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) summit coming up in September this year in Beijing and expressed belief that it will give new opportunities to grow China and the Nigeria relationship.
Amb.Pingjian disclosed that China and Nigeria have enjoyed cordial relationship since 1971. “We believe that good relations should be strengthened in all levels of government. So, one purpose for me today is to explore new ways for cooperation between the partners at the national levels.
In 2017, China’s input for Nigeria, according to the statistics of the Chinese customs, increased by 79.1 percent. We are very happy to see the good momentum but we cannot be too complacent because the number is still very small comparing the size of Nigeria’s economy to China’s.
“Last year, China’s import for Nigeria was around 1.7 US Dollars though it’s increasing very fast, and China still enjoys a lot of trade. But the Chinese government is not in the position to pursue trade.”
He further disclosed that measures have been put in place to promote ‘made in Nigeria’ products and one way to boost made in Nigeria products, according to him, is to make Nigeria partner with China, saying, “we also wish to use this opportunity to explore other ways for us to strengthen our cooperation, not only in the infrastructural sector but also in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
We believe China’s cooperation with Nigeria is very beneficial and we have achieved a lot but compared to the size of our economy and the potential, there are still huge potentials to tap in to. Here we have the Dakkada philosophy which is the first word in the Nigeria’s National Anthem ‘Arise’.

“Dakkada ‘Arise’ is also the first word in the Chinese National Anthem. While Nigeria’s National Anthem says ‘Arise O Compatriots’, Chinese National Anthem says ‘Arise You Who Refuse To Be Slaves’, so we sincerely believe that China and Nigeria share a lot. With China and Nigeria arising together, we can bring more benefits not only to the people of our society but also to channel cooperation to the world.”

Governor Dickson Felicitates With OBJ@81

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson has felicitated with Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his 81^st birthday anniversary. 

The Governor in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo prayed God to grant the elder statesman long life as well as good health so that “we can continue to tap from his fountain of knowledge and experience.”

While thanking the former president for sparing time out of his tight schedule to visit Bayelsa recently to commission legacy projects, Dickson said clocking 81years calls for celebration.      

He said: “On behalf of the Government and the grateful people of Bayelsa State, I warmly felicitate with you on your 81st Birthday Anniversary. Baba, we cannot thank you enough for all you have done for us as a people including your Three-Day Visit to Bayelsa State on my sixth anniversary, where you commissioned legacy projects such as the World-Class Diagnostic Centre, Aquaculture Village, the Specialist Hospital and the Olusegun Obasanjo Drive. As you celebrate your new age, I join your family, friends and associates to wish you many happy returns! May God grant you many more years in good health”