Killers of soldiers in Bayelsa’ll be hunted down –Governor Seriake Dickson

There were reports that unknown gunmen attacked and killed three security personnel in Nembe and there were fighter jets flying overhead. As chief security officer of the state what exactly would you say is going on?
The incident you mentioned in Nembe is one incident too many. You recall that sometime last year in the same location there was this sort of attack where soldiers were murdered in cold blood while protecting our waterways and communities.
I would like to use this opportunity to offer my condolences to the military commanders, colleagues and families of the soldiers who were murdered in cold blood in Nembe. I would be summoning the traditional rulers in the area and the chairman of the council and after that I hope to have a critical meeting with other players in that area to discuss  security.
We condemn it totally and especially looking at it from the point of view that last year in the same location this kind of thing took place. We are very concerned about that.  Our duty is to work with the security forces to ensure that the perpetrators are followed up and hunted down. They must face justice and maybe from this incident we might also get a clue as to what happened last year and some other incidents of security breaches.  The military high command understands that this was an isolated, calculated, cold blood murder and it has nothing to do with the peace loving people of Ogbolomabiri in the Nembe Local Government Area
and I want to thank the military commander on ground for that understanding. As soon as this incident occurred, I asked the deputy governor of the state who incidentally is from the area concerned to proceed there and his visit gave us further insight and proved to be helpful in dousing the tension and apprehension. The Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Admiral Okojie was himself on ground and I want to thank him and his officers for the various steps they took to assure the law abiding people of their safety.
I want to use this opportunity to call for calm in that area and ask the leaders at various levels to spend more time in their domains and communities so that they can be on top of this kind of development and to liaise with security agencies and government.
What was your reaction following your victory at the election petition tribunal?  Secondly can you shed more light on the proposed University of Africa?
For my victory at the tribunal, like everything else, we give thanks to God and appreciate the support that the good people of the state have continued to show. My opponent in the last general elections never had any credible case. He lost the election clearly and incontrovertibly before the entire world. He could have earned more respect by calling to congratulate me like our former president did over his own election and it would have been a beautiful day for Bayelsa democracy.  I won in seven local government areas; even in Brass I won yet they kept spreading propaganda and boasting that the villa will subvert justice, boasting about crime which is sad. When you take such case to the judiciary you are politicizing the judiciary. All their campaign was based on the use of federal might and they brought all he asked for but he did not have God and you the people. He felt the Nigerian judiciary can be subverted and that is why he went to the tribunal.
The tribunal they themselves put together struck out his case on all the issues he raised. No point made sense to the tribunal. He lost at the polls, lost at the tribunal. If he had advisers, he should have been advised to respect the people of the state.
I want to use this opportunity to invite him and the few people on his side to join hands with us, we are brothers and friends. I am waiting to see what he will bring to the state from the federal level. They should bring the big contracts they claim the PDP government did not do. I am waiting to cooperate with them. They should use the federal might to bring appointments.
The University of Africa has come to stay, there is a bill establishing it, the NUC has given recognition but it is not going to start off immediately. The dream is a big dream, so we will take time to construct it, our idea is for every faculty to be mentored by a leading faculty of its kind in a top university internationally. Discussions have started and let me report that preliminary outcome is very encouraging. That university was established by the authority of the state in order to fast track it; the actual running of the university will be private sector-driven and it will be fee paying. This university allows us to work with institutions abroad, interested people who want to partake in  education development. Because of our support, we will adopt a policy by which Bayelsa students will pay less. This is not something people should oppose. Very soon, you will see the agreement that will be signed by the university and partnering universities. It is the vision of this government to make Bayelsa a  centre of learning.
 When should the workers expect the remaining 50% of their salaries and what is the government doing to offset the back log of pensioners’ entitlements?
I want to thank the civil servants for their understanding. Even the 50% is very difficult for us to meet up but because I have given my word, I will try to keep it up, I promise you there will be no delay in the payment of that 50% during the period of recession.
Workers will get the balance anytime the economy improves. Do not forget that I spent four years here without owing salaries for one month. The problem is not that I have money and I am not paying. If we have challenges, people should understand. This state does not only belong to civil servants, we also have to run a government even though the mistake people make is as if Bayelsa is for only civil servants. I agree it is a civil service state, but civil servants are not the only stakeholders. The people of this state are entitled to roads,schools,hospitals and security investments.
As regards  pensioners, it is a very unfortunate development, not just in Bayelsa. Our situation is not the worst in the country.  We have started paying and I am sure all the pensioners must have received or are in the process of receiving alerts. I do not know how regular those alerts would be , because it depends on  federal allocation that comes  monthly but I pray that we be in a position to meet our obligation to our retired people.
Now that the election tribunal has given its judgment, thus ending a major distraction, what are your administration’s plans going forward?
My plan is to move forward and follow through with most of our policies. We are taking on very few fresh projects especially in the light of the dwindling revenue base, but we are taking the issue of diversifying our economy more seriously now. We are taking concrete steps, that is the advantage of having a second term government because most of the policies were laid out, we know what we have accomplished, we know the other issues we had while implementing some of them so we have a clear idea. For example, there is a massive agriculture revolution going on now which I will dwell on in due course. A lot of work is going on in the industrial park to promote enterprise. You also know that the micro-finance programme is up and running,  touching more lives. Most of the major infrastructure works have started picking up.
 Meteorological agencies have placed some flood prone states on red alert, what steps has your administration taken to forestall  a recurrence of the 2012 experience? Secondly, there are rumors making the rounds that you are among sponsors of The Avengers. How do you react to this?
The alert from the meteorological agency is quite alarming and agencies and officials have been directed to take steps to prepare the state. It is unfortunate that we do not have the resources to do that but we will try our best. Let me use this opportunity to enlighten our people that it is a major challenge that may come our way between now and October/November, so for those areas that were affected the last time, the team will reach out and sensitize more, the affected local government chairmen will also be called on board so that the state can begin our own preparation but we hope that the federal agencies and other individuals and organizations will also come to the rescue of our people.
It is a sad prediction but we are getting ready; the citizenry should also be prepared for it.
As for the so-called The Avengers, I do not want to dignify that nonsensical propaganda. Those who are in a position to know already know that I am not one person that can be associated with that. That is all I can say.
What is the role of  the state government in the issue of taxation of  oil companies and what is the state government doing to make other companies comply with  development laws in the state?
As regards that, we are in a very pitiable situation because we have companies which have operated here for donkey years and destroyed our environment and do not pay tax whereas in neighboring states they pay tax going up to N1billion  a month whereas they operate here more. I took it up with them up to the federal level and the presidency intervened and they were told to come and pay the taxes due Bayelsa State.
I have set up laws, a tribunal, and so forth. I will be signing the revenue court law again. I am setting up these institutions that should have been in this state long before now, we are starting and so we need support and encouragement because we are in a very delicate situation. This state should ideally be getting a minimum of N3billion  to N4 billion  tax revenue  monthly which we do not get, but they pay that to other states.
I wish to bring to your attention the upsurge of armed robbery in some areas of the state. What are you doing to give Operation Doo Akpo a shot in the arm so it can be more efficient and effective?
I appreciate that concern and I feel for all those who have been victims of all those attacks by miscreants. Our state and Yenagoa remain one of the most peaceful in the country even with the issues of the militants in the Niger Delta.
Revenue shortfall affected everything.  I know how much we used to spend to maintain the Doo Akpo, training, equipping and so on. Their vehicles have been used for over four years and I made enquiries and was shocked to find out the cost of  new vehicles we want to get for them because of the crash of the naira against the dollar. Continue to work with the security agencies, liaise with them, report suspected persons around you, be more observant and we have a crop of committed security law enforcement officials in the state that I know that once these are brought to them they will take action. But we are also making effort to re-kit the Doo Akpo to bring it back to optimum performance.
Finally, I want to say we are going through trying times. Our state is worse off because it is a new state, some call it a civil service state with a weak economic base, but I am very grateful to the civil servants, and  the understanding showed by the people of Bayelsa State. Your development is central to all we do even when we disagree. On security concerns, these are very perilous times in the Niger Delta. Try to work with the security agencies, try to keep the peace in your local areas, communities and neighborhoods and we believe that working together, the dream we have for Bayelsa and program we started for the development of our state will yield rich rewards. (The Sun)