Gov. Dickson And His Executive Irresponsibility

By John Okhai

The primary essence of governance is the provision of security for citizens, and this includes economic security. But in a state where the people have been left to their fate, by an insensitive government, then one is obliged to ask if Gov Henry Seriake Dickson truly understands what his responsibilities to Bayelsans are. Besides the economic insecurity in the state, there's also the issue of insecurity of lives and properties, as is widespread in the state.

I have kept mum over the state of affairs in the state, because I believe a people deserves the kind of leader they get. When a people would rather mortgage their future for a paltry 5,000 or 10,000 naira as the case may be, depending on the bargaining power of the people, then they should know that they have lost the moral right to demand good governance from its leader(s) or in this case, the governor.

Besides, a few months ago, when I asked Bayelsans to brace up for an impending untold hardship coming their way, I was greatly chastised, and called all sorts of names. I wonder what those who called me a prophet of doom then, would be thinking or saying now.

But it was not rocket science knowing what fate lies in wait for Bayelsans under another administration of Dickson. A man who openly boasted, on how much he expended to get the result that has made him the tenant-in-chief of creek haven. Naturally, he would not feel obligated to serve the people, because as far as he knows, his money (the Bayelsa people's money by the way,) put him where he is today.

An action that has plunged the state in the mess it is today.

Now, to the gravamen of the matter. That Gov Henry Seriake Dickson has refused to pay the state's civil servants is no longer news, the palpable hunger in the state tells the story better.
What I have found insulting to the intelligence of Bayelsans, is the watery excuse(s) emanating from creek haven as to why civil servants are being owed salary.

One moment, we are told the wage bill of the state is astronomically high, and thus requires some verification exercise to wean out ghost workers from the service, so as to arrive at a manageable wage bill. But a check on this verification exercise shows it has being on like forever, as it has become an exercise that is repeatedly carried out. To this, one begins to wonder if there's no data base in place that keeps record, because if there is, then, it raises suspicion as to why the unending exercise. What has been the findings of the previous verification exercises carried out by this same restoration government with Dickson as it chief principal?
What were the recommendations of the last exercise(s)? Were they implemented? Was the exercise(s) just a jamboree or some sort of political game savoured by Dickson?
In fact one would have expected that with the introduction of the BVN, it would have been easier for a cleansing of these ghost workers from the system.

But obviously, it does appear to me that Dickson is playing games with Bayelsans and he enjoys it like one at the point of ejaculatory ecstasy.

I am more appalled by the issue of non payment of salaries in Bayelsa, because there's no tenable excuse sufficient enough to excuse Dickson's insensitivity to the plight of the civil servants in Bayelsa state.

At this juncture, one is forced to ask what is the state of the compulsory savings that Dickson was required by legislation, to save against the rainy days? How much has been saved and how much has been drawn from that savings?
Was the Bayelsa State House of Assembly's approval sought before drawing from the said account?
Or better still, was the compulsory savings another monumental fraud? If it's not, there's no better time to draw from it than now, because the rainy days has arrived.

The Dickson-led administration has politicized his refusal to pay salaries, and has even employed outright blackmail to hoodwink the people, and sadly some gullible folks have swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.

The Buhari led federal government has been accused of denying the state its own portion of the bail out funds. But if my memory serves me right, Dickson had boasted that he does not need the bail out fund.
He had professed undying love for Bayelsa and thus claimed he doesn't want to commit the state to unnecessary borrowing, thereby mortgaging the future of the state.
But recently, the sum of N1.24 billion was drawn from the bailout fund, which we were told would be used to clear the backlog of salaries across the 8 local government areas. Don't ask me if that has been done, the local government workers will tell the story better.

Now, the blackmail that nauseates me the most, is the one introduced in the case of NDU and its lecturers. Rather than doing the needful, Dickson wants the world to believe that the lecturers could not be paid because of the staff strength of the university, which they claim is almost proportional to the number of students in the ivory tower. Meaning, until a verification exercise is carried out to determine the actual staff strength of the university, the lecturers won't get remunerated.

And one is again forced to ask, another verification exercise?
Now, NDU is on strike, its students have been forced to abandon their exams and head home as the lecturers can no longer stomach Dickson's insensitivity.
Bayelsa, does not only rely on the allocation from FAAC, the 13% derivation fund for oil producing states contributes to the coffers of the state, the IGR is also a contributor, no matter how insignificant we're made to believe the IGR is.

So, just what is Dickson's excuse for refusing to pay workers?