Editors inspect projects in Bayelsa, hail Dickson

The tenure of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State came under serious focus on Saturday during the ongoing conference of Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), as various speakers praised his leadership and commitment to the development of the state.
The accolades from editors came during an inspection tour of various landmark projects executed by Dickson, popularly called the ‘Countryman Governor’.
The NGE said the governor’s achievements was a way of recognising his administration’s strides in socio-economic development in the last three and a half years, adding that Dickson has indeed done a lot for the benefit of the people.
With the theme of this year’s conference, “Nigeria: The Change We Need…The Role of the Editor”, speakers at the event said it was fitting in relation to Dickson’s vision and perspectives in governance, adding that the governor has, by his innovative leadership, changed the face of governance in the South-South state.
One of the editors, who was also part of the project tour and publisher of New Nation, Richard Beke, said the governor was a change agent in view of his government’s achievements in the various areas of development.
He said that although there were other governors before him, none had done as much to give hope to the people.
“He is the face of change in the new Bayelsa. He is the original change agent as he has been saying and there is no doubt that there is truth in his assertions seeing first hand for ourselves the various developmental strides”, Beke said.
He noted that hosting the 11th edition of the yearly conference in Yenagoa like other events in recent times was an indication that the state has changed from being a dreaded enclave to one safe and stable to live and do business.
Speaking in similar vein, a veteran Journalist, Taire Godson, said a major development initiative of the administration was the governor’s huge funding of education which, he said, had expanded opportunities, especially to indigent students through its free education policy, scholarships and provision of modern classrooms and boarding facilities.
Godson also reckoned that the various roads and bridges built by the government have helped to open up the state for commercial activities to thrive.
On his part, the immediate-past National Vice President of NGE (Zone F, South-South), Uzaka Seigfa, said the governor’s commitment to a new order of spending state resources on development programmes rather than sharing as it was in the past would be his legacy.
This, he said, was not so popular, especially among the elite and hence the complaints against his administration.
Seigfa said: “For the first time, we now have a purposeful government which is a good thing but certainly, some people are not happy because there is no more free money to share in the state. This is really unfortunate.”
He added that Dickson’s vision for the state would have greater impact during his second term and hoped that the people will re-elect him to complete on-going projects as well as embark on new ones.